Devonshire.

DEVONSHIRE .

THE annual Provincial Grand Lodge , held at Paignton , : on Tuesday , 26 th inst ., was very largely attended by Brethren from Plymouth , and other parts of the county . The Provincial Grand Master the Hon . Sir Stafford Northcote ,

M . P ., presided , ' with 'Bro . W . JAHughan P . G . 'D . of Eng . acting as Deputy ^ Provincial Grand Master , in the absence of Bro . G . C . Davie , who was at the last moment 'prevented from , attending . . , ....

The 'Lodge was formally opened by the "Provincial Grand Master , Bro . Lord being the Director of Ceremonies , arid Bro . Willoughby ' presiding iaf the organ . t The 'Provincial Grand Secretary Bro .: J . Stocker-reported that he had received the returnsfrom fifty-seven Lodges'in

the Province for the year ended the 31 st December 18 ^ 7 , ¦ \ vriich ' showed 'thb ' nuiiiber of sub ' scribm ' g members ' . to be 3 ^ 670 , ' ah 'increase of 245 over the previous year , and the aihount ' paid in dues ahd'fees /" 426 as , ah excess of £ 24 12 s 6 d

over the previous year . There were 342 initiations , and 16 * 3 joinings , the 'large humber of the latter being accounted for by the returns of four new Lodges constituted during ' the year . The ' number of'Past Masters returned Was 845 . It would be of interest 'to the Brethren to know that at the

recent Centenary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for f Bbys , presided over by H . R . H . the Mpst Worshipful Grand Master , the Province was represented "by thirty-four Stewards , and the contributions amounted to £ 1 , 775 . The Province stood fifteenth'in order of amounts contributed out

of the forty-six that were represented . In a letter received on Thursday last from the Secretary of the Institution Bro . McLeod said : " The position held by the Province on the announcement is one they may well "be jiroud of , atidreflepts jgireatly to 'the credit of all ' who contributed thereto . " The

Devon Masonic 'Directory was issuecfthis year in an improved form , arid he urged upon Brethren the necessity' of increasing its ' circulatibh . He' had further'to reportthat'he had received

from the Masters - of eighteen Lodges applic ' atibns under the twentieth bye-law ' for the suppleriientaf grant to enable them to ' acquire Life-Gbvefnorships in one or other of the ' great Masonic Charities .

The Provincial Grand Master , in moving the adoption of the report , thought he might venture to congratulate the Province on their increased numbers , 'but he especially ' wished to congratulate them on the show Devonshire made at the recent Centenary Festival of the Institution for Boys . To

those Brethren who laboured so energetically in ' the cause their best and most cordial thanks were due . He also ' urged the Brethren to reward those who prepared the Directory' of the Province by promoting its circulation . Bro . Hughan , as acting Deputy Prov . Grand Master , seconded the motion . He observed that the remarkable sum

contributed to the Boys Festival from Devonshire was largely due , not only to the work of the Brethren , but also to the fact of their having such a popular Provincial Grand Master

at their head . He thought it a remarkable tribute to the spread of Freemasonry in the Province that , although the number of Lodges had increased , the average number of members per Lodge had also increased .

The Provincial Grand Treasurer Bro . Sanders reported that he received £ 260 gs rod as the balance from his predecessor in office Bro . Edwin Roseveare . With this sum

the total receipts were / 750 14 s iod , and the year ended with a balance in hand of £ 258 18 s 6 d . On the motion of Bro . H . Stocker , seconded by Bro . W . H . Hooper , the report was adopted .

The Provincial Grand Junior Warden ( in the absence of Bro . C . R . M . Clapp ) presented the report of the Fortescue Annuity Fund for the year ended 31 st May i 8 g 8 , which recorded further progress in the good work of this Fund . The actual income of the year was £ 658 3 s gd , while the

expenses of management had been only £ 16 8 s 5 d , or barely 2 ^ per cent , of the income . An addition of £ 300 had been made to Capital Fund , which now amounted to £ 4 , 000 . The number of the annuitants during the greater part of the year had been twelve . At the annual meeting , held at Exeter

on 12 th Jul )' , three additional annuitants were elected . It was only right to say that the great increase of the last year was mainly due to the generous help from a very small number of Lodges . It was a fact much to be regretted that twenty-two Lodges had contributed nothing for the year , and thirteen of them nothing in the past four years .

The report was adopted , on the motion of Bro . Jones , seconded by Bro . J . W . Cornish . Bro . Gover submitted the report of the Committee of

Devonshire.

Petitions . He drew particular attention to the need for more support from Devonshire to the Benevolent Fund . What they contributed to that Fund was a very small sum compared with what they received . They had that day adopted one aged Mason and one Widow with a view to further increase the number of Devonshire cases on the Fund .

The Provincial Grand Junior Warden proposed the election of Bro . C . S . Stebbing P . M . 156 as Treasurer for the ensuing year . Bro . Shorto paid an eloquent tribute to the services Bro . Stebbing had rendered to Freemasonry in •general and to the Charities in particular . Bro . F . B . Westlake'seconded the motion , which was agreed to unanimously . The Provincial Grand Master'then proceeded to appoint and invest-his Officers for the ensuing year , as follow : —

Bro . G . 0 . Davie ... . Deputy Geo . S . Strode .... Senior Warden Dr . Deas - - - - - Junior Warden •Bev . rH . V . Bickersteth - ' - •- I „» -, « " Bev . E . Wilberforce Saulez - - } Ohaplams . . 0 .. S . Stebbing ... - Treasurer

'B . E . ^ TucKer .... Registrar John Stocker - - - - Sefiretaiy George Dunsterville - - - H > aa L if + Ji * Ai ,- ± L ± „ T . H ? Seym 6 Ur .... j Senior Deacons B , G Musgrave - - - - ' l junior Deacons

H . Holman - - - - - i . .. W . Vigurs'Harris " - - - - Superintendent of Works , J . R . IJord - - - - ¦ ' - Director of Cererh ' omes C . Piper ..... Deputy Dir .- of •Cers . 'C . 'Emmett - ' - - " - - ,

. D . C . Powell - - - - I' Assist . Diirs . of Cers . J . 'G . Oldridge - - - - \ _ , - 'Wm . ' Stenlake - - - - Sword Bearer H . E . Sitters - - - - ;( i .- " -, - , ;¦ « ' J ^ s / Wilcocks .... . [ Standard-Bearers EV J : Shap ' coit - ' - - - ' brganisfc

G . B . Stanlake ... . lAssistanfc SeordWry 'Wm . King - .... Pursuivant , Ws H . < : Johns ' ¦ - - ' - - ' Assistant Pursuivant T ., P . Webby - - - - \ "C .-JB . ' Sellick W . Walters- - - - ' ¦ - - --A . - . G . S . Stile - - - - - I Stewards > Tv H . •Wills

-W . H . Turrall - - - - / H . Shooter - - - - - Tyler . The Brethren afterw afds dined together at the -Board Schoolrbo ' m . ;— " Western Morning News . "

Bro . G . D . Leslie , R . A ., of Wallingford , is selected for the first of a series of " 'Snapshots at . Thames-side celebrities" now appearing in "River and Coast . " 'Our Brother , whose . photograph is given with the-clothing of

Provincial Grand Warden of Berkshire , as described ; as a ' prominent Freemason , a man , of the very highest ) principles , ; and ~ brie ' who "has distiriguished himself in the world of art arid'literature .

"A Sprig Of Acacia"

"A SPRIG OF ACACIA"

ON Friday , 15 th insti , the remains ofchelate BrfcAj . 'H . Smith were interred at Standish Church , the Rev . R . TTebbs officiating . The ' -deceased was one of the / most active Freemasons in the Town •6 f Wigan , being a'Past'Master , Past Provincial OffiCer , arid ' 'de s ' ervedly'heldin high ' esteem .

The several Lodges rin > the town were represented -by Provincial and other brethren , and the bereaved : family have the -sincere sympathy of a wide circle of friends ., . On the'followirig Sunday mbrhihg the vicar , the ReV . R . Tebbs , 1

occupied the pulpitat St . Thomas ' s'Church , and deliverecTa helpful and comforting discourse from ^ Corinthians i . 3 , ' 4 . In the course of his remarks the .. preacher made touching reference to the late ' Bro . Smith and his connection with the

church and parish . He felt . 'he ' said , he had lost a personal friend , and that , with himself , the church officials would feel that a comradehad been taken from their side ' who had served

their , parish well for many . ' years as warden , ' side ' siriah , ' arid school manager , and had ever manifested a kindly arid unselfish spirit in all he did . They were sorry to lose him , and all felt ' that their parish was the poorer now that he had

gone . THE funeral '" of Mrs . Bagnall , wife of Bro . George Bagnall , a well known member of the Westbourne Lodge , No . 733 , took place yesterday ( Friday ) , at Kensal

Green Cemetery . Our worthy Brother and his wife had been married twenty-five years , and he has the sympathy of a large number of friends in his bereaverheht . We take the opportunity of adding our expression of regret at our Brother ' s loss .