Consecration Of The Argonauts' Lodge No. 2243.

ident Board of General Purposes ; Bue , P . G . D . ; Garrod , P . G . or •to all of whom they gave a hearty greeting . Bro . Fenn , as p qident Board of General Purposes , had to look after the general welfare f the Craft , and also still took great interest in the instruction of Masonry . Thpre was also his own great friend , Bro . Bue , who had proved his 111 r _ . y ^ nnrv hv nrnrhicino- the Emulation working- in French , and all

it brethren of the La France Lodge were indebted to their Past Master , p n Bue , for the magnificent language in which he had couched that ritual . Bro F , in replying , said he very often felt that he was quite out of lace in being called on in the presence of Bro . Col . Shadwell H , Clerke , P - . u « m-ocent nrcasion he aoreed lhat it was more fitting that he should

_ qoond to this toast ( because he had not taken any part in the consecration ! w evening ) , and to point out to the brethren why the compliment to the rrand Officers was not wholly undeserved , The brethren might perhaps think it due to some fortuitous circumstances that the Grand Officers were Vned with the purple , and not because they had done anything , or were SO" - 1 . t •1 . . 1 _ 1 . -tl 1 J » tl . nt . n .. nn ! n . vUn . i mnll nKla the brethren had that evening how well able

__ , xoected todoanything ; but seen thev were to perform special duties , and would recognise that it was not the K t time they had performed them . Of Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke he could say a great deal , but as he saw that his name was reserved for a c cial toast he would not take out of the W . M . 's mouth what he would wish tn sav of the Grand Secretary . Bro . Fenn also referred to Bro . Richardson

and Bro . Bue , P . G . D . 's . The W . M . had undertaken a new position in undertaking to command the Argonants . The Grand Officers hoped that he would be able to go through the voyage without encountering such great difficulties in his enterprise as were encounte ed by his great predecessor i I 4 ohplipi . prlthprpwprpnnrlraofnn . stn he encountered , but there

were some savage bulls on the banks of the Thames , and Bro . Monteuuis mig ht even know some of the enchantresses of the neighbourhood . Bro . Fenn concluded by wishing the VV . M . a successful year of office , and succtss and prosperity to the Argonauts . The W ORSHIPFUL MASTER said that the next toast was intimately

connected with the one just disposed of . The brethren included in this toast were , with one exception , all Grand Officers , and the only exception was a very hig h official—he was a Grand Officer of the province . The toast was that of " The Consecrating Officers , " or rather the Consecrating Officer and his assistants . It would be as well if he named each of them , that they

mig ht be impressed on the memory of the brethren , because that was a great day in the history of the Argonauts' Lodge , and they must remember the worthy and illustrious brethren who kindly consented to officiate on that occasion . First there was the indefatigable Grand Secretary , Bro . Col . Shadwell H . Gierke . His work as Grand Secretary in Grand Lodge was

very great , but there was besides no matter of detail that escaped him , and he possessed the very great quality of being able to do two things at the same time . At the last meeting of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement he ( Bro . Monteuuis ) had attempted to make a design for a Founders' and Past Masters' jewel for the Argonauts' Lodge , and asked Bro .

Richardson kindly to submit it to Bro . Col . Shadwell Clerke . He took it , and while with his ears and his brain he was attending to the Emulation working with his hands , he was working out a jewel for their lodge , and since Bro . Col . Shadwell Clerke had taken such an interest in their lodge that he had consented to consecrate it , and had also taken such an interest in them

as to give them an idea for their jewel , the founders had thought that the best thing they could do was to present him with that jewel as a slight token of the very friendly feeling with which he was regarded among them . They could not hel p it—they must make him some little acknowledgment of the very great pleasure he was conferring upon them . Bro . Letchworth ,

their S . W . on the occcasion , came to them almost as a member . He was an old member of the London Rowing Club and the Kingston Rowing Club . The J . W . at the consecration ceremony , Bro . Lord John Taylour , was a very old Australian Mason , and had gained great approbation by all who knew him . They had Bro . Matthews , who came from Calcutta , as a rowing man , and

last but not least , he must mention Bro . Richardson , who , when he ( Bro . Monteuuis ) joined the London 25 years ago , was on the Committee , and he believed it was in that club that their friendship was cemented . The W . M . concluded by asking the brethren to drink to the Consecrating Officers and his assistants .

, Bro . Col . SHADWELL H . CLERKE , G . S ., in reply , said he would lose no lime in rising to convey the thanks of his brethren and himself for the kind words with which their health had been proposed . It gave them great pleasure to be there to start that new lodge , and they had been delighted with the result , and they looked forward with the greatest of pleasure to

see the continued success of a body which they had started into existence . He should be ungrateful indeed if he did not acknowledge the services of those brethren who had assisted him that day—the reverend brother who gave them such a charming and cotnmend-ibly brief oration—a veritable multum in parvo " —Bro . Richardson as D . C . ; and the Wardens , Bros .

Letchworth and Lord Jno . Taylour . Simply as the brother in the chair he "imself pu'd do nothing , but with their help the ceremony had been perlormed in a way the W . M . considered entirely efficient . Col . Clerke said , — J l - - ' »» « iui -k . i * ti" 9 iu ~ fi wu uii-. in , iy uiH ' -n- 'i -. " v--v" *_/*^ - * »» w —u > u

e was s <* rry to find that he was a little out in the cold , because he was not member of any rowing club ; but he had pulled an oar in almost every in ° i ! tlle world - He felt an envy of those brethren who could still do it such an agreeable wav . He would not , however , take up their time by a

§¦ ? P eech , but should an occasion unfortunately arise ( which he did not icipate ) that the services of the Grand Officers were required , they would to ? ' y at 'he disposal of the lodge . With that he would now pass on "Th itr * cons'dered the most important toast of the evening—that was 1 ne Health of the W . M . " Of course , it was a great point to be Master

of th I £ e > but when a new lodge was founded , and when the founders bein ^ - ge agreed that A or B was the most eminently deserving of l \ 03 . ! head , it was a hig h honour to be so selected . He was sure Bro . him a euu J . must feel that that night , because for the lodge to have chosen Rm n « ' fifst chief was a high , though well-deserved , compliment . ur ° - MontpiiT , ; = „ . „„ „ ... _ n 1 _' U „_ J t .: _ j TV / I u- U „ J „„ .. 1 1 t weiiKiiuwii uaiuui irioauu

° nlv fill , "J w < " > « - auu -IUU . nc n < au IIUL but f the C ' ' ° f ^ e celebrated Lodge La France most excellently , Grand 9 ^ " ^ * * ' over 'he Tuscan Lodge , and had filled the post of Mason evvar dshi p of the Order , and he hoped Bro . Monteuuis' career in having- ^ j *" ° means ended . He congratulated the lodge upon * -e ' £ th ^ iu S 0 vv ' se a ch ° ' > and he congratulated Bro . Monteuuis on SUCCMO ^ faster of such a lodge as that , and wished him every possible « s in his year of office .

ClerkeV v , - IPFUL MASTER said he thanked Bro . Col . Shadwell H . what the C ^m ^words 'ha' he had spoken in his favour ; he hoped that Would ] ear i "jf- " * " Secretary had said would not spoil him , but , on the contrary , "im to work still harder to merit the kind words that had been

Consecration Of The Argonauts' Lodge No. 2243.

said of him . It had been his habit—speaking now before rowing menthai what he had done he had tried to do thoroughly . He was now doing his four and twentieth year in the London Rowing Club , which showed that , having begun in the London Rowing Club , he took an interest in that club , and did not mean to leave it till he found it could swim of itself , and till there were no difficulties . Now they had started the Argonauts' Lodge he

would do his best ; but he could do nothing unless the brethren would help him . The founders would all back him up ; they were good men and true , and it was for them in choosing recruits to choose such men as would help the boat along and carry her on a continuous and safe journey . He thought the Argonauts' Lodge had a very great future before it . He thought that when his Royal Highness granted the warrant for that lodge ,

not only did he do a very kind thing , but a good thing for Masonry , because there were among boating men many who would wish to join Masonry and perhaps would be afraid to go into lodges where they might feel they would not have the sympathy which they were sure to meet with in the Argonauts . They were a thoroughly representative lodge , for they had among their members five or six belonging to the grand old Thames

R . C . ; they had in the S . D . a Vice-President of the Twickenham R . C . ; they had Bro . Reynolds , who , besides being a L . R . C . man , represented the Ino , which , though not in existence now , had a great reputation , and was so friendly with the other clubs that they would not like the name to sink , They had certain representatives of L . R . C , to which he ( the W . M . ) belonged , and they had promises from the Kingston and Moulsey . He

thought therefore they were a cosmopolitan lodge . They had also a representative of the Ilex Swimming Club . That club was in swimming what the Argonauts would be in Masonry . The Ilex was composed simply of rowing men , so that he thought that lodge was truly a representative lodge of rowing men ; and as they had all worked amicably and pleasurably together

in their rowing career , he hoped they would do so in their Masonic career . And in thanking them for the kind way in which his health had been received , he mustconclude by saying—Health and prosperity to the Argonauts ' Lodge . The VV . M . then proposed ' ¦ The Health of the Visitors to the lodge , " associating with it the names of Bros . Hopkinson and St . Clair .

Bro . HOPKINSON , of the luscan Lodge , and Bro . ST . CLAIR , of the Lodge La France , having responded , The W . M . proposed " The Health of the Officers of the lodge , " which was answered in a very loyal speech by Bro . RADFORD , S . W ., after which the Tyler ' s toast brought the proceedings to a close .

Grand Imperial Conclave Of The Masonic And Military Order Of Knights Of Rome And Of The Red Cross Of Constantine.

GRAND IMPERIAL CONCLAVE OF THE MASONIC AND MILITARY ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF ROME AND OF THE RED CROSS OF CONSTANTINE .

The annual assembly of the Grand Conclave was held on the 5 th instant , at the Masonic Rooms , I 6 A . Great Queen-street , W . C . Present-Sir Knights Colonel Sir Francis Burdett , Bart ., Most Illustrious Grand Sovereign , on the throne ; Dr . W . R . Woodman , P . G . V . and Grand Treasurer , as Grand Viceroy ; and the following members of the Grand Council , viz .: Sir Knights Thomas Cubitt , G . Sen . General ; John Mason , G . Jun . General ; C . F . Hogard , G . Recorder ; George

Powell , G . High Almoner ; James Lewis Thomas , G . Chamberlain ; George Kenning , G . Marshal ; E . H . Thiellay , G . Orator ; J . G . Marsh , P . G . Architect ; Frederick Wood , Intendant General ; C . Fitzgerald Matier , Intendant General Lancashire ; Belgravia Ninnis , Intendant General Jamaica . Grand Senators : Sir Knights Baron de Ferrieres , G . Preceptor ; T . C . Walls , G . Examiner ; Dr . G . Mickley , G . Sub . Almoner ;

W . G . Lemon and H . H . Shirley , G . Standard Beatec *; H . J . Lardner , G . Swora Bearer ; J . Moon , G . Organist ; A . H . Bateman , G . Asst . Marshal ; C . li . Keyser and H . Penfold , G . Heralds ; Edwin Storr , Nelson Prower , Henry Harris , T . Graham Robinson , John Purrott , and John J . Pakes , of No . 1 ; Frederic Graves and C . Chauffourier , No . 2 ; F . W . Driver , No . 15 ; and Valentine Brown , No . 147 .

The lines having been formed under the direction ofthe Grand Marshal , the Most Illustr ious Grand Sovereign , attended by the Grand Officers , entered Grand Conclave under the arch of steel , and Grand Conclave was then opened in imperial iorm . The GRAND RECORDER then read the minutes of the Grand Conclave

of the 7 th March , 1877 , which were unanimously confirmed . The M . I . GRAND SOVEREIGN then rose and said that , before proceeding with the ordinary business before Grand Conclave , he had a proposition to make , which he thought—nay , he was sure—would meet with the approval

of the sir knights present . They all knew that the Silver Wedding of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales was shortly to be celebrated , and , although the M . W . G . M . was not a member of their Order , he had much pleasure in proposing that an address be prepared for presentation to their Royal Highnesses congratulating them on the auspicious event . Sir Knight WOODMAN seconded the motion , which was carried by

acclamation . The GRAND RECORDER then read the report of the Executive Committee as follows : — To the Grand Imperial Conclave of Knights of Rome and Red Cross of Constantine , K . H . S ., and Knights of St . John the Evangelist .

The Executive Committee have examined the accounts of the Grand Treasurer for the last year , and , having campared them with the vouchers , they find there is a balance in hand—On the General Account of ... ... ... ... £ 73 o o On the Grand Almoner's Fund of ... ... ... bj 5 6 And on the K . H . 5 . and St . John Account of ... ... 22 4 6

Making a Total of ... ... ... £ 155 10 o No grants have been made to the Masonic Charities since 1 SS 5 , and , in view of the fact that this year is the Centenary of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls , the Committee recommend that a grant of 20 guineas be voted to that Institution , to be placed on the list of the Grand Recorder ; that 10 guineas be granted to the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys—both of these sums from the Grand Almoner's Fund ; and that 10 guineas be voted to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution from the funds of K . H . S . and St . John .

_ The Committee regret to report that Sir Knight Dr . Thomas Sanderson Bulmer has tesigned his appointment of Special Representative and Chief Intendant General for New Zealand , Australia , & c , which he has held for so many years with advantage to the Order , and the best thanks of Grand Conclave are due to him for the great zeal and ability he has displayed in the discharge of his important duties . The M . III .

Grand Sovereign has been pleased to appoint Sir Knight J . G . Downing Intendant General of Poona and district , where a marked improvement in the working of the Degrees has taken place , no le » s than 14 certificates for the Red Cross , and u certificates of K . H . S . having been just sent out . The conclaves in Melbourne are also working well , and the two conclaves established in Port Royal and Kingston , Jamaica , by the Intendant General , Sir Knight Belgrave Ninnis , are also making good progress . The