Analysis Of The Returns.

BERKSHIRE has acquitted itself well during the present year . In February , al the Benevolent festival , six of its 15 lodges , represented by five Stewards , contributed amongst them no less than £ 450 17 s ., while at the Girls' School Festival last month , five Stewards , doing duty for three lodges , raised £ 131 10 s . On Wednesday , as many as eig ht lodges and two chapters took part in the proceedingsthe number of

, Stewards being 11 , of whom Mrs . Charles Edward Keyser was Unattached . The total obtained by these . amounted to £ 370 , the principal item being £ 73 10 s ., compiled by Bro . E . W . Baxton , of the Ascot Lodge , No . 2460 . Thus the total for the ivhole year is £ 952 7 s ., which compares very favourably with the ^ 583 13 s . 6 d . which theaProvince distributed among the three Institutions in 18 94 . In 18 93 , the amount ! was X 724 7 S ., while in 18 92 , including £ 661 9 s . 6 d . to the Benevolent jubilee , it reached the still higher figure of £ 954 us . 6 d .

BRISTOL , with its nine lodges , entered an appearance on a modest scale at the Benevolent Festival in February , when its respected D . P . G . M ., Bro . Lieut .-Col . J . R . Bramble , P . A . G . D . C , as Steward Unattached , contributed a personal donation of £ 10 tos On Wednesday , however , the whole Province was represented by Bro . E . T . Collins , who had the satisfaction of handing in a list of . £ 210 . Last year the

Girls' School received the kind attentions of the Province , the same Bro . E . T . Collins , as Provincial representative , handing in the large sum of , £ 430 ios . which the D . P . G . M . supplemented with £ 10 tos ., while the latter figured ' in the , Returns at the Boys' Festival for £ 16 16 s . In 18 91 and 1 S 92 this Institution was very liberally supported , the total raised in the former year being £ 595 , and in the latter , £ 316

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE , like its neighbour and old associate of the late Bro . Sir Daniel Gooch ' s days , has done yeoman service for our Charities during its existence as a separate and distinct Province . In i 8 yt , when Bro . Lord Carrington was P . G . M . and presided at the Girls' School Festival , the sum total it raised , including £ 300 in support of Ms lordship ' s Chairmanship , was £ 51 1 is . In 1893 , it reached £ 705 15 s ., and in 18 93 £ 479 -i wmle last year it amounted to £ 590 16 s ., of which this Institution

was the fortunate recipient of £ 429 15 s . In February three lodges , with Bro . James Stephens Unattached , compiled the modest total of £ 52 10 s ., while last month three lodges , with the same brother Unattached , sent in lists which amounted to £ 219 . On Wednesday , five out of the 18 lodges on the roll and the chapter attached to one of them , with Bros . Stephens and Fendick acting independently , made up the excellent total of £ 174 13 s . We have no doubt that the same generous interest in the Charities will be taken under Bro . Lord Addington as under his predecessor .

The Province of CAMBRIDGESHIRE has not done quite so well during the present , as in past years . On Wednesday a well-known brother—Oliver Papworth—member of the Board of Management , handed in a donation of £ 10 ios . as Steward Unattached , and in May Bro . R . Percy F . W . Simpson , acting for the Isaac Newton University Lodge , No . 859 ,

compiled a list of . £ 131 5 s ., but last year it raised £ 239 , and in 18 93 , £ 290 17 s . lor the three Institutions , while in 18 92 it gave its whole attention to the Benevolent Jubilee , its contributions to which amounted to the handsome total of . 6326 8 s . If we bear in mind that it has only six lodges on the roll we cannot too highly commend the liberality of Cambridgeshire , and we have little doubt that next year the very capital average it has maintained for some years will be reestablished .

Though CHESHIRE has taken a prominent part in many of our Festival celebrations , we must go back to the early years of the late Bro . Lord de Tabley ' s Prov . G . Mastership for the time when it enacted the role of the " Chairman ' s Province . " It was in the year 1 S 6 7 that Lord de Tabley presided at the Anniversary of the Benevolent

Institution , and it is needless to remind our readers that in those days the duties and responsibilities of a Festival Chairman were far more exacting than they are now . A few thousands of pounds , such as we have known to be subscribed of late by a single Province , amply sufficed for the requirements of our Institutions . But now it is what our American brethren would describe as a " big" thing to undertake the advocacy of the claims

of one of them upon the generosity of the Craft . However , the advocacy must be undertaken , and Bro . Lord Egerton of Tatton , having very kindly placed his services as Chairman at the disposal of the Boys' School administration , Cheshire , of which he has been ruler for close upon 10 years , resolved on doing its utmost in support of his lordship . That it has acquitted itself handsomely there cannot be the slightest-shadow of a doubt . It is one of the oldest Provinces

under the Grand Lodge of England , and there are not more than about half-aoo / en others which can justlyclaim to be of greater strength . It has 46 lodges On lis roll , and the total it raised on Wednesday , including adonation of , £ 52 ios . from the noble Chairman , and £ 105 contributed by the Prov . Grand Lodge —which appeared upon Bro . Richard Newhouse ' s list—reached . £ 2000 . In 18 91 it contributed £ 1050 to this Institution , and in 1892 , £ 10 . 88 tos . to the Benevolent

Jubilee . Since then it has raised some . £ 3000 for a Benevolent Institution of its own , while for 30 years and upwards it has maintained an Educational Institution , which is admitted on all hands to have done an incalculable amount of good in assisting the children of its deceased and indigent brethren . Thus , on Wednesday '' splendidl y upheld the prestige it has long enjoyed—but in a more prominent ( li'grcc during the last five years—and we gladly take this opportunity of

congratulating the lodges and brethren of Cheshire and its respected chief on the success 01 their combined efforts in behalf of the Boys' School ; and , as showing how ( ¦ itnestl y many of the — Stewards who acted on this occasion must have worked 111 Hie discharge of their self-imposed duties , we mention the most prominent ¦ Wong the lists , which , together , made up the aforesaid total . These were ; Bro . ^ house ' s , for the Province £ 115 ios ., £ 26 5 s . for Lodge No . 1045 , and C r > ' n Sfor Prov - - LotJ R and No . 148 in the Mark Degree ; £ 105 per Bro . y- K . Brady , Lodge No . 322 , and £ 121 16 s . for the representatives of the Alan

•™ ge , No . 2368 . Bro . James Cookson ' s Return for himself and other reprecntativcs of Unanimity , No . 257 , Stockport , was . £ 52 ios . ; the joint list of "os . black and Wylde , Lodge of Concord , No . 32 t , was £ 64 . is . Bro . ] . Mills , f ' , L ° dge . No . 425 , Chester , raised . £ 58 us . ( id . ; Bro . H . Jackson , . £ 52 ios . himself and other representatives of the Lodge of Benevolence , No . 33 6 , iV ' tr a liko sum was handed ln bv Bro . G . H . Brown , Zetland Lodge , No . A 7 . Birkenhead j and Bro . A . E . Coveney £ 7 $ 12 s . for himself and his fellow ' ' ( -wards of Combermere Lodge , No . 605 , Birkenhead . ' is exceedingly gratifying to find

CORNWALL str ' on tlle re P resented Provinces . It has 30 lodges on its roll , but it is neither a 'iporu ° f f wealtnv bodv - Moreover , it was only last month that it was called snbs -v , j t ' le duty wmcn has this week devolved on Cheshire , and then it Wed H ^ ° towards the requirements of the Girls' School . Still , on as a ne : y > Bro . James Auten Bell took upon himself to represent the Province 'ioiied ]• and returned alist of i > 39 , 8 s ' Last vear Cornwall appor-With ¦ ' ^ ' ' 50 ut e 1 'ly between the Schools , while in 1893 it was content aising , £ 225 15 s . lor this Institution . In the year of the Benevolent Jubilee ,

Analysis Of The Returns.

at which the Prov . G . Master , Bro . the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe , Deputy G . M ., presided , it contributed . £ 77 6 i . ^ s ., while in 1 S 91 the contributions to the Benevolent Institution and the Boys' School amounted together to . £ 28 9 15 s . This is an enviable record for a body of lodges which , as wc have said , are not strong in respect of numbers or funds .

DERISYSIIIKK with its 25 lodges , has done well during the present year , not so well as in some previous years , but decidedly well , if we bear in mind that even the most generous Provinces cannot always be contributing on a large scale . In February , it raised by the hands of Bro . W . H . Marsden , J . P ., as Steward for the Province , and the representatives of five lodges , a sum amounting to . £ 297 ios . In May ,

the contributions from a lodge Steward and a brother Unattached reached £ 68 5 s ., while on Wednesday , four lodges , a Rose Croix chapter , and Bro . Dr . W . fl . Wright , Unattached , together raised £ 190 is ., making the total for the year £ 555 16 s . In 1894 , the total was £ 64 , 8 5 s . 6 d ., of which the Boys' School secured the lion ' s share , the Girls' School having to content itself

with a modest £ 47 5 s . In the three preceding years , however , the Returns were on . 1 far larger scale , amounting in 1893 to £ 1025 8 s . 6 d . ; in 1892 , to , £ 1738 i . | s . ; and in 1 S 91 , to £ gSo 7 s ., the Boys' School being the largest recipient in the first and last of these years , while in 1 S 92 , the "Old People" obtained £ 1362 163 . towards the Jubilee of that Institution . Till Wednesday , the large Province of

DEVONSHIRE , with its roll of 52 lodges , had taken no part in these public celebrations , but the present Returns include the names of two Stewards , that of Bro . F . B . Westlake , as the Provincial representative , and that of Bro . John Taylor , J . P ., Steward for the Jordan Lodge , No . 1402 , Torquay , the former ' s list amounting to £ 52 ios ., and that of the latter to . £ 142 16 s . This gives a total for the whole year of

£ 195 6 s ., which candour compels us to affirm is not quite in keeping with the strength and prestige of this important Province . It is in excess of the 189 4 and 18 93 totals , that of the former having been only £ 135 12 s ., and that of the latter £ 181 2 s . In 1892 , it came forward prominently , raising altogether . £ 923 tis . 6 d ., of which . £ 807 18 s . 6 d . was in behalf of the Benevolent Jubilee . But the total

for the whole four years is under £ 1450 , and that cannot be described as a large amount tor such a Province . In extenuation , however , it is but just to say that Devonshire maintains a Fortescue Annuity Fund and an Educational Fund , which both do good service locally . The Province of

DORSETSHIRE , as a whole and one of its 13 lodges figure in the Returns of Wednesday ' s gathering , Bro . W . E . Brymer , M . P ., D . P . G . M ., representing the former and handing in a list of £ 210 , while Bro . Major W . Watts , as Steward for the Lodge of Honour and Friendship , No . 1266 , Blandford , raised £ 35 . the total being £ 24 % .

Tne Province was an absentee from the Girls' School Festival in May , but in February Bro . S . R . Baskett , acting for Prov . Grand Lodge and Prov . Grand Chapter , handed in a list for £ 105 , the total for 1895 being £ 350 , as compared with £ 192 ios--of which the R . M . B . I , received £ 157 ios . -in 18 93 ; £ 233—of which this Institution secured . £ 150 15 s . —in 1892 ; and £ 531 6 s . contributed to the Benevolent Jubilee in 1892 .

DURHAM is a regular contributor to all our Charities , though it is only now and then that it puts forth its full strength . Thus , in 1892 , when the Benevolent Institution celebrated its Jubilee , it raised £ 1034 2 s ., of which £ 720 5 s . was contributed to the favoured Charity , £ 105 to the Girls' School , and £ 209 to this . Institution . In

1893 , the figures stood as low as , 6338 2 s ., while last year they reached £ 509 2 s , This year the total is about the same , Bro . G . L . Woolley , as Provincial representative , raising £ 315 , and Bro . E . S . Cockell , of the Stranton Lodge , No . 18 ( 12 , West Hartlepool , £ 15 15 s ., or together , £ 330 15 s . for the Old People ; Bro . John Robinson £ 105 for the Girls' School ; and Bro . G . L . Woolley for this Institution on Wednesday £ 84 , making the sum total £ 519 15 s .

There are some 37 lodges in the Province of ESSEX , and of these seven , with a chapter attached to an eighth , were represented by nir . e Stewards , in addition to whom there were five brethren and two ladies Unattached . The total from all sources amounted to £ 618 19 s ., the most conspicuous lists being those of Bro . J . R . Johnson , who represented the Brooke Lodge , No . 2005 ,

Chingford , and had the satisfaction of raising £ 262 ios ., Comp . Stewart , of the Ixion Chapter , No . 2501 , for £ 70 , and Bro . F . J . Eedle , of the Royal Victorian Jubilee Lodge , No . 2184 , Rainham , for £ 63 . Last month the Province raised donations and subscriptions to the extent of £ 207 2 s . 6 d ., the credit of doing this being shared among seven lodges , while in February nine lodges , each represented by a brother and an Unattached Steward , compiled a total of £ 324 7 s ., giving a grand total for the year of £ 1150 18 s . 6 d . Considering how regularly , and on

what a large scale this Province has helped our three Institutions , this total is most creditable . In 18 94 , the sum apportioned among the Charities was £ 1123 , of which the Girls' School was fortunate enough to obtain £ 823 13 s . ; in 1893 , when the Prov . Grand Master—then Lord Brooke—presided as Chairman at the Festival of this Institution—it reached £ 2258 3 s . 6 d ., of which only £ 102 17 s . fid . was raised for the Old People and the Girls' School ; in 18 92 , including £ 2318 2 s . 6 d . contributed to the Benevolent Jubilee , it was £ 2608 5 s . ; and in 1891 , it was £ 1648 , of which £ 1265 15 s . 6 d . was raised for this Institution .

GLOUCESTERSHIRE , albeit a smaller Province , with a contingent of only 15 lodges , has also been bestirring itself to excellent purpose during the present year . It began in February with a modest contribution of £ 44 us . to the Benevolent Institution ; but last month it raised £ 224 14 s . for the Girls' School , and on Wednesday , through the medium of eight Stewards , of whom seven represented lodges , and the other —Bro . R . V . Vassar-Smith , D . P . G . M . —was Unattached , it compiled the still

higher total of £ 297 3 s ., thus placing the aggregate of the year ' s subscriptions at £ 5 66 8 s . This is in excess of 18 94 ' s figures , which stood at £ 428 6 s . 6 d ., while in 18 93 they were smaller still , amounting only to £ 304 18 s . 6 d . But this is to be accounted for by the heavier demands made upon the Province in 1892 , when Bro . Sir M . E . Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P-., was Chairman of the Festival of this Institution , and her lodges supported him to the extent of £ 16 45 us ., the year ' s total standing at £ 1729 us .

Wc are pleased to find GUERNSEY AND ALDERNEV , which were erected into a Province last year , taking its part in these celebrations , It musters only live lodges , and its figures , therefore , are not on a large scale , but its contributions are welcome notwithstanding . Last month the P . G . M ., Bro

J . Ballour Cockburn , contributed £ 10 ios . to the Girls' School , while on Wednesday he and his lately-appointed Prov . S . G . W . together raised £ 31 ios . Last year the P . G . M . was Steward for the Old People and the Girls'School , while in 1892 the Province , which , by the way was not then a Province , raised £ 240 for the Benevolent Jubilee and £ 57 tos . for " Our Girls . "