Provincial Grand Lodge Of Warwickshire.

and sorrow , " and the other special hymns were " O , praise our God today" and " O , Lord , how joyful ' tis to see . " A very appropriate sermon was preached by the Prov . G . Chap ., Bro . the Rev . T . DORMING , his subject being the brotherhood of man . The collection , which was in aid of the Warwickshire Masonic

Benevolent and Pupils Aid Fund , amounted to £ 15 iSs . 6 d . The brethren afterwards returned to the Corn Exchange , where the business of Provincial Grand Lodge was resumed . The D . P . G . M . proposed a vote of thanks to the Rev . W . Northcote , vicar of Atherstone , for allowing the service to be held in the Parish Church . The W . M . of the Athelstan Lodge seconded the resolution , which was

carried . It was resolved to contribute ^ 5 5 s . to the Church Charities of Atherstone . The D . P . G . M . afterwards appointed and invested the following brethren as the Prov . G . Officers for the ensuing 12 months : Bro . Fitzgerald ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . ,, Bourne ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . :: rlev : ^ kL Downing ::::::' z }?™ - * . <**?*¦

,. J . Harris ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ Fielding ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . „ J . Beach ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ Hoskins ... ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ Shilvock ¦ „ . ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . .. E . Pritchard ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C .

;; wood ::: ::: ::: ;;; jprov . A . G . D . cs . - assS ? ::: ::: ¦ ; : } p «* . G . ad . BB .

„ Cotton ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Std . Br . „ E . A . Smith ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ Blunt ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Sec .

„ F . Walker ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ Bancroft ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Purst . The Provincial Grand Lodge having been closed , the brethren adjourned to the Town Hall , where a banquet was provided . The usual Masonic loasts were honoured . A special train to Atherstone was provided for the convenience of the Birmingham brethren .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Lancashire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF WEST LANCASHIRE .

By command of Bro . the Right Hon . the Earl of Lathom , | G . C . B ., Pro G . M ., Prov . G . M ., the annual meeting of the above Provincial Grand Lodge was held on the 2 nd instant , in Parr Hall , Palymra-street , Warrington , where there was an attendance of about 700 brethren , amongst those

present , besides the P . G . M ., Bro . Lord Lathom , being Bros . R . Wylie , P . G . D . Eng ., D . P . G . M . ; the Right Hon . Lord Skelmersdale , P . G . W . Eng ., P . S . G . W . ; J . D . Murray , P . G . Treas . ; W . Goodacre , P . G . S . B . Kng ., P . G . Sec . ; A . Stoddart , P . P . G . W . ; J . D . Crawford , P . P . G . T . ; G . A . Hairadon , P . P . G . T . ; R . Robertson , P . P . G . R . ; R . Armitage ,

P . P . G . R . ; J . M'Carthy , P . P . G . D . ; C . Fothergill , P . P . G . D . ; G . S . Willings , P . P . G . D . ; T . Salter , P . P . G . D . ; J . Bell , P . P . G . D . ; R .

White , P . P . G . D . C . ; E . George , P . P . G . D . C ; J . Hocken , P . P . G . D . C ; L . Peake , P . P . A . G . D . C ; M . Alexander , P . P . D . G . S . B . ; G . Beeken , P . P A . G . Sec . ; j . J . Ramsey , P . P . G . P . ; J . Tunstall , P . P . G . P . ; the Hon . R . Bootle-Wilbraham ; and J . M . McLeod , P . G . S . B ., Sec . R . M . I . Boys . The P . G . M ., together with the G . Officers and P . G . Officers , Present and Past , entered the hail in procession , when the Provincial Grand Lodge was opened , and the P . G . M . and D . P . G . M . were saluted in due form .

The roll of lodges having been called , it was found that the whole of the 114 in the province were represented , several very numerously . The minutes of the Provincial Grand Lodge held last year at the Town Hall , Bootle , were taken as read and adopted , and the financial statement , which was submitted by Bro . H . NALL , P . G . Treas ., was also passed . This showed that £ 315 5 s . 4 d . had been received in aid of the Charities Fund ;

. ( , ( 122 7 s . 4 d . for the P . G . Lodge Fund ; and £ 736 os . nd . for the Fund of Benevolence—total £ 1673 13 s . 7 d . Subjoined were the payments made during the year : Charitable Fund , £ 115 10 s . ; P . G . Lodge , £ 368 5 s . 2 d . ; Fund of Benevolence , £ 464 1 is . sd . —total £ 948 6 s . 7 d . ; there being a lf . 1 ice of X 725 7 s .

1 he P . G . SECRETARY read a letter of apology from Bro . the Right Hon . lord Derby , P . D . P . G . M ., W . M . of the Stanley of Preston Lodge , in cons' quence of an engagement which kept him in the city . Bro . GOODACRE , in presenting his annual report , said the roll of lodges had during the year being increased by two , and the roll of members by "Earl y 300 , thus bringing up the number of lodges to 114 , and of members

753 . V The new lodges consecrated were the Stanley of Preston , No . 2 '"' o , and the Wyreside , No . 2605 , the former meeting at Preston and the Jitter at Garstang . Lord Derby had been installed as first Master of the Stanley of Preston Lodge , which fact was an assurance that notwithstanding "is lordshi p ' s many duties he still felt an interest in the welfare of the Craft . , uring ihe past year the province had been successful in the election of two 0

) )' s on the foundation of the Royal Masonic Institution lor Boys , one girl , ° n the foundation of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , and one broiher , ad been elected an annuitant of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . n addition the province was able to afford substantial aid towards the election Th l ^' ^ k ° yi whose father was a former member of a Warrington lodge . ne Benevolent and Charity Commiitee had made grants to nine petitioners

mounting to £ 120 . The three local Charities were provided by the brethren , '' h the means wherewith to carry on their good work . It would perhaps e difficult to produce better evidence of the sound and satisfactory condi' nof the lodges generally than to point to the steady support given to ° se Institutions which were doing so much to alleviate distress and add k or . to those in ne < d . The income of the Educational Institutions had en . £ -176 , against , £ 1830 in the previous year . It had assisted 206 children ,

Provincial Grand Lodge Of West Lancashire.

at a cost of £ 1473 . The Hamer Institution had received nearly £ So more than in the previous year , the claims upon it having been slightly less . The Alpass Institution had received ^ 1142 , against £ 922 in the previous year . It had paid in annuities ^ 689 , as against £ 520 last year . The PROV . GRAND MASTER , in the course of a short address , heartily congratulated the province 011 the way it had kept up its character and

increased during the year . The roll of lodges was now an enormous on-, but looking at the number of brethren belonging to them he did not think there were too many lodges . The average membership for each Ijdge was 67 , and there was no other province in England that could show a record like that . ( Applause . ) He thanked the brethren for their suppon of the Charities , which were flourishing , and not likely to go backward .

Concluding , he said they gave place to no province in their hearty congratulations to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales upon the attainment of his majority as Grand Master of England . ( Applause . ) Bro . E . R . Latham , P . M . 594 , was nominated as the Prov . G Treasurer , on the motion of Bro . R . G . BRADLEY , P . P . G . D . C , seconded by Bro . J .

B . MACKENZIE , P . P . G . D . On the motion of Bro . E . L . LEWIS , P . M . 32 , seconded by Bro . STODDART , P . P . G . W ., and supported by Bros . LAMBERT and Lord SKELMERSDALE , the name of Bro . T . Newton , P . M . 155 , was also submitted for election to the office .

As a result of the ballot , Bro . T . B . Newton was declared duly elected by a majority of 21 votes , the voting being 222 for the successful candidate , and 201 for Bro . Latham . A vote of thanks was given to Bro . H . Nail for his services as Prov . G . Treasurer during the year . Bros . Piatt , Callow , Johnson , Lambert , and Nall were appointed Auditors .

On the motion of the D . P . G . M ., the following donations were voted from the Charities' Fund : West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution , 50 ^ guineas ; Alpass Benevolent Institution , 50 guineas ( to be placed on the list of the Lord Mayor when he takes the chair at the approaching festival at Southport ); and the Hamer Benevolent Institution , 30 guineas . The P . G . M . appointed his officers as follows :

Bro . h . L . Lewes ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ R . Layland ... ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ Rev . R . B . Billinge ... ... ... ID ,-. r-i . „ Rev . T . H . Leeson ( re-appointed ) ... ... J Prov ' G > Cha P - „ George Duxfield ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . „ H . R . Thornton ... ... ... Prov . D . G . Retr .

„ William Goodacre ... ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ S . Locke ... ... ... ... " ) „ J . Browne ... ... ... ... V Prov . S . G . Ds . „ G . Hulme , jun . ... ... ... J 1

„ t \ . ML ., rauen ... ... ... ,, Thomas Blane ... ... ... £ Prov . J . G . Ds . „ W . R . Brewster ... ... ... ) „ S . L . Fraser ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of W . „ J . H . Smith ... ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ E . Rose ... ... ... ... Prov . D . G . D . C „ T . Yarwood ... ... ... ' ... V

„ Henry Isaac .,. ... ... > Prov . A . G . D . Cs . „ S . J . Henochsberg ... ... .,. ) „ Fred Batty ... ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ Tom Hunter ... ... ... Prov . D . G . S . B . ,, J . Williams ... ... ... , „ | D „ ClJ n " j . F . Willan j Prov . G . Std . Brs . „ W . Cole ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . I U 1 11 A f & --iiiic 1

,, L .. < -.: > ... ... ... ... IUV , A . u , cec . „ J . Bowers ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ J . Heyes ... ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Purst . ,, Isaac Smith .., ... ,., .., "" )

„ M . W . Clayton ... „ . ... I ;;J A - King ::: ::: ::: - [ prov . c . stwd , „ H . Round ... ... ... ... I „ Jonathan Parry ... ... ... J „ W . H . Ball ... ... ... ,., Prov . G . T yler .

In commemoration ol the fact lhat H . R . H . the Prince of Wales had attained the 21 st year of his Grand Mastership of English Freemasons , his Royal Highness had sanctioned the conferring of Past Provincial rank on a certain number of brethren in each province . The following West Lancashire brethren were , therefore , invested : Bros . Sir C . Pilkington and A . Franceys , P . P . G . Wardens ; T . Grime , J . Carter , and S . Kershaw , P . P . G . Deacons ; G . Barber and P . J . Whitehead , P . P . G . Directors of Ceremonies ; and T . Crompton , D . Lloyd , j . J . Boyle , and G . Godfrey , P . P .

G . S . Bs . Charity jewels were presented to brethren who had served the office of Steward , and afterwards a collection was made on behalf of the Wan ington Infirmary and Dispensary . Previous to the closing of the Provincial Giand Lodge , a photograph of the assembled brethren was taken by Messrs . Brown , Barnes , and Bell , Bold-street , Liverpool . The usual banquet took place at the Lion Hotel , under the presidency of t he P . G . M .

Allied Masonic Degrees.

Allied Masonic Degrees .

Metropolitan Council , ( T . I . ) The last meeting of this old ' conclave for the sjason was held at Mark Mawns ' Hall , Great Queen-street , on the iSth ult . Am > ng thosi present were Comos . Gjarjre Powell , W . M . ; H . J . Lardner . P . M ., as S . W . ; J . J . Pakes , S . D ., as . J . W . ; Capt . T . C . Walls , P . M ., Sec ; and W . H . Toye , D . C . The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed , Comp . E . L . Shepherd , S . W ., was unanimously elected W . M . ; George Powell , Treas . ; and E . Mills , Tyler . Comps . Toye and Stewart were elected Auditors . A vote of thank * was

pissrd to the W . M ., and a Past M ist-r ' s jewel vot-d to nim . A cjuncil of the D gree of High Piiest was duly opened and Comp . H . J . Lardner having- assumed the chair , impressively inducted Comp . VV . H . Toye to that distinguish *! Di ^ ree . \ pil > gies for non-attendance were received from Comps E . L . Shepherd , S . W . ; N . Pr . nver , Conductor ; B . Stewart , J . D . ; A . W . Humphreys , l . G . ; tin Kev . R . C . Fillingham , Org . ; A . McDowall , I . P . M . ; and R . L . Loveland , J . P ., P . M . ; Baron de Ferrieres , P . M . ; and others . The council was then closed . The members dined at the llolborn Restaurant und ; r the presidency of the W . M .