Analysis Of The Returns.

anssvercd the purpose . No . 1993 is the Wolseley Lodge , and is conducted , sve believe , on Temperance principles ,- perhaps , this svill account for the smallness of its donation . Almost the same remarks—except such as specially concern No . 1993—will apply to

LANCASHIRE—WESTERN DIVISION . svith its 81 lodges . It has an efficient charitable organisation of its own , svhich lessens to a very perceptible degree the pressure on our central Charities . It gives liberally on special occasions , as svhen its popular chief ,

the Earl of Lathom , D . G . M . of England , takes thc leading part in our celebrations , and it may alsvays be included among the donors at our festivals . On Tuesday , nine brethren as Stesvards for seven lodges raised over £ 230 , and last year it distributed £ 813 among the three Institutions . The contrast betsveen the tsvo Lancashires and

LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND in point of numerical strength is all the more startling from their juxtaposition in the Festival list , yet Leicestershire and its small neighbour , though mustering betsveen them only ten lodges all told , stands out prominently as

the contributor of £ 350 , being an average of £ 35 per lodge , and this notsvithstanding it raised £ 403 for the Boys' school in June last , to say nothing of its array of contributions at previous festivals . It svould spoil thc effect of this simple statement if sve added to it anything in the svay of explanatory comment . Last year

MIDDLESEX , With its 32 lodges , raised about £ 616 for our Charities , namely , close on £ 142 for the Boys , about £ 118 for thc Girls , and £ 35 8 for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . In 1 S 82 , it distributed amongst them , in nearly equal proportions , the far more considerable sum of £ 1212 . It has begun the present year svell , the contributions of seven of its lodges making up a total of £ 213 1 is . Tsvo of the 14 lodges in

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE , Namely , the Anncsley , No . 1435 , and thc De Vere , No . 1794 , both of Nottingham , figure in Bro . Terry ' s list , Bro . Lasvson representing the former and Bro . Isaac Davis the latter . But as yet only Bro . Lasvson ' s total has been announced , thc figures being £ 142 14 s . 6 d . It svas among the absentees at the last School Festivals , but in February 1 S 83 it raised £ 190 for this Institution .

OXFORDSHIRE , Though it has only ten lodges is another of the provinces , whose presence may be looked for almost as a matter of certainty , and on Tuesday five of its lodges sent up sums amounting in the aggregate to £ 90 2 s . Three of them hail from Oxford—Nos . 340 , 357 , and 478—No . 599 from Banbury , and No . 1895 from Henley . Doubtless its supreme effort for the year svill be made in June when H . R . H . the Duke of Albany svill take the chair at thc Boys' Festival . As regards

SOMERSETSHIRE And its 24 lodges , it is impossible for any province to have had its fortunes entrusted to more capable hands than those of Bro . Else , P . G . D ., its respected D . P . G . M ., thc right hand man of the Earl of Carnarvon , P . G . M ., and Pro G . M of England . To Bro . Else indeed may in great measure be ascribed

the high position attained by this province svith its admirable total of £ 505 5 s . In June , 1883 , it raised over £ 357 for the Boys ' , while at previous Festivals its readiness to play its part as a liberal subscriber has been as conspicuous as it has been praisesvorthy . We next come to

SOUTH WALES—EASTERN DIVISION . Of svhich all sve are at present in a position to say is that one of its lodges , the Bute , No . 960 , of Cardiff , sent up a Stesvard in the person of Bro . J . R . Harris , but his return has not yet been made . In 1 S 83 it raised £ 230 for the Boys' School and £ 217 for the Girls' School , svhile the year previous thc same Institutions sverc presented svith £ 573 , of svhich the Girls' received £ 200 and thc Boys' £ 374 . Under these circumstances it is to be hoped that the Benevolent svill be favoured at least to an equal extent .

STAFFORDSHIRE , Which has 26 lodges , has follosved the plan adopted by Leicestershire and Rutland , Somersetshire , and other Provinces , of having a single Stesvard to act for the svhole Province—Bro . Thomas Taylor—and he succeeded in compiling a list of £ 152 5 s . Last year it raised £ 790 , of svhich by far the greater portion— £ 460—svas contributed to the Boys' School , svhile the

K . AL 13 . 1 . was benefited to thc extent ot only £ 57 15 s . Ihe same thing happened in 1882 , svhen of £ 616 , thc Schools shared betsveen them all but 25 guineas . Thus Bro . Taylor ' s total on the present occasion is not much less than double svhat thc Province raised for this Institution in the tsvo preceding years taken together . Lord Wavency ' s Province of

SUFFOLK Figures for rather more than £ 201 , Bro . J . M . Harvey , as representative of the 21 lodges , giving in a list of £ 190 lie . 6 d ., svhile Bro . E . G . Cobbold , of No . 81—the Doric of Woodbridgc— -contributes 10 guineas . Last year its contributions amounted to £ 568 , which is certainly a large sum for an agricultural county , and speaks svell for the Masonic zeal of this branch of our East Anglian brethren . Of the 26 lodges comprised in

SURREY , six sent up Stewards , and two chapters svere similarly represented . One list is still outstanding , but the remaining seven make up the very respectable total of £ 244 4 s ., Bro . H . S . Frances acting for lodge No . 1982 , and Bro . Abel Laurence for No . 1638 leading the svay with £ 43 is ., and £ 42 15 s . respectively . Its greatest effort of recent years svas made at the Benevolent Festival in 1 S 83 , svhen it supported its Prov . G . M ., General Brosvnrigg , as Chairman of the day svith a total of over £ 905 .

SUSSEX under the auspices of Bro . Sir W . W . Burrell , Bart ., M . P ., P . G . M ., has been a hearty supporter of our Institutions , as svas evidenced last year svhen it gave £ 210 to the Benevolent , £ 3 63 to the Girls ' , and £ 375 to the Boys' . In 1882 the Girls' obtained £ 578 out of the £ 920 which the brethren of the Province raised , while in 1881 , Bro . Binckes svas fortunate enough to secure the lion's share of South Saxon subscriptions . On Tuesday , Bro , Broadbridgeacting on behalf of No . 1636 , a Brighton lodge , sent in a list of £ 63 . Three out of the thirty lodges svhich are included in the Province of

Analysis Of The Returns.

WARWICKSHIRE , figure in Bro . Terry's list , the sum of their contributions being an even So guineas , but there is still one left to come , that of lodge No . 938 , so that the credit of the £ 84 must be divided betsveen Nos . 43 and 74 , which like No . 938 , hail from Birmingham . For a total svorth y of its strength , sve must turn to the year 1 S 82 svhen it helped to swell Bro . Hedgcs ' s list by £ 310 . Tsvo of the above lodges sent representatives to the Boys' festival in June last .

WILTS , With ten lodges has one Stesvard only , Bro . E . Eyres , and his list yields the satisfactory sum of _ £ 157 8 s . This is about £ 20 more than it raised at the last of the 1 SS 3 Festis'als , and more by over 100 guineas than Bro . Ringer succeeded in obtaining for the Benevolent in the same year .

WORCESTERSHIRE , Has three of its eleven lodges represented , No . 377 , by its tsvo Stesvards , contributing £ 68 5 s ., No . 2 S 0 , per Bro . Rosve , ten guineas , and Bro . A . F . Godson , D . P . G . M ., acting independently , 30 guineas . The list of Bro . Wilson of No . 1204 has yet to come , so that the present total of £ 110 s <

may even yet be increased , especially as , svhen this brother acted for the lodge at the Boys' Festival in 1 SS 3 , the sum placed to its credit svas £ 26 5 s . The total raised by the province last year svas £ 764 , the heaviest list being for the Boys , svhen Bro . Godson appears lo have done duty lor the bulk of the lodges and ss * as so successful as to obtain over £ 223 . That the tsventy-eight lodges of

N . AND E . YORKSHIRE , Should be content with a modest appearance on this occasion , only tsvo of its lodges contributing betsveen them the sum of £ 49 iSs ., svill not be matter for surprise if sve recall the fact that its total for the Boys' in June 1 SS 3 svas in round figures £ 873 , of svhich nearly £ 542 svas due to the admirable elTorts of Bro . J . Cumberland . There svas a time svhen it seemed to us that this

province svas hardly fulfilling its duty in respect of our Charitable Institutions in a manner svorth y of its ancient renoss'n . But a marked improvement has been observable in its returns at thc Festivals thathase been held since the Earl of Zetland so kindly took upon himself the task of acting as Chairman at the Benes-olcnt Festival of 1 SS 0 , svhen his brethren so loyally and so generously backed up his presidency . Of its neighbour , WEST YORKSHIRE ,

Let it suffice if sve point out that the total subscribed on this occasion , £ 35 . * i s - « ' certainl y less than the average of recent years , but then thc total of its contributions in 18 S 3 , made up of £ 4511 to thc Benevolent in February , £ 400 to the Girls' in May , and £ 1500 to thc Boys' in June was considerably abwe the as * er , ige . Thus , though for 66 lodges , the jiresent amount is certainly small , the average amount raised at successive Festivals during the last nine years svill be effected in a slight degree only , if at all . We have already mentioned that

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS are among the contributing provinces , Bro . F . Clarke ' s list for Lodge No . . 8 4 amounting to £ 113 8 s ., and Bro . Pengelley ' s , for No . 168 , to £ 105 , or together £ 218 Ss . The satisfaction sve derive from this announcement is ali the greater that these islands , like thc neighbouring Province of Jersey , are hardly to be included among the districts from svhich regular orconsiderable donations are expected .

CONCLUDING REMARKS . Having gone through thc list so fully , it only remains for us to offer a fesv svords of congratulation to Bro . Terry on thc success svhich has crosvned his efforts in respect of this Festival . At Christmas , the outlook before him ssvis the reverse of promising , and , as sve stated at the beginning , the chance of

his obtaining an average return looked exceedingly doubtful . But the picture brightened as thc day appointed came nearer , and Bro . Allcroft as Chairman , Bro . Sir J . B . Monckton as his " locum tenens , " thc Board of Stesvards , and Bro . Terry must one and all be gratified that a campaign , svhich svas begun in doubt , has terminated so brilliantly . L .

The Royal Visit To Seaham Harbour.

THE ROYAL VISIT TO SEAHAM HARBOUR .

His Royal Highness the Duke of Albany has sent the following reply to the address presented to him by thc Freemasons of Sea ham Harbour on the occasion of his recent visit to thc Marques ; of Londonde ry : Worshipful Sir and Brethren of the Fawcett Lodge of Freemasons , No . GGr , — I have much pleasure in recording my thanks to you for the cordial svelcome svhich you and your fcllosv-tosvnsmcn gave mc on the occasion of my recent visit to Sealiam Harbour tn to satislaction at that the beneficial influ

, ana making Knosvn you my linding - ences of Freemasonry are recognised and appreciated in your community . I thank you also for your expressions of loyalty to the Queen and of fidelity to our Most VVorshipfuI Grand Master . 1 beg you svill accept the hearty good svishes of the brethren of the province over svhich I have thc honour to preside , and I pray that the Great Architect of the Universe may ever protect and prosper you . LEOPOLD , Prov . G . M . Oxon , P . G . W . To Bro . Joseph Scorfield , VV . M . Fasvcett Lodge , No . G 61 , Feb . 19 th , 1 S 84 .

EMULATION , LODGE OF . —A short account of the origin of this celebrated lodge may be interesting to our readers . At the union of thc lodges in 1813 the svorking of the ceremonies svas found to differ very svidely . A resolution was therefore passed at the lodge of reconciliation that the ceremonies of opening and closing , and of the three degrees , should be svorked in the same manner in all lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge

of England . To carry out this resolution the Grand Master requested Bro . Dr . Samuel Hemming to gather together the scattered elements of the svork , and to arrange them into a system svhich might receive the approval of Grand Lodge , and be generally adopted . Bro . Hemming undertook the task , but after a delay of some years , lie became imbecile and ss * as unable to complete it . Bro . Wm . Williams svas then nominated

by the Grand Masier to carry out the svork svhich had been intrusted to Dr . Hemming . Bro . Williams undertook the duty on the understanding that he should not be required to complete the labours of Bro . Hemming , but should be permitted to reconstruct the ritual from thc original elements . On the completed system of liro . VVm . Willi'ims , the Emulation Lodge of Improvement svas first svorked under the Preceptorship of the famous Peter

Gilkes , svho svas a contemporary of VVm . Williams . He svas succeeded by his friend and pupil , the late Bro . Stephen Barton Wilson , svhose svork is rigidly adhered to by the present committee , several of svhom had the benefit of his personal instruction . Thc uncompleted svork of Dr . Hemming si'as follosved by Bro . Peter Thomson , and is still taught in several lodges of instruction . —Kenning ' s Cyclopaedia .