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cedence itself , whether the precedence adopted upon the last occasion was right or wrong ? secondly , who lias the right to authorise the precedence and to vary it ? Those , as he understood , were the two questions which had been indirectly raised . It would be for Grand Lodge , on a

future day , if it thought well , to consider them . Meanwhile , he considered it right to rule that the only question before him was whether the Proceedings of the last Grand Lodge had been correctly reported ; and , believing that they were correctly reported , and , having heard nothing to the

contrary , he must for the present put aside the question , leaving ' it to be discussed at some future day . The question , therefore , is that the minutes of the Grand Festival of the 25 th April be confirmed . The motion was then carried nem con .

The next business , the Election of Members on the Board of General Purposes , resulted as follows : — No . of Votes

JOHN LAURENCE MATHER , 1471 294 RALPH CLUTTON , 631 231 GIOVANNI PAULO FESTA , 1900 222 ALBERT ESCOTT , 1593 219 CHARLES ATKINS , 27 217

WILLIAM SMALLFETCE , 1395 I 90 GEORGE PITT-LEWIS , 46 189 ALFRED MEADOWS , M . D ., 4 .... - 183 WILLIAM BRISTOW , G . S . L . •182

THOMAS HASTINGS MILLER , 907 ... - 177 SHARON GROTE TURNER , 2 154 WILLIAM H DEAN , 417 153 GEORGE HENRY HOPKINSON , 14 - - - - - 152 HENRY RICHARD COOPER SMITH , 1731 - - - 143

The undermentioned were nominated by the G . Master Bros . Sir John B . Monckton , F . S . A ., President , Sir Albert W . Woods ( Garter ) , iEneas J . Mclntyre , Q . C ., Ralph Gooding , M . D ., Frank Green , James E . Saunders , Fred . A . Philbrick , Q . C ., John A . Rncker , Thomas Fenn , Robert Freke Gould , and Raymond Henry Thrupp .

The following brethren will form the Colonial Board : — James Brett P . M . 177 , William George Lemon P . M . 1601 , Edward Letchworth P . M . 197 , James Henry Matthews P . M . 143 , Thomas Hastings Miller P . M . 907 , Griffiths Smith P . M . 21 , William Stephens P . M . 1489 .

Nominated by the Grand Master : Bros . John Anthony Rncker President , Hugh D . Sandeman , and Brackstone Baker .

148 votes were recorded for Bro . James Garner P . M . 975 , but as not more than seven Past Masters could be elected , a brother on the list of Masters was returned with a lesa number of votes . COMMITTEE or MANAGEMENT OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT

INSTITUTION . No . of Votes CHARLES A . COTTEBRTINI P . M . 733 - - . . 283 CHARLES ATKINS P . M . 27 258 ALFRED H . TATTERSHALL P . M . 143 .... 235

JAMES WILLING JUN . P . M . 1507 .... 226 WILLIAM J . MURLIS P . M . 1642 206 WILLIAM H . GOODALL P . M . 1567 .... 189

JOHN JAMES BERRY P . M . 554 181 THOMAS W . C . BUSH P . M . 1728 - - - . 176 GEORGE L . MOORE P . M . 169 166 ROBERT PERRY TATE P . M . 862 - 144

Nominated by the Grand Master : Bros . Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , Colonel Shadwell H . Clerke , R . H . Giraud , Jabez Hogg , Captain N . G . Philips , R . T . Ryott , D . C . L ., J . S . Peirce , W . F . Nettleship , James Brett , and James Kench .

The recommendations of the Lodge of Benevolence , as regards grants , as printed by us last week , were , on the motion of Bro . James Brett P . G . P ., seconded by Bro . G . P . Britten , confirmed .

The Report of the Board of General Purposes was next taken as read , received , and ordered to be recorded on the minutes . Bro . Sir J . B . Monckton then rose to

move—That tlie recommendations of the Board of General Purposes with reference to the suggestion of the reconstruction and enlargement of the Premises at Freemasons' Hall be referred back to the Board for execution , under the direction of the Grand Superintendent of Works .

Tbe particulars of the fire that took place recently in the Temple were well known to the brethren , and doubtless were lamented by them as much as by the Board of

General Purposes . After referring to the various suggestions that had been made in the columns of the public press , as to the reconstruction of the Temple , he stated that the Board of General Purposes felt it their duty to lose no

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time in giving their close and careful attention to the whole position , in order that it might be brought preliminaril y before Grand Lodge with all possible speed . He need scarcely say that having no sort of power or authorit y to take any actual step in the direction of reconstruction , they

thought they should be bad men of business if they did not make some inquiries of a general character as to what would be for the benefit of the Craft if carried out . Those matters and the result of those inquiries are referred to in the somewhat lengthy Report now in the hands of the

brethren . Iu briefly considering the propriety , or rather the expediency , of removing our time-honoured position to another site , we h ad many points before us , but more especially those affecting the personal convenience of brethren ; secondly , the interests of the Craft in a pecuniary and

financial sense . We recollected that our property is situated where we now stand , and we remembered that if it were thought in all other respects desirable that our Temple should be removed we should leave behind us a very important part of our property in the shape of Freemasons '

Tavern and the premises adjacent to it ; and it needed no skilled advice to assure us that we . should very considerably have injured , and irremediably destroyed that property if such a step were recommended and afterwards taken . The only spot which has anything to recommend

it other than our own location is the Thames Embankment . There is no doubt a certain amount of convenience connected with the railways on the Thames Embankment , but we found that the consideration would be attended by such enormous financial cost as to be practically impossible . It

had been suggested by enthusiastic brethren that the moment a notice went out to the Craft for a whip of £ 1 a head it wonld be responded to . Of course that was hardl y likely to be adopted ; indeed , it would not be a dignified

thing for the Craft to do under the circumstances . After giving some sound and practical reasons for the decision he and his colleagues had arrived at Bro . Monckton moved the resolution as given above .

Bro . Raynham W . Stewart P . G . D ., while agreeing with the report of the Board in many points , and lamenting the destruction of the Temple , thought they should erect in its

place a building capable of meeting the wants of the brethren . They needed a Hall which would accommodate 1500 persons . What he wanted was a Committee to act with the Board of General Purposes . He therefore moved that ,

" Having regard to the recent destruction of the Temple by fire , and the great increase of Masons , that it be referred to a Committee , in conjunction with

Members of the Board of General Purposes , to consider the advisability of rebuilding the Temple , or of acquiring a site to erect thereon a Hall capable of meeting the wants of the Order . "

Brother Havers said that it was only the strongest sense of duty , as well as a strong love for an Institution which he had served for so many years , that had brought him there on that occasion . He felt he should be doing wrong to himself and to the brethren if he did not venture to trespass on

their attention with a few remarks . When that Hall wa 9 built Grand Lodge elected him chairman of the Building Committee . He might therefore be presumed to have some knowledge of the building , what was done , and what was the best way of doing it . He had been utterly amazed

with the proposal now placed before Grand Lodge . Giving credit to the Board for all good intentions , let them ask themselves what was the proposal . It was that Grand Lodge should grant a sum of £ 30 , 000 or £ 35 , 000 , plus the money received on the insurance , and from Messrs . Spiers

and Pond , to erect a building which was not even yet conceived . He asked himself , would they build a labourer ' s cottage , costing even a couple of hundred pounds , without first seeing plans of what was to be built ? certainly not . He would therefore call the attention of Grand Lodge to what was done on the occasion to which he had referred .

The matter was offered to public competition , and they got a number of valuable designs , which were placed in St . Martin ' s Hall for a month , and brethren invited to go and see them . Amongst the plans sent in was one with which they were all delighted ; there was a grand middle

hall , but with entrances all round it quite compatible with the purposes of such a hall . The bnilding had to be constructed under peculiar circumstances ; they were bound

to consider the requirements of Grand Lodge for its Quarterly Communications , and they were bound not to stop the business of the Tavern ; tho Hall had , therefore , been constructed at three different periods . As erected ,