Information Desired.

INFORMATION DESIRED .

BY BRO . JACOB NORTON . ABOUT a month ago I read , in Bro . Mackenzie's History of "Canongate Kilwinning Lodge , " about Robert Burns' visit to the said Lodge in February 1787 , when ,

owing to his fame as a poet , he was that night elected a member of the said Lodge . During the lifetime of Burns the record of the said Lodge is utterly silent about his

ever having been dubbed with the title of " Masonic Poet Laureate . " But , in 1815 a movement was set afoot to erect a mausoleum to the memory of Burns , and in appealing to the brethren of the Canongate Lodge to contribute towards the undertaking , the W . Master said , that" Burns

was a member and poet laureate of this Lodge . " This figure of speech was put into the record , and in 1832—or 4 , when James Hoe-9 * . the " Efcfcrick Shenherd " was dubbed _ - ££ _ #

.. _ -,, ; J by the same Lodge " Masonic Poet Laureate , " Burns was , of course , again referred to in the record as a Poet Laureate . By-and-bye , Bro . Watson painted a picture , representing the Laureation of Bro . Burns , in presence of sixty distinguished Scotch Masons of the last century . Later on , Bro . Marshall published a book , viz ., " A Winter with Robert Burns , " containing biographical sketches of the

sixty brethren who witnessed the ceremony of the Laureating of Bx-o . Burns , and of course everybody then believed , without the least doubt , in Robert Burns' Poet Laureateship . But , in 1873 , a rumour reached the Secretary of Canongate

Kilwinning Lodge that Bro . D . M . Lyon had some doubts about Burns' Poet Laureateship , when letters were exchanged between the Secretary of the Lodge and Bro . Lyon . The main argument of the Secretary , was that the ceremony

bestowed the model upon the builder , notwithstanding they had already paid him his demand , which was very great .

of Burns' Laureation was always believed , was never doubted , aud that no evidence existed to disprove it . And , strange to say , Bro . Lyon ' s doubts were overcome by the said arguments . Now , I had never heard about the said correspondence between the Secretary of the Lodge and Bro . Lyon until I read the letters in Bro . Mackenzie ' s book ,

but instead ot confirming my beliet in the Burns Laureation story , Bro . Mackenzie ' s arguments destroy my belief in it , and if business had not called me to New York , an article of mine upon the Burns' question would have been mailed to the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE on the 1 st of this month . However , on Saturday , 2 nd March , I happened to

take up Bro . MacCalla ' s Keystone , and therein I read a letter from Bro . D . M . Lyon , that he had changed his opinion about Burns' Poet Laureate story , and that he made a mistake in 1873 in yielding to the Canongate Lodge Secretary , and that ( if I recollect aright ) he was goiug to disprove it .

Well , after taking a long breath , I said to myself , " If a brother of Canongate Kilwinning Lodge of 1815 had been endowed with sense enough to challenge inquiry into the alleged Poet Laureateship of Robert Burns how much

trouble it would have saved . First , Bro . Watson would not have painted the Burns Laureation picture ; second , Bro . Marshall would not have written a book ; third , there would have been no controversy in 1873 between the

Secretary of the Lodge and Bro . Lyon ; fourth , it would have saved Bro . Mackenzie the chagrin he must feel in finding his elaborate arguments melt away into nothing ; fifth , it would have saved me the time in hunting up information on the question at issue , and sixth , it would

have saved Bro . Lyon the necessity of confessing in 1889 that he made a mistake in 1873 . " These solid reasons should convince every brother Mason to take nothing for granted , even when a Worshipful Master says it , and these very reasons I hope will be taken for sufficient

apology for calling attention to an older legend , which as far as I know has never been questioned in print . Briefly then , among other stories given by Dermott in his 1764 edition of " Ahiman Rezon , " I beg to call attention to the following . He says :

" N . B . —The Freemasons' Arms in the upper part of the frontispiece of this book was found in the collection of the famous and learned Hebrewist , Architect and Brother , Rabi Jacob Jehudah Leon . This gentleman , at the

request of the States of Holland , built a model of Solomon ' s Temple . The design of this undertaking was to build a temple in Holland , but upon surveying the model it was adjudged that the united provinces were not rich enough to pay for it , whereupon the States generously

Information Desired.

This model was exhibited to public view , by authority , at Paris and Vienna , and afterwards in London , by a patent

under the seal of England , and signed Killigrew , in the reign of King Charles the Second . At the same time , Jacob Jehudah Leon published a description of tho

tabernacle and the temple , and dedicated it to his Majesty , and in the years 1750 and 1760 I had the pleasure of purusing and examining both these curiosities . The Arms

are emblazoned tnus : —quarterly per squares , counter charged Vert . In the first quarter , Azure a Lyon rampant Or , in the second quarter , Or , an ox passant sable ; in the third quarter , Or , a man with hand erect , proper robed , crimson and ermine ; in the fourth quarter , Azure , an eagle > J ¦ - •>¦ A MA ri i \ M I " nnn # - » V » ft l-i A . 1 n A «¦« r ^ W 4- V * A As-h « A w » A vt i . wk MA « n A-M \ i ui tuo uuvounut

. uisjjiii _ yt * u , jv , urca , uuiy » r » . , JJIUJJOI , supported by Cherubins , Motto , Kodes la Adonai , i . e ., Holiness to the Lord . " The question is , how much of the above narrative is true ; or is their any truth at all in it ? I was informed that the late Rev . Bro . Woodford was trying to find out

as to whether there was any truth in the above narrative , but could not find anything about it . Bro . Marvin , of Boston , not only expressed his utmost contempt for "r ^ rt * M * Yi /\ ++ ' ei -nnafanoiAn fv \ o Tr * n-n * n » lnrt-f »/ i o V * rv-i-i 1 . nn *\ M /\ n * . 'ifi 7 UUlll ± auuiiiuuuo Li / inui

KJVVO uiguvuoi-ju uu c-u CHUUUU cue bearings , but . also pronounced the whole story as apocryphal . That Rabbi Leon was a brother Mason in the 17 th century , is simply absurd , and that the States of

Holland were not rich enough to build such a templo is equally absurd . If the said Rabbi received a patent from tho King , a copy thereof "was probably preserved somewhere ;

and if the Rabbi published a book , a copy of tbe said book must also exist somewhere . At my suggestion a friend of mine made inquiries in Holland about the Rabbi Leon and his Temple , but it seems that nothing in Holland is

known about it . Within a few days , however , I gob ho'd of the catalogue of the Anglo-Jewish Historical Exhibition in the Royal Albert Hall , London , in 1887 , and on page s 20 and 211 found as follows : —

" 118 Masonic Arms W . H . RYLAND Designed by Jacob Jehudah Leon , snrnamed Templo , who visited London in 1678 , with a model of the Temp ip , whiih he was permitted to exhibit to Cnarles II . and his court . Templo was an ingenious draughtsman , aud designed

vignettes for the illnstration of tho Talmud , some of which were afterwards published by Snronhusia ? . The present exhibit consists of a painted mahogany pane ' , with arms of gold and colour , crest , supporters and Masonio emblem ? .

It was engraved by Laurence Dermott in his " Ahiman Rezon" ( 2 nd edit . London , 1764 ) and described from the collection of the famous and learned Eebrewist , architect * , and brother , Rabi Jacob Jehudah Leon . In the original , the motto was in Hebrew . "

Now , as the above paragraph contains some information not derived from Dermott's Ahiman Rezon ; such for instance as that of Rabbi Leon having designed vignettes for the illustration of the Talmud , and of his being known

as " Templo ; " this new information must have been obtained from some source . In order , therefore , to prevent future trouble to Masonic investigators upon the Rabbi Leon question , similar to the trouble given io several brethren on account of the Burns' Masonic Laureation

puzzle , 1 respecttully ask xsro . ttyiand to inform tbe Masonic brotherhood of all he knows or can learn about the famous " Rabi Jacob Jehudah Leon , " together with all particulars about the sources of his information , and who

Surenhusius was , and how much the narrative of Surenhusius agrees or disagrees with that given by Derraotfc ? In short , let us know all about it . Boston , U . S ., 12 th March 1889 .

Law-Suits Between Masons.

LAW-SUITS BETWEEN MASONS .

THE oldest printed Constitutions of tho Craft , those of Anderson , A . D . 1723 , truly assert Brotherly Love to be " the foundation and cope-stone , the cement and glory of this ancient Fraternity ; " and furthermore , they provido , that Freemasons to the utmost of their power , and in

profane concerns as well as Masonic , shall agree together ; or if they disagree , their Brethren shall in the first place decide between them . The Anderson " Constitutions , " for example , say , that

If any of them ( your Brethren ) do you injury , you must apply to your own or his Lodge ; and from thence you may appeal to the Grand Lodge at the Quarterly Communication , and from thence to the Annual Grand Lodge , as has been the ancient laudable conduct