United Grand Lodge Of England.

The election was unanimous . Bro . W . F . LAMONBY called the Acting Grand Master ' s attention to his having omitted to state that the election of the Colonial Board would now take place , when he announced the next business as the election of the Board of General Purposes . Bro . BEACH said he believed it was on the same paper as the Board of General Purposes .

Bro . LAMONBY said certainly . His object in rising was to state that he had notified the Grand Secretary that in the event of his ( Bro . Lamonby ) not being a member of the Colonial Board , he should , in pursuance of the provisions of Rule 2 S 3 of the Book of Constitutions , claim a seat on that Board . The rule mentioned says , "When practicable , three members of the Board shall be Past Masters of Colonial Lodges . "

Bro . BEACH declared the following brethren duly elected on the Committee of Management for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons : Bros . T . J . Bird , P . M . 156 7 ; C . A . Cottebrune , P . M . 733 ; R . D . Cummings , P . M . 2168 ; Lieut .-Col . Durrant , P . M . 56 9 ; A . H . Hickman , P . M . 228 ; Charles Kempton , P . M . 1287 ; William H . Hubbert , P . M . 1625 ; Emil Apelt , P . M . 186 ; W . B . Fendick , P . M . 1321 ; and Walter Dickeson , P . M . 179 .

Bro . LETCHWORTH , G . Sec , said the M . W . G . M . had been pleased to appoint the following brethren to serve on the same Committee : Bros . Edward Letchworth , Jabez Hogg , Frederick Mead , Alfred C . Spaull , James Brett , T . W . Whitmarsh , Samuel Vallentine , S . V . Abraham , C . J . R . Tijou , and Thomas Minstrell ; but the Grand Secretary said Bro . Minstrell was already qualified in another capacity .

Bro . J . S . CUMBERLAND rose and said he wanted the Acting Grand Master's ruling on the question raised by Bro . Lamonby . He ( Bro . Cumberland ) understood what it was very well indeed . But Rule 28 3 said " Where practicable three members of the Board ( the Colonial Board ) may be Past Masters of Colonial lodges . " Bro . W . F . LAMONHY : " Shall , " not " may . "

Bro . CUMBERLAND : When you have done " shallmg and " maymg , I will proceed . He says in the event of his not being elected he shall claim a seat under that rule . I want your ruling on that clause of the Book of Constitutions—does he take that post ? If he is elected there is an end to it , but 1 think it would be better to have the ruling now than after the declaration of the poll . If he is not elected the question would then arise . The Deputy Grand Registrar will explain the rule , and then we can have the

ruling from the chair of the position in which we stand . Bro . T . T . BUCKKILL , Q . C , D . G . R ., said for the benefit of the brethren he would read the rule , which was in the following words : " Where practicable three members of the Board shall be Past Masters of Colonial lodges . " He did not think there could be much difficulty as to the meaning of that rule , and to attempt to explain it would be an insult to common sense . It was impossible to give a ruling till after the election . ( Hear , hear . )

On the motion of Bro . ROBERT GREY , President of the Board of Benevolence , seconded by Bro . C . A . COTTEBRUNE , Junior Vice-President , the report of the Board of Benevolence for the last quarter was adopted and the following recommendations of grants were' confirmed .-A brother of the Windsor Castle Lodge , No . 771 , Windsor ... £ 50 o 0 A brother of the Lewis Lodge , No . 1185 , Wood Green 50 o o A brother of the Hindpool Lodge , No . 1225 , Barrow-in-Furness ... 50 o o A brother of the Amherst Lodge , No . 1223 , Westerham 50 o o

A brother of the Israel Lodge , No . 2057 , London 50 o o A brother of the Yarborough Lodge , No . 554 , London 75 o o The widow of a brother of the Lodge of Fidelity , No . 3 , London 50 o o A brother of the Fowey Lodge , No . 977 , Fowey 50 o o The report of the Board of General Purposes was taken as read and ordered to be received and entered on the minutes , on the motion of Bro LOVELAND L OVELAND , President , seconded by Bro . F . ERNEST POCOCK , M . D ., Vice-President .

Bro . L OVELAND LOVELAND moved the adoption of the first recommendation of the Report " that the M . W . G . M . be empowered to appoint as a Grand Officer in place of a ' Grand Secretary for German Correspondence ' an ' Assistant Grand Secretary for German Correspondence , ' to take rank immediately after the Assistant Grand Secretary , and that IRule iS , Book of Constitutions , be altered by substituting the * words ' an Assistant Grand Secretary for German Correspondence . ' "

Bro . LOVELAND L OVELAND said that the office of Grand Secretary for German Correspondence had not been held since the death of Bro . Dr . Wendt , who so long filled the office , and from time to time the Grand Secetary , who had correspondence wilh lodges in Germany , had been in the habit of getting the assistance of a brother in the city who had very kindly done the duty for him of translating and writing letters in the German

language , and conducting the German correspondence of Grand Lodge . After some time it had been thought that this brother ought to receive some distinction , and as they did not propose to fill up the office vacated b y their late lamented Bro . Dr . Wendt ' s death , they thought the statutes should be . -altered by enabling the Grand Master to appoint an Assistant Grand Sccittary for German Correspondence in order that this brother who had done so much for the Craft might have some recognition .

Bto . Dr . POCOCK seconded the motion , which he thought would commend itself to every brother present . liro . J GLASS would like to ask whether it was to be a salaried tfllCH . Bro . BEACH-. NO . The resolution was adopted . Bro . Dr . R . TURTLE PICOTT : May I ask what will be the rank ? Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND : It will follow immediately after the Assistant Grind Secretary . B--0 . LENNOX B ROWNE : If a vacancy occurs in the office what will be

done ? Bro . B EACH : The Grand Master will be empowered to appoint an Assistant Grand Secretary for German Correspondence . Bro . R . LOVELAND L OVELAND said the next proposition was—That Rule 2 < 4 be altered to read as follows .-

The Board shall consist of the Grand Master , Pro Grand Alaster , Deputy Grand Alaster , the Grand Wardens of the year , the Grand Treasurer , the Grand Registrar , the Deputy Grand Registrar , . 1 President , Past Presidents , the President of the Board of Benevolence , the Grand Director of Ceremonies , and twenty-four other members . The Grand I . odge having passed a

resolution—That the Board of General Purposes be requested to submit to Grand Lodge proposals for the purpose of bringing the jurisdiction of the Colonial Board under that of the General Board , and unifying the affairs of the General Craft , as was the case before 1 H 3 K—

United Grand Lodge Of England.

hey recommended the alterations . At present the number was 30 ; it was tow proposed to increase that number to 37 , because the members of the Colonial Board numbered 10 . At present there were 16 Grand Officers on he Board and 14 of the Craft . By this rule , if the brethren passed it , there

would be 19 Grand Officers and 18 of the Craft , so that had by this revision jiven two members . Then 18 being increased by three it would be very : asy to see how many would have to go out , in accordance with Rule 256 , ; ach year . Bro . Dr . POCOCK seconded .

Bro . S . R . BASKETT -would like to put a question to the President upon ; his , without debating it in any way whatever , whether the real question to be discussed first was not No . 5 on the agenda paper— " That Rules 282 to 287 be repealed 7 " The question of their being repealed raised the whole question whether they were to have the Colonial Board continued as it now stood , or whether they were to have some entirely new scheme . The matter

was sprung upon them , he might say without wishing to give offence , at last Grand Lodge , and he understood that all they were doing was referring it back to the Board to consider whether it was desirable to do away with the Colonial Board ) * and to prepare a scheme . They had proposed a scheme , and a part of it was that the Colonial

Board be abolished . Before they went into any question of detail as to the constitution of the Board of General Purposes , the question was , did they or did they not wish the Colonial Board abolished ? He was going to submit to Grand Lodge that they did not want the Colonial Board abolished , and his reason for saying so related back to the constitution of the Colonial Board .

Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND said this point was decided by last Grand Lodge , that there should be no Colonial Board , but that it should be merged in the Board of General Purposes . Bro . S . R . BASKETT said that it was his submission that Grand Lodge decided nothing of the kind , and if they looked at the wording of the resolution , referring the matter back , they would see that that was so .

Grand Lodge did not accept the principle—they directed an enquiry and referred the matter back . He contended that that was conclusive by the Board recommending that 282 to 2 S 7 be repealed . If the Colonial Boaul was not abolished , what was the use of now repealing these rules ? What was the history of the Colonial Board originally—why was it introduced ,

and was there any necessity for it now ? They were somewhat mislead , he thought unintentionally , last meeting . It was then said that the Colonial Board was established because there was a large amount of Colonial correspondence at a given date . But that was a misleading statement . It was said there was a complaint against the Grand Officers and the Colonial Board of a neglect of the Colonies by inattention , and that this was an injustice .

Bro . f . T . BUCKNILL , Deputy G . Reg ., desired to call the attention of Grand Lodge to the fact that the minutes which had been read to-ni ght showed that the Board of General Purposes were requested to submit to Grand Lodge a proposal . They were now on the proposals . They could not go back to the original question ; if they could there would be no end to

it at all . It was now for them to discuss the proposals laid before the Craft . Bro . W . BEACH thought it was decidedly right for Grand Lodge to discuss the proposals submitted to the Board to frame . At the same time , he thought the order in which they were placed should be first , the repeal of the rules .

Bro . BASKETT said if the President of the Board would put that as his motion , his ( Bro . Baskett ' s ) speech would be in order . Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND said the Board had been asked to bring up a scheme . They had brought it up , and here it was for Grand Lodge ' s acceptance or rejection . If Grand Lodge accepted it , the Board asked them to repeal from 282 to 287 , because it would be a contradiction to have those rules for the Colonial Board when there was no Colonial Board . He

submitted , subjected to the Acting Grand Master ' s ruling , that the repealing should be the last thing . Bro . Dr . POCOCK said it seemed to him that if Rules 2 S 2 to 287 were repealed first , and then Grand Lodge declined to accept the other propositions , they would be in the position of having no Colonial Board , and no one to do the duties of the Colonial Board .

Bro . BEACH thought that if the brethren were in favour of repealing 2 S 2 to 287 , it would be a clear indication that the other alterations would be carried also . He did not think there was much danger of Grand Lodge stultifying itself . Bro . BASKETT said he only wanted to know where he was , and he hoped to save the time of Grand Lodge by raising the issue . He wanted to keep the Colonial Board as it was . Was he in order in referring to the Constitution of the Board ?

Bro . BEACH replied that Bro . Baskett could hardly speak to keeping the Colonial Board as it was , because Grand Lodge had already decided that it was not to be . Bro . BASKETT thought he would be in order in moving the rejection of No . 1 . Bro . Baskett then referred to the proceedings in 1856 , when in consequence of complaints from Canada the Colonial Board was constituted ,

because all being interested in the Colonies thc Colonies required protection . He contended tnat by the proposed new arrangement there would not be sufficient representation to be a protection to tne colonies . The proposal was too crude , and there ought to be representatives of the Colonies upon the proposed increased Board of General Purpose- ; . The

representation would be cut down 10 vanishing point . Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND said he must correct this idea . At present the Grand Master could appoint 10 . The proposal was that he should appoint six , and that whereas the Craft now elected 14 , they were to appoint 18 .

Bro . BASKETT contended that the Colonies would not be sufficiently protected by the prof 0 Jed new plan , and he moved that the first proposition be rejected . Bro . J AMES TKRHY , P . G . S . B ., / or the purpose o [ having the question discussed , and in default of any other seconder , seconded the motion .

Bro . J . S . CUMBERLAND denied that there was no protection for the Colonies . He had no doubt the Board of General Purposes formed according to the new proposals would appoint a Committee specially to look after Colonial interests , and they would place on that Committee brethren capable of dealing with them , and that they would report to the Board ,

which , in its turn , would report to Grand Lodge . The proposition was W place more members elected by the Craft on the Board of General Purposes . He supported the proposal of the President . Bro . RICHARD EVE agreed that there ought to be colonial experience on the Boaid as proposed to be constituted , in order that the work should be den *! well . Hc was going to take a medium course . He thought B