Drury Lane Lodge, No. 2127.

Bro . Parkinson were curtailed . However , Bro . Parkinson could not discharge the duties of Installing Master otherwise than in the most admirable manner . He was a brother who possessed a perfect knowledge of the Masonic law , but he had also a true Masonic heart . He would ask the brethren to drink to Bro . Parkinson ' s health as the smallest contribution he ( the Lord Mayor ) could personally pay him for the admirable manner in which he had installed him that day .

Bro . PARKINSON , P . G . D ., in reply , said he warmly and unaffectedly thanked the Lord Mayor for the gracious words in which he had been pleased to acknowledge the Masonic service he was able to render at an earlier period of the evening . He assured the brethren that it was with a deep sense of responsibility , not to say trep idation , that he attempted so onerous a task before such a body of accomplished experts—each a competent critic , all accustomed to criticise—the very flower of the Craft . To have installed the Lord Mayor of London before some of the most

distinguished artists of the day in this historic Mansion House , which had been graced b y the presence of so many interesting and patriotic assemblies , none more brilliant than the gathering of that night , was an additional matter for congratulation . That the Lord Mayor himself should belong to that ancient faith and race to which Freemasonry owed so much of its inspiration and so many of its symbols , was to him a matter of additional pride . On this account alone , putting aside other and more weighty considerations , he begged to thank the Lord Mayor and the brethren for their generous recognition of his services .

Bro . the Lord MAYOR next said he had to propose " The Health of the Past Masters of the Drury Lane Lodge . " When he remembered Past Master No . I , a universal favourite , Lord Londesborough , who as he was always cheerful , always merry , always genial , always kind , who had invariably a truly Masonic grip for a brother he met , he looked with pride upon the Past Masters . Lord Londesborough was succeeded by their friend , the Great Augustus . Having regard to what he

was doing for them , especially in connection with the Italian Opera , he could almost call him the Blessed Augustus . That was enough to get success of the Drury Lane Lodge . Bro . Augustus Harris was followed by a distinguished member of her Majesty ' s Government , their good friend , Sir John Gorst , who discharged his duties as a Master in a most admirable way . That was universally agreed . He in his turn was succeeded by Sir E . A . Inglefield , than whom a truer Mason

or larger hearted man did not exist this day in the City of London . Sir E . Inglefield had that characteristic of a sailor which they all admired ; he had an honest open face which they all admired ; and he had the Masonic heart which they all so thoroughly appreciated . Admiral Inglefield did his best to maintain as he found it the exalted character of the Drury Lane Lodge , and he earned for himself the respect and esteem of the brethren of the lodge . In presenting the

Past Master ' s jewel he ( the Lord Mayor ) felt he was onl y expressing the sentiments of all the brethren , and that it carried with it the fullest appreciation of the brethren ' s friendship and esteem . He knew Bro . Inglefield would as much dislike fullsome flattery as he ( the Lord Mayor ) would dislike to offer it . Bro . Inglefield ' s services were fresh in the memory of the brethren , and he should rely on his assistance and co-operation , and he knew he should have it .

Sir E . A . INGLEFIELD , replying , said that much as he regretted that Augustus the Great had not to return thanks , he should himself do so in as few words as possible . About an hour before they assembled to enjoy this magnificent banquet he remembered that there was a great gathering in another place , a gathering of gentlemen second onl y in importance to those he saw round him ; but there they had nothing to eat , nothing to drink , and instead of those delightful short speeches

the Lord Mayor was encouraging , long prosy discussions . They had a custom in that other place , which no doubt they imitated because it was a Conservative custom—and who were more conservative that Freemasons ?—they had a custom there to call upon the two youngest members of that assembl y to propose and second the address , and upon the manner in which those two young gentlemen succeeded very much was judged as to their future success in that assembly . ' In

the same way in this lodge they called upon the very youngest Past Master to return thanks for this toast , and he could not help feeling that his future chance of ever becoming a Grand Officer would depend on the way he acquitted himself . He felt he could say a great deal , but the Worshipful Master had said the speeches were to be short , and therefore he would say no more now than that he thanked the brethren very much for the compliment they had

paid him . The LORD MAYOR next said he had the pleasure and the privilege of asking the brethren to drink "The Health of the Officers of the Drury Lane Lodge , " those whom he had the pleasure of investing in the afternoon . Among them were Bros . Fernandez , the S . W . ; Bancroft , the J . W . ; and Harry Nicholls , S . D . He would just pause for a moment to say that those three brethren were

three distinguished members of a certain profession . Each one of those three was a host in himself ; he ventured to say that each one was a star ; taking them together , he thought he might refer to those three of his officers as the starry host of the Drury Lane Lodge . As the next officer , he had Bro . Catling , who pursued another walk in life—the literary walk , a walk which they all admired , and which some of them judged with more or less effect . Bro . Catling in that walk had

distinguished himself as well as in Freemasonry , and he was very glad to recognise him among his officers . He thought he should be ungrateful if , upon this occasion , he did not express his indebtedness to Bro . Fernandez , his S . W . ; to Bro . Bancroft , his J . W . ; to Bro . Nicholls , his S . D . ; and so on , ad infinitum for their selfabnegation , for their truly brotherly conduct to him in each one stepping aside in order that he might be appointed the S . W . of the lodge , that during his Mayoralty he mi

ghthave the privilege of being its W . M . He should be unworthy of the kindness if he failed to recognise and acknowledge it on such an occasion as this . He believed everyone of his officers would do credit to the selection he had ventured to make , because , when all was said and done , the selection was m the hands of the W . M . There was certainly one officer in respect of whom the W . M . had no choiceas he was elected by the lodgeand that officer was the

, , Treasurer , whom they were very pleased to see present . He had the privilege to appoint the Secretary , and , by universal consent , he had made an admirable choice in Bro . Matthews . If he were asked who after the W . M . had been most anxious that the day ' s proceedings should be successful , he thought he might point to the Secretary and Bro . Monckton . To those two brethren his indebtedness was very

great indeed . Without enumerating all the officers , he mi ght say he had one gentleman , a novice in Freemasonry , whom he had appointed one of the Stewards , who was a very bashful young man , but he hoped that his appointment that evening might be the means of ridding him of that bashfulness , which was so peculiar to him—he meant Sir Morell Mackenzie . They were all pleased to see him among the officers of the lodge .

Bro . THOMAS CATLING , J . D ., who was called upon in place of Bros . Fernandez , Bancroft , and Nicholls to respond , said , in the absence of the starry host the W . M . had referred to in such eloquent and feeling terms , he as a very inferior officer of that distinguished lodge being called upon to respond , took upon him the duty of answering to this very responsible toast . As the W . M . was good enough to say at the commencement of these proceedings that short speeches would be those that would most commend themselves to that assembl y , he would obey , but he must

stay just for a few moments to give the brethren a few words , and thanks to the present W . M ., and to the P . M . ' s of the Drury Lane Lod ge—the Earl of Londesborough , Augustus Harris , Sir John Gorst , and the I . P . M ., Sir E . A . Inglefield . The thanks of the present officers were due to them for the high example they had set on every occasion—both in the work of the lodge , which after all was the keystone of Masonry , and also in assemblies of the present kind , where hospitality to brethren was the predominent desire in the n eart of every member of the Drury Lane Lodge . Bros . Fernandez , Bancroft ,

Drury Lane Lodge, No. 2127.

and Nicholls , before they left to discharge their duties to the public in another sphere , desired him to express to the brethren their heart y and heartfelt thanks for the kindness shown to them , and to assure the W . M . that throughout his year of office no pains would be wanting on their part to discharge to the very utmost of their ability their duties to the lodge , to the W . M ., and to Masonry in general . For himself he had to thank the W . M . for the very kind terms in which he had spoken of his ( Bro . Catling ' s ) humble efforts in this great world of Londonand

, to assure him that he should strive to follow on in his footsteps . Whether he should ever attain to the distinguished position the Lord Mayor had attained to was very doubtful . They might all be officers of the Drury Lane Lodge , but very few of them could hope to be Lord Mayor of London . Whatever their condition was they would be true to Masonry , to themselves , to the Master of the lod ge , and to the Craft in general , and that , he was sure , would be the earnest endeavour of every officer of the Drury Lane Lodge .

The Earl of EUSTON , in proposing "The Masonic Charities , " said it was the most important toast of the evening after that of the W . M . The Charities were the backbone of Freemasonry . At a short notice it was very difficult to go into particulars with regard to any one of the Masonic Charities , but all the brethren hoped that these Charities would go on in the future as they had in the past , steadily increasing from year to year , and that Freemasonry would increase so that

they might be able as the world went on to point to the Charities as the landmark of what Freemasonry did for those who were dependent on them . There were the Girls' School , the Boys' School , and the Benevolent Institution . With regard to the beneficiaries of the latter , he would not call them decayed , as some did , because if anyone would go down to Croydon and see them in their homes they would not look upon them as decayed , they were so happy and comfortable . He would call upon Bro . Terry to respond to the toast . The Lord Mayor was going

this year to preside at the festival of the Benevolent Institution , and he hoped that those who had not yet put their names down as Stewards would do so and support the Lord Mayor on the 26 th inst . As to the Boys' and Girls' Schools , there was no question the brethren were doing the ri ght thing in giving the sons and daughters of Freemasons a start in life ; but while doing that they must not forget the Old People whom misfortune had overtaken . They ought to rally round and support the Benevolent Institution , but not to forget the Boys and Girls .

Bro . J AMES TERRY , in reply , said he would in that assembly—perhaps one of the most important that had taken place within the walls of the Mansion House —respond to that toast to the best of his power and ability . When they remembered that the W . M . of the Drury Lane Lodge had consented to preside over the destinies of the Benevolent Institution for the current year , he was certain that if there were any in that assembly who had not made up their minds to support the

Institution they could not have a better opportunity than now of giving to the Lord Mayor their contribution , in order to swell the amount of his list on the 26 th . They knew the Mansion House had been the means of receiving large sums of money for the purpose of distribution . That ni ght he thought it would be a very good thing for them to pay the Lord Mayor the compliment of handing over to

him all they could for the 26 th inst . —hand over all their money and metallic substances , and he was sure they would be thankfull y received and faithfull y applied . If any one had not made up his mind which of the three Institutions he would support this year , he would suggest the one whose Festival came first , more especially as the W . M . of the Drury Lane Lodge , who was going to preside at the Festival , was at the same time Lord Mayor of London . The T y ler ' s toast closed the proceedings in the Egyptian Hall , and the company then adjourned to the reception room and enjoyed a beautiful concert .

Grand Lodge Of Scotland.

GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND .

The quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge of Scotland was held on the 6 th inst . in Edinburgh . There was a very large attendance of brethren from all parts of Scotland , about 400 being present . In the absence of the Grand Master , Bro . Sir Archibald Campbell , M . P ., Bro . the Earl of Haddington , Grand Depute Master , occupied the throne , and among others present were Bros . Sir Charles Dalrymple , M . P ., acting Depute Grand Master ; James . T . S . Elliot of Wolfelee , acting Substitute Grand Master ; J . Dalrymple Duncan , acting S . G . W . ; Col . John

Campbell , acting J . G . W . ; D . Murray Lyon , G . Sec . ; David Reid , G . Cashier ; Col . Stirling , of Kippendavie , Capt . Coll , of Gartsherrie , Col . J . Clark Forrest , Lieut .-Col . Drummond Moray , Dr . Middleton Stow , and the Rev . John Glasse . There were laid on the table reports of the proceedings of the Grand Lodges of England , the Netherlands , the Three Globes of Prussia , Nova Scotia , and Texas . Charters were granted to the following new lodges : Pretoria Celtic , Pretoria , South African Republic , and St . Servanus , Alva , Stirlingshire .

The minutes ot the Grand Committee stated that the Grand Secretary had received the proceedings of the Grand Lodges of All Scottish Freemasonry in India , containing the report of the reception of Bro . his Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught at the quarterly communication held at Bombay on the 2 nd Dec .

last , and presided over b y the M . W . Grand Master , Bro . Sir Henry Morland . The reception was followed by a grand banquet , at which were seated Europeans , Parsees , and Hindoos of all sects and denominations , Mohammedans and Jews , extending to each other the ri ght hand of fellowship . Sir Henry ; Morland occup ied the chair , and conducted the proceedings with great tact and ability .

On the recommendation of the District Grand Lodge of Canterbury , New Zealand , it was agreed to appoint Bro . Charles Louisson , Mayor of Christchurch , to the office of D . G . Master , in room of Bro . the Rev . James Hill resigned . The minutes of the Grand Committee contained the report of the Auditor , Mr . Francis A . Bringloe , C . A ., on the funds of Grand Lodge .

The AUDITOR ststed that he found everything accurately stated , and sufficiently vouched and instructed . The fund and estate belonging to , and under the control of , the Grand Lodge amounted at 28 th November , 188 9 , to ^ 31 , 680 12 s . 3 d . The accountant also examined and audited the accounts of the Fund of Scottish Masonic Benevolence for the same period , and reported that the fund at 28 th November , 188 9 , amounted to ^ 6794 5 s . 5 d . There was also appended an abstract

account of the annuity branch of the Fund of Scottish Masonic Benevolence . The fund at 28 th November , 188 9 , amounted to ^ 3465 3 - 4 d ., whereof the sum of ^ 3139 8 s . i-Jd . is capital and £ 325 15 s . 2 jd . is income . The accounts of Grand Lodge for the year ending 28 th November , 188 9 , exhibit a further sum of ^ 1394 14 s . 6 d . as due to this fund at that date , and which amount will appear in

next account . " In conclusion , the accountant hopes that it is within his province to record in this report an expression of the manner in which the duties appertaining to Grand Cashier ' s department were conducted and supervised by the Grand Secretary during the prolonged illness of the late Bro . Kinnear , and subsequent to the date of his death .

The meeting elected 13 members to the Grand Committee . The brethren elected to the Committee , and the votes which each received , are as follows : Bros . Colin Gallatly , 310 ; John B . M'Naught , 284 ; James T . S . Elliot of Wolfelee , 282 ; David Sneddon , 277 ; James Boyd , 26 9 ; Robert King Stewart of Murdostoun Castle , 251 ; Charles Baxter , Stwd . 249 ; James Berry , 230 ; James Carmichael , M . D ., 227 ; James Reid , 226 ; George C . Douglas , 219 ; John Davidson , 183 ; and William J . C . Abbott , 179 .

The following are the positions in the poll of the other ei g ht gentlemen voted upon : Bros . Thomas Bennett . 159 ; Robert Macfarlan , 149 ; James Thomson , 140 ; David Cuthbert , S . S . C ., 112 ; General John James Boswell , 110 ; A . W . Rennie , 95 ; D . Hill , 90 ; and Robert Heys , 62 .