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CONTENTS . PAGE . L EADERSUnited Grand Lodge ... _ ; .. ... ... ... 421 The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... 421 United Grard Lrdge and the Grand Lodge of New Zealand ... ... 422 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution ... ... ... ... 423

Provincial Grand Lodge of Shropshire ... ... ... ... 424 Provincial Grard Lodge of Suffolk ... ... ... ... ... 424 Provincial Grard Lodge of Surrey ... ... ... ... ... 425 M ASONIC N OTES- — Ouatterly Convocation of Grand Chapter ... ... ... 427 Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Staffordshire Masonic Charitable

Association ... ... ... ... ... ... 427 Supreme Grand Chapter of England ... ... ... ... 42 S Provincial Grand Chapter of Surrey ... ... ... ... ^ S Provincial Grand Chapter of Kent ... ... ... ... ... 42 S Provincial Grand Chapter of Wiltshire ... ... ... ... 42 S Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Middlesex ... ... ... ... 428 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 420 Masonic Festival at Knutsford ... ... ... ... ... 430

Masonic Service at Rainham Parish Church ... ... ... ... 430 Outing of the Confidence Lodge , No . IQ 3 ••••¦••••... 430 Summer Festival of the Albion Lodge and Chapter , No . 9 ... ... 431 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 43 , Royal Arch Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 43 , Ledges of Instruction ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 * 1 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 432

United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

The Special meeting of United Grand Lodge on Wednesday passed off satisfactorily . The message from his Royal Highness , the M . W . G . Master , was submitted by the Earl of LATHOM , Fro G . Master , and , in accordance with the terms contained in that message , his lordship proposed the resolution contained in

ihe paper of Agenda , to the effect that Grand Lodge requests that H . R . H ., the Grand Master will be pleased to take such steps for the recognition of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand as lie may consider " consistent with the honour of this Grand Lodge and with just consideration for those lodges which may

desire to retain their connection with the Grand Lodge of England . " This resolution , which was warmly supported by Bro . the Earl of ONSLOW , who , at the outset of the proceedings in behalf of the Masonic independence of the Colony , was invited to become the first M . W . G . Master ; by Bro . J . S .

CUMBERLAND ; and b y two or three New Zealand brethren , who remained , and contemplate remaining , in allegiance to England , but , notwithstanding , were most anxious that the present trouble should be determined . It was not , however , allowed to pass unopposed , but the

opposition was never formidable , and the resolution was ultimatel y accepted with practical unanimity . Thus , if the negotiations proceed smoothl y , as there is every reason to believe they will , there will shortly be an end to the disorderly condition in which -New Zealand Freemasonry has been placed during the last few } C ; » "s . Such remarks as we consider it desirable to make on the general tenour of the discussion are held over for the present .

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

I he S pecial General Meeting of the Governors and Sub-•' '•ubcrs of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , convened | JI' I uesday , the 28 th ult ., was held , as proposed , with the result ; ' Law 18 has been amended in such a manner .-is wn hehWp . — .. _

, , . ^ , . _ , give satisfaction to the general body of contributors . The J "' ferrcd to , as it now stands , provides that , in consideration of 10 grants made to the Institution bv Grand Lodjre and Grand

^ pter , the Master of every lodge and the First Principal of every shin ? ° - ho ro "' which ) mcI paid its cIues for tl , e P rcvious )' > one " rcceive two votes at every election to the Male Fund and vote at every election to the Female Fund . The amended

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

version of the Law , as brought forward by Bro . T . W . WHlTMARSH , P . G . P ., was to the effect that the present provision as to payment of dues should be left out altogether , and that , instead of the Masters and First Principals of the lodges and chapters

in London and the Provinces receiving the votes as aforesaid , the Grand Master , [ n respect of the London lodges , and the Grand Z ., in respect of the London chapters , or his nominee , should receive the votes heretofore distributed among the lodges

and chapters respectively ; while , as regards the Provinces , each Provincial Grand Master , and , in the case of chapters , each Grand Superintendent—or his nominee in either case—should receive the votes heretofore distributed among the lodges and chapters

in his Province , an addition , proposed by Bro . VENABLES , D . P . G . M . Shropshire , that in the case of those Provinces which were without Grand Superintendents , the votes should be exercised , as heretofore , by the First Principals , being accepted

by Bro . WHITMARSH . The grounds on which the amendment was principally urged by Bro . WlllTMARSH were that it would save an enormous amount of trouble to the Grand Secretary ' s office , the offices of the Institution , and the Scrutineers at the

elections , and at the same time effect a material saving in the cost of printing and postage . The full force of these reasons was recognised instanter , but it was realised at the same time that if the amended Law . as proposed , were accepted without

modification , the London lodges and chapters would be disfranchised in respect of the grants made to the Institution by Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , and that an enormous amount of voting power would be concentrated in the nominee of the

the Grand Master and Grand Z . It was therefore proposed and unanimously resolved —( 1 ) that the Masters of London lodges and First Principals of London chapters should receive their votes as under the existing law ; and ( 2 ) that the Prov . Grand Master or his nominee should receive and exercise the votes

heretofore distributed among the lodges in his Province , and the Grand Superintendent those now distributed among the Chapters in his Province ; the chapters in Provinces which have no Grand

Superintendent receiving their votes as heretofore , while the number of lodges and chapters in each Province shall be determined by the numbers recorded in the "Freemason ' s Calendar and Pocket

Book for the current year . This appears to us to be about the best solution of a recognised difficulty that could have been forthcoming . Doubtless it would have been better , in a certain sense , if the lodges in town and country could have been treated

without distinction , but it was the unanimous opinion of the meeting that a great hardship would be inflicted on the lodges and chapters in the London district if they were disfranchised , as undoubtedly they would have been had the amended law as

originally proposed been accepted ; while on the other hand , the voting power of the Grand Master ' s and Grand Z . ' s nominee would have been made undesirably great . At the same time it was realised that a substantial reduction in trouble and expense

would be effected by the application of the proposed change to the Provinces . It , therefore , only now remains for Grand Lodge to give its sanction and approval to the proposed change and the new law will be substituted for the existing law . As regards

the very considerate insertion of certain words in Clause 1 , p . 34 , concerning the Qualifications of Widows , to the effect that the petition from the widow of a candidate who has been accepted

but died before election shall be eligible , it will be seen from our report elsewhere that it was carried by a very substantial majority .