Worcestershire.

WORCESTERSHIRE .

HP HIS Provincial Grand Chapter met at the Talbot Hotel ; _ L Oldbury , on the 13 th inst ., under the banner of the Godson Chapter . Sir A . F . Godson , M . P ., Provincial Grand Superintendent was present , together with about sixty members of the various Chapters under his rule .

UNITY CHAPTER , No . 1247 . AT a convocation held at the Freemasons' Hall , Plymouth , on the 20 th , Comps . S . A . Maitland , C . J . Park , and H . Robins were installed as Z ., H ., and J . respectively .

Mark Masonry.

MARK MASONRY .

SUSSEX . THE annual meeting of this Provincial Grand Mark Lodge was held in the Queen ' s Room , Bath Place , Worthing , on Monday afternoon , 23 rd inst . In the absence of the Provincial Grand Master H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught the Deputy Prov . G . M . the Very Rev . E . R . Currie , D . D . ( Dean of Battle ) presided , and the following Officers were appointed : —

Bro . H . Langton - -- - - Senior Warden T . A . Pocock - ---- Junior Warden W . Hillman - ---- Master Overseer J . J . Abell - ---- Senior Overseer E . T . Cooksey .... Junior Overseer Rev . P . Crick .... Chaplain 3 . H . Wright ... - Treasurer

C . E . Botley ... - Registrar T . P . Slingsby Roberts - - - Secretary W . A . Field ----- Senior Deacon W . Potter ----- Junior Deacon J . Coningham - Superintendent of Works

PC Goldine " - " - - f Director of Ceremonies 0 . A . Milnes - - - - Standard Bearer V . W . Barden - Sword Bearer F . D . Carnell .... Organist P . Beer - . - - . \

T . MacQueen - - - „ , , Langford Sainsbury - - - - ' stewards Rev . T . H . G . Davison Brown W . Lintott ----- Inner Guard .

Somerset.

SOMERSET .

rpHE annual Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Masons of JL the Province of Somerset was held on Tuesday afternoon , 24 th inst ., at Highbridge , under the banner of Friendship , Unanimity , and Sincerity Lodge , No . 191 . Bro . R . C . Eise Provincial Grand Mark Master presided , and all the Lodges in the Province were represented .

Bro . Watts Prov . Grand Treasurer ( Bath ) presented the statement of accounts for the past year , showing a balance in hand of £ 81 18 s id , and this was adopted , on the motion of Bro . Rice , seconded by Bro . Board . The following Brethren were appointed and invested Provincial Officers for the ensuing year : —

Bro . S . W . C . Leaker 191 - - - Senior Warden Dr . George Norman - Junior Warden Major C . H . Simpson 177 - - - Master Overseer B . A . Dyer 177 re-appointed - - Senior Overseer H . Gulliford Hopkins 177 - - - Junior Overseer Rev . Fraser Frizell 191 - - - Chaplain

B . H . Watts ----- Treasurer P . T . Elworthy .... Secretary E . J . Hook 161 Registrar of Marks E . Williams 155 - - - - Senior Deacon L . Sharpe 191 Junior Deacon E . A . Fuller 187 - - - - Inspector of Works

Georgei James 348 - Director of Ceremonies A . Holborn ----- Standard Bearer Warner Inner Guard H . Cox 191 i H . Kerr Thompson 191 - - . \ Stewards Salter - Tyler .

On the motion of the Prov . G . M ., seconded by Bro . Watts , it was unanimously resolved that a sum of fifteen guineas be granted from the funds of Provincial Grand Mark Lodge to the Mark Benevolent Fund . The next business on the agenda paper was to nominate a Prov . Grand Master for the ensuing three years , and Bro .

Else , after thanking the Brethren for the support they had rendered him during the past thirteen years , in that capacity , intimated that , on account of his ill-health and infirmity , he should now be glad to be relieved of the position , and he desired to nominate Bro . Colonel Long , the present Deputy , as his successor . Bro . Dr . Norman proposed as an

Somerset.

amendment the re-election of " Our well-beloved Brother Else , " expressing a hope which he was sure was shared by every Brother throughout the Province , that Bro . Else would be induced to retain the office . This was seconded by Bro .

J . F . Norris , and several other Brethren having spoken strongly in its support , Bro . Else , who was appealed to by Bro . Colonel Long , was at length induced to accept the position for another term , amid applause .

The alms collected , amounting to £ x 8 s id , were voted to Bridgwater Infirmary . The customary banquet followed .

It is stated that as a sequel to the recent rupture between the Sunday Mark Lodges in the Ashton-under-Lyne district and the Grand Lodge Mark Master Masons , the local Lodges have been disbanded , and their funds divided between the East Lancashire Systematic and Cheshire Benevolent Masonic

Charities . Meanwhile the Grand Lodge has issued a Warrant for a new Lodge to be formed in connection with the Royal Mark , and the members of the defunct Sunday Lodges are being admitted at a merely nominal entrance fee . — " Manchester Herald . "

PORTSMOUTH LODGE , No . 17 . THE installation meeting was held at the Masonio Hall , Highbury Street , Portsmouth , on Monday evening , 16 th inst ., when Bro . G . F . Lancaster P . M . P . P . G . O . Eng . installed Bro . W . E . Saltan as Worshipful Master for the ensuing year . The ceremony was ably performed .

The annual meeting of the Portsmouth Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners , No . 17 , was held the same evening , when Bro . W . E . Saltan was installed in the chair of W . C . N , by Bro . G . F . Lancaster P . C . N ., and he invested his Officers .

At the close a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Bro . Lancaster for the efficient and able manner in which he had conducted the ceremony of installation . The usual banquet followed .

TEMPLE LODGE , No . 50 . THE members held their installation meeting on Monday evening , 23 rd inst ., at the Freemasons' Hall , Plymouth , when Bro . Joseph Jacobs S . W . was installed W . M . for the ensuing year , the ceremony being most ably conducted by Bro . J . R . Lord P . M . Treasurer 50 P . P . G . S . W ., and Bro . H . Holman 16 P . P . G . Org .

The following were among the Brethren present : J . B . Gover P . P . G . T ., C . H . Cooper P . P . G . J . D ., G . Whittley P . P . G . A . Sec ., and W . H . Dillon P . P . G . M . O . No . 50 ; E . J . Knight P . P . G . S . D ., G . H . Clarke P . P . G . S . B ., A . Broom P . P . G . D . C , W . H . Tucker P . P . A . D . C , and A . G . Phillips No . 16 ; J . Endacott P . P . A . D . C , N . Radmore Prov . G . M . O ., T . Rogers P . P . G . Purs ., J .

Molloy S . W ., S . Ritchie and J . Dyer No . 48 ; T . Payne P . M ., L . James , J , Adams , J . Bennett , and W . F . Williams J . D . No . 64 ; W . Sweet P . P . G . J . O . No . 66 ; A . Trout P . P . M . O . No . 76 ; W . Lavers P . P . G . J . D ., W . Routledge P . P . A . D . C . No . 91 ; T . Reynolds P . P . M . O ., and J . II . Sowden M . O . No . 169 ; C . G . Withell P . P . G . D . C , R . L . Drake P . P . G . J . O ., and E . E . Farley J . O . No .

383 . After installation the W . M . invested his Officers , as follow : Bros . 0 . J . Parke I . P . M ., J . T . S . Widger S . W ., W . D . B . Symons J . W ., J . R . Lord P . M . P . P . G . S . W . Treas ., W . H . Dillon P . M . Sec , G . Whitley P . M . P . P . G . A . Sec . Chap ., G . T . H . Woodgate M . O ., M . Woolf S . O ., F . A . James J . O ., G . Ramsey Registrar , J . J . Farrell S . D ., C . May J . D ., J . Goad P . M . I . G ., J . Brooks P . M . D . C , J . ' Rendle P . M . Org ., and W . H . Phillips Tyler .

After the business was concluded the Brethren adjourned to the refectory , where a repast , served in Bro . Eastcott ' s best style , was waiting . Duriug the evening the usual Mark toasts were given and responded to , interspersed with songs , ably accompanied by Bro . Farley .

The first of three special meetings under the auspices of Lodge Glasgow St . John , No . 3 bis , and under the patronage of Bro . John Graham Prov . G . M ., was held on the 13 th , in the Masonic Hall , West Regent Street . The object of the meetings is to assist Brethren to form an opinion

upon uniformity of working , and to hear the full musical service with the combined choirs and organ accompaniment . There was a very large attendance of Craftsmen . In the course of the evening the ceremony of initiation , with choral service , was conferred in a masterly manner by Bro . W .

Munro Denholm Junior Grand Deacon W . M . of Lodge Blythswood . Bro . John A . H . Biggar was Organist , Bro . P . R . Macarthur Director of Music , and Bro . John Thomson

Marshal . At the other two meetings , to be held on the 27 th October and the 10 th November respectively , the 2 nd and 3 rd degrees will be gone through . Judging from the first meeting the series promises to be very successful .

We are pleased to hear the Brethren of Staffordshire are already working to secure a representative board of Stewards to support their Provincial Grand Master the Earl of Dartmouth , who will preside at next year ' s Festival of the

Royal Masonic Institution for Girls . It is even hoped to secure a better list from the county than was collected for the Boys Centenary , when the total subscribed exceeded four thousand guineas . This , indeed , would be a splendid foundation for die next celebration on behalf of " Our Girls . "