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Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 4 , 18 99

The Quarterly Convocation of Supreme G . Chapler was held at Freemasoi . s' Hall , under the presidency of Comp . Earl Amherst , as Grand Z ., on Wednesday , the 1 st instant , when Ihere was a fair attedance of G . Officers and the Principals of Chapters . The business as publibhcd in our . last week ' s issue was transacted , and G . Chapter was closed after a brief sitting .

» * In the course ol the proceedings Comp . Earl Amherst announced that his Royal Highness the M . E . Grand Z . had been pleased to appoint him as Pro Grand Z . in succession to the late lamented Earl

of Lathom and Comp . the Earl of Warwick , as Grand H . As regards Comp . W . Sergeant Lee ' s motion , that Grand Chapter shou ! d sanction " a gold braid or chain to be attached to the red collars of Past First Princi pals or Installed First Principals , " it was

Masonic Notes.

as' will be ' seen from our report , withdrawn on the understanding that the question , with others of a ccgnate character , should be referred to the Committee of General Purposes . * * »

A meeting of the General Committee of the West Lancashire Masonic Educational Institution will be held at the Masonic Hall , Liverpool , this ( Friday ) evening , at 7 p . m ., when the applications of 10

children to be placed on the list of candidates for election at the next Court of Governors will be considered . Four of these are for the Educational Fund , three for the Combined Fund , and three for the Advancement Fund .

* * We have received a letter from an influential brother in the West of England on the subject of the honorarium recently recently voted to the Secretary ol the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys by the

Quarterly Court of Governors with an earnest request that we should publish it in our correspondence columns . Had the discussion on this subject been still in progress , we should have had no hesitation in complying with his request , but we trust that , on

further consideration , he will agree with us as to the undesirability of re-opening a discussion which has been closed . The money was voted almost unanimously at the Quarterly Court in October last and the vote was confirmed almost as unanimously at the

Quarterly Court last month . Thus , no amount of protest on the part of lodges or brethren can avail to undo what has been done and under these circumstances we feel sure he will excuse us for not complying with his wishes .

* * * One remark we do feel called upon to make , and that is , to express the hope that our correspondent has been misinformed as to the possibility of brethren

withholding their subscriptions from the approaching Festival in behalf of the Girls' School in consequence of this gift . It will be exceedingly hard lines for that Institution if such a course is adopted .

* » A correspondent writes to ask if we can furnish him with the name of any lodge in which the Swedenborgian Rite is practised either in the Midlands or in

London , There is no mention of any such lodges in the " Cosmo , " nor have -we ever heard of there being any in existence in England . Perhaps some of our readers may be able to answer the question .

We have received copies of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of All Scottish Freemasonry in India at the Quarterly Communication on the 22 nd October and the Annual Communication on Wednesday , the 30 th November ( St . Andrew ' s Day ) . Both meetings

were held at Freemasons Hall , Byculla , Bombay , the presiding officer at the earlier being Bro . P . N . Wadia , Grand Master Depute , as Grand Master , and at the later , Bro . J . W . Smith , Past Grand Master . At the quarterly meeting the office-bearers for the ensuing

year were elected , and the acting Grand Master , in the brief address he delivered , expressed , by desire , the thanks of his Excellency Lord Sandhurst , M . W . Grand Master , to the retiring office-bearers for the manner in which they had discharged their duties . The presiding officer also passed in review the leading events of the

past year , congratulating the brethren on the harmony which , except in one or two cases , had prevailed among the . lodges , and the satisfactory state of the funds ol Grand Lodge . He also mentioned that considerable progress was being made with the erection of the new Hall in Bombay , which , it was hoped , would be finished within the appointed time .

* * * At the annual meeting on St . Andrew ' s Day , the new office bearers were obligated and invested At the conclusion of this portion of the business , Bro , K . R . Cama , acting G . Master Depute , presented B ; j J . W . Smith , Past G . Master , with a very handsome

ivory gavel , in recognition of the great services he had rendered to Scottish Freemasonry in India during the five years he had held the office of Grand Master ; and Bro . Smith having briefly expressed his acknowledgments for the gift , G . Lodge was clos . ed , and the brethren held their Grand Festival , under the presidency of the acting Grand Master .

« # The District Grand Lodge of Bombay held its regular half-yearly communication at Freemasons ' Hall , Byculla , on Tuesday , the 29 th November last . In the unavoidable absence , on official duty , of His Excellency Lord Sandhurst , Pro Dist . G . Master , the chair was occupied by Bro . I . M . Shields , Dep . Dist .

Masonic Notes.

G . M ., who was well supported by the Dist . G . Officers , both Present and Past , and the representatives of lodges . The acting Dist . G . Master , as usual , passed in review the events of the preceding six months , there being two or three matters of no little moment to which he felt it to be his duty to call the attention of Dist . Grand Lodge . One circumstance in particular appears to us to be not a little singular .

* * * As our readers are aware , in the great majority , if not in all , the colonies and possessions of the British Crown , the three home G . Lodges exercise—and , in our opinion , rightly exercise—concurrent jurisdiction . Those who quit the mother country in order to settle in a British

colony or possession are not English , Scotch , or Irish , but English , Scotch , and Irish indiscriminately , who take with them not only their worldly possessions , but also their Masonry , if they happen to be Masois . As the principles of Masonry are precisely the same under the three Constitutions , it is in the ordinary course of

things to find the menbers of a colonial lodge of all Constitution should prefer its own system of working , three nationalities . But it is also quite natural that each and , accordingly , when there are a sufficient number of Irish or Scottish brethren to form a lodge or lodges of their own , it is usual for the Grand Lodge at home

to give its sanction for their establishment . The Colonial Grand Lodges already formed are composed of the English , Irish , and Scottish lodges previously warranted from home , while in South Africa , Queensland , Western Australia , and elsewhere there are lodges of all three Constitutions working harmoniously side by side .

» * * In his address on this occasion , the acting District Grand Master mentioned that in May last it came to his knowledge that an attempt was being made to establish an Irish lodge in Bombay , and that a petition had already been sent to the Grand Lodge of Ireland for a charter . As there are no Irish lodges in Bombay ,

Bro . Shields may readily be excused for being unaware of this rule of custom as regards concurrence of jurisdiction in our Colonies and possessions . Accordingly , after consulting with the executive of the Grand Lodge of All Scottish Freemasonry , it was agreed that each should address the Grand Secretary of his Constitution on the subject . * * *

This was accordingly done , and the Acting Dist . G , Master received in due time from the G . Secretary of England a communication to the effect that he ( the said G . Sec . ) had spoken to an " influential officer of the Grand Lodge of Ireland" on the subject , and had received from him an assurance that no warrant for

such a lodge would be granted " unless recommended by anexisting lodge " in the city of Bombay ; and that he ( the G . Secretary ) agreed with Bro . Shields " as to the undesirability of establishing a lodge in Bombay under a third constitution . " Thus , as there is no Irish lodge in Bombay , there is none to recommend

the recent or any other petition to the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and we are naturally left to draw for ourselves the inference that no lodge under the Irish Constitution will be warranted by that Grand Lodge . On this point we shall have some observations to make on a future occasion .

* * » Among the other matters to which Bro . Shields , as acting Dist . G . Master , referred are the receipt of a petition for the formation of a new lodge at Rajkot , which has been forwarded to his Royal Highness the M . W . G , Master for his decision , but in respect of which H . E

the Pro Dist . G . Master has for " sufficient reasons " conceived it to be his duty to withhold his recommendation for the present . It is further mentioned that on visiting certain of the up-country lodges , the acting Dist . G . M . observed an altar or pedestal on the floor of

thelodge , ' on which the Sacred Writings were displayed and at which candidates were obligated . " Regarding this as an innovation , and inconsistent with the requirements of our ritual , Bro . Shields communicated with the Grand Secretary and obtained from him a decision as to the practice being irregular

* * * Bro . Shields , also referred to certain cases in upcountry lodges in which brethren who had previously been members were re-admitted without ballot , and in testimony of this further irregularity gave the official

ruling which he had received from the Grand Secretary on the question . He also announced that satisfactory progress was being made with the erection oi the new hall , and expressed the hope that the next communication of the Dist . < " " -. Lodr _ e would be held within its walls .