Scotland

Scotland

GRAND LODGE .

The Ouarterly Communication was held in Edinburgh , on Thursday , the 2 nd instant . Bro . the Right Hon . Lord Saltoun , Grand Master Mason , occupied the throne , and the Wardens' chairs were filled by Bros . F . W . Allan , Senior Grand Warden , and the Hon . Charles Maule Ramsay , Junior Grand Warden . After Grand Lodge had been opened in full form ,

Bro . WILLIAM PHILLIPS , G . D . C , presented Bro . Arthur Hodge , who had been elected Grand Architect of the Grand Lodge of All India , to the Grand Master , with the request that he would install him into the said ofiice , which was accordingly done . Bro , HODGE , in thanking Grand Lodge for the honour they had done him , said how highly esteemed the Grand Lodge of Scotland was among the Scottish Masons throughout the different quarters of the globe in which he had travelled .

Bro . PHILLIPS also introduced the elected office-bearers of Grand Lodge who had been absent at the installation ceremony on St . Andrew ' s Day > and they were duly installed by the Grand Master . Grand Lodge agreed to give recognition to the newly-formed Grand Lodge of New Zealand , and to open fraternal relations with it , under the

declaration and reservation that the Grand Lodge of Scotland retains its jurisdiction unimpaired over all its lodges in New Zealand who may choose to continue their allegiance to it ; and also that the rights and jurisdiction of the three Scottish District Grand Lodges in New Zealand over such lodges and Scottish interests be reserved .

Permission was given to the District Grand Lodge of Queensland to extend their territory so as to include the islands of the Pacific Ocean under British rule , and that the title of the District Grand Master shall be that of " Right Worshipful , " and not " Most Worshipful . " Bro . John Graham , of Broadstone , was again , amid fervent acclamation , re-appointed as Provincial Grand Master of the Glasgow City Province .

Bro . Matthew Arthur was welcomed in Grand Lodge as the newlyelected R . W . M . of Mother Kilwinning Lodge , No . o , and as such , to the office of Provincial Grand Master of Ayrshire . A motion by Bro . Dr . DICKSON , that the following be added to Rule 164 of the Constitution was unanimously carried : " But it shall be competent for a lodge , as a favour and without affiliation , always in accordance

with Law 162 , to pass or raise a member of another lodge , as a favour , in the name of that lodge , at the request of the Master and Wardens thereof , and this shall have the same effect as if the said member had been passed or raised in the lodge requesting the favour . " The following members were elected to the 16 vacancies in Grand

Committee : Bros . W . Munro Denholm . James Berry , W . A . Dinwiddle , Major-Gen . J . J . Boswell , D . Speirs Fraser , P . L . Henderson , W . W . Robertson , R . King Stewart , F . C . Buchanan , James Thomson , William Hill , James Taylor , jun ., Alexander Neil , Thomas McKee , William Scott , and James Reid . This completed the business . Grand Lodge was therefore closed in full form and with solemn prayer . The estimated attendance of members at this meeting was about 400 , the hall being quite full .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Forfarshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF FORFARSHIRE .

VISIT OF LORD SALTOUN . Never in the history of the above Provincial Grand Lodge has there been such a large and influential gathering of brethren at the annual meeting . This to some extent was due to the visit of the Right Hon . Lord

Saltoun , the M . W . the Grand Master Mason of Scotland , and a deputation from the Grand Lodge of Scotland . The function took place'in Russell ' s Koyal Hotel Hall , which was crowded , upwards of 300 brethren from the various lodges in the province being present .

The Provincial Grand Lodge was opened by Bro . James Berry , Prov . G . M ., and the other members of Provincial Grand Lodge present were Bros . Lord Glamis and the Hon . Charles Maule Ramsay , P . P . D . G . Ms . ;

Captain P . W . Anderson , P . Substitute G . M . ; ex-Provost Anderson , P . G , Sec . ; A . C . Anderson , P . A . G . Sec . ; the Revs . Stewart Galloway and Andrew Armit , P . G . Chaps . ; Andrew Bennet , P . S . G . W . ; J . G . Sprunt , P . J . G . W . j and ex-Bailie Herald , P . G . Treas .

Bro . BERRY , after the minutes of Provincial Grand Lodge and Standing Committee had been read and approved , remarked that since last provincial meeting he had visited every lodge in thc province , and that work had been commenced for 1899 . The state of the province was singularly prosperous . They had topped the previous year as to

entrants by about 65 , and over the five lodges already visited in Dundee the average showed a great increase over the previous year in membership , liro . Berry intimated that a lengthy correspondence had taken place between the Grand Lodge and the agents for the Ferguson Bequest in America , f his bequest was left for the founding of a Masonic Home in Forfarshire ,

and although the negotiations were still being continued , he could assure them they were in safe hands . It appeared that the party who had bequeathed the money did not , according to the law of America , have the Power to leave it as he did , and so far as he could learn they were only

entitled to half of it . He hoped , however , to intimate a final conclusion to the matter in three months . Bro . HERALD , P . G . T ., said his estimate of the probable expenditure for the current year would not require any advance on the fees chargeable for the purposes of Provincial Grand Lodge—namely , 2 s . for every initiation a' * d is . for the benevolent fund .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Forfarshire.

The following office-bearers were then elected : Bros . James Berry ... ... ... Prov . G . M . ,, The Hon . Frank Bowes Lyon ... , „ 1 . . „ Captain Clayhiils Henderson of Invergown ' e ... l rov * l •{ jMs-Lord Glamis ~ i ¦¦¦

.. ... ... ... 11 - «"»» """"" ••• / „ J . W . Bruce Gardvne of Middleton ... > Prov . D . G . Ms . „ The Hon . C . M . Ramsay ... ... ) „ Captain P . W . Anderson ... ... Prov . S . G . M . „ Ex-Provbst Anderson , Arbroath ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ A . C . Anderson ... ... ... Prov . G . Asst . Sec .

„ The Rev . S . Galloway ... ... ,.. )„ ~ T . ^ , „ Andrew Armit ... ... j Prov . G . JomtChaps . „ J . G . Sprunt ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ W . J . W . Cameron ... ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ 'Alexander Ramsay ... ... ,,. Prov . S . G . D .

„ Andrew Naysmith , Arbroath ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ Ex-Bailie Herald ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ John Burrows ... ... ... Prov . G . D . of Music „ Wishart Galloway , Brechin ... ... Prov . G . Jeweller „ I . Dyer ... ... ... ... Prov . G . Bible Br . „ W . Smith , Dundee ... ... ... Prov . G . D . of C .

„ F . Kemp , Newport ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . „ Jas . Robertson , Dundee ... ,.. Prov . G . Std . Br . „ R . J . Muir , Montrose ... ... ... Prov . G . Bard „ A . VV . R . Birrell ... ... ... Prov . G . Marshal „ M'Lagan ... ... ... ... Prov . G . I . G . „ John M'Gregor ... ... ... Prov . G . O . G .

„ John R . Wilson ... ... ... > „ P . A . Tosh ... ... ... ... ( n r + c . j „ Bruce ^ Prov . G . Stwds . „ Millar ... ... ... ... J

Bros . Macintosh aad Binnie , Prov . G . Auditors . The Grand Lodge deputation was then received , consisting of Bros , the Right Hon . Lord Saltoun , G . M . ; the Hon . C . M . Ramsay , J . G . W . ; A . Wilson , P . G . M . of Aberdeen ; D . Murray Lyon , G . Sec . ; David Reid , G . Treas . ; the Rev . Arch . Fleming , G . Chap . ; W . Munro Denholm , J . G . D . ; Robert K . Inches , G . Jeweller ; James Thomson , acting G . S . B . | E . A . Chisholm , Chief Clerk Grand Lodge ; David Laird , acting G . Tyler ; and A . Hodge , G . Architect G . Lodge of India .

The PROV . GRAMD MASTER , in the name of the brethren in the province , extended a cordial welcome to Forfarshire to Lord Saltoun . Lord SALTOUN , in reply , said he had to thank them most heartily for the honour they had done him . Bro . the Hon . C . M . RAMSAY said it was his pleasant duty to invite the Grand Master to take part in a ceremony which , he was certainwould prove

, extremely interesting to all Forfarshire Masons . It was the unanimous wish of the brethren that Bro . Berry , who had done such good work in the district , should be honoured on the occasion of his resuming a third term of office as Prov . Grand Master , and he had to ask his lordship to present a token of the favour in which Bro . Berry was held .

Lord SALTOUN , in presenting the collar and jewel to the Provincial Grand Master , said it was right he should refer in some small degree to the history of the province . The Province of Forfar , Angus , and Aberdeen , was erected in 1747 , and remained under that designation for many years . On a redistribution of districts early in the present century , the Hon . William Maule ( afterwards Lord Panmure ) was appointed Provincial

Grand Master of Forfar and Angus , and held the post for 50 years . His lordship ' s three immediate successors were members of the Maule-Ramsay family , that eminent statesman , Fox Maule , being one of them . The Right Hon . Lord Ramsay was Provincial Grand Master 20 years ago , and Captain Clayhiils Henderson , R . N ., and the Hon . Frank Bowes Lvon followed in succession . By the way , in the person of the Hon . C . M . Ramsay they

were gratified to recognise a son of the 12 th and brother of the 13 th Earl of Dalhousie—a name dear to the Masons of the province and to Grand Lodge itself . That brought them to the advent of the present Provincial Grand Master—Bro . James Berry—than whom no more devoted or efficient brother had ever held in hand the direction and government of Masonic affairs in that important province . ( Applause . ) Prior to 1877 the province

included Kincardineshire , but in that year the lodges in that county were formed into a Provincial Grand Lodge , with the Right Hon . Lord Inverurie ( now Lord Kintore ) as Provincial Grand Mastet . The next point of interest was the fact that there were 26 lodges in Forfarshire , two of which took part in the erection of Grand Lodge in 173 G , and were still in active operation—namely , Montrose Kilwinning and Ancient Operative ,

Dundee . Bro . Berry was appointed to the Prov . Grand Mastership in 180 S , re-appointed in 1893 , and six months ago entered upon a third term of office as Masonic head of the province . ( A pplause . ) The bare mention of these facts showed the high respect in which Bro . Berry Was held in the Craft . He had , too , been the recipient of tangible marks of the brethren's appreciation of his Masonic abilities , and on the present occasion he felt it

an honour to have been selected to invest him with that gold collar and jewel , which was at first intended as a gift , but which , through his generosity and unselfish spirit , was henceforth to be the insignia of the Prov . Grand Master of Forfarshire . ( Applause . ) Bro . Berry ' s services to the Craft had not been confined lo that province—they were known to and were appreciated by Grand 1 . odge itself . He had often filled the highest position in Grand Lodge , and presided with acceptance in Grand

Committee , of which he had been a member during 18 consecutive year .- ; He was also Chairman of the Finance Committee , and whether in or out of ofiice he had devoted his attention to the interests of the Forfarshire lodges , and had a record of 30 years' service to the Cra / t . He had great pleasure in investing their Prov . Grand Master with the beautifully and artistically wrought collar and jewel of solid gold , and he did so in the hope he would be spared for many years to wear it in the bosom of the Prov . Grand Lodge of Forfarshire . ( Applause . )

The-Prov . G . M . was then invested with the collar and jewel , amid applause , three cheers being given in his honour . Bro . BERRY , in reply , traced his connection with Prov . Grand Lodge , and referred to the efforts Grand Lodge was making to popularise Masonry . In conclusion , he hoped his successors in office would do their duty as conscientiously as he had endeavoured to do it . He then stated tho collar and jewel would hereafter be recognised and entered in the inventory of Prov . Grand Lodge as its sole property . ( Applause . )