Analysis Of The Returns.

As for HERTFORDSIIIRK there seems to be no end to the enlargement of its contributions , and we are very far from wishing to see the end . In February last , io of its 22 lodges , and three of its eight chapters , with two Stewards Unattiched , together raised £ 857 4 s . Gd ., while on Wednesday there were included in the Returns nine lodges , whose lists amounted in the aggregate to

£ 399 7 s ., and raising the total thus far for the present year to £ 1256 us . Gd . Last year a body of 13 Stewards raised £ 744 8 s . Cd . for the Benevolent Institution ; eight Stewards £ 295 3 s . for this Institution ; and nine Stewards £ 498 15 s . for the Boys' School ; making the total for the year £ 1538 Gs . Cd . In 1895 the amount was £ 1120 93 . Cd ., made up of £ 45 2 3 s . Cd . for the Benevolent Institution ; £ 334 . 18 s . 6 d . for the Girls' School ; and

£ 333 7 - 6 * 3 . for the Boys' School . In 1 S 94 the total was £ 958 Gs . 4 d ., while in l 8 g 3 and 1892 the figures ranged very high , the sum of £ 2106 14 s ., including £ 1444 3 s . Cd . for the Benevolent Festival , held under the auspices of Bro . C . E . Keyser , having been raised in the former , and £ 2135 Gs . 6 d ., of which £ 1883 6 s . 6 d . was in respect of the Benevolent Jubilee , in the latter . These are formidable returns from a Province which has no more than 22 lodges on its roll with an aggregate subscribing membership of about 800 brethren .

KENT , with its roll of C 2 lodges , has not been figuring quite so conspicuously of late . The total for 189 G was considerably below the average , amounting to only £ 798 igs ., of which £ 164 Gs . was subscribed for the Old People , £ igC 7 s . Cd . for this Institution , and £ 438 8 s . Cd . for the Boys' School . The preceding year it reached the excellent sum of £ 2390 gs . Gd ., the Benevolent Institution receiving £ 253 us . 6 d ., this Institution £ 240 gs ., and the Boys'School , including £ 1260 raised for the Eastes' Perpetual Presentation , £ i 8 gC gs . In the four preceding

years the totals were .- in 1894 , £ 1225 ios . Cd . ; in 1893 , £ 2103 12 s . Cd . ; in 1892 , £ 3003 13 s . Cd . ; and in l 8 gi , when Earl Amherst , Prov . G . M ., presided as Chairman at the Benevolent Festival , £ 4018 5 - This year the figures have been so far on a more modest scale , the four lodges and a chapter which took part in the Benevolent Festival in February raising amongst them £ 212 3 s ., while the seven lodges and an Unattached Lady Steward—Mrs . R . W . Walker—together compiled £ 2 ig igs ., of which Bro . W . Hawker , representing the Lodge ol Sympathy , No . 4 83 , Gravesend , is responsible for £ 75 .

A contingent of 15 Stewards , including Bro . Lord Stanley , M . P ., the newlyappointed Junior Grand Warden , at its head , did duty for the large and important Province of

LANCASHIRE ( EAST DIVISION ) , six lodges being represented by one or more Stewards , and the sum sub scribed amounting to £ 250 15 s . In February 17 Stewards , of whom 14 acted for 20 lodges and three were Unattached , together raised £ 464 6 s ., so that the current year promises to rival , if not to surpass , that of i 8 gC , when the subscriptions to the three Festivals reached £ gi 2 gs . In i 8 g 5 they yielded only £ zG 5 13 s .,

but the smallness of the sum was accounted for by the grand effort which our East Lancashire brethren made on behalf of its own local Institution , raising nearly £ 4500 at the Festival held in Manchester on the ist [ uly . If the sum contributed to the Boys' School next month is on the scale of this and the February contributions , the year iSg 7 will show up fairly well . The Stewards hailing from

LANCASHIRE ( WEST DIVISION ) , which , like its Eastern neighbour , has considerably over 100 lodges on its roll , Were 10 in number , six being lodge representatives and four Unattached , the sum total of their lists being £ 224 143 . In February , four out of the five brethren who acted as Stewards returned together £ 52 ios ., so that so far during the present year the contributions to our central Institutions have not been on a Very foimidable scale . Nor were the figures high last year or the year before , the subscriptions amounting to only £ 530 13 s . 63 . — -of which the Boys' School

obtained £ 44 8 5 s . — -in the former , and to £ 516 15 s . 6 d . In 18 94 the sum raised was £ 2768 2 s . 3 d ., of which £ 2500 was raised for this Institution , which had the good fortune to secure the Earl of Lathom , Prov , G . Master , for its Chairman . In 1892 , when the Benevolent Institution celebrated its Jubilee , the total was £ 1679 14 s . Gd ., while in 1891 , when Lord Lathom presided as Chairman at the Boys' School Festival , at Brighton , the year's donations and subscriptions reached £ 6341 igs . Gd ., of which £ 6126 14 s . Cd . was raised for " Our Boys . " Bro . Edward Holmes must have thrown a good deal of energy into his work as Steward for the Province of

LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND seeing that the list he handed in contained donations and subscriptions amounting to £ 320 5 s . As there are only 14 lodges on the roll , such a return as this is eminently satisfactory , Last year the Province supported the Boys ' School , but as it was engaged in raising the K ^ lly Memorial Fund the total was 6 for the Old

smaller than usual— £ 231 . In 18 95 , it subscribed ^ 300 s . People ; In 1894 , £ 330 ios . for this Institution ; and in 18 93 , £ 267 103 . for the Boys ' School , while in 1892 , it raised . £ 388 195 , for the Benevolent Jubilee . It will be seen from these brief particulars that Leicestershire and Rutland does its duty liberally by each Institution in turn . The Province of

MIDDLESEX acquitted itself so splendidly last year , more especially in the sum raised for the Benevolent Festival , at which Bro . Lord George Hamilton presided as Chairman , that though it musters in all 42 lodges , the Province might with justice have rested for a time . Yet , in February , seven of its lodges with an Unattached Steward . compiled a total of £ 352 1 is ,, while on

Wednesday six lodges each represented by a Steward , together contributed £ 260 8 s . Last year's total reached £ 3967 153 . Cd ,, of which no less than £ 3705 15 s . Cd . was raised for the Old People . In 1895 the Province was making the needful preparations to support its Prov , G . Master , and iis contributions to the three Institutions amounted to £ 493 8 s ., but in 18 94 they reached £ 1043 17 s . Cd . ; in 18 93 £ 630 18 s . ; and in 1892 , including £ 1315 9 s . for the Benevolent Jubilee , £ 1619 15 s . Gd .

MONMOUTHSHIRE , with its mcdest list of 11 lodges , was represented as a whole by the Dep . P . G . M , —Bro . Lieut .-Col . C . R . Lyne—whose list amounted to £ 94 ios ., while eight of the lodges had each of them its own representatives , whose Returns , together with the Deputy ' s , made up a total of £ 34 G ios . In 1896 the Province helped the Old People , for whom it raised £ 246 3 s ., and in i 8 g 5 the Boys' School , which obtained support to the extent of £ 148 us . Cd ., while in i 8 g 4 this Institution was helped , and obtained in all £ 2 g 7 us . Gd . Bro . Capt . Frederick Mills acted as Steward for the Province of

NORFOLK as a whole and for the Lodge of Sincerity , No . 943 , Norwich , in particular , and very energetically he discharged his duties , the amount standing to his credit being £ 110 5 s . In 189 G it took part in the Festivals of thc Benevolent and Girls ' Institutions , raising £ 35 14 s , for the former , and £ 105 for the latter . In 1895 this Institution was the recipient of £ 205 5 s ., and in 18 94 the Boys' School obtained £ 134 13 s . In 18 93 £ 78 15 s . was subscribed to this Institution , and , doubtless , the amount would have been on a larger scale , but in 1892 the Province worked hard or the Benevolent Jubilee , for which it raised £ 426 5 s .

One of the 15 lodges on the roll of NORTHANTS AND HUNTS —the Chicheley , No . C 07—Thrapston—was represented by Bro . P . Mitchell , and Bro . T . Phipps Dorman was an Unattached Steward , tha latter ' s list being entered in the Returns for £ 7 8 ios . In February the sum of £ 141 15 s . was subscribed for' the Benevolent Festival , the same Bro . Dorman , Unattached , giving 100

guineas , the Earl of Euston , Prov . G . M ., 25 guineas , and a lodge representative the remaining 10 guineas . In the preceding four years the totals were : In i 8 gG , £ ; 83 "S . s- ; j" iSgS , £ 105 ; in i 8 g 4 , £ 328 7 s . ; and in i 8 g 3 , £ 1107 12 s ., of which this Institution , which had fortunately secured the services ot the Earl of Euston SB Chairman , received £ 1050 . Su' : h Returns as these are very creditable to a Province which is by no means strong in point of numbers .

NORTH WALES had a veteran Steward in the person of Bro . C . K . Benson to represent its 20 lodges , and that brother ' s exertions were seconded to very good purpose by Bro . J . Porter , who acted for Lodges 755 and 256 g , the total raised by the two being £ 68 5 s . In February Bro . Benson and another Unattached Steward with the representative of one of the lodges returned a total of 50 guineas ( £ 5 2 ios . ) . In 18 96 the total raised for the three Festivals was £ 307 15 s . Cd ., of which the Old People

received only £ 45 3 s ., this Institution £ 84 , and the Boys' School the considerable sum of £ 178 12 s . Gd . ; Bro . Benson being a Steward on each occasion . In 1895 the Benevolent and Girls' Institutions received each of them £ 57 15 s . and the Boys' School £ i 8 G 18 s . ; the product of the year being £ 302 83 . In 1894 the total was £ 400 17 s . Gd ., in 18 93 £ 474 18 s ., and in 18 92 , when the Benevolent Jubilee was held , £ 495 12 s . Thus North Wales , though it does . not contribute largely , is a regular supporter of our Institutions . Four of the 12 lodges in

OXFORDSHIRE raised a total of £ 51 7 s . 6 d ., but the smallness of the amount can hardly be matter for surprise when we bear in mind that in February nine lodges—among which were the four represented on Wednesday—together raised £ 240 15 s . Cd . In 1892 the subscriptions amounted to £ 661 19 s . Cd ., out of which the Benevolent Institution secured £ 428 7 s . for its Jubilee ; in 1 893 they reached £ 440 Cs . Cd . ; in 1894 £ 312 is . ; in 1895 £ 382 18 s . Cd . ; and in 189 G £ 351 8 s . Cd . Thus , as the Boys' School Festival has yet to come , we doubt not this Province will maintain its average .

There are 12 lodges in SHROPSHIRE , and of these the Castle , No . 1621 , Bridgnorth , represented by Bro , W . Lascelles Southwell and the St . Alkmund , No . 2311 , Whitchurch , with Bro . W . Baxter in charge of its interests , took part in Wednesday ' s meeting , while the respected D . P . G . M ., Bro . Rowland G . Venables , was Unattached . The three lists amounted

to £ 176 8 s ., Bro . Baxter ' s representing £ 144 18 s . of this sum . In February , the Prov . G . M ., ( Bro . Sir Offley Wakeman , Bart . ) and his Deputy were Stewards , and between them contributed £ 31 ios . Last year the Province raised in all £ 263 ns ., of which this Institution obtained £ 63 ; the Old People , £ 84 ; and the Boys ' School , £ 116 us . In 18 95 the total was £ 319 13 s ., of which the Benevolent

received £ 136 ios . ; the Boys' School , £ 192 3 s . j and this Institution the balance of £ 63 . The contributions in the two preceding years were on a more modest scale , due to the fact that the Province raised £ 615 iCs . 6 d . in 1892—of which £ 456 is . was in respect of the Benevolent Jubilee , and in 1891 , £ 455 gs . Cd . Thus the record is in every way most creditable .

The last time that SOUTH WALES ( EASTERN DIVISION ) enacted the part of Chairman ' s Province , , was in 1888 , when the then Provincial Grand Master—the late Bro , Sir George Elliot , Bart . —presided at the Benevolent Festival , and his Province backed him up to the extent of £ 865 , of which the Chairman himself contributed £ 126 " , while the balance

of £ 73 g was raised by nine Stewards , headed by Bro . Marmaduke Tennant , Dep . P . G . M . Since then , however , it has done some very good work , having raised £ 501 15 s . 6 d , in 1892 , the Benevolent Jubilee receiving £ 180 , and the Boys ' School , . £ 321 15 s . 6 d . In 18 93 this Institution obtained contributions amounting to £ 325 ios . ; in 1894 , the Boys' School was the favoured Charity , and received £ 350 ; and in 1895 , the Girls' School was supported with £ 300 , while last year

£ 285 was subscribed for the Benevolent Institution . In February the Province was very naturally among the absentees , seeing that it was holding itself in reserve for this Festival , at which its Prov . Grand Master , Bro . Lord Llangattock , had arranged to preside , and on Wednesday it certainly acquitted itself most creditably , the total of its contributions , including the Chairman's personal donation of

£ 100 , reaching £ 1050 , the number of Stewards being ten , of whom Bro . George Clarry had charge of the Province as a whole ; eight of the others did duty as lodge representatives , and the remaining one—a lady—was Unattached ; the most important lists being those of Bro . G . Clarry , Provincial Steward for £ 604 Gs ., and Bro . A , L , Roberts , Glamorgan Lodge , No . 3 6 , for £ 7 6 7 s .

Of the 32 lodges on the roll of the Prov . G . Lodge of STAFFORDSHIRE , three were represented by four Stewards and a fifth Steward acted independently , the total of their lists being £ 225 5 s . ; and as Bro . M . Barker represented the Province as a whole at the Benevolent Festival in February and handed in the very capital list of £ 115 ios ,, the total raised by Staffordshire during the year to

date is £ 340 15 s . Last year the contributions reached an aggregate of £ 604 us ., the Boys' School being fortunate enough to secure £ 441 16 s ., and the Girls' School £ 152 Ss .,-while the Old People received the balance of £ 10 ios . In 18 95 the total was not far short of £ 700 , the precise amount being £ Cg 2 13 s . Cd ., while in l 8 g 4 and 18 93 it was £ 428 8 s . and £ 424 7 s . Cd . respectively . In thc two previous years there was only a fractional difference between the amounts

raised , the year 1892 yielding £ 762 2 s . and 18 91 £ 7 01 15 s . Cd . These are , on the whole , very creditable Returns . SUFFOLK , though it is an agricultural county , and comprises but 22 lodges , is always effectively represented . In Febrmry last five of these lodges furnished a total of £ 173 14 s ., while on Wednesday , besides Bros . C . J . N . Row and T . Bates , who

acted as Stewards for the Province generally , and the Stour Valley Lodge , No . 1224 , Sudbury , in particular , and in doing so handed in £ 157 ios ., there were two other lodges represented , whose contributions swelled the total to £ 227 ios , Last year there was subscribed £ 157 15 s . towards the Benevolent Institution , £ 100 16 s . towards this School , and £ 388 ios . towards the Boys' School , or together £ 647 is . In 1895 the amount was £ 851 13 s . Cd ., of which the

Benevolent Institution received £ 655 17 s ., while in i 8 g 4 the total was £ 8 og Ss . In 1893 the brethren were somewhat more reserved , and distributed only £ 533 gs . Cd ., but this was the natural result of the greater exertions put forth in i 8 g 2 , when the Province raised altogether £ 14 ^ 19 4 s ., of which £ 1291 14 s . was subscribed on behalf of the Benevolent Jubilee , and the modest balance was shared between the two Schools .

If the contributions to the Boys' School Festival next month are on about the same scale as those which have been made already to the Benevolent and Girls' Institutions ,