Grand Lodge.

Bro . SPIERS said it was a source of great inconvenience to many brethren , who wore anxious that their laws should bo well known , that they could not obtain copies of tho Book of Constitutions to present to now members on their initiation . Ho hoped thoy would never again bo out of print , and that tho Board of General Purposes should have tho power to order a sufficient number to bo printed at any time , and then they could add , as

an appendix , any now laws that wero agreed to . Bro . L . EVANS said it was not intended that thoro should bo any delay in tho issuo of tho now edition of tho Book of . Constitutions . If any now laws wore agreed to , thoy could go into tho next edition . Bro . L . COLE , P . G . W ., said ho thought thoy ought to have

some reason given for tho withdrawal of the resolutions . Bro . GREGORY * , P . G . D ., submitted that tho printing of tho Book of Constitutions should bo deferred until tho Board of General Purposes had taken a defined action on thoir other

propositions . These propositions had been withdrawn without any reason being given . Ho thought it would bo premature to reprint tho Book of Constitutions until thoy knew what tho alterations woidd be . He moved as an amendment that tho printing of tho Book of Constitutions bo deferred . Bro . MASON seconded tho amendment . Bro . HAVERS P . G . W . said ho looked it as rather

, , upon unkind on tho part" of Bro . Gregory to advise tho Grand Lodge to sit as an inquest on a still-born child . What Bro . Spiers had said was very true , and he looked upon it as an unfortunate thing that tho Graft should ho for a single day without tho Book of Constitutions . In clays gone by thoy did not wait for tho sanction of Grand Lodgo , and ho was sure that tho Board of

General Purposes would not bo found fault with , if , when thoy found the copies running short , thoy ordered more . Bro . GREGORY withdrew his amendment , and tho original motion was put and carried .

REPORT OF THE BUILDING CWDIITTEE . Tho following report of tho Building Committee was prcsonted : — To the United Grand Lodge of Ancient , Free , and Accepted Masons of England . Tho committee feel it to bo thoir duty to report to Grand

Lodgo , although in truth there is but littlo to report , except a steady but slow approach to a conclusion of tho works . Tho whole of tho Masonic portion of tho now buildings havo Been for somo timo completed , and occupied . At Michaolmas last the executive of tho Charities took possession of tho offices provided for them , and tho various lodges and chapters aro in

occupation of the rooms built for their use . The rent to bo paid by each Charity is £ 30 par annum , which includes the entire use of an office for tho Secretary , and tho use , when required , of tho board-room snd waiting-room ; an additional charge of £ G per annum is mado to each for ilro light , and attendance . Tho rent apportioned to the difieronflodgo rooms is as follows , viz

For tho uso of tho board-room , Zetland and Do Grey , £ 2 2 0 „ ., Dalhousie and Moira ... 1 11 G ,, ., Preston 110 for each time thoy aro used . Those charges include ilro and light , and tho use of tho M . and W . ' s chairs , pedestals , & c , & c . It is to bo observed that no routs havo boon paid hy lodges

hitherto , nor will rent bo charged until tho whole of tho buildngs aro complete . Tho committeo havo refrained from any present attempt at decoration , but have left tho walls painted in body colour only ,

deferring to somo future timo , when tho wholo of tho building / shall havo been paid for , tho making any application to Grand Lodgo for further powers . It will bo necessary as soon as tho now great banqueting room is finished to put tho present groat hall into a stato of repair . This noblo hall will thon bo devoted solely to tho purposes of Masonry , and will bo tho general placo of mooting of its members .

Tho committeo further report that all bills havo been paid in duo course , and thoy aro glad to bo ablo to stato that siuco thoir last report tho cost incurred for extras , which in a building of this sort aro to a certain extent unavoidable , does not amount to mora than about G por cent , on tho contract price , and this includes tho building of now cellars under tho roadway in Groat

Quoenstreot , in placo of thoso which , upon examination , wero found to ho in a ruinous condition . Tho committee aro assured that tho wholo of tho works will bo completed in four months from this timo , and that tho groat banqueting room will bo so far forwarded as to allow of its being used at the Grand Festival in April next .

Tho committee wish that they could with confidoiico repeat such assurance to Grand Lodgo , thoy can only say that they will spare no pains to got it accomplished if possible . ( Signed ) JOHN HAVERS , Chairman . London , Feb . 20 , 1867 . Bro . HAVERS moved that tho report bo taken as read . This was put and agreed to . Bro . HAVERS thon moved that it be rocoivod ancl entered OH tho minutes .

This was also put and agreed to . Bro . HAVERS said he wished that there was anything in tha report that he could ask the brethren to adopt , but as no motion arose out of it , if there was any question that he had omitted he should be very happy to answer it . There was ono paragraph however , in the report , the concluding one , upon which hewished to say a word or two . In the last paragraph hut

one the committee said they had been assurred that the whole of the works would he completed in four months from this time , and he believed they would be , hut to that the committee had added a paragraph in . which they stated that they hoped they could give the assurance that the former paragraph contained . Now he ( Bro . Havers ) could give them no such

assurance , but this lie could say that wherever a man could ba put to work there one was put , and he hoped that the building would he ready for use at the Grand Festival , but he could not promise them that it would be so , and when they met in the new building they would find that the accommodation provided for them was second to none in that great metropolis . The report was then agreed to .

GRAND LODGE ACCOUNTS . The report of Bro . R . P . Harding , Auditor of the Grand Lodge accounts , of receipts and disbursements for tho year 1866 were presented . The total receipts were £ 21 , 013 6 d . THE HTEEICANE I _* Truics ISLANDS , WEST INDIES . The G . SECRETARY read a resolution passed by the Forth

Lodge ( No . 647 ) , Turk ' s Island , Bahamas , ancl addresses from the Grand Master , praying for pecuniary aid on behalf of the sufferers from the hurricane that passed over that island in September , 1 SG 6 . The documents detailed the fearful ravages of the storm , which was one of the most terrific ever known in the West Indies , ancl it stated that some of the brethren

belonging to the Forth Lodge were the heaviest sufferers . The principal article produced in the island was salt , and this had been destroyed to the value of £ 25 , 000 . Bro . UDALL , P . G . D ., who had given notice that a sura of £ 500 be granted from the Fund of General Purposes , said he had