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SATURDAY . SEPTEMBER 8 , iqoo .

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

Ihe ( Juartcrly Communication of United Grand Lod ge was held at Freemasons' Hah . on Wednesday , under the presidency of Bro . the Right Hon . W . W . B . Jicach , M . P ., and the vote of condolence with hi s Royal Hi ghnesithc M . W . (' . rand Master on thc death Of his brother , H . R . H . the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-

Masonic Notes.

Gotha ( Duke of Edinburgh ) , K . G ., was proposed from thi ch-iir . ind carried nem . con . The Reports of the Boards of Benevolence and General Purposes

were adopted , and Bro . G . W . Speth ' s motion to the effect that printed copies of the minutes of previous meetings should be circulated amongst those attending Grand Lodge was carried . * * *

The Quarterly Communication of the Mark Grand Lodge was held at Mark Masons' Hall on Tuesday . The chair was occupied by the Earl of Euston , Pro G . M ., and the business , as entered in the paper of Agenda , was disposed of satisfactorily , the motion

sanctioning the ho lding of any regular meeting of a private lodge upon a day not more than seven days before or after that fixed by the bye-laws being

agreed to , thus assimilating the law 11 this respe ; t ct this particular matter to the law of Craft Masonry as adopted a short while since . The presentation to Ihe Earl of Euston will be referred to next week . X V *

There ,, can be no question that Freemasonry in Durham has sustained a grievous loss by the death of its respected chief , Bro . Sir Hedworth Williamson , Bart ., of whose career we gave some account last week and of whose funeral particulars will be found in another

column . Like a large number of our distinguished brethren , Sir Hedworth acquired his first insight into our mysteriesin the Apollo University Lodge , No . 357 , Oxford , in which he was initiated as far back as 1847 . among those who were received into the Order at or

about the same time being the late Bro . the Rev . G . Raymond Portal , P . G . C . ; the present Dean of York , P . G . C ; Bro . the Right Hon . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., Prov . G . M . Hants and Isle of Wight ; the late Bro . Sir E . A . H . Lechmere , Bart ., Prov . G . M .

Worcestershire ; Bro . Maxwell C . Close , formerly M . P . Armagh Co ., & c . It was not long , however , before , on leaving thc University , he identified himself with Masonry in his native county , and at the time of his death he was the senior P . M . of the Palatine

Lodge , No . 97 , Sunderland , which dates from 1757 ; of the Lambton Lodge , No . 375 , Chester-le-Street , founded in 1824 ; and of the Williamson Lodge , No . 949 , which was warranted in 1 S 63 , and of which he was the

principal founder and first W . M . He was also a V . Z . of Strict Observance Chapter , No . gy , and the senior P . Z . of the Williamson Chapter , No . 949 , of which he was the founder in 1890 , and the first to be installed in its First Principal's chair .

» » Such a record as this would of itself have secured to Sir H . Williamson the respect and esteem of the Craft in Durham and generally throughout the country . But as Provincial Grand Master and Grand

Superintendent , to which high offices he was appointed after the death , in 1 SS 4 , of the Marquis of Londonderry , he rendered such services as must endear his memory to the whole Craft in Durham . During the 15 years he presided over the Craft in that Province seven lodges

were added to the roll , namely , the Whitwell , No . i ! iS 4 , Stockton-on-Tees , which was warranted 10 th July , 1 SS 5 ; the Constance , No . 2135 , Consett , of 18 S 6 creation ; the Universities' Lodge , No . 2352 , Durham , founded early in 1890 ; the Tristram , No . 2415 ,

Shildon ; and the Hedworth , No . 2418 , South Shields , of the year 18 91 ; the Clarence , No . 2462 , West Hartlepool , constituted early in 1 S 93 ; and the Ravensworth , No . 26 74 , Gateshead , which was warranted 28 th July , 1897 , and was consecrated some three months later .

Two chapters were constituted during the same period , namely , the Williamson , No . 949 , which , as already stated , he helped to found in 1 S 00 ; and the Baliol , No . 1230 , whose warrant bears date the 8 th November , 18 95 .

Ihese particulars show that the Iale Sir H . Williamson was somethring more than a mere ornamental figurehead to Masonry in his Province , but that throughout his whole career he took a very real and very active part in the affairs of the Craft . No

doubt he was impelled to this in the firs , t instance by the fact of his father before him having been not only a member of the Fraternity , but also a brother of distinction and influence , who served as Junior Grand Warden of United Grand Lodge in 1 S 26 , and was

appointed Prov . Grand Master of Durham in succession to thc first Earl of Durham , Dep . Grand Master of England in 1834-5 , anel Pro Grand . Master to the Duke of Sussex , 1839 . 40 . But in addition to his

hereditary interest in Freemasonry , he evidently had a deep personal respect for it , nor can there be the slightest doubt that at all times he was ready to do what key in his power lo promote its interests , His

Masonic Notes.

genial and kindly presence will be greatly missed at the Provincial meetings , but the memory of his services will remain always . # * * Masonry has sustained another great loss by the death on Friday , the 3 ist ult ., of the Right Hon . the

Earl of Portarlington , the Province principally affecte 1 by this sad event being that of Dorsetshire , in one of whose lodges he was initiated . He was appointed S . G . Warden of the Mark in 1895 , S . G . Warden of United Grand Lodge and Past G . Scribe N . of Supreme G . Chapter in 1897 . He had

received Provincial honours in Mark and Templar Masonry , as well as an Office on the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters , and had taken the 30 " in the Ancient and Accepted Rite . His lordship was also a prominent London Mason in the Craft , R . A ., a ~ d Mark , and , had his lite been prolonged , there can

be little doubt that he would have rendered still more important services , both generally and to the Province of Dorsetshire in particular : The late Earl was born in 1858 , and succeeded to the title in 18 92 , having in the interim married , in 1881 , the only daughter of Lord Nigel Kennedy , by whom he leaves a family of

two sons and three daughters . We tender our respectful sympathy to the widowed Countess and her children in their great bereavement . We reproduce elsewhere the record of the deceased ' s Masonic services , which appeared in the Freemason of 1 st March , 1 S 97 , on his lordship ' s appointment as S . G . Warden in United Grand Lodge .

* * * The Masonic organisation of the Province of the Isle of Man was completed towards the end of June last , when Bro . the Right Hon . the Lord Henniker , who is Lieut .-Governor of the Island ; and was appointed to office by his Royal Highness the M . W .

Grand Master on the 17 th March , 18 99 , was formally installed as Provincial Grand Master . His lordship was already Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk , and nothing , therefore , could have been more appropriate than the arrangement by which Bro . the Rev . C . J .

Martyn , M . A ., Past G . Chaplain , D . P . G . M . of Suffolk , should have had delegated to him the very acceptable duty ol installing his lordship , who has thus the unique honour of being Grand Master of two Provinces . * * *

There can be no doubt that Lord Henniker ' s induction into office will materially benefit the cause of Masonry , which , like every other organisation , is certain to suffer during an interregnum , no matter how able and conscientious in the discharge of their duties may be those who are left in charge . The reports

as to the state of the lodges that were presented at this meeting for the years 18 9 8 and 18 99 show this clearly enough . The returns for the former show that the number of brethren in good standing was 200 , and the number in arrear 47 , making a total on the register of 247 . In 1899 this total was increased to 264 , but

the brethren in good standing mustered only 184 , while those in arrear increased to 80 . Neither the Dep . P . G . M ., Bro . John Browne , nor the Prov . G , Secretary , Bro . F . C . Poulter , who both remain in office , is responsible for this , which is one of

those things that seem to be inevitable under the circumstances . However , the Isle of Man appears to be as fortunate in its second as it was in its first chiefthe late Bro . Sir J . S . Goldie-Taubman , to whose memory and services the whole meeting paid the most sincere and respectful testimony .

It is to be hoped that the measures which it has been resolved to adopt will have the effect of strengthening and improving the condition of things in Royal Arch Masonry in Burmah . The Grand Superintendent , who is also at the head of the Craft and Mark District Grand Lodges , is an able ruler and

well qualified by his long experience to increase the efficiency of the lodges and chapters under his charge , and it is highly probable that the increase in the fees and quarterages proposed by the District Committee and approved and sanctioned by the District Grand Chapter at its regular meeting on the 26 th June last

will place the finances of the District on a firmer basis . Comp . Dr . N . N . Parakh who , in the unavoid . able absence of Comp . J . Copley Moyle , presided as Grand Superintendent , we think was exaggerating , when he described the funds as being " in a most deplorable condition . " The expression hardly applies

where there are balances of 195 Rupees and 6 7 Rupees , on the General and Greenlaw M . O . S . Funds respectively . Still , there is room for improvement and when the cause of delay in the issue of the warrant for Fort Dul'ferin Chapter , No . 2219 , Mandelay , has been removed , there will be a prospect of things brightening .