Early Grand Masters.

Dr . Anderson ' s , nnd the calumniators will be baffled . Its logic is simply irrefutable , and any here present who may wish to stud ) - it , will find it published among " Masonic Institutes by various authors , " being Volume I . of the lato Dr . Oliver ' s "Golden Remains of the Masonic

Writers , " published by the late Bro . Richard Spencer . This defence then of Dr . Anderson is the other important event by which the Grand Mastership of the Dnke of Norfolk will ever bo distinguished . His year of office , in fact will always bo memorable in our history , America

especially having * good cause to remember him with gratitude . Preston , indeed , declares that " from this period we may date the commencement of the consequence and

reputation of the Society in Europe , as daily applications were made for constituting new Lodges , and the foremost characters of the age desired their names to be enrolled in our records . " We shall see this statement borne out as we

proceed . Tho Dnke was succeeded by Lord Lovel , afterwards Earl of Leicester , who was installed at Mercers' Hall , on the 29 th March 1731 . Owing to severe indisposition , his Lordship was compelled to withdraw almost immediately

after the ceremony , bnt Lord Coleraino acted as his proxy . At the first Grand Lodgo after the installation , held at the Rose Tavern , Marylebone , it was determined that Past Grand Masters . and their Deputies should be admitted members of tho Committee of Charity , and that the

Committeo should have power to grant relief to distressed Masons to the extent of Five Pounds ; for the grant of any larger sum tho consent of Grand Lodge , in regular Communication , must first of all bo obtained . Later , also in this Mastership , the privilege was granted to Grand

Stewards of nominating their successors . This was done on the motion of Colonel Pitt , but it will be found a few years later that this further special privilege was productive of much dissension in the Fraternity . It was during Lord Lovel's term of office that Francis Duke of Lorraine ,

afterwards Grand Duke of Tuscany and Emperor of Germany , was initiated into Freemasonry . For this purpose a deputation was issued by his Lordship to hold an occasional Lodge at the Hague . The Earl of Chesterfield , our Ambassador in Holland , presided , and Dr . Desaguliers was

a member of the Deputation . On this occasion His Royal Highness received the first and second degrees of Masonry . Later in the same year , on visiting England , the Duke was raised to the third degree at an occasional Lodge , held for that purpose , at Houghton Hall , in Norfolk , the seat of Sir

Robert Walpole . So important an addition to our ranks had , of course , the effect of causing the extension of theFraternity to other countries , and with each succeeding year almost we find issues of new Deputations for the establishment of Masonic Lodges in foreign parts , among the countries thus

favoured being Russia , a Lodge having been established there , it is said , as early as 1731 , thongh , if this were actually the case , its meetings were probably held with a due regard to secrecy . It was in 1731 that the Grand Lodge of Ireland assembled for the first time in Dublin

when Lord Kingston was elected Grand Master . Viscount Montagu was installed as Grand Master , at Merchant Taylors' Hall , on tbe 19 th April 1732 , in tbe presence of a distinguished assemblage of brethren , among whom . were the Dukes of Richmond and Montagu , the

Earl of Strathmore , Lords Coleraine , Teynham , and Carpenter , over 400 brethren in all being present . On this occasion it was agreed to hold a country feast , and cards of invitation were issued for a dinner , to be held at the Spaniards , Hampstead—Preston is my authority for

thison the 24 th June . The Grand Master and his Officers , together with the Dukes of Norfolk and Richmond , and other nobility and gentry , to the number of about one hundred , were present . After this , says Preston , Grand Master Montagu did not again preside in person at the

meetings of the Society , but great activity was shown by his Deputy , Bro . Thomas Batson , in its government , while a considerable number of Lodges were chartered . In Pine ' s List for 1734 , recently published by Bro . Hnghan , there are no less than 21 Lodges which bear date between Lord

Montagu's installation and that of his successor , and only a fortnight previons to his formal accession wo find a Lodge—ranking No . 90 in this List—established in Paris . But this is far from representing the whole of the work of

this reign . A Warrant , was issued to constitute a Lod go at Valenciennes , but , above all , we must record the issue , on the 30 th of April 1733 , of a deputation to Bro . Henry Price , appointing him to be Prov . G . Master in New England

Early Grand Masters.

with full power to appoint his Depnty and other Officers , and to constitute Lodges as occasion should require . Under this authority Bro . Price opened a Provincial Grand Lodge at Boston , Massachusetts , on the 30 th July , of the same year , and appointed Androw Belcher to bo his Depnty

and Thomas Kenelly and John Quenn his Prov . Grand Wardens . This was designated tho St . John ' s Grand Lodge , and on reference to Pine ' s List , already mentioued , wo find that No . 126 was constituted by Bro . Price and met in Boston City . I will add , with reference to this last

Deputation , that till within the last few years this was believed to be the first introduction of Freemasonry into North America . There was reason to suppose that previous Deputations had been issued , but no signal trace of any work done thereunder could be found . Latterly ,

evidence of trustworthy work has been obtained from a Philadelphia newspaper , published by the illustrious Benjamin Franklin , himself a Mason , to the effect that a Lodge existed in that city in the year 1730 . From the same source we learn that a Grand Lodge of Masons was

held at the Tun ( commonly printed Sun ) Tavern , Waterstreet , on St . John ' s Day , when W . Allen was unanimously chosen G . M . and appointed W . Pringle to be his Deputy . The Wardens for the year were Thomas Boade and Benjamin Franklin . It should be stated further that Bro .

Hughan is not without hope that he may be able to establish a connection between a Lodge held at the Hoop , Water-street , with the No . 79 of Pine ' s List . This latter is left vacant , having neither p lace of meeting nor date of Constitution assigned to it , bnt it figures among Lodges

bearing 1731 as date of Constitution . I have , perhaps , digressed a little for the purpose of putting this matter more clearly before you , but the subject , though apparently insignificant , is really of great value , considering the extent to which Freemasonry in the United States flourishes . The Earl of Strathmore was installed as Grand Master

by proxy , owing to his absence at the time m Scotland , on 7 th June 1733 , at the Mercers' Hall . At a Grand Lodge , held on the 13 th December , at the Devil Tavern , his Lordship , numerously supported by his Grand Officers and

other dignitaries of the Order , presided in person , no less than fifty-three Lodges being represented by their Masters and Wardens . On this occasion a resolution was passed to the effect that all matters hitherto brousrhfc under the

notice of Grand Lodge itself should in the first instance be examined into and reported npon by the Committee of Charity , and then submitted to Grand Lodge at its next regular Communication . Bro . Findel considers this a surrender on the part of Grand Lodge of such residue of

its independence as it yet retained . His words are , " Towards the close of the year ( December 1733 ) the privileges of the Committee of Charity were so materially extended that the Grand Lodge , to a certain extent , voluntarily delivered over to them the residue of that

independence which had been left to it , in the passing of resolutions . " This innovation , viz . the extension of the Committee for the administration of the Charity Fund into a meeting of Master Masons , on whom power was conferred to make arrangements of the greatest importance , and

to prepare new resolutions , not only virtually annulled the authority vested in the Grand Lodge , but likewise greatly endangered the equality of the brethren in tho different Lodges . I am inclined to think this is an exaggerated view of the circumstances . The Power that granted this

extension of authority to the Committee of Charity could likewise withdraw it again . Moreover , the final reference to Grand Lodge itself must be regarded as a retention of the Supreme Power . Ifc did nofc necessarily follow that Grand Lodge would confirm the

recommendations of its committee . It only remains for me to add that it was under Lord Strathmore ' s auspices that the first Lodge in Germany was constituted , namely , at Hamburgh in 1733 . Preston says , " Eleven German Masons applied for authority to open a new Lodge at

Hamburgh , under the patronage of the Grand Lodge of England , for which purpose his lordship was pleased to grant a deputation . " This , I imagine , must be Lodge No . 124 of Pine ' s List , which is located afc "Hamburgh , in Lower Saxony . " The same writer adds , thafc " several

of tho Lodges were constituted in Holland under the English banner ; in support of this we have mention of a Lodge meeting at the Hague on 3 rd September 1734 . It is also noteworthy thafc in 1733 a Lodge was founded at Florence , by Charles Sackville , Duke of Middlesex , a medal still preserved in the Numismatic Cabinet of the