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one of the happiest feelings of my own time ; and to-night I felt I could not allow this vote to pass without asking the Grand Master to allow me to express my deep regret at the loss of him who has passed away . It is not for him whom we have to mourn—it is for us who are left to deplore his loss . There is one thing that has struck me very much , and that is , when the Dep . Grand Master and oilers of us had the privilege of visiting him

at his own home it was a pleasure to see the love and respect with which he was looked up to in his parish , and to see him as the central figure—and you know what a grand central figure he was—with his family , his children , his servants all gathered around him—to see him kneeling there in prayer , morning after morning— itimpressed you very much with what wesaw of him

in whatever he did—he put others before himself ; and if he could do a kind thing or say a kind word , that was not wanting from Lord Lathom . I support this motion , and I wish to sincerely thank the Dep . Grand Master for the admirable address he has given us in making the motion . The motion was put and carried .

Earl AMHERST .- Brethren , there Is a communication from the Grand Master , which the Grand Secretary will read . Bro . E . LETCHWORTH , G . Sec , read the following : Sir Francis Knollys is desired by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales ( Most Worshipful Grand Master ) , to express his warm thanks to the brethren of

Grand Lodge for their kind and fraternal expressions of sympathy on the occa sion of his recent accident , and for their good wishes for his speedy recovery . ioth September , 1898 . W . LAKE , Esq ., « - Assistant Grand Secretary .

Earl AMHERST : Brethren , is it your pleasure that that letter should be entered on the minutes ? ( Cries of " All , all . " ) The letter was ordered to be entered on the minutes . The Earl AMHERST said the next business was the nomination of Grand Master .

Bro . Col . CHALONER , M . P ., P . M . 472 and 1271 , W . M . 26 44 , P . P . S . G . W . Dorset , and P . P . S . G . W . Wilts , then said : It is my pleasing duty—and I consider it a very great honour to be allowed to perform it—to nominate for Grand Master for the ensuing year H . R . H . the Princeof Wales , and perhaps after hearing the minutes of Grand Lodge I may be allowed to congratulate this Grand Lodge on the complete recovery of

his Royal Highness from his recent accident . His Royal Highness as a prince and a man , for both as a prince and a private gentleman we may judge of him , has made himself beloved wherever he has gone , and we have reason to be proud and to congratulate ourselves on the fact that he has ruled over this Grand Lodge for so many years . I believe in precedents

so long as they are good , and hence the nomination ofthe Grand " Master for the chair has been always done in a few words . Although I might have gone on longer I shall content myself , therefore , in a few words to nominate H . R . H . Albert Edward Prince of Wales as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of England . ( Applause . )

The DEPUTY GRAND MASTER said the next business was the nomination of Grand Treasurer . Bro . Joim GLASS , P . M . 453 , said he desired to make a nomination for the office of Grand Treasurer . It would be , he thought , generally conceded that this was the proper year when that office should be filled by a Provincial brother , and , accordingly , many of the Provincial brethren had looked

about for a representative Provincial brother . They thought that Bro . Harry Manfield , of the Province of Northants and Hunts , was the right brother to fill the office , and he ( Bro . Glass ) as a Provincial brother , begged to nominate him . Bro . Manfield was initiated in the Province of Northants and Hunts in Lodge 1764 . in January , 18 S 2 ; he passed the chair of that lodge in 1894 , and the chair of Lodge 1911 in 1896 . He had been a founder

of two lodges , served three Provincial Grand offices in Craft Masonry , and held high office in Provincial Grand Chapter . From the day of his initiation to the present time Bro . Manfield had been a consistent and regular supporter of the Charitable Institutions , and had served 11 Stewardships . He was now a patron of the Boys' School , Vice-President of the Bsnevolent Institution , and Vice-President of the Girls' School . Socially , Bro , Manfield

was at the head of a ' large industrial concern in the Midlands , one of the largest of the kind in the country . In his native town he is connected with much local and charitable work , and was an alderman of the County Council of the district . Bro . Manfield was highly esteemed by the brethren of his province , from the Prov . G . Master d -wnwards , and those brethren of his province had accorded him their heircy and unanimous

support in the matter . He ( Bro . Glass ) , as their representative that day , respectfully ventured to assure th- * : distinguished brc . hren who surrounded the Deputy G . Master on the dais lhat Bro . Manfield was possessed of those special attainments and qualifications so desirable a * . d necessary for Grand Officers . He pledged his word to the brethren on the s de of the chair that if they elected Bro . Manfield to the office , they might confidently trust him

to fill the office in a manner which would ultimately g * a : ify the members of their Order , both London and Provincial . In addition to an immense quantity of other Masonic woik , Bro . Manfield had for some years been the representative of the province upon the Board of Management of the Boys' School , and he could testify upon that Board , and upon the several Committees attached to the Institutions , he had rendered valuable services

to the Institutions ; he had gamed the respect and confidence of every brother on the Boards , ; and in addition , had acquired considerable popularity amongst the boys themselves by his interest in promoting in the School athletics football , cricket , and other games for which his province was so famous . Bro . Glass had a list of a Committee of many hundreds of names of members of Grand

Lodge pledged to support this nomination , and the Chairman of the Committee was their Prov . G . Master , the Earl of lviston . He would not at present trouble Grand Lodge further , for he ventured to hope that unless an equally qualified , genuine , prominent provincial brother could be nominated upon that occasion , the necessity of a contested election could not be justified .

Bro . C . O . BURGESS , Prov . S . G . W . Berks , P . P . S . G . D . Surrey , said he also , as a provincial brother , had the pleasure of proposing for the office of Grand Treasurer a brother in ths person of Bro . Alfred Henry Bevan , a brother who was tolerably well-known , he believed , to a large number of the brethren present , and whose great Masonic q lahfications would , be

ventured to think , commend him as a candidate tor the office . For the information of any brother who might not be acquainted with the Masonic career of Bro . Bevan , he might say he was Past Prov . Grand Registrar of the Craft for Bucks and Past Prov . Scribe N . in the Royal Arch for the same province , From the brethren of that province he had won their good

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will , and it was hardly necessary for him to occupy the attention of Grand Lodge by going through the long list which he had in his hands of the different offices he had held in lodges and chapters . But he ventured to say that he was an earnest and intense Mason ; he was Master of the Friendship Lodge , he had occupied the position of Master of a new lodge , and was also connected with many lodges and chapters . He mi ght say also

that Bro . Bevan was a member of the firm of Barclay , Perkins , and Co ., and was well known in Southwark for his works . of benevolence . It was no doubt necessary that the Grand Treasurer should be a brother of experience and good standing . He thought it was a matter of general satisfaction that Bro . Bevan had permitted himself to be nominated as a candidate for that important office . He would only say Bro . Bevan was a Governor of St . Thomas's Hospital and . the Foundling Hospital , and , without going

further into the matter , he would say he was well known as a generous supporter of the Charities of England , and that his purse was always open . ' He was an earnest worker also in the forwarding of education . Although Bro . Bevan might be known to comparatively few , yet he was known to many friends and supporters . He was , socially and Masonically , eminently fitted to fulfil the important office to which he had the pleasure of nominating him .

Earl AMHERST asked if there were any other nominations for the post of G . Treasurer , but there was no response . The Dep . Grand Master then informed the brethren that the Grand Master had been pleased to appoint Bro . James Henry Matthews as President of the Board of Banevolence for the ensuing year . Bro . Matthews was then conducted to the throne and reinvested by Earl Amherst with the clothing of President of the Board of Benevolence .

Earl AMHERST next announced that Bro . David Dixon Mercer and Bro . Henry Garrod had bcen nominated for the posts of Senior and Junior Vice-Presidents of the Board of Benevolence , and as they were the only brethren nominated , he declared them duly elected . The twelve Past Masters elected to serve on the Board of Benevolence were :

Bros . James Bunker , P . M . 1158 ; William H . Caton , P . M . 1365 ; George B . Chapman , P . M . 299 ; Joh . -j Ellinger , P . M . 2222 ; William Fisher , P . M . 834 ; Simon H . Goldschmidt , P . M . 1329 ; Frederick W . Hancock , P . M . 548 ; William Kipps , P . M . 1275 ; Edward Nightingale , P . M . 87 ; Charles Pulman , P . M . 720 ; Charles Henry Stone , P . M . 507 ; and William Wills , P . M . 1901 . "¦ The report of the Board of Benevolence for the last quarter having been read , Bro . J AMES HY . MATTHEWS moved and Bro . D . D . MERCER seconded the following grants recommended by the Board .

The widow of a brother of the Vitruvian Lodge , No . 87 , London ... ... ... ... ... £ 50 _ f o A brother of the Brooke Lodge , No . 2035 , Chingford ... 75 o o A brother of the Corinthian Lodge , No . 13 S 2 , London ... $ 0 o o A brother of the Farringdon Without Lodge , No . 1745 , London ... ... ... ... ... 50 o o

The widow of a brother of the Lodge of Peace , No . 140 , Meltham ... ... ... ... 50 o 0 A brother of the Huddersfield Lodge , No . 290 , Huddersfield ... ... ... ... ... 75 o 0 The widow of a brother of the Silurian Lodge , No . 471 , Newport , Mon . ... ... ... ... 50 o o A brother of the Selwyn Lodge , No . 1901 , London ... 50 o o

Bro . MERCER , addressing Earl Amherst , asked to be allowed to make reference to the fact that a vote of thanks to Bro . Matthews was accorded at the last occasion of the meeting of the Board of Benevolence . That had been omitted from the agenda paper . On the motion of Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND , Q C , President , seconded by Bro . W . J . MASON , Vice-President , the report of the Board of General

Purposes was taken as read and ordered to be entered on the minutes . This report appeared in our columns last week . Bro . LOVELAND LOVELAND then slid : You will observe that in the report the Board recommend that a sum of money be voted out of the funds of Grand Lodge , to be placed in the hands of the District Grand M tster of Barbadoes . It came about in consequence of a letter from the District Grand Master , which is in the folio wing words :

Erin Hall , Barbados , 15 th Oct ., 18 98 . Dear Sir and V . Worshipful Brother , I wrote you last mail and then intended to ask you if you could put my application for a grant before Grand Lodge for a class of persons , who in consequence of the late hurricane are suffering very great distress . I refer to the poor whites , many of them descendants of good families , but reduced by untoward circumstances , intensified by the late disastrous hurricane to very great distress .

The Mansion House Fund has been of inestimable use in rehabilitating the negroes in their houses ( small tenements of wood ) but no provision has been made for the above class , many of whom are the widows and families of members of the Albion and Victoria Lodges . This class of poor whites ar <; at an imnanse disadvantage as they cannot mix with negroes for rrnny and obvious reisonsand they suffer in silence . Many hive had their poor houses bally dimi'ed and there is substantially nothing available for repairing them .

I can only say that if any grant can be made f will see it is faithfully applied either to families of Masons alone or generally as the Grand Lodge miy direct . Hoping you may feel in a position to further this application . —I am , dear Sir and Very Worshipful Brother , Yours very truly and fraternall y .

J LOCKE , Dist . G . M . This letter was brought before the ] Board of General Purposes and they discussed it , and they had the honour to recommend as appears in the report and to leave the matter to Grand Lodpeto deal with as they might deem fit , Bro . W . J . MASON seconded it .

Bro . LUXMORE MARSHALL , Asst . G . D . C ., said he would like , with the permission of the Earl Amherst , to say one word in cordially supporting the resolution . As a Past Dist . Grand Master of Barbadoes , he ventured to say that there never was a case mote worthy to receive the relief of Grand Lodge than those poor suffering people of Barbadoes . If the brethren were good enough to carry this resolution , the distribution of their tyrant

could not he left in better hands than in the disposal of the Dist . Grand Master , Bro . John Locke . Bro . H . THOMSON LYON suggested that a telegram be sent to the District Grand Master to announce that this amount had been voted . In a case like this every day of delay plunged the poor people whom it was intended to relieve into deeper distress . In the words of the old adaee "Bis dat qui cito dat . " s '

The report of the Board of General Purposes was then put to Grand Lodge , and was carried unanimously , amidst cheers . A BROTHER , in the absence of Bro . J . A . Farnfield , moved the following resolution which had been agreed to as an alteration of the rules of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution * .