United Grand Lodge Of England.

United Grand Lodge of England .

A QUARTERLY Communication of Grand Lodge was held at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen Street , on the 7 th July . The election of the Board of General Purposes , and a more than usually full agenda of important business had the effect of drawing an exceptionally large

'number of brethren together , which would have caused much crushing and inconvenience but for the precaution adopted of opening Grand Lodge at an earlier hour than usual to enable those brethren who attended solely for the purpose of recording their votes for members of the Board of General

Purposes to do so and retire . Grand Lodge was opened for the despatch of ordinary business at six o ' clock by the M . W . Pro Grand Master , Earl . Amherst , R . W . Bro . Lord Barnard , Provincial Graiid ' Master of Durham , acting as Deputy Grand Master , and ( he Hon .

Walter John Xapier , District Grand Master of the Eastern Arcluepelago , acting as Past Grand Master . The Earl of Malmesbury was in the Senior Warden ' s chair , and V . W . Bro . Sir Borradaile Savory acted as Junior Warden . After the confirmation of the minutes of the preceding

Quarterlv Communication , and of the Grand Festival on the 26 th April , the scrutineers for the ballot were obligated and retired to count the votes which had been recorded for the

several candidates . On the opening cf Grand Lodge Earl Amherst read the following letter from the Princess Margaret of Connaught : Dear Lord Amherst , I do not know how lo thank the brethren of

Grand Lodge sufficiently for the lovely present they have given me , which I shall always value so much . Believe me , yours sincerely , MAKGAKET . The various items in the agenda were then proceeded with : W . Bro . Sir Arthur Collins , K . C . was re-appointed

President of the Board of General Purposes , and invested accordingly . Bro . Whinney , of the firm of Whinney and Smith , was re-elected Grand Lodge Auditor . The members of the Committee of Management of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , who , under the rules , are required to

be elected bv Grand Lodge , were so elected , and the various amounts of £ 50 and upwards granted during the past quarter by the Board of Benevolence were duly confirmed . The consideration of the report of the Board of General

Purposes was then entered upon , and various motions arising out of the report were submitted lo Grand Lodge . The Grand Registrar , after referring to the case of a brother whom the Grand Master of his province had recommended Grand Lodge to expel , said that the Provincial Grand Master afterwards withdrew his recommendation and

adopted the suggestion of the Grand Registrar to " pronounce an absolute decree of suspension from all Masonic rights , duties , and privileges , until such suspension shall be removed bv the United Grand Lodge of England . " This course was recommended in all cases of a flagrant nature which just fall

short of meriting the extreme penalty ; for thereby a practical expulsion is secured , while jurisdiction over the offender is retained , and he has the incentive of hope of reinstatement in case his future conduct should warrant that course .

The ( hand Registrar next proposed an alteration of the Rule which gave the power to District Grand Lodges of expelling members and erasing lodges , which power might well be reserved to the Grand Lodge alone , thus placing Provincial and District Grand Lodges on the same footing in this respect .

The motion was carried unanimously . A motion altering a rule of the Board of Benevolence to render it obligatory on the part of a lodge to furnish a certificate as to certain facts in connection with petitions for relief was also unanimously agreed to . Grand Lodge also agreed to the transfer of a sum of , £ 250 which had been bequeathed by the widow of a brother to

United Grand Lodge Of England.

"the rreemasons Fund of Benevolence" to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , it having been made apparent that the intention of the testatrix was that it should be given to the latter institution . The question of the mode of election of Grand Treasurer came next before Grand Lodge and the Grand Registrar

submitted the results of the plebiscite which had been obtained from the members of all lodges entitled to vote . Voting papers had been sent to every lodge and the returns were as follows : — l- ' ur . A » . iii > t . I . —Abolishing the Office of Grand

Treasurer ... 1 , 513 30 , 66 9 II . —Retaining the present mode of election , with such qualifications as may be deemed

necessary ... ... ... 14 , 6 3 6 7 , 3 ™ (< i ) Election bv issue of Voting Papers ... ... ... 18 , 096 6 , 7 60 ( b ) Ineligibility of Past Grand Officers 15 . 508 7 , 35-III . —Vesting the appointment in the

M . W . Grand Master 17 , 607 19 , 588 After a statement by the Grand Registrar explaining the means that had been taken lo obtain a clear expression of opinion from the Craft at large , Bro . Frank Richardson , P . G . Reg ., proposed a resolution vesting the appointment in

the M . W . Grand Master ; to this an amendment was proposed by Bro . A . F . Robbins , and it being perfectly clear from these figures that the majority was largely in favour of the principle of election as against that oi appointment by the Grand Master the amendment was carried by a large majority .

The Grand Registrar then proceeded , in accordance with the notice of motion he had given , to move the necessary alterations of the Rules of the Book of Constitutions , to enable the resolution to be carried into effect which were carried unanimously . On the recommendation of the Grand Superintendent

of Works it was resolved that the sum of £ 2000 should be expended on the construction of a staircase and other means of egress from the building in case of fire . In reference to the proposed lease of Freemasons' Tavern and the enlargement of the building so as to render it more

suitable for the purpose for which it is to be used , a further sum of £ 20 , 000 , in addition to the sum of £ 30 , ceo granted at the last Quarterly Communication was voted . The M . W . Pro Grand Master called attention to the notice of motion on the business paper that a sum of / . ' 250

be granted in aid of the fund being raised by the Viceroy of India for the relief of the sufferers by the recent earthquake in India , remarking that by comparison with the gifts they had already made for another object , it appeared inadequate and that he desired to propose that the sum of ;/ Oooo be

granted ; this proposition being seconded it was carried unanimously . Grand Lodge was then closed in ample form .

The result of the voting for members of the Board was subsequently announced in the Grand Master ' s room and the following brethren were declared duly elected : —Bros . William H . G . Rudderfoith , Arthur G Duck , Robert Manuel , Frederick W . Golby , Charles F . Quickc , John F . Roberts , and Frank Adams .

The New Fast Grand Officers.

The New fast Grand Officers .

PAST GKAXD CHAPLAIN . Bro . the Rev . Canon Beaumont , M . A ., has been a member of the Craft for over thirty years , having been initiated in St . Peter ' s Lodge , No . 1330 , Market Harborough , in 1871 . He