Essex.

£ 26 5 s , he himself would give £ 31 10 s , and he should like to propose that they vote the sum of £ 21 from their Lodge Funds , and take a voluntary collection in the room . Bro . George Corbie P . M . 453 P . P . G . J . W . said he had been

looking at the balance-sheet , and he really thought for such an exceptional occasion as this they might afford fifty guineas . He would venture to suggest that if his Lordship would amend his motion to that amount it would be heartily endorsed by Provincial Grand Lodge .

The Earl of Warwick said he would be delighted to fall in with Bro . Corbie ' s suggestion if the funds of Provincial Grand Lodge would allow . His Lordship then put the amended proposition , and it was carried amidst great applause . A collection was then taken in the Lodge , and when counted up was found to amount to-633 8 s . This was afterwards supplemented by the following : —Bros . Claude E . Egerton-Green £ 20 ,

Matthew Clark £ 5 5 s , C . J . Smith £ 5 5 s , John Eamsey £ 3 3 s , Jas . Boulton £ 2 2 s ; Angel Lodge , No . 51 , £ 5 5 s ; Lodge of Good Fellowship , No . 276 , £ 2 2 s ; Chigwell Lodge , No . 453 , £ 5 5 s ; United Lodge , No . 697 , £ 5 5 s ; Liberty of Havering Lodge , No . 1437 , £ 5 5 s ; Brooke Lodge , No . 2005 , £ 5 5 s ; Tilbury Lodge , No . 2006 , £ 5 5 s ; Shurmur Lodge , No . 2374 , £ 10 10 s ; Colne Lodge , No . 2477 , £ 3 3 s ; Ixion Lodge , No . 2501 , £ 5 5 s ; making a grand total of £ 230 9 s .

The next business on the agenda was the Board of General Purposes report , a copy of which having been sent to each member of P . G . L ., was taken as read . The report stated that the accounts for the year had been audited , and that after payment of all expenses there was a balance in hand on the General Account of £ 160 12 s 5 d , and on the Charity Account of £ 3212 s 5 d .

The returns from the Lodges showed the strength of the Province to be 2 , 001 against 1 , 939 last year . The Board recommended the payment of the following grants : —From the General Fund—A donation of one hundred guineas to the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys , £ 10 10 s to the Essex and Colchester Hospital , and

£ 10 10 s to the Eastern Counties Asylum for Idiots ; and from the Charity Fund £ 10 10 s to the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Girls , and a like sum to the Eoyal Masonic Benevolent Institution . The Board recommended that the portrait in next year ' s calendar be that of Bro . Andrew Durrant P . M . 276 P . P . S . G . W . P . P . G . Treas ., one of the oldest Masons in the Province .

The report was adopted ; as was also that of the Charity Committee , which stated that at the Girls election the Committee received 836 votes , exchanging 317 for 79 boys , and lending 519 . The election was very flat , and there was no demand for votes at all . At the Boys election they received 788 votes from the

Province , and 79 in exchange for Girls votes , enabling tbem to poll 277 for Oldham , raising his number of votes to 1 , 217 . This election was a very exciting one , and the demand for votes was almost without precedent . A division of votes acted disastrously , neither of the candidates being successful .

The Provincial Grand Master , on rising to address the Brethren , was heartily received . He said it was a great gratification to him to find himself once more in the good old town of Colchester , with which he had so many pleasant memories . It was in Colchester that he was installed as Provincial Grand Master , and for some years he had the pleasure to be connected

with the town as its member , during which time he made many , and he trusted they would be lasting , friendships . As to their meeting that day , he felt they might congratulate themselves on their charming surroundings , and they were much indebted to Bro . Claude Egerton-Green for placing his beautiful grounds at the disposal of the Brethren . Eeferring to the recent national

celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the reign of their Gracious Queen , his Lordship said they , as Freemasons , might well be proud of the part they had taken in the celebration . All those who were present at that wonderful meeting at the Albert Hall must have been greatly impressed with it , whilst it must be a satisfaction to every Brother that as a result of that meeting

more than £ 7 , 000 had been distributed in charity . This had been supplemented by a grant of £ 8 , 000 from the funds of the Grand Lodge , so that the total sum presented by the Freemasons of England in commemoration of the Queen ' s Jubilee amounted to a little over £ 15 , 000 . His lordship congratulated Bros . William Shurmur and W . J . Crump on the honours conferred upon them

by H . E . H . the Grand Master , at the Albert Hall , and although these two Brethren appeared to have been grouped with London Brethren the work they had done in Essex entitled them to the congratulations of the Province . Masonry continued to prosper in a wonderful way in Essex . When he commenced his career as Provincial Grand Master their membership was 900 , now they

would see by the report of their Board of General Purposes it had reached 2 , 000 , whilst as regarded charity , the Brethren were always most liberal , and what had been done that afternoon for the hailstorm fund would be a proof to outsiders , as he had already said , that they were equally open-handed in relieving distress outside their ranks . On the motion of Bro . William Shurmur P . G . Sfcd . Br .,

Essex.

Bro . William Gower W . M . 2501 was unanimously elected Provincial Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year . The Earl of Warwick said he had an announcement to make which he was sure would be received with great regret . He had received within the last few hours a letter from his excellent

Deputy , Bro . Philbriek , regretting that his judicial duties prevented his coming amongst them that day , and adding his feeling that this only too clearly showed that as he was always liable to these mischances he ought no longer to hold the office

of Deputy . His interest was as fully as ever with Freemasonry in the Province , but he felt they were entitled to more than that , his bodily presence . This letter , Lord Warwick continued , had come to him , as to all of them , as a great surprise , and he had not had time to consider what was best to be done . He should

write to Bro . Philbriek , and if he decided to resign he thought he should be able to nominate a Brother for the post who would be acceptable to the whole Province . The Provincial Grand Master invested his Officers for the year , as under :

Bro . Claude E Egerton-Green 51 Senior Warden Alfred Wallis 2005 - - - - Junior Warden Bev . Henry L . Norden 650 - - ' , „„ , . Bev . C . Cuthbert Naters 51 - - J 01 »; pl __ s Jas . G . Bryan 697 - - - - Begistrar Thos . J . Balling 51 ( twenty-first year ) - Secretary

Francis H . Crittall 1312 - - - ) ~ . _ , Eichard Galpin 2342 - - - J ^ "or Deacons J . M . Knight 2154 - - - - I T , . - William White 1457 - - - j * ^ "'or Deacons J . S . Hammond 1437 - Superintendent of Works A . Lucking 1000 ( twenty-fourth year ) - Director of Ceremonies

Frederick Clark 2006 - - - Deputy Dir . of Cers . B . J . Stebbings 2063 - " - - Assistant Dir . of Cers . William Chapman 1543 - - - Sword Bearer W . H . Ham 2477 - - - - !_ ¦ . _ J _ Wm . Budrum 1977 - - - f Sfcan ' - *' -rd Bearers F . J . Motum 697 - - - - Organist

H . J . Drane 2318 - Assistant Secretary C . H . Bestow 2374 - Pursuivant W . Beecroffc 2442 ... - Assistant Pursuivant G . M . Watson 1734 - - - \ William Wright 1799 ... ; Jarratt Leaney 1817 - - - C . 3 O . Bendall 2339 - ^ Stewards

H . G . H . Elliott 51 - - - J Percy Beard 1817 - - - - ) A . W . Martin .... Tyler . On the motion of Bro . F . H . Bright P . P . S . G . W ., seconded by Bro . F . A . White P . P . G . E ., Bro . Claude Egerton-Green Prov . S . G . W , was elected a member of the Charity Committee in the place of Bro . Hoddinott , who retired by rotation .

A hearty vote of thanks was passed to the Brethren of the Colchester Lodges for the excellent arrangements they had made for the meeting ; and the Provincial Grand Master having announced that he had decided to hold next year ' s meeting at Brentwood , the Lodge was closed .

The banquet took place in a spacious marquee in the grounds , the catering of Messrs . Wright and Son giving unbounded satisfaction .

At the close of the repast the Provincial Grand Master gave the toast of the Queen , referring to Her Majesty ' s practical sympathy for their county of Essex , by her donation to the " Devastation Fund . " His Lordship next submitted the toast of H . E . H . tbe Prince of Wales M . W . G . M ., followed by the Pro Grand Master , the Deputy Grand Master , and the Grand Officers present and past . He coupled with the latter toast the name of Bro . Shurmur .

Bro . Shurmur , in reply , referring to the Jubilee Masonic honour conferred upon him , said he trusted he should prove worthy of it . At the great demonstration of Masonic loyalty at Albert Hall , when it pleased the Grand Master to extend the right hand of good fellowship , when conferring the honour of appointing him an Officer of the Grand Lodge of England , the

first to congratulate him upon his preferment was their beloved Provincial Grand Master the Earl of Warwick , and immediately afterwards the Ven . Archdeacon of Essex . He would always remember with Masonic pride the happy quarter of an hour in which he enjoyed the privilege of shaking hands with the Prince ,

the Peer , and the Prelate . It was a convincing proof of the levelling influence of Freemasonry . That afternoon they had gone a little out of the circle in contributing over 200 guineas to the Essex Storm Fund , but relieving the distressed was one of the characteristics of the Order , and therefore truly Masonic work .

Bro . Claude E . Egerton-Green W . M . 51 proposed the toast of the Eight Hon . the Earl of Warwick Eight Worshipful Grand Master for Essex . He asked indulgence in having been called upon to stand in the shoes of so distinguished and eloquent a Brother as Deputy Provincial Grand Master Philbriek , and propose the toast of the day . The Earl of Warwick , he said , had many titles ; but he was sure he valued no title more highly than that of Provincial Grand Master of Essex , and he was also sure that in the various positions in which he was placed there were none in