Analysis Of The Returns.

like Bro . Bowyer's of last year , amounting to £ 210 . Third in ordet was Bro . James Willing , jun ., as representative of the Strand Lodge , No . 19 S 7 , his total being £ 169 17 s ., and close at his heels we find Bro . Scurrah , St . John ' s , No . 167 , who figures for £ 157 ios . Bro . G . A . Barclay , of the Kilburn , No . 1 G 08 , raised £ 136 ios ., and Bro . Robert Pierpoint , of the Domatic , No . 177 , £ 132 ; while Bro . Burdett-Coutts , ofthe Abbey Lodge ,

No . 2030 . was not very far from repeating his triumph of Ma }' , 16 S 4 , his list on the latter occasion being £ 157 ios ., and on VVednesday £ 126 5 s . The remaining three-figure lists are as follow : Those of Bro . Adolphus Steng , of the Faith Lodge , No . 141 , £ 110 ios . ; Bro . VV . Williams , of the Creaton , No . 1791 , £ 11055 . ; Bro . C . H . Phillips , Honor Oak , No . 19 S 6 , £ 106 10 s . ; Bro . James Chapman , St . Paul ' s , No . 194 , and Bro .

Horace Brooks Marshall , Past Grand Treasurer , Unattached , each with £ 105 , and Bro . Millner Jutsum , Eastern Star No . 95 , £ 101 17 s . There are a few other good lists , such as those of Bro . Ousey , Royal Naval . No . 59 , Bro . Allison , No . 90 , Bro . Caulfield , No . 1383 , Bro . Halestrap , No . 1471 , and the joint one of Bros . Forge and Woodman , No . 1950 , while on the other hand there is probably more than the usual array of returns which

are evidently limited to the personal contributions of the brethren making them . At all events , be the explanation of the reduction in number of Stewards and amount what it may , we must go through the returns of several festivals before we come to one in which the London total was so low as it was on Wednesday— £ 5092 17 s . Let us give our attention now to the

PROVINCES , Of which 31 , or about the usual proportion , sent Stewards . The sum raised by this section of the Board of Stewards was £ 6655 12 s ., and we may reasonably congratulate the 156 brethren composing it on the result of their labours . Here at all events there is something like an approach to the average , both as regards the number of brethren who gave their services and

the amounts they were successful in obtaining , and had London been equally well placed , Bro . Binckes would have been able to announce a sum more nearly equal to what he did in 1884 . Of course , the most prominent part was played by the Chairman ' s province , and he undoubtedly must be immensely gratified at the result of its efforts , the Derbyshire total ,

inclusive of the Marquis of Hartington ' s own donation , amounting to £ 1541 1 is . Other provinces which distinguished themselves were Kent , West Yorkshire , Staffordshire , and Middlesex , full particulars , however , being furnished in each case . But before giving these , we shall just bestow a glance at those which , for reasons of their own or for no particular reason , allowed the Festival to pass without sending up any Steward or Stewards .

The absentee provinces were 10 in number , namely , Cambridgeshire ( five lodges ) , which did excellent service both for this Institution in June , 1884 , and the Benevolent in February last ; Cornwall ( 29 lodges ) , which has been present at the eight Festivals held since January , 188 3 , and , by the hands of Bro . C . Truscott , raised £ 200 for the Benevolent in February , and £ 210 for the Girls' in May ; Herefordshire ( four lodges ) , which we regret to find

lias taken no part in any of the festive gatherings since that of the Boys ' School held in June , 1883 ; Lincolnshire ( 21 lodges ) , which swelled Bro . Binckes's list in June , 1884 , with a modest 50 guineas , and Bro . Terry ' s in February last with close on £ go ; but which must kindly excuse us for suggesting that it might possibly give further assistance without serious detriment to its own interests ; Monmouthshire ( eight lodges ) , which was

represented at the Boys' Festival in 1 SS 4 to tne extent of £ 307 13 s . ; at the Benevolent in February with £ 200 ; and in May by Master Willie Watkins , whose list was £ 61 8 s . 6 d . ; Norfolk ( 16 lodges ) , which , under the influence of Bro . Bacon , of Perseverance Lodge , No , 213 , Norwich , made up a total of £ 200 for the Girls' School last month ; Northants and Hunts ( 10 lodges ) , which , however , raised over £ 213 for this Institution last year ;

Wiltshire ( 10 lodges ) , which , per Bro . Chandler , raised £ 185 14 s . for the Benevolent Institution in February last , and was represented at all three Festivals in 1 S 84 ; South VVales , Western Division ( 10 lodges ) , which gave Bro . Terry £ 90 in February , and worked admirably for the Girls' School in 1884 , and the Boys' School in 1 SS 3 ; and Jersey ( seven lodges ) , which did well for the Benevolent in February , and better still for the Boys in 18 S 3 . In

addition , there are Bedfordshire , the Channel Islands , and the Isle of Man , each of which has five lodges , but no provincial organisation ; but only one of which—the Channel Islands—appears lo concern itself about our Institutions . In the case of the Isle of Man , this lack of interest , for reasons we have before specified , is perhaps excusable ; but , as regards Bedfordshire , which is on the eve of being erected into a province under Bro . Col . W . Stuart , of Tempsford Hall , as Prov . Grand Master , let us hope that under the new

order of things it will find a place in its consideration for the Institutions of which the English Craft , as a body , is so justly proud . The above 10 provinces aud three districts without provincial organisation include amongst thein 135 lodges , and , from the tenour of our remarks , it will be seen that the bulk of these have done their duty more or less successfully on other occasions , and that in nearly every case a valid reason can be offered for lheir absence from this particular celebration .

As regards the represented provinces , taking them in their usual alphabetical order , we have at the head of the list the Province of BERKS AND BUCKS . Which is as remarkable for the regularity of its attendance as for the liberality of its contributions . It seems to be recognised as a point of honour among its 21 lodges that one or more of them should send up

Stewards to every Festival , and the aggregate of its lists is invariably respectable . The four Stewards on Wednesday made up a total of £ 149 2 s ., of which Comp . J . Early Danks , of the Union Chapter , No . 414 , Heading , raised £ 67 4 s . In February it raised £ 207 is . for the Benevolent institution , and in May £ 234 for the Girls' School , so that its total for the current year amounts to a few shillings over £ 590 . In 1884 , it raised over

. 6453 ; in 1883 , £ 472 ; and in 1 S 82 nearly £ 620 , and in each case the sum has been very fairly appoi tioned among all three Charities . On this occasion two Berks and one Bucks lodge , with one Berks chapter , did their best towards sustaining the honour of the province . BRISTOL . Has 8 lodges , and for reasons of its own , appears to give its principal support to the Old People . Thus in February last Bro . Wm . Purnell , one of

Wednesday s Stewards , raised close on £ 60 for the Benevolent Institution . ' « February , 1884 , the same brother made up a list of £ 293 us ., and in ' 883 . three of its lodges contributed amongst them £ 217 , Bro . Purnell being again a Steward . On VVednesday , the Beaufort , No . 103 , and the oussex Lodge of Hospitality , No . 187 , raised between them £ 115 ios ., Bro . . urn . ell ' s share for the former lodge being £ 24 3 s ., and Bro . H . Fitznardmge Price's for thc latter , £ 91 7 s . This gives a total for the last U'ree years of over £ 685 , which , considering the province , as wc have

Analysis Of The Returns.

pointed out already , has only eight lodges , is unquestionably a most satisfactory figure . As regards CHESHIRE , VVe seem to be somewhat disappointed , There are 39 lodges on its roll , and though its Educational Institute is in capital trim , being liberally supported and doing admirable work , a total of £ 36 15 s . strikes us as being too moderate a contribution for so conspicuous a province . It raised £ 100 iCs .

for the Girls School last month , and £ 244 15 s . for the Benevolent in February , so that its total for the current year is £ 371 16 s . But in 1884 it raised £ 679 , and in 1 SS 3 , all three Charities were benefited , the sum secured by the Boys' School being over £ 173 . Perhaps , the smallness of the present total may be explained by the comparative largeness of the contribution—nearly £ 500—10 this Institution last year . However , whatever the reason , there stands the return as £ 36 15 s ., and we can only wish it had been ten times the amount .

CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORLAND , With its 20 lodges , figures once again in the returns , under the familiar auspices of Bro . G . J . McKay , its Prov . Grand Secretarv , whose list amounts to £ 52 ios . The last occasion on which this worthy brother played the part of Steward far his province was at the Boys'School Festival in 1883 , when his total reached the splendid sum of 1000 guineas ( £ 1050 ) . Only

once since then has Cumberland and Westmorland taken any part in these gatherings , and that was in February last , when one of its lodges raised slightly over £ 50 for the Benevolent Institution . Next in order is the Chairman ' s province of DERBYSHIRE , Every one of whose 20 lodges has taken care to send a representative , and

whose total of £ 1541 12 s ., including the Marquis of Hartington ' s personal con - tribution of £ 73 ios ., does infinite credit to the Stewards ' who have laboured so strenuously to make the return worthy of their respected chief , and to the brethren generally , who have so laudably seconded those efforts . It is not so very many years since such a total , if accumulated by the whole body ofthe Craft for a particular Festival , would have been looke ' d upon as a handsome

contribution . It is certainly not very long ago that , when the question of enlarging the benefits of this Institution vvas on the carpst , very grave fears were entertained as to the possibility of raising the requisite £ 1500 annually , and the contemplated enlargement was postponed . But here we have a single province , and , speaking numerically , by no means the most considerable , raising off-hand , and almost as a matter of course , a total which ,

at the time referred to , caused such dismal apprehensions as to be considered pretty nearly beyond the possibility of levy . Nor is this by any means the sum of what may be said in behalf of Derbyshire and our other provinces when it devolves upon any par icular district to give additionally loyal support to the Chairman of the day . It has evinced its interest in all our Charities in turn , if it has not figured regularly in the Stewards' lists . Last

year , for instance , it raised £ 94 ios . for the Boys' School , and £ 356 4 s . for the Girls ' . In 1883 . it distributed £ 359 4 s . among the three Charities , the Boys' being favoured to the extent of £ 238 17 s ., and in 1 S 82 it totalled uo a little over £ 690 . In these four years therefore it has done admirably , and were it desirable to carry our researches further back , we should find

that , in the preceding as in these years , Derbyshire had loyally borne its share of the general burden in upholding our Institutions . VVe may congratulate Lord Hartington on the loyal support he has received from his province , the brethren , and in an especial manner , Bro . Percy Wallis , who worked so well , on the support thus given . The half-century of lodges in

DEVONSHIRE Had no representative at the Girls' Festival last month , though , in February one of its members as Steward for Lodge No . 1402 , of Torquay , took up a list of £ 135 . In 1884 it contented itself with small contributions to the three Charities , while in 1 S 83 it raised £ 595 , of which £ 317 6 s . fell to the share of

the Boys School , and in 1 SS 2 its total was £ 565 . On Wednesday thero were two Devon Stewards , Bro . J . E . Curteis , who has more than once signalised himself at these festive gatherings , and Bro . J . Bradford , who figures for 30 guineas ( £ 31 10 s . ) , thc result of their joint efforts being £ 289 . Of the 31 lodges in

DORSETSHIRE Made Us second appearance during the current year on Wednesday , when Bro . W . Douglas Dugdale—a brother whose name is often present in these lists—handed in a total of £ 68 5 s ., Bro . S . R . Baskett ' s list in May for the Girls' School amounting to £ 96 12 s . Thus , though there are only 13 lodges on the roll of this province , its contributions have reached to close on

£ 165 . In 1 SS 4 , Bro . Dugdale gave his services as Steward at the Benevolent , Festival but no return appeared in the Stewards' list ; but the preceding year contributions were raised for all three Charities , the Boys ' School receiving £ 142 16 s . In former years it has also acquitted itsell most creditably , its totals having in more than one instance been largely in excess of what the paucity of its lodges would justify us in expecting .

DURHAM , One—the Harbour of Refuge , No . 764 , West Hartlepool—had two brethren tp represent it , their joint list amounting to £ 105 ; in February , two brethren as representatives of Nos . 48 and 34 S respectively between them raised £ 120 15 s . In 1884 it gave £ 45 2 , and was among the contributing provinces and 182

in 1883 S , but its principal effort was at the Boys' Festival at Brighton in ISS ' I , when the late Marquis of Londonderry occupied the chair , and its returns exceeded £ 700 , the sum of £ 1024 representing the aggregate of the year ' s contributions to the three Charities . Of the 23 lodges on the roll of ESSEX

Seven sent up Stewards on Wednesday , and the Priory Chapter , No . 1000 , Southend , was also represented , the aggregate of their lists amounting to £ 25 1 19 s . lt cannot be doubted that this is an excellent total , especially after contributions lo the Benevolent in February of £ 456 13 s . Od ., and to the Girls' School last month of £ S < 5 -s . Moreover , it raises the sum for the current year to £ 794 14 s . 6 d . as against £ i . Ci 6 17 s . 6 d . in 1 S 84 , but in the

latter year its Prov . G . Master , Lord Brooke , M . P ., presided as Chairman at the Girls' School Festival , and the Province then raised £ 1000 . Thus in 1884 and 1 SS 5 Essex has been represented at all six anniversaries , and the total of its contributions is £ 2341 12 s ., or over £ 390 oer Festival . It will bc allowed that Essex has played its part admirably in these as in previous years , when its returns will be found to have been as regular as they were generous . For the Province of

GLOUCESTERSHIRE , After its splendid work in February , when its Prov . G . Master , Sir M . K . Hicks-Beach , Bart ., M . P ., presided for the Benevolent Institution and all