The Next Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

through the Summary of Returns at the Boys' Centenary as published in our Special Centenary Number , to be in a position to form some idea of the difficulties which will have to be encountered in raising the sum of £ 16 , 000 at the very least for the

need of our " Old People" during the year 1899 . London raised £ 4 8 , 000 instead of its usual £ 8000 or £ 10 , 000 , while the Provinces , everyone of which took part in the celebration , in nearly every case returned three , four , and even five times as much as at

ordinary Festivals . Nor must we lose sight of the fact that when the year's budget of petitions from new applicants has been made up , the lists of old and new candidates together for the Male and Widows' Funds v \ ill be found to ransre from 110

to 120 , while the number of vacancies that have occurred so far during the year is small . Thus all circumstances combine to render the task which the Stewards for the Festival of next year will have to accomplish an exceptionally serious one and

we most earnestly appeal to such lodges and Provinces as are not yet represented to furnish a Steward or Stewards for the occasion and to the whole body of the brethren to exhibit their accustomed generosity in supporting the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution at its approaching Anniversary Festival .

Some Statistics Of West Lancashire Freemasonry.

SOME STATISTICS OF WEST LANCASHIRE FREEMASONRY .

In our article of last week we confined our attention to the happy relations which have always existed between the Prov . G . Master and the brethren of West Lancashire . We further congratulated the latter on the reappearance amongst them of

their respected Chief after his long seclusion from public life . But we had no space to refer to the condition of the Province and the splendid efforts it is always making in respect of our Central and its local Charitable Institutions . As our readers are

aware , West Lancashire is the strongest , and we think we may venture to add without offence to others , the most influential of the Provinces under the Grand Lodge of England . At the present time , as the Prov . G . Secretary , Bro . W . GOODACRE ,

P . G . S . B ., had the p leasure of announcing in his 15 th annual report , there are 121 lodges on the roll , with an aggregate membership of 7910 , and by way of emphasising the progress which West Lancashire has made under the able and genial rule of

the Earl of LAI'HOM , the P . G . Secretary contrasted these figures with the returns in 1 S 73 , when his lordship was installed in office and the number of lodges was 64 , with a membershi p of 3269 . Thus in the 25 years of Lord LATHOM ' S presidency the

number of lodges has been nearly doubled , while the subscribing members are not far short of being two and a half times as numerous . But this is but a part of the progress which the Province has made during this quarter of a century . In 1 S 73 , there was onlv one local Charitable Institution—the West

Lancashire Educational—which was doing good work then as now but on a far more modest scale ; now there arc four such Institutions , which are all most generously supported by the brethren and are , therefore , doing splendid work for the indigent

members in the Province and their belongings . The Educational Institution , which alone of the four was in existence when Lord LATIIO . M was appointed to office , has an invested capital of £ 23 , 000 and an annual income of about £ 1800 , and last year

assisted 1 S 2 children at a cost of close on £ 1600 . The Hamer Institution , with a capital of £ 5 600 and an income of over £ 660 , made grants to or conferred annuities upon 22 aged and indigent brethren at a cost slightly exceeding £ 400 . The

Alpass Institution , with a capital of £ 7000 and an income of £ 1300 and upwards , expended about £ 1000 in annuities on 6 3 widows of brethren . Lastly , there is the Victoria Masonic Institution , which was founded last year in commemoration of

the QiKEN ' s Diamond Jubilee with a capital of over £ 1000 , but in the brief period of its existence there is but little to record of tin : work it has had the opportunity of accomplishing . As regards our Central Masonic Institutions , its efforts in their

behalf are made for the most part on the special occasions on which lhe Prov . ( i . M . has consented to preside at a Festival , or when one or other of our Charities has been celebrating some particular anniversery or making a special effort with a view to effecting

Some Statistics Of West Lancashire Freemasonry.

some particular object . Then the £ 800 or £ 1200 which it is content to distribute in ordinary years among' our Central Institutions is enlarged to a three , five , or sevenfold extent , the latest and most conspicuous occasions being in 1891 , when Lord

LATIIOM signalised his appointment as Pro G . Master by presiding at the Boys' School Festival , and the Province supported his lordship by subscribing upwards of £ 6000 ; and in June last , when it raised considerabl y over £ 4000 for the Boys' Centenary .

These few facts , which we have culled from Bro . GoODACRE ' S report as summarisedin our account last week of the recent annual meeting of the Prov . G . Lodge , demonstrate clearly enough that there is ' a good deal of reality about West Lancashire Freemasonry and

we have every reason to hope that we shall always be in a position to lay before our readers statistics as favourable as those we have quoted . Nor under the circumstances of the present moment can we do aught else than reiterate the hope , to which

we gave expression last week that , notwithstanding the serious attack of illness by which Lord LATHOM was suddenly prostrated on Sunday , the 23 rd ult ., the day may yet be very far distant when his lordship ' s association with the Province of West Lancashire shall cease and determine .

Another Old Ms.

ANOTHER OLD MS .

Bro . Sadler has kindly informed me of the discovery of the " Henry Heade MS . " of A . D . 1675 , in the Library of the Inner Temple , London , through the fortunate recognition of Bro . W . M . Bywater . Seve-al of us have been on the look out for this document ever since Bro . Speth ' s finding a reference to it in Cochran ' s Catalogue of 1826 , and which I announced in my " Old Charges of British Freemasons , " 1895 . It

is described therein , Lot 633 , with other MSS . as " Constitutions of Free-Masonry , signed by Henry Hemic , 16 75 , " and I said at the time that "the signature by Henry Heade , and being dated will secure its immediate recognition should the scroll ever be brought to light . " Since this intimation of the existence of the MS . I have traced it in sale catalogue of Lebri ' s Library of 1850 as Lot ( 05 , which apparently was purchased by the late Mr . Halliwell Pnillipps , and later it came into the Library of the Inner Temple .

Bro . Gould has fraternally examined the MS . ( written on paper ) on my behalf , and Bro . Sadler has also done so ; the result biine my conviction that it was copied , either from the same original , as the " William Watson MS . " of 1687 , or from a similar scroll . The " William Watson" Roll was not copied from the " Henry Heade" MS . Indeed . it is not quite certain that the latter was transcribed in 16 75 , but possibly some twenty years later , but that is not material under present circumstances , as the

valuable document of 16 S 7 is clearly of the date recorded , and both are so much alike that the text of either answers for the prototype of both . The " Henry Heade " MS . gives what is evidently the correct reading of the curious clause in the " William Watson" Roll , viz ., " A man on all side ; , " instead of " anena within all sides . " The discovery is an important one , and I wish it had been traced by Bro . Speth , who first noted its existence in Cochran's Catalogue , and has worked most assiduously to discover its whereabouts . I am now waiting for the next . W . J . HUGHAN .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Sussex.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF SUSSEX .

For the first time fora period of many years Lewes had , on the 28 th ult ., an opportunity of welcoming a member of the Royal Family on an official visit . Such an event , it appears , has never happened since his Majesty King William the Fourth and Queen Adelaide visited the town in 1 S 30 , a matter which could be in the memory of very few of those who assisted on

this occasion in giving H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught a loyal and enthusiastic reception on his arrival to preside at the annual meeting of the above Prov . Grand Lodge . It is true H . R . H . the Prince of Wales was present last year at Lewes races , as the guest of the Marquis of Abergavenny , K . G ., Lord Lieutenant of the county , but his visit was that of a private gentleman ,

and there was no formal reception , and no decoration oi the town . Having at last a fitting occasion , loyal Lewes was not to be outdone by any town in its expression of attachment to the reigning family , and of welcome to one of its most popular members . The Mayor ( Bro . Councillor Gates ) had issued a request to the inhabitants of the streets along which the Duke would pass on

his way from the station to the Masonic Hall , and from thence to the Town Hall , to decorate their houses in a suitable manner , and it was remarkable with what cheerful unanimity this request had been complied with , the Corporation did not themselves carry out any decorations except at the Town Hall , but so general was the display of bunting , draperies , nowers . turtner

and foliage throughout the chief thoroughfares that anything seemed unnecessary . The view of Station-road , seen from the corner 0 Lansdowne-place , with the National Schools wreathed and festooned , an gay with flags , was delightful , and along Lansdowne-place itself jthe tin of bunting had a very bright appearance . School-hill also looked char - ing , many of the balconies being beautifully decorated with chrysant mums and other flowers , while the air was almost thick with waving b ? " i , en The weather being fortunately fine—though the sky presented an unror