Freemasonry In 1897.

for the ensuing year were appointed , the oflices which , in the ordinary course of things , would have been occupied by the Craft Grand Officers had they possessed the necessary qualifications in Supreme Grand Chapter , being conferred on other companions of merit ; while in August 60 companions received brevet rank

as Past G . Officers , in commemoration of the Queen s Diamond Jubilee , the majority of the 60 being the same as had received brevet rank in Grand Lodge , while others were substituted lor such of the Past Grand Officers in the Craft as had not ihe prescribed rank in the Royal Arch . One other circumstance

occurred in May , whicli—as it gave rise lo a considerable amount of discussion both in Grand Chapter and the Masonic press . —cannot be passed by unnoticed . At that convocation an appeal was presented by a Comp . Coates , Past Dist . G . Reg , of the Punjab , against a decision of the G . Superintendent of that District , and

on the advice of the Dep . G . Reg . ( Comp . Horton Siuiih , Q . C . ) was dismissed on its merit- * . But in describing the circumstances of the case , Comp . Horton Smith mentioned that Comp . Coates was Past Dist . G . Registrar in the Royal Arch because he happened to be Past Dist . G . Registrar in the Craft , and when at

the August Convocation tbe motion for the conlinmilion of the minutes was made , Com ]) . Le Feuvre pointed out that it was very desirable it should be clearly understood what the law on the subject was , as ii * the Provinces at home it was almost universally the custom for G . Superintendents to appoint

companions to office in their Prov . G . Chapters irrespective of their rank in the Prov . G . Lodges , and cases were cited in evidence of this statement . The minutes were confirmed , but the discussion bore fruit , and in Novcmb . r , as soon as the ordinary busiwesshaclbeen transacted , all doubt astolhemeaningand intent

of the law was set at rest by the adoption of llie following resolution , as amended , on the proposition of Comp . Thomas F " enn , from one proposed by Comp . Strachan , Q . C , P . D . G . Reg .: "It is hereby declared that Regulations 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , and 32 at * :

not applicable to the appointment of Provincial or District Grand Officers , and that , therefore , Grand Superintendents who have appointed Provincial or District ( irand Registrator other officers who may not have been appointed to similar offices in the Provincial or District Grand Lod < re have acted strictly in accordance

with the law . " In this way a recognised difficulty was overcome , and there seems to be little doubt now as to the interpretation which the law is intended to bear .

MARK MASONRY . This popular branch of Masonry has well maintained its

position during the year which is now about to close , while in one particular the efforts made in its behalf have been more successful than in any previous year of its organisation under a Grand Lodge . According to the returns set forth in the report

of the General Board and laid before Grand Lodge 111 December , 18 9 b , there were then 36018 brethren who had been registered as having taken the Mark Degree , while in the report of the same Board which was submitted at the Quarterly Communication held on the 30 th November , the number was 37 , 3 ( 13 .

Hence there have been issued in the interval of 12 months between the two reports 1345 Mark certificates , while in the Royal , Ark Mariners Degree , which is connected with the Mark as the Royal Arch is with the Craft , the number of certificates is 295 . During the same period there have been issued six

warrants for new Mark lodges , and six for Royal Ark Mariner lodges , the number of the former being smaller than for some years past . Of these , the Woodiwiss , No . 503 , named afler the

Prov . G . Master of Derbyshire , is held in Derby , and was consecrated in February by Mro . the liarl of liuston , Pro G . Mark Master , ils lirst W . M . being Mro . W . II . Marsden . In Alay , on the same day as the Prov . G . Mark Lod < -e of Middlesex was

held , his lordship consecrated the Oxford and Cambridge University Mark Lodge No . 504 , and launched it into existence under Bro . Lieut .-Col . A . B . Cook as its lirst presiding officer . The other lodges are the Noel—named , presumably , afler the late-lamented Mro . Col . G . Noel Money , CM ., Prov . G . Mark

Master of Surrey—No . 505 , and located at Kingslon-upon-Thaines : the Mi / . pah , No . 50 b , al Woodstock , Cape Colon ) - ; two other lodges in S . Africa and one in the Argentine Republic . The Royal Ark Mariners lodges include tbe King Solomon , No . 3 8 5 , and the Royal Oak , No . 416 , respectively attached to llie Mark

lodges bearing llie same nanus and numbers ; the Gordon , which is named alter the Gordon Mark Lodge , No . 3 ( 14 , and meets at Gravesend ; the Sarnia , No . 423 , Guernsey , which was consecrated by Mro . Dr . J . Balfour Cockburn on the jist

May ; the Ark in Oudh , attached to the . Headstone of the Conr-r Mark Lodge , No . 233 , in the District of Bengal ; the Maxtaban , attached lo ihe . Mark Lodge of Philanthropy , No . 79 , Maulmain , in the District of Burmah ; R . A . M . Lodge , No

422 , Sierra Leone ; and No . 307 , 111 Bengal . Not many changes would appear to have occurred among the leading local dignitaries of the Order , the principal being the appointment of liro . Major-General Fletcher Owen as Dist . G . Mark Master of Malta , in succession to Bro . Rear-Admiral A . II . Markham ,

resigned ; of Bro . William Andrews , as Dist . Grand Master of Jamaica , vice Mro . Macglashan , resigned ; and of Mro . Idris Bey Raghet as Dist . G . Master of North Africa ; while Bros . R . V . Vassar-Smith and the Rev . J . S . Brownrigg have been continued in of / ice as Prov . Grand Masters of Gloucestershire and

Herefordshire and Buckinghamshire respectively . As regards the proceedings of Grand Lodge , we remark that in March , liro . Major T . C Walls having gracefully withdrawn his candidature for the ollice of Grand Treasurer for the ensuing vear , Bro . George II . Parke was unanimously dieted .

In June an address of congratulation to her Majesty on the completion of the both year of her reign was proposed by Bro . the liarl of liuston , Pro G . M ., seconded by Bro . Viscount Dungarvan , De ]) . G . M ., and carried by acclamation and ordered to be engrossed on vellum and presented to the Oueen . An

addition was also made to the Book of Constitutions providing that Mark brethren who join English lodges from lodges under other Constitutions shall make a declaration of allegiance lo the Mark G . Master and of obedience to thc Laws and Regulations of the Grand Lodge . Subsequently the new Grand Officers

were appointed and invested and Grand Festival was held under the presidency of Bro . Viscount Dungarvan , Dep . G . Master . At the communication held on the 31 st August , a letter was read from the Home Secretary ( Bro . the Right Hon . Sir M . VVhite Ridley , Bart ., M . P . ) , announcing that the address voted by

Grand Lodge at its June meeting had been presented to the Queen anil most graciously accepted by her Majesty and it was accordingly ordered that this letter should be entered upon the minutes . The rank of Past G . Warden was conferred , at the instance of his Royal Highness the M . W . G . Master on Bro . R .

Loveland Loveland , President of the General Board , and a portrait of Mro . liarl Iigerton of Tatton , Past G . Master , presented by tiro . Stevenson on behalf of the Cheshire brethren , and gracefully accepted on behalf of Grand Lodge by Bro . C L . Mason , Prov . G . M . West Yorkshire , who , in the absence of the

Pro and Deputy Grand Masters , occupied the chair as Grand Master . At the meeting on the 30 th November , alter the usual nominations had been made for the oflices of Grand Master and Grand Treasurer for the ensuing year , Bro . W . M . Stiles being

the only nominee for the latter , a vole of sympathy with Bro . the liarl of Lathom , Past G . M ., on the death of Lady Lathom . was passed in silence , and a portrait of Mro . liarl Amherst , Past ( irand Master , presented by the Province of Kent , accept cd .

in the Provinces and Districts Abroad there has been great activity amongthe lodges and members , the several Provincial and District Grand Lodges having held their accustomed meetings , while in the case of sundry of the former they have been honoured by visits from the liarl of liuston , Pro G . Master , who exhibits

the same interest as ever in the proceedings of Mark Masonry , Two other events require lo be noted . On the 20 th May the annual Festival of the Grand Master's Lodge of Instruction for Mark Masons was held under the presidency of Bro . Viscount Dungarvan , Dep . G . Master , and proved , as usual a great success ,

while on the 7 th July , the anniversary Festival on behalf of the Mark Benevolent Fund was held under the presidency of Bro . Lieut .-Col . A . B . Cook , Prov . G . Mark Master of Middlesex , the amount announced in donations and subscriptions reaching / . 3100 13 s ., or considerably more than has been raised at any

previous Festival . Bro . Col Cook was warmly supported by Bros , the Earl of liuston , Viscount Dungarvan , the lion . Alan tie Tatton Iigerton , Major Woodall , Sir J . C Dimsdale , the liarl of Porlarliiii-lon , Dr . Balfour Cockburn , Sir L . li . Darell , the Earl

ol Yarborough , and C F . Matier , who is Secretary of the Fund as well as Grand Secretary , while the Province of Middlesex loyally sustained its chief by raising over £ . 250 out of the ^ , 2408 contributed by the Provinces , West Yorkshire returning / , ' ui 15 s . and London / , < J 02 .

CII 1 VALRIC AND HIGH GRADE MASONRY .

Under I his head we include I he Masonic ( Irders of the Temple aud ui Koine and the Red Cross of Constantine , the Ancient and Accepled Kite , ihe Koyal Order of Scotland , the ( irand Councils ol Roval and Select Masters and of the Allied De-Tees .

Ihe Rosicrucian Society , and the Order of the Secret Monitor , and on the whole , we feel justified in saying they have done their work satisfactorily . As regards Masonic Kni ght Templary , it is early days yet to judge of the effect of the change of