Table Of Contents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

PACE REVIEWSProv . G . L . of Leicestershire and Rutland ... 475 Freemasonry in Relation to Civil Authority ... 475 FREEMASONRY IN ENGIAND 475 & 476

OBITUARYBro . AA'illiam Dewhirst 476 CHAPTER . WORK 4766 c 477 CANADAGrand Chapter of Canada ... ... .. 477 Grand Priory ... ... ... 477 Red Cross of Rome arid Con : ' . antinc .. ... 477

SCOTLANDGlasgow Masonic Choir ... ... ... 477 The Craft 477 Royal Arch Masonry 477 IRELAND 478 THE GRAND ORIENT OP FRANCE 478 MASONIC BALE IN NEW ZEALAND ... . 47 S THE CRAFT 47 S & 479

MARK MASONRY ... 479 ORDERS OK CHIVALRY 479 ARK MARINER DEGREE 479 ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS ... 479 BIRTHS , MARRIAGES , AND DEATHS 4 S 0 ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 4 S 0 THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE 4 S 0 MULTUM IN PARVO 481

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCETemplar Commanderies . —Errors in Precedence 4 82 Hiram Abif 4 S 2 Elias de Dcrham Lodge .. ... ... 482 ANTIQUITY OP FREEMASONRY 4 S 3 et 484 J OTTINGS FROM MASONIC J OURNALS ... ... 4 S 4 ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF IMPROVEMENT ... 4 S 4 CONSECRATION OF THE KING HAROLD LODGE ... 4 S 4 POETRY

The Mystic Tie 485 A Rub for the Rusty 4 S 5 Reflections on thc All-Seeing Eye ... ... 4 S 5 MASONIC MEETINGS FOR NEXT VVLI ' K 4 S 5 A TATOOED FREEMASON 486 ADVERTISEMENTS ... 475 , 474 , 4 S 6 , 4 S 7 cl- 4 SS

Reviews.

Reviews .

Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire and Rutland : Its By-Laws , History , and Roll of Members since 1775 . By the R . W . Bro . WILLIAM KELLY , Provincial Grand Master .

The advent of Bro . Kelly to the Masonic throne in Leicestershire was hailed with great delight by the brethren of his province , as to his zeal and efficiency may be mainly attributed the enormous expansion of the Craft in that part of England . Our R . W . Brother has now produced a work

Avhich evinces , not only industry and research in the collection of materials , but great literary ability in its execution . He has traced records hitherto unknown , lie has brought to light documents long buried in oblivion , and thc result is a very interesting and instructive history of the Masonic Order in Leicestershire . Wc have

great pleasure in giving a few extracts from this truly excellent sketch , as thc writer very modestly designates it : — "Although thc office of Provincial Grand Master was first instituted by the Grand Lodge of England in the year 1726 , during the Grand Mastership of

James Hamilton , Lord Paisley , afterwards Earl of Abercorn , it was not until thc year 1774 that a ' deputation' was granted by Lord Petre , Grand Master , to Sir Thomas Fowke , Knt ., Groom of the Chamber to H . R . H . thc Duke of Cumberland , brother of George the Third , appointing him to

preside over the Craft in this province . " At that time none of thc present lodges were established , and it has long been considered doubtful whether any lodge , deriving its charter from thc Grand Lodge of England , was then actually in existence in the county . It is true that the warrant of

the lodge at Hinckley ( originally known as No . 47 , and more recently as ' the Knights of Malta Lodge ' , ) bears date the 30 th January , 1764 , but that document was granted by thc Earl of ' Kelly , ' Grand Master of the ( so-called ) Ancient , or , at a later period , Alholc Masons— a body of seeeders from

the authority of the Grand Lodge of England , who , in 1738 , had irregularly founded an independent Grand Lodge under the former of these names . Besides which , that Lodge had been originally held at Macclesfield , in Cheshire , and it was not until

the year 1803 that thc warrant was ' transferred to sundry brothers to convene at Hinckley , in Leicestershire , at such house and upon such time : - as may be most convenient . ' " There was also another of these Athole Lodges ( No . 91 ) , which was held at Leicester ; and which ,

Reviews.

like that at Hinckley , worked under authority of its warrant , not only the usual three degrees of Craft Masonry , but also the Mark ancl Ark Mariners , the Royal Arch , the ' Super Excellent , ' and the Knights Templars , and other chivalric degrees . The seals of this lodge for the different degrees are

in the writer ' s possession ; but thc records , which not many years ago remained in the custody of Mr . Davey , the son of one of the former members ( who died at the age of 9 6 ) , are now unfortunately lost , Mr . Davey not knowing what has become of them . It is hoped , however , they may hereafter be

recovered . " We are thus prevented from obtaining any definite information as to the career of this old lodge , and the records of the Grand Lodge of England do not even supply the date of its formation . From that source , however , wc learn that Robert Gray

was the first Master , Sampson Skidmore the first Senior Warden , and Thomas Phipps the first Junior AVarden of thc Lodge , which , it seems , after a time became dormant , but was revived in 1775 , when Bro . AVilliam Burlcy was R . W . M ., and thc lodge was to meet at thc sign of the Leather Bottle , or

elsewhere , in Leicester . It appears as No . 114 . on thc revision of numbers after thc union in 1814 , at which time it met at the George Inn , but having made no return to Grand Lodge subsequently , it was erased in 1821 . " The general belief during the present century

has been that this lodge—which , like most of the early lodges , possessed no distinctive title ( unless , indeed , it might be the sign of thc house where they met)—was the earliest , and , up to 1 790 , the only lodge oi speculative Masons ever formed in Leicester ; but recent research has shown that more than

a century ago two lodges of Freemasons were at work here , and we know not how much earlier . "Thc Leicester and Nottingham Journal , of May 7 th , 1 763 , gives an account of the rejoicings in Leicester on the 5 th May , in celebration of thc day of thanksgiving for the-peace with France . On that occasion the High Sheriff of the County , the Mayor

and aldermen in their scarlet gowns , and the rest of the Corporation , also robed , went in procession from thc Town-hall through the principal streets of the town . They were accompanied ( among other bodies ) by ' Two lodges of the most ancient , honourable , friendly , and agreeable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons .

" ' ORDER OF THE PROCESSION . " ' ist—The Tyler , with his sword and jewel . "' Two present Masters of lodges , with their propel jewels , each bearing , in their left hands , the Bible , compass , and square , belonging to each lodge , and in their right hand , each a common gavel .

" ' lhree late Masters , with their proper jewels , each hearing , in their left hand , their authority from the Grand Lodge , with Book of Constitutions , rules , and orders , & c , & c . "' Two Senior and two Junior AVardcns , with their jewels and columns of their Order in their right hands . " 'Two Secretaries , with their jewels , & c .

" ' Two Senior Deacons , with their formalities , as above . " 'The other Tyler , with his sword and jewel , as above . " ' AU elegantly dressed , according to the formality , and kept up with exactness and decorum peculiar lo llieir Ancient Order . '

" One of thc lodges here mentioned was undoubtedly N 0 . 91 , as the writer possesses the Grand Lodge certificate of Bro . AVilliam Licquorich , a member of thc lodge , dated the roth day of September , 1764 . This document , which is written on parchment , seven and a-half inches by four , consists of thirteen

lines , thc first six of which are in Latin , and thc remainder in English . It is in thc beautiful handwriting , and bears thc signature of the celebrated Laurence Dermott , Past D . G . M . and G . Sec . ( the author of ' Ahiman Rezon' ) , and has the seal ol

the Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons affixed , the device being the square and compasses , surmounted by a dagger within a circle , inscribed with thc motto , ' Virtue and silence , Grand Lodge of London . '' '

f 7 i > be roiii : in / .: ! . ) Freemasonry in Relation to Civil Authority and the Family Circle ; by Bro . CHALMERS I . BATON . London : George Kenning , Little Britain . We c ; ui thoroughly commend this book

to the consideration of every Mason . Tlie views of thc writer on many important questions arc sound , logical , and well expressed . He has all the acumen of thc metaphysician , coupled with the graceful

style of tlie . scholar , and we may fairly say that this little work will add to thc literary reputation which Bro . Baton has already achieved . We shall give a few extracts in a future number .

Freemasonry In England.

FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND .

BY THE SON or SALATHIEL . { Continued from page 445 . ) It has been suggested that the impostors Phealon and Mackey , in attempting to palm off upon their disciples a pretended Royal

Arch Degree really originated the fabulous account of Freemasonry , afterwards perpetuated in the Order of " Royal Ark Mariners . " There is a certain amount of probability in this conjecture , inasmuch as the " rainbow" is commemorated in the

latter degree at the present day , as the typical " arch of heaven ; " but at the same time , it may be observed , that accordi" ^ ti ancientCrafttraditionstheprimitive M - . ¦•0 : 1 s were termed Noachidte , or children OYY . J Y \

and thc Ark itself would naturally be regarded with veneration as the visible instrument of the preservation of thc human race . The Noachidtu , as the Ark Mariners are still designated , must not , however , be

confounded with the Noachites , or " Prussian Knights , " a degree conferred under Supreme Councils of the Ancient and Accepted Rite , as the former deduce their origin from Noah

and his sons , while the latter are content with tracing their descent to the postdiluvian era of " Peleg , the Grand Architect of the Tower of Babel . "

Another Order of Noachites appears to have existed in England many years ago . These worthies asserted that Masonry began about one hundred and fifty-four years after the flood , when the Tower of Babel was

built ; that Nimrod was the first Grand Master , and that the first lodge was held in the plains of Shinar , near Babylon , on the banks of the river Tygris . The Chaldean name of Nimrod was Belus , and the

Noachites affirmed that under this name , after-Avards corrupted into Baal or Bel , the mighty hunter and Freemason Avas worshipped by the ancient Avorld . These Noachites had but two degrees ,

known as thc Minors and the Majors parts , and a great part of the ritual Avas in doggrcl rhyme , like the curious couplets communicated to candidates in the Royal Order of Scotland . Thc following is a

specimen : — Attend , my brethren , all that round me stand , A \ hile 1 obey great Belus' dread command . Our brother here , upon examination , Desires I'll place him in a higher station .

A Minor ' s character has well maintain'd And answer'd all things well ; by which he gain'd The Signet rare , which Belus did ordain For such as could the Minor ' s art attain , That they may to the tow ' r repair , and be

Rccciv'd to work among thc Majors Free . 'Tis then my will and pleasure that he may Begin to work and enter into pay . Minors were admitted to the superior

degree of Major after they had climbed a great number of stairs , which was called " ascending thc tower . " Their installation took place in thc observatory , and the ceremony had thc merit of brevity if not

scnac : — On my two knees he ordered me to kneel , Before he could the secret word reveal ; A word to all but officers unknown ,

Because wc give it when wc arc alone ; The word is Belus , be it known to thee , 'Twas that great man gave birth to Masonry . But to return to the "Ancients , " although