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COLONEL G EORGE BENJAMIN WOLSELEY , C . B ., was installed as Prov . Grand Mark Master ot Bengal by Major J . G . KELLY , Past G . D ., at Freemasons' Hall , Dalhousie , on 31 st August , 1 S 85 . The patent was signed by the Earl of KINTORE , as M . W . G . M ., and bears the signature likewise of the lamented Bro . H . C . L EVANDER as Grand Registrar . The date—6 th October , 1 S 84—is explained by the fact that Colonel

WOLSELEY ' S absence from Bengal was due to his being in Egypt on service ; hence the delay . The "Record" states that "the Communication was an overflowing meeting , and the well-expressed sympathy of crowds of absent brethren declared beyond all doubt the general feeling of approval and welcome to the new ruler . " The latest published returns exhibit a total of 27

lodges in the Province of Bengal , with 425 members on the roll , the senior lodge being the Cape Stone , No . 80 , Calcutta , and the junior lodge the Behar , No . 335 , Somastipore . Lodges of Royal Ark Mariners are also at work , and others are being app lied for . We congratulate Colonel WOLSELEY on his installation , and feel assured that his province will do him

honour . * * * Wi : gladly take the opportunity of reminding our readers that the New Year ' s Entertainment to the Old Folks at Croydon will take place next Wednesday , so that tho = e who have not yet handed in their mite towards the fund which is raised for the purpose among the friends and supporters of the

Charity , should lose no time in placing themselves in communication with Bro . TERRY , the Secretarj ' , to whose initiative our worthy Old People are indebted for this annual festivity . It is well these little gatherings should take place ; they constitute the bright page in what must otherwise be , of necessity , an uneventful year ' s history . But they cannot be held , or held on a suitable scale , if the requisite funds are not forthcoming , and

this year it happens , unfortunately , that the moneys received or promised fell short by from £ 10 to ^ 12 of what they were for the 1 SS 4 entertainment . This is not a very formidable deficiency to make good , and we have no doubt the " needful " will be forthcoming , when it is known that any is wanted , and that , though the Committee loyally contribute towards the entertainment , there is no fund at their disposal out of which the cost can be defrayed .

* # * EVERYONE will sympathise with Bro . C . J . PERCEVAL in the misfortune which befel him on Christmas Day . It is not agreeable—on returning home from a pleasant festivity—to find one ' s house has been broken into , and the drawers and sideboards , Sec , & c , have been ransacked of all their more valuable contents . It adds , too , very considerably to the anno \ 'ance when

one learns , on no less an authority than one of the burglars , that the * ' poke " has been carefully stowed away—possibly in some receiver ' s melting-potbeyond all hope of recovery . This , however , is among Bro . PERCEVAL ' latest experiences of Christmas , and all that he and we can hope is that the fellows who appear to have mistaken his property for their own will meet with condign punishment .

Masonic Benevolence In 1885.

MASONIC BENEVOLENCE IN 1885 .

A glance at the following statistics will show that the total of the sums received by our three Institutions during the past year is , in round figures , quite £ 5 600 in excess of the total for 1 SS 4 , though , owing to the exceptional circumstances connected with 1883 , it is still considerably short of the ^ , ' 56 , 110 received by them during that successful year . Part of this increase , as compared with 1 SS 4 , is , no doubt , due to the receipts by the Institution

for Boys in respect of its Preparatory School Building Fund ; but even when we have deducted these , we shall find there has been an advance of probably some , £ 3000 . This , of course , is very gratifying to the Craft generally , but " especially to those who have had a hand in raising or contributing tine money ; nor will it surprise our readers when they look into our figures and discover that the septennial average we published last year is exceeded by the new average we publish in the present number .

We give the returns , which have been furnished to us officially from the respective head-quarters , in the order of their several totals : —

ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION . Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... ... £ 17 , 570 11 4 Dividends ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 , 899 1 6 Grand Lodge ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 , 600 o o „ Chapter ... ... ... ... ... ... 150 o o Legacy ... ... ... ... ... ... 105 o o Rent of Meadow ... ... ... ... ... iS o o Interest on Cash at Call ... ... ... ... ... 31 14 . 3

£ " ¦ 374 7 1 ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS . Donations and Subscriptions ( including £ 1050—Sir Henry Edwards Presentation , West Yorkshire ... ... ... •¦¦ £ 14 , 203 15 S Dividends—" General Fund "—5 qrs .... ... ... ... 1 , 575 o o

,, " Sustentation Fund ' —6 qrs . ... ... ... 474 3 0 Grand Lodge ... ... ... ... ... ... 150 o 0 „ Chapter ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 10 0 Admissions under Law LXIII . ... ... ... ... 100 o o Music Fees ... ... ... ... ... ... 193 14 6 Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... ... Gi iG 4

£ iG , 7 CS 19 r ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS . Donations and Subscriptions ... ... ... ... £ 14 , 423 1 10 Music Fees ... ... ... ... ... ... So 17 0 I ' nitedGrand Lodge—Annual ... ... ... ... \ -. o

„ R . A . Chap . „ ... ... ... ... ... 10 10 0 „ „ Special Grant ... ... ... ... ... 1000 o a Sale of Lists of Subscribers ... ... ... ... ... 2 12 u Dividends on £ 17 , 000 ... ... ... ... ... -55 5 j Legacy •¦ . ¦¦• ••• ... ... 52 10 o

£ 16 , 272 iG o It appears from the foregoing particulars that the aggregate of the moneys received by the three Charities in 1885 is £ . ' 54 , 416 2 s . ja \ ., or about £ 5600 moic than in 1884 ; the R . M . B . L , which still maintains the

lead , having received some / 1470 more than last year ; the Girls ' s School being also belter off to ( he extent of £ 1840 , and the Boys' School by close on ^' 2280 . Thus all three have gone ahead in the mailer ol receipts , the greater increase in the Boys' School being due to the subscriptions on account of the Preparatory School , while the Benevolent Institution owes iis retention of the premier place to the tremendous success of its Festival .

Masonic Benevolence In 1885.

The annexed table shows ( 1 ) the amounts received by each Institution during the Septennial period—1879-85—the fourth column giving the aggregate ° f the three for each successive year ; an d ( 2 ) the average per year for each Institution , as well as for the three tak en collectively :

R . M . B . I . R . M . I . B . R . M . I . G . Total . 1 S 79 3 C 17 . 7 S 1 12 10 £ 13 , 923 4 4 £ 13 , 025 12 1 £ 44 , 730 9 3 1550 16 , 301 4 10 15 , 6 73 'S S 17 , 787 10 11 49 , 762 11 5 1551 17 , 73 6 14 6 12 , 993 9 " 12 , 557 4 7 43 . 2 S 7 9 o 1552 16 , 595 7 7 14 . S 79 15 S 15 , 969 15 8 47 , 444 iS 11 1553 iS , 419 6 o 25 , 010 1 7 1 12 , 650 1 2 56 , 110 4 3 1554 19 , 901 7 8 13 , 993 10 11 14 , 92 s 19 0 4 S . S 23 17 7 1555 21 , 374 7 1 16 , 272 iC o 16 , 76 s ig 6 54 , 416 2 7

7 years . r } £ I 2 S ' ° ° 6 £ > W 9 7 £ i 03 , 6 SS 2 u £ 344 , 575 13 o

pwyel ? . } £ , s » 3 ° 5 M 4 £ 16 , 106 15 R £ i 4 , Si 2 11 10 £ 49 , 22 5 I 10

Average per year per Institution £ i 6 , 4 oR 7 3 The following table gives the number of cases relieved , and the total of the sums voted , in each month of the year , by the Board of Benevolence . The returns show a very considerable increase both in the number of cases relieved—3 S 7 , as compared with 323 in 1 SS 4—and in the sum total of the grants— £ ' 10 , 153 , as against £ 0252 in 1 S 84 : —

Month . Cases relieved . Amount . January 36 £ 750 February 30 710 March 34 755 April 43 9 S 3 May 2 S 620

June 27 703 J " ly 25 770 August 17 4 i 5 September 27 675 October 35 11 S 5 November 3 S 1075 December 47 1512 3 S 7 £ 10 , 153

Consecration Of The Dalhousie Chapter, No. 860.

CONSECRATION OF THE DALHOUSIE CHAPTER , No . 860 .

The consecration of the Dalhousie Chapter , No . 860 , was performed at Anderton ' s Hotel on Monday evening last . The Consecrating Officer was Comp . Col . Shadwell H . Gierke , G . S . E ., who was assisted by Comp . Edgar Bowyer , P . G . Std . Br ., as 2 nd Principal ; Comp . the Rev . R . J . Simpson , as 3 rd Principal : and ComD . Frank Richardson , as Director nf Ceremnnire .

The other companions present were Comps . H . Massey , P . Z . 619 and Z . elect 192 S ; J . Boulton , J . 898 and ist Asst . Soj . 933 ; J . G . Tongue , 1201 ; Thos . Clark , P . S . 1524 ; John Wade , 16 34 ; John W . Ray , 1624 ; Joseph J . Marsh , H . 1324 ; Egbert Roberts , 1623 ; Robert P . Tate , H . S 62 ; J . M . Chamberlin , P . Z . 1310 ; A . Tislev . M . E . Z . mo : C . VVellard . P . Z . ' iiro :

Frederick Walters , P . P . G . ist A . S . Middx ., P . Z ., S . E . 176 ^; W . H . Lee , P . Z . 975 and 1524 , Prov . G . Std . Br . Middx . ; C . S . Jekyll , 1319 ; John Hodges , 19 ; Jas . Kift , 180 ; H . Jenkins , Edward Bond ) Thos . Markland , M . Christian , Robert Burleton , Robert Perry Tate , R . J . Taylor , and T . T & . Dodson . '' :.

the founders of the new chapter were Comps . Thomas Blossom Dodson , 1540 ; Robert Burleton , 1589 ; Michael Christian , 1589 ; Edward Bond , 1540 ; Henry Jenkins , 1540 ; Robert John Tavlor , 1540 ; Robert Perry Tate , 862 ; William Bristo , 1589 ; and Thomas Markland , 1540 . The musical arrangements were under the direction of Comp . Egbert Roberts , who was assisted by Comps . C . S . Jekyll , John Hodges , and James Kift .

After the opening of the chapter , Comp . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke addressed the companions on the object of the meeting , and congratulated the founders of the chapter on the important step they had taken in adding another Royal Arch body to those already on the , roll of Supreme Grand

Chapter . He was pleased to see the great and steady progress which Royal Arch Masonry was making , more especially by the addition of chapters to the younger lodges . From what he knew of the members of the Dalhousie Lodge he felt assured that the Dalhousie Chapter would be prosperous . The Rev . R . J . SIMPSON delivered an oration .

The remainder of the ceremony of constituting and consecrating the chapter was then performed , and the following companions were installed : Comp . T . B . Dodson , M . E . Z . ; Comp . R . Burleton , H . ; and Comp . M . Christian , J . Comp . Robert John Taylor was elected and invested as Scribe E . ; Comp . Edward Bond , as Scribe N . ; and Comp . Henry Jenkins , as P . S . Comp . Thomas Markland was elected and invested as Treasurer ; Comp . Marsh was elected and invested as Janitor .

A list of twelve brethren was read out as intended candidates for exaltation , nine of them being members of the Dalhousie Lodge . The Consecrating Officers were afterwards elected honorary members of the chapter . A vote of thanks to them for consecrating the chapter was also proposed , seconded , and carried .

Comp . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE acknowledged the compliment , and the chapter was then closed . Thc companions afterwards banqueted together . At the conclusion of the banquet thc customary Royal Arch toasts were proposed and honoured .

After" Ihe Queen and Royal Arch Masonry" had been drunk , the M . E . Z . proposed "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , M . E . Z ., " and taid that Royal Arch Masons were pleased to have such a superior companion as thc Prince of Wales at thc head of the Order , and long might he live to ,: ct as he now did .

The M . E . Z ., in giving "The Pro G . Z ., the H ., and J ., " said he hardly knew how to use words which would properly express his sentiments , because he had that night been so well treated by the Grand Officers . The companions had all heard the excellent working of Comp . Shadwell II . Clerke , and the other Grand Officers who assisted him , and he tendered his

sincere thanks to them for their services , and especially to Col . Shadwell H . Clerke for installing him as Z . He should never forget these services . Nothing could express the gratitude he fell , and he was sure all the companions would feel with him . He was delighted to be placed in that chair , and to preside over the companions that night . Comp . FRANK RICHARDSON , who was called upon to respond , said the toast was so comprehensive , embracing such names as the Earl of Carnar-