Stewards' Lists.

have undoubtedly the first claim on its support , and it is comforting to know that , when this claim has been met , there is still something left for distribution among the general Charities . The " something" on Wednesday amounted to £ 148 6 s . three of the 3 8 lodges being represented by five Stewards . Last year the Old People received close on £ 245 , the Girls' £ 106 . and the Boys' £ 3 6 15 s ., while the year previous the Old People had £ 126 , the Girls' close on £ 56 , and the Boys' £ 49 8 . We have seen less satisfactory records than this , even where there has been no local Charity .

CORNWALL , Thanks to the zeal of some of its brethren , well maintains its reputation as a constant upholder of our Charities . Last year Bro . Charles Truscott raised £ " 200 for the Benevolent and £ 210 for the Girls' Institution . In 1 SS 4 Controller Bake did duty as Steward at each of the Festivals , the sum

total of his three lists being not very far short of £ too , while at the Boys ' Festival for 1 SS 3 the same brother with Bro . Capt . Colville made up returns together to nearly £ 130 . On Wednesday Bro . Bake handed in a very serviceable £ 141 13 s ., and before the year is out we may hope to receive further good news from the same Province .

DERBYSHIRE , With 21 lodges , after its successful effort in June last , when it raised over £ 154 6 for the Boys' School—its Prov . Grand Master , the Marquis of Hartington , being the Chairman on the occasion—might fairly have claimed a rest . However , Bro . Harrison appears to have thought otherwise , and no

one , least of all Bro . Terry , will blame him for taking so cheerful a view of the circumstances , and making up so respectable a total as Co guineas . In 188 4 the Girls received £ 35 6 . and the Boys £ 94 ios . ; in 1 SS 3 , the Province distributed close on £ 360 , of which the Boys School received £ 238 17 s . ; and . ir . 1882 , the total for the three Festivals was £ 690 . There are 3 ° lodges in

DEVONSHIRE , And , at first sight , a total of only 150 guineas would seem to be unworthy of so considerable a Province . But at the Boys' Festival , in June last , the two Devon Stewards , Bros . j . E . Curteis and J . Bradford , together

raised £ 289 ; and , in the February previous , worth } ' Bro . John Lane did duty for Devon to the extent of £ 135 . In 1884 , the part it played was a small one , but in 1 S 83 and 1882 it raised £ 595 and £ 5 65 respectively , so that the record , if unequally distributed , is a good one notwithstanding . Contiguous

DORSETSHIRE , With its smaller array of 13 lodges , figured on Wednesday for £ iSo ios ., of which all but 10 guineas appeared on Bro . E . T . Budden ' s list , as the representative of the Province . In fune last Bro . W . Douglas Dugdale ,

acting for lhe general body of Dorset Masons , made up a total of £ 68 5 - » while in May , Bro . Baskett gave in a list of £ 9 6 12 s . for the Girls' School . In 1 SS 4 the Province was unrepresented , but , in iSS ^ , it figured at the Boys ' Festival for over £ 142 , and for lerser amounts at the Festivals of the olher Charities .

DURHAM Has 31 lodges , and was represented at the Benevolent and Boys' Festivals last year , the amount on the former occasion being £ 120 15 s ., and on the latter £ 103 . In 1884 all three Institutions were benefited , the Old People

receiving £ 121 iGs ., the Girls' School £ 120 , and the Boys' School , £ 210 , making au aggregate for the year of £ 45 1 i 6 _ t . Its aggregate for 1 SS 3 was , in round figures , . £ 2 6 5 ; in 1882 , . £ 412 ; and in 1 SS 1 , . £ 1024 . On Wednesday Bro . Hans B . Olsen , who is no novice as a Steward , handed in a list of £ 103 . ¦

" ESSEX Is as impartial as it is generous in the distribution of its funds , and never a Festival passes but some of its 24 lodges are represented more or less conspicuously . In June last it raised £ 253 for the Boys ; in May , £ 86 for the Girls ; and in February , over £ 456 for the Old People , or a total for the year of £ 795 . On Wednesday its four Stewards , of whom the veteran Bro . H . Clowes was one , made up a total of £ 113 5 s . 6 d .

I he next in order is GLOUC ESTERSHIRE , A compact and well-organised Province with 14 lodges on its roll . Its contribution on Wednesday was £ 39 iSs ., of which all but five guineas figured on Bro . Vassar-Smith's list . This is , no doubt , but a modest return , but in February of last year when its chief , Bro . Sir M . E . Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P ., so eloquently pleaded thecauseof our Old People , the Province responded with the grand total of £ 1210 . In 1884 the Girls' School

received close on £ 418 , minor sums being appropriated to the other Charities , while ih 1 S 83 the Boys'School benefited to the extent of £ 601 , the Girls' School receiving some £ 36 , and the R . M . B . I . £ 214 . In 1 S 83 the three Institutions had some £ 54 8 divided amongst them , and in 18 S 1 the Province raised £ 1547 , ol which £ 1000 was given to the Girls' School : all which confirms the good opinion universally held of this admirable Province .

Another of our country districts which is invariably represented to good purpose at these celebrations is the Province of

HANTS AND THE ISLE or WIOIIT . lt has 42 lodges , and what is matter for satisfaction , a number of brethren in its ranks who are always ready to undertake the onerous duties of Steward . Thus Hants and the Isle of Wight may be reckoned to contiibutca few hundreds annually towards the support of each Institution ,

the figures on Wednesday , when three of its lodges were represented by as many brethren , being . £ 141 . In June last it gvive £ 234 to the Boys , in May £ 277 lo the Girls , and in February £ 550 to the Old People ; total for 1 SS 3 , £ 1061 . In 188 4 it taised £ 312 ( . Boys ) , £ 295 ( Girls ) , and £ 373 ( Benevolent ) , altogether £ 1180 , while in 1883—and we need not go further back to prove the accuracy ol our statement—its total was £ 1832 .

HERTFORDSHIRE , Since it was christened a few > ears since "Little Herts , " has increased somewhat in respect of lhe number of its lodges , there being now 14 on its roll , but its zeal for the cause of our Charities exhibits the old vitality . On Wednesday it sent up nine Stewards , of whom eight represented as many lodges , and the ninth the chapter attached to one of them , the total

of their lists being £ 277 3 s . fid . In 18 S 3 it raised £ 411 , of which £ 322 passed inlo the coffers of the Benevolent , and in 1884 , £ 470 , £ 362 of which the same Institution was the fortunate recipient . The preference shown to the Old People is not surprising if we remember lhat Bro . Terry is a Herts brother by affiliation , and both a Past and Present Grand Ollicer of the Province . There K no doubt one of '' -i main props of our Institutions is the county of

Stewards' Lists.

KENT . It is strong , numerically , and ils zeal in the performance of works of Charity is more than commensurate with its strength . It has on its roll upwards of 50 lodges , and there is rarely a Festival at which it does not lend substantial aid . On VVednesday it secured the premier place among the provincial contributions , its total being £ 864 is . fid . The heaviest list was that of Bro .

A . Spencer , the Provincial Grand Secretary ,-who , as the representative of the Province , succeeded in making up a total of £ 363 . The United Industrious Lodge , No . 31 , Canterbury , per Bro . Horatio Ward , figured well with £ 252 6 s . In all there were nine Slewards , of whom seven acted on behait of as many as lodges and one for a chapter , the ninth being Bro . Spencer . LANCASHIRE , EVSTERN DIVISION ,

Has the longest roll of all our Provinces ; but it is only on special occasions that it puts forth anything like its full strength , and then only one or two of its sister Provinces can look to furnish so bright a record . The fact is , East Lancashire has an Association of its own for the relief of local distress , and to this , very naturally , it gives the first thought , what surplus funds it

may have when ils local necessities have been met being bestowed with a liberal and impartial hand on our Central Charities . Several of its lodges were represented on Wednesday by nine Stewards , the aggregate of whose lists amounted to £ 120 13 s . Last year it distributed £ 42 8 among our three Institutions ; in 188 4 it raised for them £ 1247 ; and in iSS . i forthe Boys ' School alone £ 2100 .

LANCASHIRE , WESTERN DIVISION , Like its Eastern neighbour , gives generously on special occasions ; but it may always be reckoned upon as the contributor of a few Life Governorships Like East Lancashire , it looks first of all to its local Institutions , of which it has sundry , both for the education of its poor children and the assistance of its old people . Thus we do not find , nor do we , indeed , expect it to contribute .

largely , and the total of its six Slewards , acting for six lodges and a chapter , reached no more than £ 78 15 s . But in 1 SS 3 it raised over £ 582— £ 341 for the Benevolent , £ 147 for the Girls , and £ 94 for the Boys—and in 188 4 £ 751 , of which the Girls ' School received £ 316 ; the Benevolent , . £ 246 ; and the Boys' School , £ 189 . In 1883 the Boys' School had the largest share—£ 334—the total for the year being £ 813 . 'I'he home county of

MIDDLESEX Has a stronger force of Stewards than usual , the 18 brethren who took upon themselves the responsibility of acting on its behalf hailing from 9 lodges—of which the Lebanon , No . 1326 , Feltham , had as many as 8 Stewards—and 2 chapters . The result of their joint labours appeared in the

shape of a grand total amounting to ^ 514 19 s . 6 d ., of which nearly £ 100 was to the credit of No . 1326 . Last year ' s aggregate for the three Festivals was £ 877 , and lhat of the year before £ 725 , while in 18 S 3 and 18 S 2 it raised £ 6 ifi and £ 1212 respectively . These are capital returns , seeing they are maintained so regularly , even for a Province of 37 lodges . Of the 14 lodges in

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE , two , Nos . 47 and 402 , both hailing from the town of Nottingham , sent Stewards , the representative of the former being the veteran Bro . John Toplis , whose list amounted to £ 17 6 iSs . fid ., the other return not being received as yet . Last year it supported all three Charities , raising for the

Benevolent £ 158 , for the Girls' School over £ 261 , and for the Boys' School £ 127 , total for the year £ 547 . In 1884 the Benevolent and Boys' School received , the former upwards of £ 142 and the latter £ 231 , or together £ 374 , while in 1 S 83 the Benevolent secured £ 190 . Thus the Province raised £ 1111 in the triennial period to 31 st December , 1 SS 5 , and the outlook as regards a ismilar average for the current is certainly promising .

NORTH WALES , hitherto conjoined with Shropshire , now figures for the first timeas a distinct Province , and though the sum of its two Stewards' lists is under £ 30 , we must congratulate it on having turned to account its first opportunity of

assisting our Charities . We shall no doubt hear a good deal more about North Wales in the future , when it has had time to settle itself into good working form . Two of the 10 lodges in OXFORDSHIRE ,

namely , the Alfred , No . 340 , Oxford ( 2 Stewards ) , and the I names , No . 18 95 , of Henley-on-Thames , were represented on Wednesday , the joint list of Bros . J . A . Acock and W . R . Bowden for the former lodge amounting to £ 31 3 s . fid ., and the total for the Province to £ 4 6 18 s . 6 d . Its aggregate for 18 S 5 was upwards of £ 207 , and for 18 S 4 £ 293 . In 1883 it raised for the three Charities £ 270 , and the year previous £ 303 , so that taking the average of the four years 1882-3-4-5 as a criterion , the yearly figure of Oxfordshire would seem to be about £ 250 .

SHROPSHIRE , Like its bigger half of the old Province of North Wales and Shropshire , has lost no time in acting the part of a contributory to our Institutions . Bro . Southwell , as Steward for the Castle Lodge , No . 1 C 21 , Bridgnorth ,

handing in a list of £ 25 . and as we have remarked of North Wales , we shall no doubt find our Shropshire brethren in the returns of future Festivals . We have no difficulty in asserting that their presence will always be most welcome . The 23 lodges of

SOMERSETSHIRE Entrusted their credit to a single Steward—Bro . W . Rice—and the choice has proved an excellent one , Bro . Rice ' s list totalling up to close on £ 167 . In 1 S 8 5 it raised £ 617 ( for the Benevolent £ 17 6 , for the Girls' £ 305 , and for the Bovs' £ 136 . ) Its record for 1884 was even better , the total being

£ 640 , of which the Benevolent received thc lion ' s share— £ 505—the Schools sharing about evenly between them the remaining £ 135 . In 1883 , however , Bro . Binckes had the loaf—over £ 357—and the otner two Charities had to content themselves with the crumbs , so that Somersetshire gives each Institution first a gootl turn and Chen two little ones .

STAFFORDSHIRE Is slightly stronger as regards lodges than the preceding Province , but though it has 27 to its companion ' s 25 , there is not much to choose between the two in the regularity and extent of the services they render . On Wednesday , Bro . W . H . Bailey , who was Steward for the Girls' and Boys' Schools last year , acted iu like capacity for this Institution , the total he raised from his Province being £ 204 15 s . In June last , he and Bro . A . G . Prince raised £ 238 , and in May , with Bro . C , Orion , M . D ., for coadjutor , the result was