Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF CHESHIRE .

PRESENTATION TO BRO . LORD DE TABLEY R . W . P . G . MASTER . A ceremony of more than usual interest took place at the Knutsford Town Hall , on Thursday afternoon , the ioth inst ., when Bro . Lord de Tabley , R . W . P . G . M . of Cheshire ,

was presented with a half-length portrait of himself in oil colours , on the occasion of his 70 th birthday . The picture , which is an admirable likeness of Bro . Lord de Tabley , is the work of Mr . Frank Holl , of London , and is worth over £ ¦ 400 . It bears the inscription , — " Presented to Bro . the Right Hon . Lord de Tabley . R . W . P . G . M . of Cheshire , by the brethren of his province , 1 SS 1 . " The portrait

represents Bro . Lord de Tabley in a sitting posture ; he is dressed in a drab suit and Inverness , and in his left hand he holds his stick and gloves , while in his right he carries a French felt hat , such as his Lordship is in the habit of wearing . The presentation was made by Bro . the Hon . W . Egerton , M . P ., R . W . D . P . G . M ., in the presence of a large company of brethren , among whom were , Bros .

G . W . Latham , P . G . S . W . ; Rev . J . W . N . tanner , P . G . Chap . ; H . Collier , P . G . Org . ; J . E . Steward , P . M . 33 6 ; Jesse Tymm , W . M . 336 ; J . B . Cutter , P . M . ; R . Beales , P . P . G . J . W . ; T . Marwood , P . P . G . J . W . ; Major C . J . Howard , P . P . G . J . W . ; Col . ' . G . A . Fernley , P . P . G . J . W . ; Col . Staples , P . M . 321 ; T . Beresford , P . P . S . G . D . ; T . Smith , P . P . I . G . D . ; H .

Howard , P . P . J . G . D . ; H . Finch , P . G . D . C . ; J . Clayton , P . P . S . G . D . ; S . Thompson , W . M . 1045 ; I . P . Piatt , P . P . G . J . W . ; J . Wood , P . P . G . S . W . ; E . H . Griffiths , P . G . Sec ; W . Harrison , P . P . S . G . D . ; John Slack , P . M . 323 ; J oseph Slack , P . M . 323 ; H . Bulley , P . P . G . J . W . ; T . Lockett , P . S . G . D . ; F . A . Dickson ,

P . P . G . I . W . ; W . Nicholls , P . PG . P . ; J . Leigh , I . P . M . 2 S 7 ; J . Tomlinson , P . P . G . S . B . ; Col . Cope , S . Bull , P . P . G . S . of W . ; M . Lightfoot , W . M . ; Rev . J . C . Macdona , P . P . G . Chap . ; Heathcott , P . M . 1045 ; Bellyse , P . G . J . W . ; J . Salmon , P . P . S . G . D ., * Rev . E . B . Bagot , W . M . ; W . Leigh , P . M . ; Rev . R . Hodgson , P . G . Chap . ; F . Jackson , jun ., P . G . T . ; P . Wadsworth , P . P . G . A . D . C ; W . J . Bates , P . P . S . G . D . ; W . Fair , P . P . G . S . B . ; W . EardlevP . P . G . D . C . ; R . Wood

, P . G . J . D . ; J . A Birch , P . P . S . G . D . ; J . Ambler , J . Lewis , H . Evans , S . W . Ramsden , Sec . and S . D . 425 ; F . Smith , P . P . G . S . of W . ; Taborer Burgess , C . A . Hordern , F . Harscher , G . J . Goodwin , W . Broadhurst , W . Hough , J . Partington , W . Pugh , M . Allcock , G . Holden , B . R . Leech , and others . The Lady de Tabley , Mrs . G . W . Latham , and other

ladies occupied seats on the platform , and the gallery opposite the platform was filled with ladies from the neighbourhood , of Knutsford , Altrincham & c . Bro . the Hon . W . EGERTON , M . P ., R . W . D . P . G . M ., said he felt it a high privilege to be the mouthpiecethough a humble one—of the large number of Masons he saw before him , who had deputed him to be their

spokesman on that occasion . Although he could not pretend to the eloquence which he should wish , yet he felt a few words of his were necessary to explain to his lordship the feelings with which he was regarded by the brethren of his province —( applause)—and which had prompted them to present him that day with a testimonial of their sincere regard and esteem . ( Applause . ) He lelt it was almost

unnecessary that he should say how deeply they had felt his kindness , courtesy , and ability during the sixteen years he had presided over that province as Provincial Grand Master . ( Hear , hear . ) The few facts he would mention to them would , he thought , be more eloquent than any words he could give to justify those feelings which he believed were entertained by every Mason in the province . Since the

time his lordship was first called upon to exercise the high office of Provincial Grand Master , Masonry had flourished , lodges had increased , and the Fund of Benevolence and educational charities had received a new impetusapplause—and when he said that during those sixteen years upwards of £ 2000 had been subscribed by that Provincial Grand Lodge for the benefit of the Great

Masonic Charities , and that whereas at the commencement of Lord de Tabley ' s rule the Charities were but feebly supported in that province ; at the present time the province of Cheshire stood , he believed , hardly second to any in the number of votes it could command on the annual occasions when the candidates were elected . ( Applause . ) When he said that for one great charity they had 650 votes , and for

another 500 , it was hardly necessary that he should say none of the candidates they had offered since his lordship had presided over them for election had failed . ( Applause . ) So much for the practical work of Masonry , and the way in which it had flourished under his lordship ' s rule . It was , perhaps , more difficult to speak in his presence of those personal qualities which had endeared him to them ; but

he could say for himself that he felt it a great privilege to be able to say a few words on that occasion ; for every advancement which he had had in his Masonic career had been owing to Lord de Tabley ' s kind favour and goohwill —( applause)—and what he was saying of himself was , he knew , the feeling which was shared by many of the brethren then present . That portrait with which they were

today to present to his lordship had been subscribed to by about 600 brethren of that province . He felt certain that he would treasure it in his family as a valuable record of those feelings of attachment and affection in which he had b ^ en held so long . Of the picture itself , he might say he thought the artist had faithfully and successfully delineated the lineaments represented , and although he had selected

the costume of the 19 th century , rather than the Masonic insignia , yet there was a badge in the corner which would tell the succeeding generations who were curious to look at it and were initiated , the rank of the person depicted and the province over which he ruled . ( Hear , hear . ) More than that was unnecessary for Masonic purposes , and he thought all would " " " mit that the artist had exercised a happy

judgment in the combination of the picture . ( Hear , hear . ) It was , perhaps , unnecessary to say more on the Present occasion . He felt he had but imperfectly represented , the feelings which had prompted the presentation of that picture , but he was quite certain that whatever he Wight have said—although his words , indeed , might have P feeble—the one important thing was that the picture had been presented as a slight mark of cordial esteem and f ? 'Tard in which his lordship was held b y the brethren of the Province of Che & hire . ( Applause . ) Bro . Egerton ,

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

turning to his lordship , went on to say : In presenting this picture to you , my lord , I trust that you may be long spared to rule over the province —( hear , hear)—and that this slight mark of esteem I am presenting to you to-day will be only one among many proofs of the attachment and regard in which you have been held , and will continue to be held by the brethren of this province . I wish every

prosperity and success to you and yours . ( Loud applause . ) Bro . GRIFFITHS , Prov . Grand Secretary , then advanced to the platform , and holding in his hand a book , said it contained the names of subscribers to the highly artistic and life-like portrait just presented by Bra . Egerton . Having had the honour and pleasure of serving as Secretary under his lordship for sixteen years , perhaps he might be

allowed to add his humble testimony to the unvarying kindness and the unwearying attention he had always bestowed on the business of the province , and the exertions he had always made in the cause of charity , which was the keystone of the Order . He was only expressing the wishes and feelings of every brother in the province when he said that he prayed to T . G . A . O . T . U . would restore him to

perfect health , and that for many years to come he might rule over the province and enjoy the affectionate regard and respect in which he was held by the brethren . He now begged to hand that book to his lordship , and to ask his acceptance of it . Bro . Lord DE TABLEY then rose , and after the applause with which he was greeted had subsided , he said he always

felt considerable difficulty in putting his thoughts into words when addressing a public assembly . If that was so on ordinary occasions , still more must it be his feeling and difficulty now , and never did he feel such difficulty in expressing in his feeble accents the thoughts which were now crowding his brain and agitating his feelings . He must thank the Chairman for the too flattering terms in which

he had been pleased to couch his address—words far beyond his merits —( no)—which he accepted on behalf of himself and family , and which he hoped , and trusted , and believed represented the feeling of the brethren throughout the province . ( Cheers . ) When it was first intimated to him that the brethren wished to give him a testimonial , he confessed he should have preferred it to have taken the

form of something connected with the public institutions of Masonry , in the shape cf a scholarship to the Boys' School or something attached to their great public character , feeling that he was scarcel y worthy of a personal testimonial . But he was assured it was the wish of the brethren to present him with some mark of their regard to himself personally , and when he was told the subscriptions were to

be limited in amount , and that they were to be individual and not lodge subscriptions , he waived his objections , and the result was the magnificent work of art which Bro . Egerton had just presented to him , and which he gratefully accepted . ( Cheers . ) It would always be treasured by him as one of his dearest and most precious possessions . ( Applause . ) A possession he might say which would be

treasured by him during his lifetime , and for which he thanked them most heartily for himself , and also in the name of the dear partner of his life —( applause ) —to whose care he should hereafter consign it for her lifetime , and after that to go down to the old house at home where for generations to come it might adorn the walls , and serve as a record of one who in his lifetime was deemed not unworthy to occupy the

proud position of their Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master . It seemed to him that there was a peculiar fitness that Knutsford should have been chosen as the place where that presentation should take place . It was in Knutsford where he was first installed in the high office of Provincial Grand Master , and there , after sixteen years , he stood again to receive that mark of their regard . That he might look

on as the closing ceremony in his official career . ( " No , no . " ) He looked back on the sixteen years he had ruled over them with pride and pleasure . There at Knutsford he was installed in succession to that illustrious hero Viscount Combermere , who left him a precious legacy in the attachment and loyalty of the brethren over whom he ruled . That attachment and loyalty had been continued to himself , and

much more had been added . I'or at that time they possessed very few votes in Masonry . In 1 S 65 they had only 29 lodges and 1125 brethren , now , in 18 S 1 , they had 39 lodges and 1453 brethren . In 1 S 65 they had no votes in Charities , they had now 940 , and their contributions had been between £ 2000 and £ 2500 , and all their candidates had been carried . Twenty-one brethren had served as

Stewards to at least two of the Chanties , and had qualified themselves as Life Governors , and had also taken subscriptions of upwards of £ 1500 . The Cheshire Educational Masonic Institution—that most valuable local Institutionhad educated 304 children , and possessed funded property representing £ 4000 . Within the province they numbered eight Vice-Patrons of the three great Charities , and eleven

Vice-Presidents . That was a proud record to look back upon , and he named it , not taking credit to himself , but to those brethren , who had so loyally supported him , and had come forward in the cause by which they were bound by the principles of their Order . He thanked all his brother Provincial Grand Officers . It would be invidious were he to select anyone in particular , but still he could not help

naming Bro . Griffiths , their excellent Secretary , who had been his right hand during his rule oyer them , and who had just presented him with a record which would be most precious to him . He should cherish it in his library as a most precious volume . He could only repeat his thanks , and assure them of his continued devotion to Masonry ; he should continue to do the best to support the dignity of the

chair and to promote thc sacred cause of charity . As he told the last meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge , held at Macclesfield , he felt only a few months ago that he was getting very near the door of the Grand Lodge above . But it had pleased the Great Architect of the Universe to restore him to comparative health and strength—( applause ) —and he now looked forward to several more happy

meetings with them all . In conclusion , he would only beg , as his last request , that they would continue to his successor , whenever the time came , that same support and loyalty they had given to him , and that sometimes they would cast a thought on their old Grand Master . ( Applause . ) Bro . G . W . LATHAM , P . G . S . W ., said that before they

separated they had a necessary duty to perform , and that was to return a vote of thanks to their Chairman , Bro . Egerton , for his kind presence that day . They did not , indeed , require his presence , for on such an occasion " Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings " in Masonry , the praise of their Provincial Grand Master would come . ( Applause . ) They all knew how many duties their Chairman had to perform , therefore , he was entitled to their

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Cheshire.

gratitude for coming to perform that duty , which , no doubt , had been a pleasure to him , yet still abstracted from his scant leisure . ( Hear , hear . ) Bro . Latham then went on to ask Lordde Tabley if he would spare his portrait a short time in order that they might send it away to have an engraving taken from it ; and he asked all brethren who wished to have copies of the engraving to give their names m to the Secretary . Any profit that might be made from sale of

the the engravings , he explained , would go to the Masonic Benevolent Fund . Bro . J . WOOD , P . P . G . S . W ., seconded ; the vote of thanks , and heartily endorsed all that Bro . Lathom had said . He felt sure that the address of the Chairman and the response of the Grand Master must have gone to the hearts of all Masons present . ( Applause . ) The motion was carried unanimously .

Bro . EGERTON , in replying , said he felt deeply the kind way in which Bros . Latham and Wood had proposed the vote of thanks to him . He had performed a very pleasant duty , and he was glad if he had in any way—as he had endeavoured to do—represented the feelings of the brethren on that occasion . He was always glad of these opportunities of meeting on a common platform and promotin-r those

principles of their Order which were everlasting , viz ., love and charity towards all men . ( Applause . ) Lord DE TABLEY gave his consent to the request of Bro . Latham , and thanked the brethren for wishing to be possessed of his portrait . This most ha . monious meeting then broke up , after giving hearty cheers . for Lady de Tabley , Mrs . Latham , and the ladies in the gallery .

Presentation To A Brother At Birkenhead.

PRESENTATION TO A BROTHER AT BIRKENHEAD .

On Thursday evening , the 1 Sth inst ., there was a large and influential gathering of the members of the Mersey Lodge , No . 477 , at their lodge-room the Masonic Chambers , situated in Hamilton-street , Birkenhead , for the purpose of presenting a testimonial to Bro . D . Fraser as a

token of the regard in which he is held by them , and as a recognition of the services he has rendered to the Craft in Cheshire for many years . Amongst those present were Bros . A . K . Gardiner , W . M . ; J . T . Thompson , S . W . ; E . Evans , I . W . ; Frederick Thompson , I . P . M . ; John Dutton , P . M . and P . G . Sword Bearer ; J . G . Adams , P . M . ; William Bennett , P . M . ; D . Fraser , P . M . and

Tr £ 'i . S' Jones ' P < M * and Sec- * Thomas C . Thorburn , S . D . ; Thomas Inglefield , I . G . ; R . Bell , S . ; J . Macdonald , b . ; and several of the members . Amongst the visitors were Bros . Marwood , P . P . G ., J . W . ; H . I . Llovd . W . M . 72 « ; TW . Shaw , P . M . 6 o , ' and , 576 ; J . W Pemberton , P . M . 1264 , and P . P . G . S . W . of West Lancashire ; H . Chesworth , P . M . 1576 ; J . R . Simm , J . W . 60 s ; A . E . Coveney , W . M . 605 ; G . Alister , J . W . 1276 ; o ' Jones , S . W . 605 ; W . H . Cooke , I . G . 1013 ; and others . After the banquet had taken placeand the usual loyal

, and Masonic toasts had been duly honoured , Bro . DUTTON proposed "The Health of their esteemed Fellow-Craftsman , Bro . Frazer . " He said that there was no member of the Craft in Birkenhead who had rendered more important services to Masonry than Bro . Fraser . He had filled various offices , had always discharged the duties in an admirable manner , setting an excellent example to all who followed him

, and he had also been a warm supporter of the educational and other Charities . It was suggested some time ago that some recognition should be made of his services ; the proposal was readily taken up by the members , and had resulted in the present testimonial , which he ( Bro . Dutton ) now proceeded to present . It consisted of a valuable pianoforte by Broadwood and Sons ( suonlied bv

uro . Hdward Jones , of Argyle-street ) , bearing the following inscription : " Presented to Bro . Donald Fraser P . M 477 , P . Z . ATI , P . M . M . 186 , P . P . G . R . of M . M . M . of Cheshire and North Wales , in recognition of the many and valued services rendered b y him to the Mersey and other odges , and to mark the high esteem in which he is held by the Masonic brethren . Birkenhead , November ioth , 1 SS 1 . "

Bros . GARDINER , MARWOOD , BENNETT , and LLOVD warmly endorsed the remarks of Bro . Dutton ; and Bro . FRASER appropriately responded , thanking the members for this kind mark of their approbation of his services . "The Health of Bro . E . Jones" and of " The Officers of the Lodge followed , after which the proceedings terminated . "*

Consecration Of The Cable Chapter, No. 1704.

CONSECRATION OF THE CABLE CHAPTER , No . 1704 .

This chapter , which is attached to the Anchor Lodge , was consecrated on Wednesday , the 2 nd inst ., at the City Terminus Hotel , Cannon-street , E . C , by Comp . Henry Muggeridge , Past Grand Standard Bearer , assisted by Comp . Henry Birdseye , P . Z . 22 and 192 , as Director of Ceremonies ; Comp . Frederick Newton , M . E . Z . 5 , as H . and Edward

Comp . Spooner , P . Z . 22 , as J . The musical arrangements were under the direction of Comp . Richard Webb , of Domatic Chapter , No . 177 , who presided at the harmonium . After the consecration , Comp . Henry Muggeridge installed the Principals as follows .- —Comps . John Bagot Scriven , M . E . Z . ; lames Knierht . H .: and William T .

amWiManley , J . Comp . Richard William Muggeridge was inducted as Scribe E . The visitors present were Comps . Vera Taylor , P Z Percy Taylor , P . Z ., both of Bishop Stortford Chapter '; John Webb , of Domatic Chapter , No . 177 ; Frederick Newton , M . E . Z . 5 ; Edward Spooner , P . Z . 22 : Chennell .

r . / .., and several other companions Comps . Henry Muggeridge , Henry Birdseye , and Richard Webb were proposed as honorary members at the next convocation . After the chapter was closed the ' eompamons partook of a very excellent banquet , which gave great satisfaction to all present .

At the first anniversary of the Okeover Chapter , No . 1324 , on the 20 th ult ., Comp . Fitz-Hubert Wright , 1 . L ., was presented by the companions with a very handsome gold jewel , as a mark of their esteem and gratitude to him for having founded the chapter , presenting it with a beautiful and complete set of furniture , clothing , etc ., and for having endowed the First Principal ' s chair in each of the three Great Masonic Charities with a sum of ten guineas .