Sovereign Grand Council Of The United States.

stitution was subsequently presented by this Committee , am adopted . The work of electing the officers of the Sovereign Grand Council was then proceeded with , and resulter as follows : Sir A . G . Goodall , New York , M . 111 . S . G . M . Sir Calvin L . Stowell , Tnm ., M . P . D . G . M ., Sir D . Bmn

ham Tracy , Michigan , M . E . S . Gr . Viceroy , & c , & c . These having been duly installed , tho Sovereign Grand Council was opened in ample form , and was at once proclaimed to be duly organised . A discussion having arisen as to the propriety of conferring the order of Grand Cross on the Knights present who had not received it , the Grand Master

was appointed a committee of one to correspond with the Grand Imperial Council of England in reference to conferring this order . The Grand Master was further requested to officially notify the organisation of the Grand Council

to all other Imperial and Grand Councils . A committee on rituals having been chosen , and the next council having been fixed to be held in New York , on the first Wednesday in June of this year , the Grand Council was closed in solemn and Knightly form .

So much for the Report . The Appendix contains the Constitution as adopted at this Council , a Chronological Table of Memorabilia of tbe Order , a list of the several Grand Councils in England and United States , now organised , with illustrations of the Regalia , and the various

official forms in use by the Order , the whole closing with "A Concise History of the Order of the Red Cross of Constantino . " As regards this last , we havo only one remark to make . The History virtually begins with the birth , and ends with the death , of Constantino . As to the

links that connect the present Order with the Order of Red Cross Knights , said to havo been founded , after the battle of Saxa Rubra , by the Emperor Constantino , we are left in utter darkness . Not a word is said to show the continuity of the Order from his day till now . We do not , of

course , presume to assert that these links have no existence . We are simply pointing out that " the Concise History of the Order , " furnished at end of the Report of Proceedings , is a concise history of Constantino ' s life and reign , not of the order which bears his name . That , it seems to us , has yet to be written .

Supreme Council, A. And A. Rite.

SUPREME COUNCIL , A . AND A . RITE .

NORTHERN MASONIC JURISDICTION , U . S .

"TTTE have received copy of the proceedings of the above V Y Council , held in August of last year , at Portland , State of Maine . The Council was opened in due form at 10 a . m ., 17 th August , by 111 . Bro . Josiah H . Drummond 33 ° , M . P . S . Grand Commander , and after prayer by the Rev . and III . Bro . Charles H . Titus 33 ° , Grand Prior , the

roll of officers , active and emeriti members was called , and a goodly array were found to be present . In attendance also , wero a considerable number of honorary members , as well as representatives from the Supreme Councils of Belgium , Scotland , Ireland , Mexico , Italy , New Grenada . Following

these particulars , is the address of 111 . Bro . Drummond , a long and exhaustive sketch of the leading events of the previous year , which it would occupy too much space to transcribe , and of which a summary would convey only a very meagre account . Then follow the articles of "

Confederation between the Supreme Councils of the Thirt ythird Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , to be considered by the Congress of the same at Lausanne , " as proposed by the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States . We learn ,

subsequently , that the whole number of bodies chartered and under dispensation was 191 , while those making returns amounted to 173 , thus distributed among the States comprising this Jurisdiction—Maine , 1 Consistory , 1 Chap . B . C ., 1 Council P . of J ., 1 L . of Perfection ; New

Hampshire—1 Consistory , Two each Chap . R . C ., Councils P . of J . and L . of Perfection ; Vermont—1 Consistory , 1 Chap . R . C ., 1 Council P . of J ., Three LL . of Perfection ; Massachusetts —! Consistory , three Chap . R . C ., four Councils P . of J ., and six LL . of Perfection ; Rhode Island—Two Each

Consistories , Chap . R . C ., Councils P . of J ., and LL . of Perfection ; Connecticut—Two Consistories , Three Chap . R . C ., Three Councils P . of J . } and Four LL . of Perfection ; New York—Seven Consistories , Eight Chap . Rose Croix , Eight Councils P . of J ., Twelve LL . of Perfection ; New Jersey-One Consistory , Six each , Chapters R . C ., Councils P . of J .,

Supreme Council, A. And A. Rite.

LL . of Perfection ; Pennsylvania—Four Consistories , four Chap . R . C ., four Councils P . of J ., and five LL . Perfection ; VIichigan—Consistory , Chap . R . C ., Councils P . of J ., L . of Perfection , one each ; Ohio—1 Consistory , Two Chap . R . C ., Three Councils P . of J ., three LL . Perfection ;

Indiana—Consistories , Chap . R . C ., Councils P . of J ., LL . Perfection , three each ; Illinois—Consistories , Chap . R . C ., P . of J ., LL . Perfection , five each , and Wisconsin with one Consistory , and two each of Chap . Rose Croix , Councils P . of J ., and LL . of Perfection . The Supreme Councils of the Dominion of Canada and of Colon in Cuba , were

recognised , and an interchange of representatives arranged in the former one , while as regards the latter , the S . G . C . was requested to take the necessary steps to that end . The Grand Orients of Hungary and Belgium were also recognised , and it was determined to interchange publications with them . The financial statements of the Grand

Secretary and Grand Treasurer General were reported to have been examined and were approved . Both these statements show a very satisfactory condition of the money market ; bnt an unpleasant report follows of Bodies who had failed to remit their dues . A number of other Reports

were submitted by the several Committees , and the standing Committee having been duly appointed , the Council was closed , after prayer , in clue form , the next Annual Session of tbe Council being arranged to be held in New York , on the third Tuesday in August of this year , at 10 a . m . precisely .

The Report of Proceedings is succeeded by an Appendix , containing Reports of Deputies , Foreign Correspondence , Obituary Record , Amendments to Constitutions adopted this Session , together with Tableaux of the officers of the Council and of honorary members ; and also a complete list of the officers and members of the several Consistories ,

S . P . R . S . 32 ° , and officers of other subordinate Bodies in this jurisdiction , with a roll of honorary members , residents of other jurisdictions , and of Grand Bodies of the A . A . Scottish Rite , recognised by and in relations of amity

with this Supreme Council . Thus it will bo seen that the Report contains an immense mass of information , much of which will be highly interesting to members of this Rite in the United Kingdom .

Odds And Ends.

ODDS AND ENDS .

BY WALTER SPENCER , F . B . G . S ., & c ..

THE incident which is reported to have resulted so tragically at Salonica , had a parallel recorded in " Eothen , " Chapter xxv ., as occurring at Nablous , in Syria . " A beautiful Christian girl , between 15 and 16 , had lately been married . At the time , she was accidentally seen by a Mussulman Sheik of wealth and influence , who became

instantly enamoured of her . He saw no chance of gratifying his love unless by inducing the girl to embrace his own creed . Being a practical man , he quickly began the attack ; he did not assail her with the eloquence of any Iraaums or Mussulman saints ... he sent her no

tractsnot even a copy of the holy Koran . An old woman acted as missionary . She brought a whole basketful of arguments—jewels , shawls , scarfs , and all kinds of persuasive finery . Poor Mariana ! she put on the jewels , and took a calm view of the Mahometan religion in a little

handmirror—she could not be deaf to such eloquent ear-rings , and the great truths of Islam came home to her younobosom in the delicate folds of the Cashmere . " It would seem that nothing less could opei'ate the perversion of a female to a religion which denies in her the existence of a

soul , and the hope of her individual immortality 3 the sentiment of religion , as we understand it , can obviously have little to do in such a case . For this , have two valuable lives been sacrificed and Europe brought into imminent danger of a sanguinary war ?

The Spanish fleet , under Admiral Malcampo , is reported ^ o have returned to Manila , after subjugating the pirates of Sulu . It is not generally known that over the country of

these much abused pirates , Great Britain has a claim to sovereignty , which has not been disavowed . The islands lie to the north-east of Borneo , very near to our settlement of Labuan . Lord Palmerston declared his intention of

preventing Spain from any jittempt to annex them ; the various Avars have consequentl y had for prelrxt , the castigation of native piracy , and are , so far , justifiable . Spain ,