Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
India.
mark her approbation of my services ; but you justly remark , that it is not only the honour itself that must be so gratifying to my feelings , but the way in which that honour has been conferred . There are , I have no doubt , many Scotsmen among you , and they will , I am sure , fully sympathize with a brother Scotsman in his feelings of pride and gratification on attaining so high an honour as that of the most ancient and noble order to which it has leased Sovereign to nominate me—an
p my honour of which every Scotsman , be he who he may , would be justly proud . Indeed , I am beholden to her majesty ' s ministers for many acts of kindness and favour , the more gratifying as conferred on one not of the same political party with themselves—and , I gladly avail myself of this opportunity of publicly expressing to a body of men , whom I may consider to represent in a great measure the community of India , my deep gratitude for , and appreciation of , the kindness and support
which I have received from her majesty ' s ministers , placed by their favour in the high position I occupy as Governor General of India , I shall make it my aim to carry out all objects that tend to the moral advancement and benefit of the inhabitants of this vast empire .
I fear , R . W . Sir , and worthy brethren , that you have too highly rated my position in the Craft . It was with great pleasure that I served my apprenticeship , and my brethren in Scotland subsequently nominated me to the highest post in the Craft ; but the toils and engagements of political life have interfered with my taking any active part in the concerns of the Craft for a long time past . It is , however , most gratifying to me to he received with so hearty a welcome on my arrival in this remote laud by a body of Masons—and I shall be ever ready to promote
the interests and benefit of the institution in this country on your pointing out to me the mode and opportunities of doing so . You ask me to become the patron of the Order in Bengal : understanding from the excellent sentiments embodied in this address , that strict discipline will be observed , that precept and example will go hand in hand , that temperance will guide you , and that the Craft will be kept pure—I accept with pride and pleasure the office you ask me to filland
, I do trust that I shall not have cause to regret that I have complied with your request , that I shall not have to be ashamed of any brother of the Order , or blush to hear myself named as a free and accepted Mason . After mutual salutations , the Lord Dalhousie and the deputation withdrew from the hall of audience .
THE MASONIC GOVERNOR-GENERAL . —The Earl of Dalhousie , like Theodosius , the' Roman emperor , never signs any papers till he has read them himself , or well understands their purport . The mention of one or two incidents will suffice to show his lordship ' s scrupulous husiness habits . To every document he attaches his initial D , with the clay of the week , and the date of the month . The frequent errors in orthography which unavoidably occur , from haste and inadvertence , seldom or never escape his lordship ' s vig ilant eyes . He even supplies the omission of the numeral adjectives , or articles , as they are wrongly called , a , an , or the , and of a parenthesis !
The Lodges in Bengal reach twenty-nine in number . Of these , there are eight at work at Calcutta , fifteen in the provinces , and six altogether in abeyance ; but we can hardly reckon on even the majority of the fifteen in the provinces as in an efficient state ; indeed , VOL . VI . Y Y
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
India.
mark her approbation of my services ; but you justly remark , that it is not only the honour itself that must be so gratifying to my feelings , but the way in which that honour has been conferred . There are , I have no doubt , many Scotsmen among you , and they will , I am sure , fully sympathize with a brother Scotsman in his feelings of pride and gratification on attaining so high an honour as that of the most ancient and noble order to which it has leased Sovereign to nominate me—an
p my honour of which every Scotsman , be he who he may , would be justly proud . Indeed , I am beholden to her majesty ' s ministers for many acts of kindness and favour , the more gratifying as conferred on one not of the same political party with themselves—and , I gladly avail myself of this opportunity of publicly expressing to a body of men , whom I may consider to represent in a great measure the community of India , my deep gratitude for , and appreciation of , the kindness and support
which I have received from her majesty ' s ministers , placed by their favour in the high position I occupy as Governor General of India , I shall make it my aim to carry out all objects that tend to the moral advancement and benefit of the inhabitants of this vast empire .
I fear , R . W . Sir , and worthy brethren , that you have too highly rated my position in the Craft . It was with great pleasure that I served my apprenticeship , and my brethren in Scotland subsequently nominated me to the highest post in the Craft ; but the toils and engagements of political life have interfered with my taking any active part in the concerns of the Craft for a long time past . It is , however , most gratifying to me to he received with so hearty a welcome on my arrival in this remote laud by a body of Masons—and I shall be ever ready to promote
the interests and benefit of the institution in this country on your pointing out to me the mode and opportunities of doing so . You ask me to become the patron of the Order in Bengal : understanding from the excellent sentiments embodied in this address , that strict discipline will be observed , that precept and example will go hand in hand , that temperance will guide you , and that the Craft will be kept pure—I accept with pride and pleasure the office you ask me to filland
, I do trust that I shall not have cause to regret that I have complied with your request , that I shall not have to be ashamed of any brother of the Order , or blush to hear myself named as a free and accepted Mason . After mutual salutations , the Lord Dalhousie and the deputation withdrew from the hall of audience .
THE MASONIC GOVERNOR-GENERAL . —The Earl of Dalhousie , like Theodosius , the' Roman emperor , never signs any papers till he has read them himself , or well understands their purport . The mention of one or two incidents will suffice to show his lordship ' s scrupulous husiness habits . To every document he attaches his initial D , with the clay of the week , and the date of the month . The frequent errors in orthography which unavoidably occur , from haste and inadvertence , seldom or never escape his lordship ' s vig ilant eyes . He even supplies the omission of the numeral adjectives , or articles , as they are wrongly called , a , an , or the , and of a parenthesis !
The Lodges in Bengal reach twenty-nine in number . Of these , there are eight at work at Calcutta , fifteen in the provinces , and six altogether in abeyance ; but we can hardly reckon on even the majority of the fifteen in the provinces as in an efficient state ; indeed , VOL . VI . Y Y