United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

THE Quarterly Communication was held on Wednesday , at Freemasons' Hall , London , Earl Amherst Pro Grand Master in the chair , supported by the Earl of Warwick Deputy Grand Master , Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., acting

as Past Grand Master , and some eight hundred Brethren . On the motion of Earl Amherst , seconded by the Earl of Warwick , the sum of 500 guineas was voted to the Queen

Victoria Memorial Fund , and Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall Grand Treasurer said he would immediately pay over the amount , without waiting for the vote to be confirmed at the next Quarterly meeting in September .

Bro . Loveland-Loveland , K . C ., was again appointed President of the Board of General Purposes .

Consecration.

• tut-itu M if MMmtimitMmf M TTTT TT TTWinnriTWiniWTnrwirlr CONSECRATION .

— : o : — Victoria . Lodgre , No . 2848 . IT has for some time been evident that Masonry has been making great progress in Wolverhampton and district ,

and in January last some of the local Brethren arrived at the conclusion that it was desirable an additional Lodge should be formed . A petition was presented to the Grand Master and in due time a Charter was granted for a new Lodge to be constituted , and to be known as the Victoria Lodge .

The Founders , nine in number , made a request to the Earl of Dartmouth Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire to perform the ceremony of Consecration , and his Lordship readily consented to do so . Arrangements were made for the important event to take place on Saturday ,

nth ultimo , at the Victoria Hotel , the Founders having selected ' as the first Master Bro . Walter Hamblett , who is a P . M . of Noah ' s Ark Lodge , which is said to be the oldest

Lodge in Staffordshire . There was a large attendance of distinguished Brethren from Staffordshire , Worcestershire , Warwickshire , and London , the entire company numbering about two hundred .

The Rev . W . G . Mayne delivered a most interesting address" on the nature and principles of the Institution , and the whole of the ceremony of Consecration was very ably

performed uy the Provincial Grand Master , at the conclusion of which his lordship said he was very pleased that another Lodge had been provided for Wolverhampton , and congratulated the founders upon their successful efforts .

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master Bro . Colonel Walker afterwards installed Bro . Hamblett as the first Worshipful Master . The new W . M . appointed and invested the following as his Officers : Bros . J . Carver P . M . P . GDC

I . P . M ., A . Whitehouse S . W ., H . Whitehouse J . W ., W . Robinson Treasurer , T . D . Douglas Secretary , E . J . Parkes S . D ., G . Reed J . D ., T . W . Bigglestone I . G ., Sergeant Bennett Tyler .

At the conclusion of the ceremonies the Worshipful Master , on behalf of the founders , presented very handsome jewels to the Provincial Grand Master and also the Deputy , which were snitnhlv ari-nnwlprlo- < = rl

In the evening a banquet was served in the Assembly Room of the Hotel , which was largely attended . The usual Masonic toasts were honoured .

The Deputy Provincial Grand Master , in proposing the toast of the Worshi pful Master , said Bro . Hamblett had done some excellent work in Noah ' s Ark Lodge , and he was sure he would display great efficiency in that Lodge

Consecration.

during the present year , when he would be called upon to do a great amount of work owing to the large number of candidates for admission . Bro . Hamblett , in responding , said he very much appreciated the distinguished honour conferred upon him in being

elected first W . M . of the Lodge , and felt sure he would be well supported by the Brethren . He thanked Bros . Alex . Smith , W . H . Smith , E . W . Smith , A . W . Evans , and Taylor for providing excellent and suitable music in the ceremonies , and Bro . T . D . Douglas for the enormous work he had done as Secretary .

It should be stated that the entire cost of the very handsome furniture and other requisites has been defrayed by the founders .

Jubilee Celebration.

****************** JUBILEE CELEBRATION .

ON the 29 th ult ., Sir Charles Dalrymple , Bart , M . P ., . vas entertained to dinner and received a presentation , as marking the completion of twenty-five years of Office as

Provincial Grand Master of Argyle and the Isles . All the Lodges in the Province joined in the testimonial , and most of them were represented at the dinner . The company numbered over sixty , and was almost exclusively Masonic . Bro > . ex-Provost Milloy , Rothesay , presided , and Bro . Cunningham , Millport , was croupier .

The Chairman , in proposing " Our Guest" and making the presentation , said that in December 1873 , Sir Charles Dalrymple was initiated as a member of Rothesay St . J ohn

Lodge . At that time Masonry in Scotland , and particularly in the Western Isles , did not occupy such an exalted position as it did now ; the improvement was very much owing to the work which Sir Charles had done in the Office of Provincial

Grand Master , to which he was installed in 1875 . So high was the esteem in which their guest was held by Freemasons in Scotland that he was appointed to the Office of Grand Master , a position which he had held with the greatest distinction . In handing over to Sir Charles a massive silver

bowl , on which the titles of all the Lodges in the Province were engraved , he said it would remain a living witness to generations to come of the high esteem in which the Prow Grand Master was held by his Masonic Brethren in the West . . The toast was received with much enthusiasm , and was drunk with Masonic honours .

Sir Charles Dalrymple , in replying , said it gave him great pleasure that on such an occasion the chair should be occupied b y a friend of many years whom he had always held in the highest regard , and had never ceased to consider a highly representative man in that place with which he ( Sir Charles )

had been identified for so many years . Another thing with which he expressed his satisfaction was the representative character of the company before him , for he knew that some of them had come from the most distant Lodges in the Province . He had been rather in the habit of deprecating

presentations and testimonials , but when he came to know of this movement , and knew of the large body of Masons in the West from whom it emanated , he thought there was nothing for it but to accept ; and he might say that he had looked forward with the greatest possible interest to the occasion

which had brought them together . In accepting such a costly , beautiful , and splendid gift , he need not say how much he was gratified by the kind feelings which prompted such a

presentation , which would be most gratefully prized by him , and he was sure would be prized by those who came after him . Nothing gave him greater pleasure than the belief that they thought Masonry in the Province had prospered under his