Analysis Of The Returns.

sided as Chairman , and the 15 lodges of which it is composed , rallied around him to such excellent purpose that the 57 Stewards raised amongst them the very large total of £ 1645 16 s . This was a splendid performance , of which even a stronger Province than Gloucestershire would have had good reason to be proud . In

February last , a couple of Stewards raised £ 58 3 s . 6 d ., while on Wednesday , four Stewards , of whom Bro . Vassar-Smith , D . P . G . M ., was Unattached , and the other four lodge representatives , who together , compiled a total of £ 147 , thus advancing * e current year ' s total so far to £ 205 3 s . 6 d . As regards HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OK WIGHT ,

with its roll of 47 lodges , there were only four Stewards , one being Unattached , while one acted as Steward for three lodges , and the result of their combined efforts will be found in the capital total of £ 294 is . * Sd . Last year it raised altogether £ 1650 17 s . 6 d ., of which the Benevolent Jubilee very naturally swallowed up the greater portion , the Girls' and Boys' Schools having to content themselves with £ 64 8 s . 6 d . and £ 240 9 s . respectively . In 1801 , the amount distributed , in

fairly equal proportions among the three Institutions , was £ 695 1 is . 6 d . In the year of the Girls' School Centenary it raised for that Charity £ 1140 13 s . 6 d ., and the preceding year , when its Provincial Grand Master presided at the Benevolent Festival , £ 1785 9 s . 6 d . In February it was represented on a modest scale , the three brethren who did duty in its behalf as Stewards for as many lodges returning altogether £ 72 3 s . 6 d .

HERTFORDSHIRE sent up four Stewards , of whom three did duty for three out of the 21 lodges on its roll , and the fourth for its oldest chapter—the Watford , No . 404 . The total raised by these four brethren was £ 215 5 s ., the principal lists being those of Bro . C . E . Keyser , P . G . D ., who was Chairman at the Benevolent Festival in February last , for £ 84 , and Bro . J . Gait Fisher , the Secretary of the Wilson lies Lodge , No . 2054 , Rickmansworth , for £ 68 5 s . In February , whenas we have saidBro .

, , Keyser presided for the Old People , Hertfordshire raised £ 1455 18 s . 6 d ., while last year its contributions to the three Charities amounted to £ 2135 , 63 . 6 d ., of which the R . M . B . l . received £ 1883 6 s . 6 d . in support of its Jubilee , the Girls ' School £ 139 13 s ., and the Boys' School £ 112 7 s . In 1891 its total was £ 811 19 s . 6 d ., so that with one Festival still uncelebrated , it has contributed over £ 4200 during 1891 , 1892 , and the present year . This for a Province which has only 21 lodges is an enormous sum .

KENT , even when the number of its representatives is limited , invariably makes a good show , while , when it has some special purpose to serve , as in February , 1891 , when Bro . Earl Amherst , its Prov . Grand Master , presided at the Festival of the R . M . B . L , its performance is exceedingly brilliant . On Wednesday only four of its 59 lodges—one of them furnishing as many as four Stewards—sent Stewards

, and there were two Unattached—Bros . A . W . Duret and F . Hughes Hallett . The sum total of their lists reached £ 427 12 s . In February the Old People received by the hands of seven Stewards £ 418 4 s ., so that the total contributions for the current year will be well up to the average of the Province . In the year 1888 , Kent contributed £ 3059 9 s . 6 d . to the Girls' Centenary . In 1891 , when Bro . Earl Amherst

was Chairman for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , it raised £ 3483 8 s . 6 d . for that Institution , the total for the whole year being £ 4018 6 s ., while last year ' s contributions amounted to £ 29 6 9 6 s . 6 d ., of which £ 1868 15 s . 6 d . was in respect of the Benevolent J ubilee , £ 329 13 s . for the Girls' School , and £ 770 16 s . for the Boys' School .

LANCASHIRE ( EAST DIVISION ) was fairly well represented , the number of Stewards being nine , who did duty for six lodges out ot 105 . ' 1 he total compiled by these brethren was £ 149 9 s ., Bro . Major John Booth being entered for £ 42 . In February it contributed £ 42 , but last year the total was £ 2824 15 s ., of which £ 266 7 5 s . was raised for the Benevolent Jubilee , while in 18 91 it reached £ 1277 18 s . 6 d ., of which the Boys' School obtained £ 968 12 s .

LANCASHIRE ( WEST DIVISION ) , which likewise musters 105 lodges was also fairly represented , the number of lodges sending up Stewards being 13 and the number of Stewards , 16 . The total contributed was £ 264 6 s . Here again the record is admirable , the total for 1891 being £ 6341 iys . 4 d ., of which the Boys' School , at the Festival of which Dro . the Earl of Lathom , P . G . M ., was Chairman , received £ 6126 IAS . dd .. while that for

1892 was £ 1697 . 145 . 6 d ., of which £ 1197 8 s . 6 d . was raised for the Jubilee of the Benevolent Institution . Nor must we lose sight of the fact that West Lancashire supports three considerable Charities of its own , just as East Lancashire supports one , and that on the principle of Charity beginning at home , these local Institutions have and receive the first claim on the support of the local brethren . There was only one Steward from

LINCOLNSHIRE , Bro . E . T . Wiglesworth , who acted for the Doric Lodge , No . 362 , Grantham , and «!' o ' ^ ' ^ ' ' * " a PP earance ° f 'he Province since the Jubilee of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution in February , 1892 . when the 13 brethren who worked for the Province generally and 10 out of its 24 lodges , compiled the very

substantial total of £ 660 5 * ., the principal item being the joint list of Bros . T . otaniforth , C . Smyth , and Mark Smith , who represented the Province as a whole , and obtained £ 490 5 s . At the Boys' School Festival in 1891 , the 16 Lincolnshire Stewards compiled amongst them £ 481 , while at the Girls' Centenary in 1888 , six ~? succeeded in raising £ 202 2 s . 6 d . The metropolitan Province of

MIDDLESEX , which made so brave a show the other day at Teddington , when its new Prov . « rand Master , Bro . Lord George Hamilton , M . P ., was installed in office , raised what , under the circumstances , may properly be described as the capital contribulon ° « £ ' 88 9 s ., the lodges taking part in the contribution being six in number p of 39 , and the principal list that of Bro . W . H . Cate , who represented the St . InTl ge ' N ° ' 57 ^ nfield > and had the satisfaction of compiling £ 56 3 s . February the contributions were onlv on a verv small scale , hut last vwr thi > v

oTth ^ a t 0 £ l 6 t 0 'S s- 6 d- < of which £ 1315 9 s . 6 d . found its way into the coffers of ' t ¦^•^•I-, In 1891 it was content with playing only a modest part , the total chif D scr 'P tions i ust exceeding £ 540 ; but m 18 90 , when its late respected wa ~ s ' Sir Francis Burdett—presided at the Festival of this Charity , its total ( _ * ' 337 15 s - 6 d ., of which , in round figures , £ 1000 was subscribed to the 'avoured Institution . ° ' the 17 lodges in

NORFOLK w ' h ' if Friendship , No . IOO , Great Yarmouth , was represented by Bro . W . Diver , am ° m ° re than once figured with advantage in these Returns and whose list nounted on Wednesday to £ 78 15 s . The last occasion this lodge was

Bar 5 Was the J ublIee of the 01 d People in February , 1892 , when Bro . G . W . 'ncr » j Frov - G . Sec , acting for the whole Province raised £ 406 5 s ., which was ioo f j i ° the extent ot £ S l 6 I 0 S - bv £ * 2 obtained by Bro . Diver , of Lodge No . p estivl- ¦ 5 S- fr 0 m Br 0- H- G " Barwe 11 - Unattached . At the Boys'School the or i 'n I ^ 1 ' ' *•figured for £ 223 Ss ., the Stewards who so successfully worked D iver ( N ° " this occasion be '" g Bros - H - G - Orwell ( Lodge No . 52 ) , and W ^ nevol I 00 ^ ' w' 10 com P '' £ * " 4 and £ ' 4 i 5 s - respectively . In 1890 the ° 'ent Institution obtained support to the extent of close on £ 230 ; in 1888

Analysis Of The Returns.

the Girls' School received £ 214 4 s . at its Centenary Festival ; and in 1886 , when the Boys' School Festival was held at Brighton under the presidency of Bro . Lord Suffield , who is G . Master of the Province , the sum contributed was £ 420 . There were four of the 19 lodges on the roil of

NORTH WALES which sent up Stewards on Wednesday , and two other Stewards were Unattached . The lists compiled by these brethren amounted to £ 180 12 s ., among them being that of Bro . E . Blahe , of St . Mark ' s Lodge , No . 2423 , Connah ' s Quay , who returned £ 52 ios ., while Bro . James J . Tuxford , of the Madoc Lodge , No . 1509 , Portmadoc , was responsible for £ 36 15 s ., and the indefatigable Bro . Bro . C . K . Benson ,

Unattached , for £ 26 ss . The Province was unrepresented in February , but last year it gave £ 222 14 s . to the Benevolent Jubilee , £ 36 15 s ., per Bro . Benson and another , to the Girls' School , and £ 234 3 s . to the Boys' School , Bros . Tuxford and Benson , with £ 71 8 s . and £ 72 9 s . respectively , being among the Stewards , and the total for the year £ 493 12 s . In 1891 the total was rather more than one-half this sum , the Boys' School receiving out of it . £ 184 16 s . In the year of the Girls' School Centenary it subscribed no less than £ 6 75 to that Institution . The " Chairman's Province " of

NORTHANTS AND HUNTS is very far from being strong in point of numbers , but it fully realised our antici * pations that it would generously and loyally co-operate with its respected chief in ensuring , as far as lay in its and his power , the success of Wednesday ' s gathering . Its array of 22 Stewards was headed by the Earl of Euston himself , while Bro . A . Cockerill , who is invariably a leading figure on these more important occasions

, represented the Province generally , and the Pomf .-et Lodge , No . 360 , Northampton —the senior lodge in the Province—particularly . Comp . T . Emery took the Northampton Chapter , No . 360 , under his charge , Bros . A . E . Margetts and W . Conney jointly represented the Lodge of Socrates , No . 373 . Huntingdon , and Bros . Mark Heslop and Dr . W . T . Kni ght the Lodge of Fidelity , No . 445 , Towcester . The Eleanor Cross Lodge , No . 1764 , Northampton , had two Stewards

in Bros . James Currall and W . F . Tipler , and the Beneventa Lodge , No . 2380 , Daventry , had no less than seven brethren acting as Stewards . Altogether 11 out of the 13 lodges , one Royal Arch chapter , and one Mark lodge were entered on the list , and the aggregate of the Stewards' lists , including that of the Earl of Euston himself for £ 179 3 s . 6 d ., amounted to £ 1050 . In February , the Wentworth Lodge , No . 737 , Wellingborough , sent up a small list of

£ 13 13 s ., while last year the Province took part in all three Festivals , its subscriptions to the Benevolent Jubilee reaching £ 255 8 s . j to the Girls ' School £ 23 2 s . j and to the Boys' School £ 84 . In 1891 , the total reached £ 267 ss ., of which the Boys' School received the lion ' s share , but the greatest achievement of the Province belongs to the year 1889 , when Lord Euston , who had been only a short time P . G . M ., presided at the Benevolent Festival , and

Northants and Hunts supported him by raising upwards of £ 900 . ' We heartily congratulate his lordship and the lodges and chapters he so ably presides over on the very substantial service they have rendered on this occasion , nor must we omit to say a few words in recognition of the important part borne b y Bro . Cockerill , P . G . Treas ., in labours which have been attended with so satisfactory a result . The credit of

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE was placed in the hands of Bro . A . Stubbs , Steward for the Royal Sussex Lodge , No . 402 , Nottingham , and well indeed did that brother fulfil his charge , the list he compiled amounting to the very considerable sum of £ 120 15 s . Thus the Province , though this was the only one of its 15 lodges represented , stands well in Wednesday ' s Returns . Last year it raised £ 157 ios . for the Old People ' s Jubilee and £ 3 * 13 s . for the Boys' School . In 1891 it subscribed £ 203 9 s . to the last named Institution , and £ 37 16 s . 6 d . to the Girls' School , and in 1890 it figured in the Girls' School Returns for £ 178 ios .

OXFORDSHIRE has more than maintained its average , the six brethren who did duty as Stewards for five out of 12 lodges together compiling a total of £ 124 7 s . 6 d ,, the principal item being the joint list of Bros . A . J . Hill and T . Green , of the Alfred Lodge , No . 340 , Oxford , for £ 57 5 s . In February one-half of its lodges were entered in the Returns , Bro . Lord Ampthill , P . G . M . Bedfordshire , being one of the two Stewards representing the Apollo University Lodge , No . 357 , and the total

raised about £ 175 . Last year the amount distributed among the Charities was £ 629 14 s . 6 d ., of which £ 428 7 s . was paid over to the Benevolent Institution , £ 99 2 s . 6 d . to this Institution , and £ 102 5 s . to the Boys' School . In 1891 the Boys' School obtained £ 246 9 s . out of a total of £ 414 2 s ., while ini 8 go and 1889 , the yearly subscriptions reached £ 385 6 s . 6 d . and £ 276 repectively . In 1888 the sum was £ 656 9 s . 6 d ., of which the Girls' School received the bulk at its Centenary Festival .

Of the 12 lodges in SHROPSHIRE , two only were represented , and Bro . R . G . Venables , D . P . G . M ., was Unattached , the total raised being £ 105 . The Province was among the absentees in February , but it acquitted itself well last year when the amount it subscribed , including £ 45 6 is . for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , reached £ 615 16 s . 6 d . In

1891 it raised £ 455 9 s . 6 d ., of which the Boys' School had the good fortune to secure £ 212 125 . 55 . In 1888 it was returned as a contributor to the Girls' Centenary of £ 770 15 s ., while the year previous , when Bro . Sir O . Wakeman , Bart ., P . G . M . ; presided at the 99 th Festival of this Institution , it established a record by loyally supporting him to the extent of £ 1022 17 s . Bro . F . T . Elworthy , whose name must be familiar to students of our Festival Returns , acted as representative for the 26 lodges in

SOMERSETSHIRE , and had the satisfaction of handing in alist of £ 121 i 6 s ., and Bro . Viscount Dungarvan , P . G . M ., with his personal donation increased this to £ 132 6 s . In February it escaped being included among the absentees by its Prov , G . Master , Bro . Lord Dungarvan , who made a personal donation of 30 guineas to the funds of the R . M . B . I ., but in 1892 its total for the year reached the very high figure of £ 831 7 s . 6 d ., out of which the Benevolent Jubilee benefited to the extent of £ 613 ios ., while

the Girls ' and Boys' Schools received £ 196153 . and £ 31 ios . respectively . In 1891 the Returns were on a somewhat similar scale , amounting as they did to £ 762 8 s . 6 d ., made up of £ 92 12 s . to the Old People , £ 186 7 s . 6 d . to this Institution , and £ 483 9 s . to the Boys' School . In 1890 the sum of £ 548 18 s . was apportioned between the R . M . B . l . and the Boys' School , while in 1888 the sum raised for this Institution at its Centenary Festival was £ 946 is . It is not necessary we should go out of our way to commend such figures as these .

SOUTH WALES ( EAST DIVISION ) had a Provincial representative in the person of Bro . Dr . H . N . Davies , who has acted in this capacity more than once , and always with marked success , and a lodge representative in Bro . A . H . Roberts , of the Glamorgan Lodge , No . 36 , Cardiff , the sum raised being £ 315 which constituted the list of Bro . Davies , the

other Steward having made no return . In 1892 the same Bro . Davies , as Steward for the Boys' School , comprised a total of £ 321 15 s . 6 d ., which , with the £ 180 included in the Old People ' s total , as raised by Bro . W . C . Peace , gave the very substantial sum of £ 501 15 s . 6 d . from a Province of 19 lodges , while in 18 91 the Returns reached £ 479 15 s .