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OUR brethren at the Antipodes appear to be extremely Governor of fortunate—in this respect , at all events , that the distin-South Australia . gu _ srie ( j personages who have lately been appointed Governors of sundry of our great Australasian Colonies are , at the same

time , members of high standing in the Society of Freemasons . Bro . Lord CARRINGTON , at the time of his appointment as Governor-General of New South Wales , was P . S . G . W . of England , and since then has been installed Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales . Bro . the Earl of ONSLOW , whom we referred to last week as being about to sail

for New Zealand , as the Governor of that prosperous Colony , is also a P . S . G . W . of England—both in Craft and Mark Masonry ; and now we have a third case in Bro . the Earl of KINTORE , who sails shortly for South Australia , of which he has been appointed Governor , and who is a Past GMaster of our Mark Grand Lodge , Substitute G . Master of the Grand

Lodge of Scotland , and 2 nd Grand Principal of its Grand Chapter . No doubt Bro . Lord KINTORE will have a pleasant time of it , masonically , during his sojourn at Adelaide . Though he will find no English or Scotch lodges in the Colony , we may be sure he will receive a hearty welcome from

lodges and brethren ol the South Australian Constitution , who are no longer subordinate to the bodies which founded them , but have a separate and independent G . Lodge of their own , with our illustrious Grand Master as its Grand Patron .

Masonic Facts—Not Fictions.

MASONIC FACTS—not FICTIONS .

BY BRO . JNO . LANE . Bro . Sadler , in his work entitled " Masonic Facts and Fictions , " has honoured me by associating my name with those of Bros . Gould , Hughan , Woodford , and others , with all of whom he " totally disagrees " on the subject of the origin of the " Ancient" Grand Lodge .

Under . these circumstances , it may be as well for me to state the reasons for the faith that is in me ; and I propose to do this in such a manner as to enable any person to trace and distinguish , step by step , the "facts , " eschewing " fiction " altogether .

I . First of all , it is admitted that from 1717 there existed a Grand Lodge of Freemasons , having its head-quarters in London ; that this Grand Lodge ( afterwards known as the " Moderns " ) was the mother of all the Grand Lodges in the world ; and that , at the commencement of 1751 , there were about 70 London lodges upon its Register .

2 . That about the year 1729 a Grand Lodge of Freemasons was formed in Ireland . 3 . That numbers of Freemasons , many of whom had undoubtedly been members of lodges in Ireland , were resident in London in 1751 .

4 . That , whatever their nationality , these Freemasons could not have been ignorant of the fact that there then existed a Grand Lodge in London having numerous subordinate lodges meeting in the Metropolis , as well as in various parts of the country .

5 . That , with such knowledge , these Freemasons undoubtedly sought and obtained membership with one or more of the lodges then working in London .

6 . That one of the results of their membership was the acquisition of the knowledge that some variation , either in ceremonial or in some other important particulars , existed between the London lodges and those to which they formerly belonged .

7 . That these Freemasons could never have been in a position to say that the Mother Grand Lodge ( subsequently styled ' •Moderns " ) or its subordinate lodges , did not practice what they termed " Ancient" Masonry ,

unless they had previously , by becoming members of the " Modern " organisation , made themselves acquainted with their peculiar and distinctive methods , and that these methods were contrary to , or different from , those to which they had been elsewhere accustomed .

8 . That consequently , finding the " Modern methods were unlike theirs , and possibly being unable to obtain any footing for their own theories or practices , these Freemasons left the " Modern " lodges , and inaugurated a rival Grand Lodge on the 17 th July , 1751 , when , according to their own records , they " met ( at the Turk ' s Head Tavern , in Greek-street , Soho ) , to revive the Ancient Craft . "—Vide Morgan ' s Register .

Surely then , it necessarily follows that , as these brethren could never have understood what the " Moderns " taught and practised , unless they had been actual members of some " Modern " lodge or lodges , their departure from those lodges constituted an actual secession , resulting ultimately in the formation of the rival Grand Lodge .

This is my common-sense and matter-of-fact way of looking at the subject . It violates no principle , it ignores no evidence , and it strains at no "facts . " It , moreover , coincides with what their own Grand Secretary , Laurence Dermott , himself wrote , as early as 6 th December , 1752 , when the "Ancient" organisation had not been 17 months in existence , and when

the circumstances must have been better known than now , for he distinctly says : "That , many manuscripts were lost amongst the lodges lately modernized , where a vestige of the Ancient Craft was not suffered to be revived or practized , and that it was for this reason so many of them voithdrevifrom lodges { under the Modern sanction ) to support the true Ancient system . "

Whether the " Moderns or the " Ancients were in possession of the most orthodox working is no part of the question , and cannot affect the issue . It is clear to me , at any rate , from the circumstances above stated , that many members of the older ( or " Modern " ) lodges did secede therefrom , prior to their uniting together to form a Grand Lodge for themselves . Torquay , January 29 th .

BERKELEY HOTEL ( late St . James ' s ) , 1 , Berkeley-street and 77 , Piccadilly , London , W . First class accommodation for residents , with a Restaurant newlyattached for high class luncheons and dinners , at fixed prices and a la carte . C . DIETTE , Manager . —[ ADVT . ]

Bro. Henry Josiah Whymper.

BRO . HENRY JOSIAH WHYMPER .

Our good friend and Bro . Whymper , of Murree , East India , has been singled out for a special honour by the Grand Master of " The . Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire , " of which her Majesty the Queen is Sovereign as Empress of India . It will be remembered that this Order was instituted in January , 1878 , the Viceroy and Governor-General of India for the time being holding the distinguished rank of Grand Master . In the "New Year Honours" for India , announced in the Civil and

Military Gazette and other papers just to hand , occurs the name of " Henry Josiah Whymper , Esq ., of Murree , as Commander of the Indian Empire . ' ' It is a pleasing feature of the distribution of these honours , that all the papers I have so far seen unite in approving of the compliment thus paid

to Bro . Whymper , as " a suitable recognition of a representative man . " The Pioneer states that the selections will be generally considered as exceptionable , and they have , at any rate , the merit of being made on intelligible grounds , " and considers that " Mr . Whymper , CLE ., is a good representative of the Anglo-Indian Industries . "

Bro . Whymper ' s name will be familiar to many in England as the author of that remarkable work on " The Religion of Freemasonry , " which has taken its place amongst the most useful and interesting volumes ever written on the religious characteristics of the Fraternity . A few of us , however , know him best as a member of our " Quatuor

Coronati ' Lodge , No . 2076 , London , and as the Local Secretary for the Punjab . His generous assistance to the lodge in regard to the publication of the noted " Halliwell MS . " ( to which also he has prepared a valuable introduction ) , has endeared him to all Masonic students , and I trust that he will long be spared to continue to be one of the most brilliant Masonic lights in the great country of India .

Bro . Whymper was initiated in No . 1413 , Rawul Pindee , in 1872 , and has been a founder of several lodges , in one of which , No . 1448 , he served as W . M . in 1777 . For some years he was also Deputy Dist . G . M . of the Punjab , but retired from the office quite recently . As he is scarcely yet in the " prime of life , " we may all hope for more additions to his literary labours , and I am glad to know he is now preparing a second edition of the catalogue of his Masonic Library . Every success to Bro . H . J , Whymper , CLE . w > j HUGHAN .

Supreme Grand Chapter.

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER .

The following is the business on the agenda paper to be transacted on Wednesday , the 6 th February next : — The minutes of the last Quarterly Convocation to be read for confirmation . THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL PURPOSES . To the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England . The Committee of General Purposes beg to report that they have examined the accounts from the 17 th October , 1888 , to the 15 th January , 1 SS 9 , both inclusive , which they find to be as follows :

To Balance , Grand Chapter £ 255 11 11 By Donationjo Girls' School £ 105 o o „ „ Unappropriated „ Purchase of £ 300 2 J per Account ... 191 1 7 Cent . Consols and „ Subsequent Receipts ... 365 ' 12 1 Commission 291 o o ———— „ Disbursements during the S 12 5 7 Quarter 281 iS 7 „ Amount overdrawn on „ Balance — Unappropri-G . Chapter Account 55 2 1 ated Account ... 1 S 9 9 1 £ S 67 7 8 £ 86 7 7 8 which balance , less £ 55 2 s . id ., overdrawn on Grand Chapter account , is in the Bank of England , Western branch . The Committee have likewise to report that they have received the following petitions : —

ist . From Comps . Horatio Ward , as Z . ; Edward Cooper Fenoulhet , as H . ; Henry Corbet Jones , as J . ; and eight others for a chapter to be attached to the Ethelbert Lodge , No . 2099 , Heme Bay , to be called the St . George ' s Chapter , and to meet at the Masonic Rooms , Heme Bay , in the county of Kent .

2 nd . From Comps . Richard Wealthy Forge , as Z . ; Charles Stevens , as H . ; Richard Richardson Collick , as J . ; and six others for a chapter to be attached to the Sir Charles Bri ght Lodge , No . 1793 , Teddington , to be called the Sir Charles Bright Chapter , and to meet at the Clarence Hotel , Teddington , in the county of Middlesex . The foregoing petitions being in all respects regular , the Committee recommend that the prayers thereof be respectively granted .

The Committee have received a petition from the Principals and members ot the De Mowbray Chapter , No . 1130 , Melton Mowbray , Leicestershire , praying for a charter of confirmation , the original having been accidentally destroyed by fire . The Committee recommend that a charter of confirmation be granted for the above chapter . The Committee have also received memorials , with copies of minutes , on the removal of the under-mentioned chapters :

The Kingston Chapter , No . 1010 , Hull , for permission to remove from the Masonic Hall , Worthip-street , to the MasonicH all , Kingston-sq ., Hull . The Bridson Chapter , No . 613 , Southport , for permission to remove from the Freemasons' Hall , Eastbank-street , to the Masonic Hall , Lordstreet , Southport .

The Chapter of Concord , No . 223 , Plymouth , for permission to remove from 193 , Union-st ., to the Freemasons'Hall , No . 1 , Princess-sq ., Plymouth . The Committee , being satisfied of the reasonableness of the requests , recommend that the removal of these chapters be sanctioned .

The Committee have further to report that the Enoch Chapter , No . II ( London , through neglect of the law as contained in Article 73 of the Royal Arch Regulations , has recently exalted a brother at a less period than 12 cal endar months—namely , five months—from the date of his becoming a Master Mason .

The Committee have inflicted a fine of £ 1 is . on the chapter , have admonished it to be more observant of the law in future , and have ordered the candidate in question to be re-obligated before a Grand Chapter certificate is issued for him . ( Signed ) ROBERT GREY , President . Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C , 16 th January , 1889 .