United Grand Lodge.

Bro . GEORGE W . SPETH , P . A . G . D . C , then moved" That the brethren attending Grand Lodge be furnished with printed copies of the Minutes of any previous Quarterly Communication when due for confirmation . " Bro . Speth said if the motion was carried it would enable the Grand Secretary or any other brother to move that the minutes of the last quarterly

Communication , instead of being read out in Grand Lodge , bs taken as read . Whether the brethren might think it desirable that that course should take place on every occasion or not , the motion would give the power , if it was necessary that there should be the power . He moved the motion standing in his name . Bro . E . W . N IGHTINGALE , P . M . S / , seconded .

A B ROTHER at the lower end of the hall desired to know whether the minutes would be presented to the Masters of lodges only , or also to the numerous Past Masters of lodges . ( Cries of " No , no . " ) Bro . B EACH said they would be given onl y to those attending Grand Lodge . He thought as a rule it would be a pity to do away with the old custom of the Grand Secretary reading the minutes of the former quarterly Communication . That was the old established custom , and if it was

followed it would give information to those attending Grand Lodge who might not have the time to peruse the copies of the proceedings given to them . Therefore , he thought it would be better that the Grand Secretary should read the minutes as had been already done . He did not object to the motion , but if there was a great press of business the taking of the minutes as read might be adopted . The question was that copies of the minutes be presented to each brother attending Grand Lodg " e .

Bro . CLAYTON , W . M . 2027 , regretted that there was a certain amount of ambiguity with regard to the statement in the motion . He would like to ask whether the brethren attending Grand Lodge would be furnished with copies of the minutes—would the minutes of the previous meeting be enclosed in the summonses ?

Bro . STRACHAN , Q . C ., G . Reg ., said that at the present time only the Masters and Wardens of lodges and the Present and Past Grand Officers were summoned . The Masters of lodges had the minutes sent to them , and others who wished to have them might have them by registering their names and paying 5 s . a year . If they were given to those attending Grand Lodge 600 or 700 more copies would be required . Bro . R UTIIERGLEN asked what would be the estimated cost of the

additional number . Bro . STRACHAN said he was told by an experienced brother that it would be about . £ 5 . Bro . SPETH : For the whole year ? Bro . STRACHAN : No , for each Quarterly Communication . The motion was put and carried .

Bro . J . STRACHAN , Q , C . G . Reg ., next brought up the appeal of Bro . W . H . Coxon , of the Hopeful Lodge , No . 26 34 , against a ruling of the R . W . District Grand Master of Queensland , concerning Bro . Coxon's election and installation . The District Grand Master had held that the election and installation of Bro . Coxon were null and void on the ground that he had not served the office of Warden in a regular lodge for 12

months . The circumstances were peculiar . Bro . Coxon was initiated in 1849 , ant * became a Master Mason in 1850 , having been put through the whole of his Degrees , In 1861 he was exalted in the Royal Arch , and as he stated , for the purpose of enabling him to take up the position of Past Master with the object of providing a strong Board of Installed Masters , he was elected W . M . ' He never acted as Master of his lodge , but resigned

the chair immediately after his installation , and Bro . J . King was instantly thereupon installed as Master . Up to August , 1 S 99 , he never served at any time a year as Master . But in August , 1897 , he was installed as Master of the Hopeful Lodge . He appeared to have left South Africa some time after June , 1 S 51 , but did not again take up Masonry until he joined the Hopeful Lodge—an interval of 40 years . Bro . Coxon now

claimed to have the status of a P . M . This was a fallacy , which had been exposed more than once , for it had been settled that the installation ceremony by itself did not confer the rank of Past Master with the right to be present at the Board of Installed Masters . A Master must have served the office of Warden lor 12 months . It was clear that before August , 1 S 99 Bro . Coxon was not a W . M . It remained to consider

, whether he was qualified as a Warden . He suggested that he served the office of J . W . prior to 1 S 51 , and he asked that the documents of Grand Lodge should be searched . He ( Bro . Strachan ) had searched , and he found that Bro . Coxon had not been a Warden up to 1890 . In these circumstances he appealed to the District Grand Master of Queensland , who

found against him . At the same time , it was but right to say that Bro , Coxon did not appear to have been guilty of wilful wrong-doing ; but acted in the belief that he was right . In that belief , however , he was mistaken , The decision of the District Grand Master must be upheld , and the appeal dismissed . He moved accordingly .

Bro . R . D . M . LITTLER , O . C ., P . Deputy G . Rcg „ seconded the motion . "" Bro . J . STRACHAN , Q . C .: I have only to ask if Bro . Coxon , or any brother representing Bro . Coxon , is here to say anything on his behalf . No one responded j and the Airrixe ; GRAND MASTER having put the motion— "That this appeal be dismissed "—the motion was carried unanimously . Grand Lodge was then closed in form .

Consecration Of The Birkenhead Lodge, No. 2826.

CONSECRATION OF THE BIRKENHEAD LODGE , No . 2826 .

The prominent position and progress enjoyed by the Order in the Province of Cheshire ( of which Earl Egerton of Tatton is the Prov . Grand Master ) were substantially advanced on the 25 th ult ., when another lodge was added to the already long list specially attaching to the Wirral division of the county . Although the " city of the future " has had for years within its

borders no fewer than six lodges bearing the titles of the Combermere , the Mersey , the Zetland , the Minerva , the Rock , and the Wirral , it was only on this occasion that a new body of Masons were formed into a lodge bearing the name of the town of its birth . The consecration of the new lodge was an event which aroused the liveliest interest among those more immediately concerned as well as the

Consecration Of The Birkenhead Lodge, No. 2826.

members of the Craft throughout the district , and the interest of the important gathering was greatly increased by the fact that the impressive ceremony of consecration was performed by the popular veteran Craftsman —Bro . his Honour Judge Sir Horatio Lloyd , Kt ., P . G . D . England , D . P . G . M . The scene of the inaugural ceremony was the Masonic Chambers , Hamiltonstreet , but the regular meetings of the members of the new lodge will be held in future at the Park Hotel , Charing- Cross .

The Consecrating Officer ( Bro . Sir Horatio Lloyd ) was assisted in the ceremony by Bros . j . F . May , P . S . G . W . ; William Booth , P . T . G . W . ; the Rev . T . B . Sayer , P . G . Chap . ; the Rev . F . H . Mentha , P . G . Chap . ; R . Newhouse , P . D . G . S . B ., P . G . Sec . ; John Armstrong , P . P . J . G . W . ; Col . De . * n , P . P . S . G . W ., S . G . D . ; F . Broadsmith , P . P . S . G . W ., P . A . G . D . C . ; H . Jackson , P . P . J . G . W . ; and Lilley Ellis , P . S . G . W . The musical arrangements were under the direction of Bro . J . Bebbington , who had the assistance of the Minster Quartette .

Subsequently Bro . the Rev . R . Edwards , P . P . G . Chap ., was installed the first W . M . by Bro . J . Armstrong . The following officers were invested : Bros . A . J . Thompson , ' W . M . 2433 , I . P . M . ; Alexander Rutherford , S . W . j Joseph Taylor , J . W . ; John Armstrong , P . P . G . W ., Treas .: William

Getley , Sec . ; J . B . Johnson , S . D . ; D . A . Legg , J . D . ; John Lee , P . P . G . S . B ., D . C . ; Sidney Croft , I . G . ; J . C . Robinson , P . P . A . G . D . C . West Lanes ., Dr . C . S . Brewer , and James Smith , P . P . G . D ., Stewards : j . B . Bunting , Tyler ; and Joseph Clarke , P . P . A . G . S ., Charity Representative .

At the conclusion of the installation proceedings a banquet was served at the Masonic Chambers . In the course of the evening the usual loyal and Masonic toasts were given and cordially honoured . The Jewels , Clothing , and Founders' Jewels , were manufactured by George Kenning and Son , Liverpool .

Mark Grand Lodge.

MARK GRAND LODGE .

The Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales and the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Crown was held last Tuesday evening at Mark Masons' Hall . The M . W . Pro G . M ., the Earl of Euston , presided , and Bro . Chas . Letch Mason , P . G . M . West Yorkshire , acted as Deputy G . M . Bro . Thos . Fenn was S . G . W ., and Bros . Charles Belton , J . G . W . ; John Strachan , O . C ., G . M . O . ; Major C . W . Carrell , S . G . O . ; John Haviland , J . G . O . r F .

Richardson , G . Reg . ; C . F . Matier , G . Sec . ; Firzroy Tower , G . D . C . j and J . C . Irvine , A . G . D . C ; Bros . W . A . Scurrah , James Boilton , T , Cohu , W . F . Stuttiford , C T . Dorman , H . Massey , J . B . Nickolls , Prov . G . Sec . Guernsey and Alderney ; W . H . Lovell , P . P . G . D . Guernsey and Alderney ; Edmonds , Dr . Clement Godson , J . H . Cureton , and Bro . Clifford Probyn , P . G . T ., being among the many other brethren present . Bro . John Smith , P . G . I . G ., acted as G . I . G . After the minutes of the last meeting had been read and confirmed ,

Bro . the Earl of EUSTON said : Brethren , we are all aware that her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen , and the Most Worshipful Grand Master the Prince of Wales , have sustained a severe loss in the death of his Royal Highness the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gptha , and I therefore move that this Grand Lodge do record on their minutes the most respectful

and fraternal sympathy and condolence with the Most Worshipful the Grand Master , his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , on the loss he has sustained by the death of his brother , his Royal Highness the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , and that this vote be recorded on the minutes of this Grand Lodge , and that a copy of those minutes be forwarded to our Grand Master .

Bro . C . LETCH MASON , Prov . G . Master for West Yorkshire , seconded the motion . All the brethren stood while the motion was being made and seconded , and the motion , when put , was carried unanimously . Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , G . Reg ., for Bro . Loveland Loveland , Q . C , President of the General Board , moved that the Report of the General Board be taken as read , and that it be received and entered on the minutes , and the motions being severally seconded by Bro . W . A . SCURRAH , were carried .

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , G . Reg ., next moved on behalf of the President , that the following addition be made to Article 121 , Book of Constitutions : " And if in any lodge it should become impossible to hold Ihe regular meeting upon the day named in the bye-laws for that purpose , the Grand Master , and in provinces or districts the Provincial or District Grand Master , may grant a dispensation for the holding of such meeting

upon a day not more than seven days before or after that fixed by the byelaws , which day shall for all purposes be deemed the regular day of meeting . " He said the brethren knew that at the present time it was a hard and fast line that the installation meeting in a lodge must be on a fixed day according to the bye-laws of a lodge ; but following an admirable rule which had now been passed in Grand Craft Lodge , the General Board thought it would be a very good thing to alter it to seven days before or

seven days after that fixed day where such a difficulty took place as the installation day happening , as it did sometimes , on a Bank holiday , Instead of having the installation two or three days before or two or three days after , it was thought better to have it seven days before or seven days after . He therefore moved this recommendation of the General Board . Bro . Col . Cui'ioui ) PROBYN , P . G . T ., seconded the motion . The motion was carried .

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON , G . R ., moved the following grants recommended by the Board : £ 25 to Mrs . F . E . P ., widow of a brother of Lodges Nos . 100 and 155 ; £ 20 to Mrs . E . M ., widow of a brother of Lodge No . 277 . The motion which was seconded by Bro . Col . Clifford Probyn , P . G . T ., was carried unanimously .

Bro . C F . MATIER , P . G . W ., G . Sec , informed the Earl of Euston that at the last meeting of Grand Lodge , Bro . Walter Newton , who had been appointed by the M . W . Grand Master a Grand Standard Bearer , was unable to be present to be invested . He was now present , if his lordship would be pleased to invest him . Bro . Walter Newton was then invested as Grand Standard Bearer , and congratulated by the Earl of Euslon .