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occasion he should associate with the toast the name of Bro . Brownrigg . Bro . Brownrigg , in reply , said it was difficult to make a short speech and say nothing ; but brief as were the speeches of the W . M ., they vvere made up of short sentences that contained the matter of a long speech . But he would not ,

himself , inflict upon the brethren a speech longer than their Master had made . He ( Bro . Brownrigg ) vvas not there so much as a dead lion as a living dog , because he was visiting them in the capacity of Dep . P . G . M . of the neighbouring province to welcome into it an offshoot of their Iodge , which vvould be inaugurated on Monday .

Bro . Dr . Lawrance , I . P . M ., said he rose to ask them to drink the health , most heartily , of "Their VV . M ., the Senior Grand Warden of England . " They vvere all glad to have their Master in Grand Lodge , and especially glad to see him in the position next to that of the G . Master himself . They vvere proud of the honour , as an honour done to the lodge , and he vvas sure their Master vvas

pleased with the honour conferred upon him . He asked them to drink the W . M . ' s health because it vvas Saturday night . Saturday was the only day in the week on vvhich their Master got any leisure until two or three o ' clock in the morning . Being Saturday , he had arranged to spend the evening with the lodge . He had worked that evening , and that in an admirable manner . Thev vvould be glad to

see him as often as he could come , but vvere ready to make every excuse when he could not come on account of the work he had to do in Parliament . They had already congratulated him on being in Grand Lodge , and it now only remained for them to drink his health as their W . M ., which he hoped they vvould do vvith the cordiality of the Chiswick , and that emphasised .

The toast , vvhich vvas received with acclamation and drunk vvith enthusiasm , was followed by a song from Bro . Rowling , D . C , who gave " They all love Jack , " in capital style , and , in responding , The W . M . said that he thanked the brethren for the compliment they had paid him , which had received additional force from the song which Bro . Rowling had

sung so vyell , telling of the love they all had for Jack in that service in whose interests he was engaged . His lordship went on to say that he told the brethren at the time they were good enough to select him to be their Master ¦ that he thought it vvas a mistake to appoint anyone who had not got the necessary knowledge , but they had been kind enough to make allowance for his non-attendance ,

and for his other deficiencies . He should always look back to his association vvith the lodge as being one of the most memorable epochs of his life . Every man's life had certain landmarks , and in his life the landmarks had shown themselves during the last three months , and much during the last three weeks . They had selected him because he held a certain political office vvhich thev thought might not bring

discredit on the lodge , and being Master , his Royal Highness conferred a still higher distinction upon him , and , therefore , during the past week , and through their kindness , he had been associated vvith two events—he had been able to carry a vote through the House of Commons by which £ 21 , 000 , 000 vvould be spent upon strengthening the Navy , and he had been installed S . G . W . of England ;

and he hoped the fact that their Master had been associated with these two incidents , more by luck than anything else , would not reflect any discredit upon the lodge . He vvas proud to be Master of that Iodge , because he believed that in England no lodge had brought in a better class of brethren , or whose finances vvere in a more prosperous condition . He was glad to see so excellent a representative of

initiates as Bro . Steel , and he felt that if the affairs and finances of the lodge were managed as well in the future as in the past , this lodge vvould be looked upon as a model lodge for others to copy . With those few remarks he should associate the name of Bro . Steel , the initiate of the day .

Bro . Steel having replied , a number of other toasts followed , including "The Visitors , " for which Bro . Venn replied ; "The Past Masters , " "The Treasurer and the Secretary , "towhich Bros . LawranceandGardnerresponded , and "The Officers of the Lodge , " which was acknowledged by the S . VV . ; and then the Tyler ' s toast brought the proceedings to a close .

THE ABBEY LODGE ( No . 2030 ) . —The installation meeting of this eminent lodge vvas held at the Town Hall , Westminster , on Monday last , when Bro . Robert E . H . Goffin , S . W ., was installed W . M . for the ensuing year . Bro . Goffin is already a P . M . of 1572 , and a G . D . C . for the Province of Surrey . The lodge vvas opened by the

W . M ., Bro , James Gibson , P . M . 1604 , and a considerable programme of business was transacted by him prior to the installation ceremony . The business included the balloting for Bro . W . Fisher , P . M . S 34 , 1 S 2 S , and S . D . 1512 , as a joining member ; the raising of Bros . A . Cameron and W . Bex , and the passing of Bro . VV . Pinto , and also the reception and adoption of the Audit Committee's report . Bro .

Goffin vvas then presented for installation by Bro . Baker , P . M . The W . M . addressed the lodge in the customary terms and the ceremony proceeded , and Bro . Goffin was duly installed in the presence of a numerous Board of Installed Masters , by whom he vvas heartily saluted and congratulated . He then proceeded to invest his officers , of which the following is a list : Bros . James Gibson ,

I . P . M ., Treas . ; H . M . Dunstan , S . W . ; C . C . Piper , J . W . ; R . J . Simpson , P . G . C , Chap . ; J . E . Shand , P . M . 1563 , Sec . ( sixth time ); F . J . Smith , S . D . ; W . Bonwick , l . D . ; Henry Hambling , I . G . j Thomas Bull , P . M . 145 , D . C ; F . B . Wyatt , A . D . C ; H . E . Pole , Asst . Sec ; J . Hayler and E . J . Smith , Stwds . ; J . Bartlett , Org . ; and W . Walkley , P . M . 391 , Tyler . Bro . James Gibson

then delivered the customary addresses to the Master , Wardens , and lay brethren , and brought to a conclusion his work , the whole of vvhich he had performed with precision and impressiveness . The lodge vvas then closed . A very large company had assembled to see Bro , Goffin installed , and between 120 and 130 brethren at the conclusion of business adjourned to the banquet room , where a sumptuous dinner vvas given

by the lodge , at the conclusion of vvhich the W . M . proceeded to deal with a lengthy list of loyal and Masonic toasts . The W . M . rose and said the first toast he had to submit vvas that of "The ( Jueen and the Craft . " The toast vvas drunk with enthusiasm , and after the National Anthem , vvhich followed it , had been sung , The W . M . gave the toast "The M . W . G . M ., H . R . H .

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the Prince of Wales , " without comment , as he was unable to find anything new to say about it . That toast was also very heartily received , and vvas followed by "God Bless the Prince of Wales . " The W . M . said he had now to propose the toast of "The Grand Officers of England—the Pro G . Master , the Earl of Carnarvon , the Dep . G . Master , the Earl of

Lathom , and the rest of the Grand Officers , Present and Past . " Whatever might be the case with the G . Officers past , they had a trio of Grand Officers present , and they said in the classics that a live donkey was better than a dead lion . To-night they had the President of the Board of General Purposes vvith them—one of the most important of the Grand Officers ; because , as they knew , where

there were high minds and inferior minds and mediocre minds there would always be disputes ; and the Craft had disputes which if they could not settle were referred to the Board of General Purposes , and the Craft abided by their decisions . Then they had the Past G . Chap ., Bro . Simpson , vvho had long been a member and Chaplain of the lodge , and who

had always been at hand to give a word of warning or a word of sympathy whenever that word of warning or of sympathy vvas required . He was the same gentle-hearted , God-fearing being that they knew so well in other lodges and chapters also , and he ( the W . M . ) vvas glad to have him here in one of the lodges under his control . Then they had another Grand Officer—the first Master of the

Abbey Lodge , but he should not ask him to respond for that toast . Without further preface , he vvould ask them to drink the toast , vvith which he should couple the name of Bro . Fenn , P . G . D ., President of the Board of General Purposes . Bro . Fenn , in reply , said that when he found that Bro . Simpson was to take the place at table at his left hand , he

put it down that he ( Bro . Fenn ) should not be called upon to respond to this or any other toast . He had , however , heard a little conversation that had been going on , and he now understood that Bro . Simpson relinquished this toast in his favour . He had noticed that Bro . Simpson had been drinking only Apollinaris water , and supposed he was not equal to the task , or , being a Past Grand Officer , he

vvas , perhaps , somewhat touched vvith the remarks of the W . M . as to the dead animal . He ( Bro . Fenn ) had been drinking wine , and vvas , therefore , inspired vvith more generous sentiments , and vvas under the impression that Bro . Simpson was under the good-natured delusion that at all events he vvas doing him a service . Both of them vvere present at the consecration of the lodge , but this vvas the

first time he had been present since that auspicious occasion , and , therefore , Bro . Simpson thought that he ( Bro . Fenn ) ought to respond to the toast . Bro . Fenn went on to say that he appreciated the compliment vvhich gave him a right to reply on this occasion . Every man who attempted to do his duty in whatever station of life , and especially when those duties vvere gratuitously performed ,

appreciated highly the approval of his fellow men , and the Grand Officers appreciated the approval of their brother Masons . He was very proud that evening to see standing as a Grand Officer a brother whom he thought he might call the founder of that lodge—an honour vvhich had been very deservedly conferred on him last year . He vvas sure he vvould quite appreciate the duties that devolved upon

him as a Grand Officer , and that he vvould be seen very frequently in Grand Lodge to give them the assistance when the words of a man of standing and eloquence were needed . Bro . Fenn concluded by thanking the W . Master for the compliment paid to the Grand Officers , and for the very hospitable entertainment given them that evening . Bro . Burdett Coutts , M . P ., Past G . D ., said he felt

that in rising to propose the next toast he was depriving the brethren of the services in that capacity of one vvho would be better qualified than himself to do it justice . It vvas a toast that should rightly fall to the hands of Bro . Gibson , I . P . M ., vvho had , however , asked him to take this duty upon himself , which he vvould not otherwise have done , and therefore he willingly accepted the duty , which

vvas that of proposing the toast of the evening— " The Health of the W . M . " He must first speak of the pleasure which it gave him to be among so many familiar facesfaces to which he had had to say beforehand to vvhich he said now , he hoped often to have the pleasure of making the remark again , vvere associated with his earliest connection vvith Westminster . He ought perhaps to apologise to the

Iodge for appearing in that somewhat overpowering costume . He must confess that it was due to accident , but he thought a somewhat happy accident , that he should have an opportunity of showing to the brethren of the Iodge what their kindness and their support had succeeded in gaining for him in Grand Lodge . He felt very grateful to the members of the Iodge , who , by enabling him to found

the lodge , and selecting him for its first Master as they did , gave strength to the lodge and growth to the Iodge , and the credit which all this gave to its representative , merely as its representative , had secured for him the honourable office he had assumed in Grand Lodge . He thought that in the brother whose health he was about to propose the Abbey Lodge had secured one of its most worthy

members . The W . M . vvas no stranger in Westminster . He had lived 16 or 17 years In Westminster , a period , at any rate , long enough for them to know what that life was that he had lived in the light of day while he had lived among them all . It was a life attended by a marked and honourable success which he had erected out of almost dead and forgotten institutions . Lost as the foundations vvere of

those four schools of _ Westminster vvhich had come to a condition which he might almost say was discreditable , it vvas upon those foundations that the VVorshipful Master , by the most intense and unceasing devotion to duty , had built up one of the finest educational structures . This alone vvould entitle Bro . Goffin to their warm and hearty welcome on attaining the position of

Master of tne lodge . But there was something more in their W . M ., there _ was a thoroughly straight and honest character upon vvhich the light of day was constantly let in ; for no man could be brought into relation vvith Soo young people without a very close examination into his life and character , on the part of those vvho vvere responsible for the life of those young people . He had never

heard a single word—and he did not think anyone else had —which vvould throw the slightest discredit on Bro . Goffin . More than that , he had heard words which had tended greatl y to Bro . Coffin ' s honour and credit . Then there vvas their W . M . ' s position as a friend of many of those present who belong to Westminster—as a friend vvith whom many present vvere brought into contact—he ( Bro .

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Burdett-Coutts ) would venture to say that there were few men , if there vvas even one in Westminster who had inspired a greater sense of trust , or more warm affection for his personal character than their Bro . Goffin ; and he looked forward with hope and confidence to the period in the history of the lodge , during which it would be under the direction of the present VV . M . He would therefore

conclude without further addition , by proposing " The Health of the VV . M . " He was the right man in the ri ght place , and he proposed his health in the earnest hope that in his year of office , he would have the same experience that he ( Bro . Burdett-Coutts ) had had during his term of office , of the warm sympathy and constant support of every brother in the lodge .

Bro . Gofhn , in reply , said : Bro . Burdett-Coutts and Brethren , —One hardly knows how to reply to such an impeachment as has been made upon myself by the last speech . As a founder of the Abbey Lodge , as a member of it , and as having attained to the honourable position of the head of it , we can but feel that the responsibility is great . When he determined to form a lodge vvith the venerable

name of the Abbey of Westminster , vve undertook a great responsibility , a responsibility which should weigh heavily on every Master who has preserved the traditions of the lodge , because to take that name is to take the responsibility of all who are connected with that name , and who shall say who they are . The mighty dead , crumbling to dust , but whose fame has always been

precious , whose names can but inspire in us all that is holy , all that is good , in connection with that venerable pile ? Besides that , connected as the first Master is with the donor of a considerable portion of the property of the lodge—a name which will be venerated after vve have passed away—a name venerated at the present moment in connection with all that is good , benevolent

, and charitable ; all that is good in the limitation of the poors' sorrows , and all that connects the prosperity of the human race with the Abbey . Those who vvere privileged at the consecration of this lodge to witness the beautiful ceremony and listen to the interesting speech made b y one of the greatest ladies in the land , vvho in simple , and humble , and eloquent language portrayed all that vvas

good , all that vvas honourable in human nature , vvould remember that she handed down to the friend on my right to carry on ( as I recollect she said ) when she could no longer assist in carrying it on . Brethren , your first Master has alluded to myself in terms which I vvill not characterise at all . He knows best what he feels ; you know best how to accept what he has said , and to sift from all that he has

said that vvhich you can appropriate as right and proper . From the day on vvhich I vvas made a Freemason I became profoundly impressed vvith the importance of Freemasonry . I have no notion that Freemasonry consists in banqueting and so forth , but I believe in Freemasonry as it existed in the days of Abraham , Moses , and Zoroaster , and had been continued down to the days of Goffin , containing principles

that must be accepted as those vvhich lead up from the human to the divine—principles which , if cariied out , will make us all that vve ought to be , all that we hope to hemen ! men ! Brethren , I remember that in my youth I vvas taught that man vvas made in the image of his Maker , and that it is because we have degenerated that we have gone back , that vve have found ourselves in the position we now

are ; but at the same time I remember that man fell from his first estate ; but I believe that Masonry is one of the grandest institutions , tending to bring back humanity more or less—and a good deal more than less—into its original position ; and if the Abbey Lodge holds fast to its principles , vve may be brought back so as not to forget that vve are responsible beings and

to regard ourselves , not as * living for our own aggrandisement , or luxury , or ease , but also for the alleviation of the distress of the poor and helpless . I am quite sure that the Abbey Lodge will forget the past and begin a new life , true to the traditions of those who have gone before us , by doing vvhich we shall be conferring honour and dignity upon a society of men spreading from pole to pole ,

and from one side of the equator to the other . I thank you Bro . Burdett-Coutts for all you have said in flattering terms of myself ; I thank you because it enables me to take up a position I have laid out for myself of endeavouring to guide the Abbey Lodge during the time I have power in it , to all that is valuable , to all that is powerful in Freemasonry , and all that is good in the human kind .

Before I sit down I will propose to you " The Health and Prosperity of our Immediate Past Master" who has ruled over you for the past 12 months' so honourably , so genially , and kindly . I have very great pleasure in appending to his breast the token of your sentiments towards him and of your approval . Bro . Gibson has presided over the Iodge for the past 12 months' in the most admirable way . The ceremonies * had been performed as perfectly as a

human being could perform them . He has had a task difficult to perform . He is like a good physician vvho starved your constitution , in a state of fever , to make it healthier , and I am not quite sure that I shall not follow a good deal in his footsteps in that direction . At all events until I see a good deal of provender stored up for the future , I shall not allow you to eat and drink of the fat of the land .

Bro . Gibson , I . P . M ., acknowledged in a few words the manner in which the toast had been proposed and received , and tendered his thanks for the jewel presented to him . The W . M . then proposed " The Past Masters' " toast , to which Bro . Baker replied , saying that the Past Masters had the interests of the lodge at heart , and would do all in their power to support its honour , reputation , and welfare .

" The Health of the Visitors " vvas coupled vvith the names of Bros . Ascher , Watson Thomas , Duckett , and Spinks , all of whom responded . " The Health of the Treasurer and Secretary " vvas then proposed , and both those officers replied . " The Health of the Officers of the Lodge" was acknowledged by the S . W ., and then the Tyler ' s toast closed the proceedings .

Among the visitors present were Bros . W . Cessford , P . M . 199 , P . P . G . P . Kent ; J . Duckett , W . AI . Sg 3 ; H . Richards , I . G . 79 ; J . Paige , W . M . 1572 , Sec . 2190 ; G . Spread , 4 S 2 ; H . W . Smyth , W . M . 123 S ; A . Head , 901 ; J . S . Stacey , P . M . 1572 ; VV . Smith , 917 ; Geo . Briggs , P . M . 1572 ; W . Brindley , P . M . 1604 ; C . A . Bond , W . M . 1425 J S . C Harrison , P . M . 132 ; W . Fowler , 172 S ; E . A . Badderley , 1624 ; VV . H . Bolt , . . I . G . 1563 ; G . Evans , W . M . 172 ; J . Russell , P . M .