r, with Lord
Egerton of Tatton as Deputy Grand Master and the Duke of Connaught as
Senior Grand Warden.

During the Queen's Jubilee, on June 13th, 1887, it was decided to
present an address to Her Majesty as Patron of the Order and of various
Masonic charities. The formal action was taken at an immense gathering
in the Royal Albert Hall, on the date mentioned, when some seven
thousand officers and members, representatives of the Lodges of the
Empire met and passed a Resolution to that effect. His Royal Highness
the Grand Master, who was accompanied by Prince Albert Victor and the
Duke of Connaught, presided and was able to announce, after this part of
the business had been disposed of and the National Anthem sung with
enthusiasm, that L6000 had that day been paid in by members and was to
be entirely devoted to Masonic charities for the children and the aged.
Two years later, on July 6, 1888, and in the same place, the Prince of
Wales presided over the centennial banquet of the Royal Masonic
Institute for Girls. With him were the King of Sweden and Norway, Prince
Albert Victor, the Earls of Carnarvon, Lathom and Zetland, Lord Egerton
of Tatton, Lord Leigh and many other eminent Masons. One of the speeches
of the Chairman was devoted to a history of the institution they were
trying to help and to a request for funds to erect additional buildings
and better accommodations. The response afterwards announced to the
appeal, made before and at this dinner, was L50,472 of which London
contributed L22,454 and the Provinces, India and the Colonies the
balance.

THE PATRON OF ART

Another subject in which the Prince always took a great and active
interest was that of Art--especially as embodied in the work of the
Royal Academy. His first appearance in this connection was at the annual
banquet on May 4th, 1863, and it has been noted that at the various
subsequent occasions of this kind at which he spoke, despite the
sameness of the toasts and subjects, there was always fresh material in
his remarks. At the banquet on May 5th, 1866, Sir Francis Grant presided
for the first time as President and amongst the speakers besides His
Royal Highness were his brother Prince Alfred, the Duke of Cambridge,
the Archbishop of Canterbury, Earl Russell and the Earl of Derby. In
1867 and in 1870 he also spoke and on the latter occasion the speakers
included Mr. J. Lothrop Motley, the American Minister, and Charles
Dickens. At the banquet in 1