Table Of Contents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

PAGE F REEMASONRY IN ENGLAND 555 T HE MARK D EGREE 555 & 556 T HE BASIS OF MASONIC SCIENCE 556 T HE MASONIC STUDENT 556 & 557 P ROV . GRAND LODGE OF DURHAM 557 PROV . GRAND LODGE OF AVEST

YORKSHIRELaying of the Memorial Stone of Thornton New Church 557 & 558 THE C RAFTMetropolitan 559 Provincial 559 ¦ R OYAL

ARCHMetropolitan 559 S COTLAND 559 ROYAL ARK MASONRYProvincial 559 POLITICAL MASONRY 560 REVIEWSCity and Suburb 560 . & 561

The Kingston Masonic Annual 561 MULTUM IN PAUVO 561 ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE — A Last AVord with Bro . Jacob Norton ... 562 The Purple _ . AVest Lancashire ... ... 562 Non-attendance and consequent Lossof Proxies 564

OBITUARYR . W . Brother Colonel Alexander J . Greenlaw , District Grand Master British Burmah .. 562 MARK MASONRYInstallation of the Prov . Grand Mark Master for Lancashire 563

Moveable Meeting of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masters at Leicester 563 & 564 Provincial 564 INITIATION OF THE CROWN PRINCE OF DENMARK 564 GRAND CHAPTER OF ENGLAND 564 PRESENTATION TO BRO . LUTY 564

POETRYFreemasonry s AVelcome to H . R . H . the Prince of AVales 565 PRESENTATIONS 565 MASONIC MEETINGS FOR NEXT AVEEK 565 ADVERTISEMENTS ... 553 , 554 , 565 , 566 , 567 , & 568

Freemasonry In England.

FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND .

BY THE SON OF SALATHIEL . ( Continued from page 508 . ^ Some of the resolutions adopted by the

" Ancients " are very quaint , and prove that the benefit society system Avas in practice amongst them . A few specimens may be quoted as examples : —

" Resolved and agreed that tlie private lodge to whom ( sic orig . ) a distressed Brother doth belong , shall support him ( if demanded ) until the monthly meeting next ensuing , where his Master or Wardens shall attend with a bill of the

expense , which bill shall be immediately paid out of the Grand Fund , provided such bill doth not exceed the sum of Ten shillings per week to a sick member , and seven shillings per week to a member confined for debt—this method to

hold in full force and virtue until the fund is at least fifteen pounds strong . " " Resolved and ordered that all Brethren of good character shall be and are entitled to this charity without regard to the length of time since they were admitted or made . "

" That Bro . John Mitchell of No . 2 shall continue to receive five shillings per week during his residence in thc country for the benefit of his health . " " That Thomas Reily of No . 14 shall receive

five shillings per week until he can be conveyed to an hospital . " It is also worthy of note that the first ' Ancient" lodge held out of London Avas one held under a warrant granted to some

brethren at Bristol on 3 rd October , 1753 ; the next Avarrant of Avhich there is any record being one issued to Bros . Collins , Radford , and Bridge , of Manchester , on thc 18 th June ,

v 5 S . The first lodge established abroad a Ppears to have been one which was charged ist December , 1756 , and held at Gibraltar .

Freemasonry In England.

But to resume the chronicle of proceedings . On the 2 nd March , 1757 , certain unfounded accusations were brought against Bro . Dermott , who , in the course of his

vindication from the charge of having been made a Mason clandestinely , proved that he had been regularly installed Master of Lodge No . 26 , Dublin , on the 24 th June ,

1746 ; and further produced a certificate of his initiation , signed by Bro . Edward Spratt , Grand Secretary of Ireland . The unworthy calumniator of Bro . Dermott ' s

good name was thereupon at once expelled by the Grand Lodge . On the 13 th March , 1757 , the Grand Secretary traced and explained the first , second , and third parts of

the Ancient Craft to an assemblage of fortysix brethren , representing twenty-five lodges , all present pledging themselves to cultivate the same in their several spheres

of Masonic labour . At the quarterly meeting held on 7 th September , 1757 , a petition was presented from "His Excellency Charles Lawrence , Governor of Nova

Scotia ; Major Erasmus James Philips , William Nisbett , Alexander Murray , and fifty-seven others , praying to be warranted , viz ., one Provincial Grand Warrant and two

private warrants for the province of Nova Scotia . " This is evidently the first instance of the formation of provincial authorities

under the sanction of the " Ancient" Grand Lodge . The Earl of Blesinton Avas reelected to the chair at this meeting , and Bros . Robert Goodman and William Osborn

Avere elected Grand Wardens . On the ist March , 1758 , an important communication from Br . John Calder , Grand Secretary of Ireland / was read . In this letter

the members of the Irish Grand Lodge conveyed their Avish to enter into constant correspondence with the Ancient Grand Lodge in London , and to cement a strict union between the two bodies—a desire which

was faithfully carried into effect for many years afterwards . A brother of the lodge No . 60 , at Worcester , Avas " excluded from all lodges " for gross violations of the rules

of the Order , no less than fifteen brethren testifying to his evil practices . At the festival on St . John ' s Day , June 24 , 1758 , the proper healths were drunk , viz ., " The

Grand Master , " with 9 ; " The D . GM . " , with 7 ; " The Grand Wardens , " with 5 ; " All regular Lodges , " Avith 5 ; " A speedy recovery of health to the Grand Secretary , " with 3—

the latter being given as Bro . Dermott was confined to his bed through illness . On the 6 th December , 1758 , all lodges held in the army were excused from contributing to the

general fund . At this period the expansion ofthe Ancient Craft assumed great proportions , and the supporters of the " Old

Institutions " consequently soon became formidable rivals to the so-called Modern Grand Lodge . ( To he continued ) .

THE Rock newspaper has been enlarged , and placed under new editorial conduct , and more completely adapted to the family than heretofore . It is a consistent exponent of Evangelical Church of England principles , and has already obtained the support of the great body

of those by whom these principles arc held . Many names well known in the literary world are included in its list of contributors . AVe trust our contemporary may find thousands of new subscribers to justify this spirited extension of its original design .

The Mark Degree.

THE MARK DEGREE .

BY A SCOTTISH MARK MASTER . Sufficient has been written about the Mark Degree , more especially of late , to prove its increasing importance , and the firm hold it has taken on the minds of a large majority of the

brethren , and although some of us are , unfortunately , divided as to the jurisdiction claimed over it by the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland , still we have every reason to believe that an early adjustment of all the

disputed points will take place . We do not suppose we are violating any confidence when we state , that the consent ofthe supreme governing bodies interested has been obtained to a conference , to define authoritatively for the future

the status of the Mark Degree in connection with the Craft at large . This brings us to a most important point . Should the Grand Lodge of Mark Masters of Englandbe recognised as the Supreme Governing

Body of the degree in this country , we think it would be only just and proper , that this Grand Body should also be recognised as the head of all those degrees , which , although not acknowledged by the United Grand Lodge of England ,

are in other countries looked upon with a certain amount of respect , as collateral Masonic degrees . We allude to all those degrees which have no chivalric connection , and which may be looked on as adjuncts to that Masonry which in England

ends with the Holy Royal Arch . We may mention , among others , the degrees of Excellent , Most Excellent , and Super-Excellent Master , Royal and Select Master , Royal Ark Mariner , and Knights of the Babylonish Pass or Red

Cross of Babylon . None of these degrees have any Christian allusions or teachings , and may with propriety be looked upon as connecting links in the great chain of Hebrew Masonry . To a certain extent , a movement is being made

in this direction , by the G . L . of M . M . assuming judicatory powers over the Royal Ark Mariners ' degree , and absorbing the so-called "Grand Vessel" lately "floated" by a brother in London . As to the very irregular proceedings of this

" launch , " time will not permit us to refer at length , but we may ask the question : —Should the writer , find , borrow , or purchase an old patent of Sovereign G . I . G ., 33 , the late property of some deceased Masonic celebrity , would

that document constitute him a member of the 33 , with power to act according to the laws of that august body ? Or , would the mere possession of an old Craft warrant be sufficient to elect and instal its temporary owner or finder , the W . M .

of a Craft Lodge ? This is surely the rcductio ad absurdum , and is mirabilc dictu what has been actually done by the " Most Worshipful Sovereign Grand Commander Noah , " self-styled and self-constituted ( we must apologise to this

brother if we have omitted any of his styles and titles ) . We are exceedingly glad the Grand Lodge of M . M . has " swallowed up " this mushroom growth , and trust that it will speedily annex those other degrees Ave have mentioned .

By working the degree of Mark Master and the Excellent degrees , the G . L . of M . M . would become a means of enabling an English Royal Arch Mason to visit his brethren in Scotland , Ireland , Canada , and the United States on

equal terms , as it is well known that England is the only Masonic country possessing the Royal Arch which does not insist on these degrees being taken by the candidate for exaltation j and at present it is productive of great

inconvenience to an English brother when visiting , say a Scottish Royal Arch Chapter , to be compelled to wait in the ante-room during the time the preliminary degrees are being worked . This boon to our English brethren will no doubt be

obtained by the consent of the " high contracting parties" to the recognition of the English Grand Mark Lodge , and its consequent establishment as the chief governing body of the

minor degrees . The degrees of Royal and Select Master are not worked at all in this country at present , but they have just been introduced into Canada from America , and their importation into this country is only a question of time , as