Scottish Freemasonry In India.

SCOTTISH FREEMASONRY IN INDIA .

THE Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of All Scottish Freemasonry in India was held , according to the Masonic Record of Western India , in Freemasons ' Hall , Nesbit lane , Byculla , Bombay , on the 22 nd April 18 S 2 ,

under the presidency of M . W . Bro . Mackintosh Balfour , Grand Master , who was supported by Bros . Captain Henry Morland Immediate Past Grand Master , Manocjee Cursetjee Hon . Past Dep . G . Master , Khan Bahadoor J . D . Wadia Hon . Past Dep . G . Master , Khan Bahadoor M . 0 .

Murzban Hon . Past Sub . G . Master , J . T . Lang Sub . G . Master , Darasha R . Chichgur Grand S . W ., J . R . Johnson Grand J . W ., C . D . Furdoonjee Grand J . W ., R . 7 . Reid Grand Senior Deacon , D . B . Metha P . Grand S . W . as Grand J . D ., W . Rodger Grand J . D ., A . B . Anderson G . Chaplain ,

Capt . Babington Peile Asst . G . Chaplain , E . Freeborn G Secretary , Darasha S . Sarapoorwalla G . Treasnrer , H . B . Mactaggart Asst . G . Secretary , D . D . Shroff G . Jeweller , D . Ehicajee G . Z A . Bearer , M . Cowser G . K . Bearer , H . R . Lacey G . Organist , Meerza Hoossein Khan 1 st Grand Marshal , Meer Abdool AUee , Khan Bahadoor . 2 nd Grand

Marshal , N . M . Panday as G . Inner Guard , J . 0 . Houghland Grand Tyler , and others . Grand Lodge having been opened , and the minutes of the previous Quarterly Communication read and confirmed , the G . Master announced , with great regret , that the office of Deputy Grand Master

was vacant , Bro Maxwell having left India not to return . He therefore appointed Bro . Lang , the Sub . G . M ., to be Depute Grand Master , and Bro . M . C . Mnrzban to be Sub Grand Master . Bro . N . M . Panday was appointed Grand Inner Guard , the former occupant of that office having

resigned in consequence of inability to attend to his duties . These brethren and Captain Babington Peile Asst . Grand Chaplain having been duly invested , the Grand Secretary then read his annual report , from which it appeared that there were thirty-one , instead of thirty , Lodges on the roll

of the Grand Lodge , but of these three were in abeyance , though it was possible and he was in hopes , that one of the three would once again be in working order . With these exceptions , the Lodges were doing fairly , those in Bombay especially having prospered daring the year . The

statement of the work done by each Lodge showed that last year there were on the roll members amounting in number in the aggregate to 654 , whereas in 1880 there were but 619 ; in 1879 , 613 ; and in 1878 , 524 . There had consequentl y been an increase of 130 members in the brief

period of four years . The accounts also were satisfactory . "he General Fund showing an excess of 200 rupees in the cash balance , while over 1642 rupees had been received in the shape of donations from Masonic bodies and brethren tor the Fund of Benevolence . To be more precise . The

Vomeral Fund showed recei pts , including a balance brought forward from last year of over 3 , 520 rupees , amounting to over 6 , 021 rupees . The expenditure was over 2 . 309 rnpees , so that there remained in hand at the end of the year just a Slight fraction rwfir . 9 710 r-n not-a An tn +. liA " « r » nf ! ti ' cTi

f reemasons' Benevolent Society , the year was begun with a balance to the good of upwards of 6 , 279 rnpees , which , with the donations , inc ., received , gave a total in round gures , of 8 , 297 rupees on the Dr . side of the account , "lly 520 rupees had been disbursed , so that the balance at an i ° vx ° fche ? ear was 7 ' rnpees . As to tlie receipts n « disburseme nts on account of the Grand Lodge of

Scottish Freemasonry In India.

Scotland , the former , including the balance from previous year , amounted to 1 , 522 rupees , and the latter to 1 , 511 rupees , over ton rnpees remaining to carry forward to 1882 . Grand Secretary further submitted a statement of account of the Freemasons' Hall Committee , from which it appears

that the Balance of the previous year was , in round figures , 3 , 502 rupees , and the receipts 8 , 408 rupees , making a total of 11 , 910 rnpees , while the expenditure amounted to no

more than 6 , 409 rupees , leaving a balance in bank and Treasurer ' s hands of 5 , 501 rupees . On the motion of the Immediate Past Grand Master , seconded by the Grand Master , the Report was unanimously adopted .

G . Master Balfour then rose and addressed the brethren . At the outset he congratulated them on the satisfactory report which had been just read to them and especially on the flourishing condition of the Scottish Freemasons' Beneyolent Society . He alluded to the

dastardly attempt which , since the last Communication , had been made on the life of Her Majesty tho Queen , and explained the reasons that had induced him uot to call them together specially to offer their congratulations , in the form of an address , to Her Majesty at her providential

escape from the hands of the assassin . He had considered that the Grand Lodge of Scotland would act , as she had done , on behalf of the whole body of Scottish Freemasons . Bro . Balfonr next alluded to his intention of moving a resolution inviting R . W . Bro . Manockjee Cursetjee , the

Father of Freemasonry among the native gentlemen of India , to sit for his portrait , his object in so doing being to fulfil a promise he had announced , at the great National Festival of tbe Parsees , . to the many brethren who were present on that occasion , of presenting a portrait of that

R . Worshipful and respected Brother to be hung up in their Freemasons' Hall as a perpetual memorial of his excellence . Not many years have elapsed since the reception into Freemasonry of members of the Hindoo community had become possible . The prejudices of caste had

been strong , but , thanks to the kindly spirit and zeal of Bro . Cursetjee , those prejudices and the difficulties they had entailed had been overcome , and now the members of the different creeds were able to meet together and formed a very happy family . Bro . Cursetjee had been initiated in

Paris , and in Bombay hacl been a contemporary of and collaborator with the late Bro . Burns , the first Grand Master in India under the Scottish Constitution . He had introduced a kind of free trade in Masonry , and what was more to the purpose free trade in female

education on that side of India at least . All knew the interest he took in the Alexandra School , and his ( Bro . Balfour ' s ) wish in presenting the portrait , and having it hung iu their Hall , was , to show that Grand Lodge knew how to honour those who deserved honour at its hands , and

that years hence , when they had all passed away , the picture might bo pointed out aa exhibiting the counterfeit presentment of the Brother who had introduced Freemasonry among the native Indian gentlemen . By way of concluding his address , the G . M . announced that , as his

term of agreement with the Bank of Bombay would expire next year , he should quit India , and return to his native land ; and as he conceived it to be imprudent to leave everything to the last , it was his intention afc once to

resign his office , so that the brethren might have ample time to make choice of a successor , the reins of office being held in the interim by his immediate predecessor in the chair . Bro . Balfour then moved that Right Worshipful Brother