-
Articles/Ads
Article FREEMASONRY in IRELAND. Page 1 of 2 Article FREEMASONRY in IRELAND. Page 1 of 2 Article FREEMASONRY in IRELAND. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Ireland.
FREEMASONRY in IRELAND .
BY BRO AVILLIAM J AMES HUGHAN . ( Continuedfrom page 197 . ) A long letter by Bro . Alexander Seton , Deputy Grand Secretary for the Seceders , pretty fully embodies the reasons for
opposition to the Grand Lodge at Dublin , and Ave will therefore give it in its entirety , as also reports of Grand Lodges held June 6 th , 1810 , and 3 rd June 1 S 12 , and a letter respecting the Grand Masonic Hall and Orphan School : —
SIR AND BROTHER , June , 1810 . In my last letter , dated 5 th April , 1810 , I was obliged to expose to Masonic view one of those exertions of ingenuity , which , although in legal contemplation , amounted not to the crime of forgery ; yet , morally and Masonically speaking , was one of
the most dishonest and unprincipled that duplicity ever resorted to . It was not a mere simple falsehood , the disgrace of which , on detection , must fall on the promulgators , but it was a compound fabrication , which might have involved in it the names of brethren in the sister cotlntry , but whose noble
rank and illustrious character fortunately removed far from them the imputation which might attach to personages whose virtues may be less readily acknowledged even where their conduct is best known . I did entertain a hope , which , for the Masonic honour of the parties , I sincerely regret
has not been realised , that the family of the once Grand Master of Masons in Ireland would , on his and their own behalf , have seized the earliest opportunity to disclaim all association in that fabrication . I was willing and weak enough to suppose that the detection of the imposition having rendered
it unproductive of the desired effect , the honour and the integrity of the Mason would have been roused into an indignant rejection of any participation in the reproach and contempt which ever attends base and unsuccessful management ; such was the idea I had formed of those who profess to have " no
other object in view than the honour and the interest of the Order . " I must now , however unwilling , retract that opinion , and acknowledge , as I have been emphatically told by one of these parties , that " I knew not the sort of men I had to deal with . " It is , however , fair to state that on a
recent occasion the D . G . Master , from the chair of the Dublin G . Lodge , expressed great indignation on reading the detection contained in that letter ; but , observe , the indignation was levelled , not at the parties concerned in thc fabrication , but at thc party who detected it . I must confess on such occasions I
prefer , notwithstanding the Deputy ' s indignation , the character of detector to that of detected ; and I had rather be the object of enmity by exposing duplicity and falsehood than of friendship as having been guilty of them . In this , I trust , there is no peculiarity of taste , but as questions of such nature
bear not an argument , I pretend not to prescribe in that respect to others . The D . G . M . on the same occasion declared that such things were infamous ; I agree with him , and add , nothing can be more infamous ; but , you will again observe , it is to those convicted of the act the
infamy belongs , and not to the detector . AVhatevcr guilt attaches to the hitter I freely take to myselfthe rectitude of the former I must leave to the proper owners . I am much afraid this explanation will not gratify them , but as they are not bound to be pleased , so neither am I bound to please them .
The D . G . M . having thus indulged his indignation against the absent detector , challenged an inquiry into the Masonic conduct of his Principal , and as I knew that " any statement oi" facts is to that Principal a matter of perfect indifference , " I cannot be supposed in the slightest degree to injure his
feeling by accepting that challenge ; and although the Masonic world and the Deputy may somcwliatdiffer in their sentiments on these facts , " thc freedom from partialities and prejudices , " and the total absence from the Grand Master ' s contemplation of " any other object than the honour ancl thc interests
of Masonry , " yet I may hope that thc difference of opinion in this case will not be visited on me as an offence more than thc peculiarity of taste in the former . It is a fact , that 21 years ago , after the late Marquis of Downshire and the late Duke of Leinstcr had declared themselves honoured by
being called to the Masonic Throne of Ireland , thc then Baron Donotighmorc condescended to succcd them . The benefits which followed that gracious condescension I cannot pretend to enumerate ; but thc first eighteen years may be well diviclcdintotwogr . ind periods , of which thc best account wc have , coining from his adopted and bosom friend , we may
Freemasonry In Ireland.
reasonably suppose those benefits suffer not from them any envious diminution . From 178 9 to 1797 , having certainly " no other object in view than the honour and the interests of the Order , " the Grand Master was entirely occupied by two most important employments : raising regiments for the honour of
Masonry , and establishing with equal disinterestedness a Grand Lodge in the city of Cork for the accommodation of twelve or fourteen lodges . Such great exertions , no doubt , required great repose , or in the classic language of the family friends , " having no more regiments to raise , the
Order was no longer an object of attention to the Grand Master . " This period of rest may well terminate with 1807 , some little dreams of resignation in 1805 and elections in 1 S 06 and 1807 , not being for the present worth observation . I would not here be supposed to detract from the merit or
deny the necessity of raising men to fight the battles of our country , and I am well persuaded that a man is not the worse soldier for being a good Mason . Corporal Trim says " the greatest cowards are always the greatest scoundrels , " I yet may doubt whether much advantage is derived to thc
principles of Masonry , or much honour to its practice , by converting the rendezvous into a lodge room or the Crimp Serjeant into a Master Mason . It may be objected to me that the Grand Lodge of Cork is called provincial ; ' tis true , but essentials are of more consequence than names . The Grand
Lodge of Cork does all acts within the power of a Grand Lodge , decides controversies , receives annual dues , dispenses these annual dues , honestly in charity , not dishonestly in litigation . 'Tis true , like other Grand Lodges , the Grand Lodge of Cork is not omnipotent ; for in 1808 , no doubt
without any solicitation on his part , twelve or fourteen members of that Grand Lodge invested their founder with an unlimited authority , not over themselves , but over the rest of the Masons of Ireland . The validity of this grant was unkindly denied , and the Grand Master was very cruelly refused the
benefits he expected from it , on this most ridiculous pretence : that three or four hundred lodges in Ulster ought to be in the Grand Master ' s estimation of at least equal importance with ten or twelve in Cork ; whereas it is well known that out of his
great impartiality he prefers one vote in Cork to one hundred in Ulster ; and that , barring a small trifle of family patronage which he has in view , and which we will mention hereafter , "he would not condescend to be Grand Master even in Dublin
wilh a single dissenting voice . " But here , again , you will observe a small distinction : every one who votes for him , even a Fellow Craft , is a good , valid , and existing vote ; but those who vote against him , so says the Deputy , are nonentities . Hence you learn the vast importance of being
allowed to contribute to family aggrandizement ; so long as you support a certain family with your votes , and a certain lawsuit with your money , you are the most honourable , independent , existing Masons in the world ; but the moment you withdraw your confidence from one , or your subscription from the
other , your Masonic existence terminates—you are nonentities . The D . G . M . has pronounced the sentence of annihilation from the Dublin Throne ; and extraordinary as it may appear , each Mason in the kingdom , the favourite city of Cork , and the brethren therein residing always excepted , although he may believe in his existence , attend his lodge ,
eat , drink , sleep , & c , & c , he is to all intents and purposes , Hutchinsonically speaking , a nonentity . It may be a point of doubt , which is most to be admired , the novelty of this idea , or the prudence of the Deputy ' s challenge springing from it—nonentity having neither person nor voice , there was little danger to be apprehended , the courage and wisdom balanced each other
So nicely pois'd , ' tis clear his brain OutwcigU'd his courage—half a grain . It is a fact , that between the months of June , rSoS , and December , 1 S 09 , a period in which thc Order in Dublin has not only been honoured by thc condescension of this Grand Master in holding
office , but also by thc superintendence of his Special Deputy , and his regular attendance on election nights , that the Fund of Charity has been distributed with a very liberal hand , no doubt to very deserving objects . Those of the greatest merit seem to be Mr . Ay . Hill and Mr . I . AVilliams ,
attorneys ; , £ 471 8 s . 4 d . is incontestible proof , not only of their deserts , but also of the strength of thc fund in 180 S ; ancl thc poverty in 1810 is evidenced by a balance in hands of £ 1 13 s . 3 d . This sum of , £ 47 1 8 s . 4 d . was a small tribute of gratitude for the Mnsonic talent and " best judgment " of a Grand Master who " perfectly free from prejudices or
partialities" with the experience of twenty-one years , "having no other object in view than the honour and interests of thc Order , " conducted that Order to a crisis equally honourable and advantageous . £ 1 13 s . 3 /_ d ., at thc end of twenty-one years , is nearly is . 7 c ! . per annum—incontestable proof of the great benefits received from such wonderful condescension . I must here confess , that
Freemasonry In Ireland.
in my opinion somewhat greater liberality has been used with respect to the charity money than the conductors of that fund are ready to evince with respect to their own money . Some people have the art of taking better care of their own money than of that with which others may entrust them .
In this I may be mistaken , and as nothing could afford these conductors greater satisfaction than to detect my errors , their friends have now the best opportunity to prove my ignorance , and their liberality ; let the lodges attached to them , according to the usage of the Cork brethren , which must
be right , suspend for two or three years the payment of their dues , and if in that time the Grand master of Dublin and his Deputy , the Grand Secretary and his Deputy , the Grand Treasurer , individually or collectively , expend in their Masonic litigation as many shillings of their own as they
have done pounds belonging to the Fund of Charity , I will again acknowledge that "I know not the kind of men I have to deal with . " 'Tis only fair to afford these liberal conductors an opportunity of proving in purse as well as in person their disinterested attachment to the Order , and their
perfect freedom from all interested and personal objects . Should I , however , be correct in myopinion , the brethren , by adopting this plan , will , at the end of two or three years , have the satisfaction to find their lodge chests , instead of being exhausted in idle litigation , replenished with means to relieve the
indigent and distressed brother , to give food to the hungry , to clothe the naked ; and the reflection that they are enabled so to do will give more gratification to the Masonic mind than can be derived from any measures of family aggrandizement or any display of family adulation ; and should the brethren
then deem it expedient to reimburse them their just and necessary expenses , it will afford a testimony of attachment on both sides—honourable and disinterested . Having disposed of these comparatively lighter matters , I will not at present enter into a detail of
the various occurrences which took place between the Grand Master ' s dream of resignation in 1805 and the meeting of 1808 , which was " to re-illume the sun of Masonry in Ireland , " nor will I now suppose the Grand Master fomented dissentions for the sole purpose of subjecting the Order of
Freemasonry in Ireland , in all its branches , to his absolute control ; to be afterwards wielded as a weapon of political consequence or converted into a tool of family aggrandizement . These points may afford matter for a future occasion ; the sug : gestion of them at present may be a caution to the
brethren that they may become not the victims of such artifice . But I will recall to your recollection the pomp with which the Grand Master assured the brethren of" his perfect freedom from partialities and prejudices , " and his having " no other object in view than the honour and the interests of the
Order . " AVhen " perfect freedom from partialities and prejudices , " and " no other object in view than the honour and the interests of the Order" are mentioned among Masons , it is not unnatural to suppose these expressions arc to be understood in their ordinary meaning , without any sinister design
or personal object skulking behind them ; but here again , in the family language , " you know not the kind of men you have to deal with . " Should it be my misfortune to prove duplicity of conduct , falsehood of statement , and breach of obligation , the portion of Masonic honour which remains will not
be very burthensome . You will , then , understand what is meant by " freedom from partialities , " and " know thc kind of men you have to deal with . " Among Masons , you know , guilt in the two former charges always implies guilt in the latter : the Mason who endeavours to injure or deceive , who falsely
vilifies or wilfully mis-states , in addition to the moral turptitude attached to deceit and falsehood , is also guilty of a breach of Masonic obligation ; he tears assunder those bonds which bind Mason to Mason , which when preserved form the wreath of moral superiority , when severed , the disgrace falls not on
thc institution , but on the individual . The Grand Master having thus pledged himself " to have no other object in view but the honour and thc interests of the Order , " we will examine the sincerity of that profession . Thc ofiice of Deputy Grand Secretary has always been in the gift of the Grand Secretary ,
and not in the gift of the Grand Master . It has trouble attached to it , and has also , in the Grand Master ' s words , " unfortunately some emolument . " It had until latterly been supposed not to be injured by a little respectability in the person who held it ; a knowledge of spelling and English , a
little education , and such other trifles , were thought not incompatible ; in short , both for Masonic and other reasons , it was formerly believed expedient it should be held by a gentleman—wc have , out of respect to the Masons of Ireland , been latterly told
in Dublin that it ought not to be held by a gentleman . Be that as it may , thc G . M ., in April , 1808 , gave it as his solemn opinion that neither of thc parties who claimed to be Grand Secretary ought to be elected ; their very claims , he said , disqualified
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Ireland.
FREEMASONRY in IRELAND .
BY BRO AVILLIAM J AMES HUGHAN . ( Continuedfrom page 197 . ) A long letter by Bro . Alexander Seton , Deputy Grand Secretary for the Seceders , pretty fully embodies the reasons for
opposition to the Grand Lodge at Dublin , and Ave will therefore give it in its entirety , as also reports of Grand Lodges held June 6 th , 1810 , and 3 rd June 1 S 12 , and a letter respecting the Grand Masonic Hall and Orphan School : —
SIR AND BROTHER , June , 1810 . In my last letter , dated 5 th April , 1810 , I was obliged to expose to Masonic view one of those exertions of ingenuity , which , although in legal contemplation , amounted not to the crime of forgery ; yet , morally and Masonically speaking , was one of
the most dishonest and unprincipled that duplicity ever resorted to . It was not a mere simple falsehood , the disgrace of which , on detection , must fall on the promulgators , but it was a compound fabrication , which might have involved in it the names of brethren in the sister cotlntry , but whose noble
rank and illustrious character fortunately removed far from them the imputation which might attach to personages whose virtues may be less readily acknowledged even where their conduct is best known . I did entertain a hope , which , for the Masonic honour of the parties , I sincerely regret
has not been realised , that the family of the once Grand Master of Masons in Ireland would , on his and their own behalf , have seized the earliest opportunity to disclaim all association in that fabrication . I was willing and weak enough to suppose that the detection of the imposition having rendered
it unproductive of the desired effect , the honour and the integrity of the Mason would have been roused into an indignant rejection of any participation in the reproach and contempt which ever attends base and unsuccessful management ; such was the idea I had formed of those who profess to have " no
other object in view than the honour and the interest of the Order . " I must now , however unwilling , retract that opinion , and acknowledge , as I have been emphatically told by one of these parties , that " I knew not the sort of men I had to deal with . " It is , however , fair to state that on a
recent occasion the D . G . Master , from the chair of the Dublin G . Lodge , expressed great indignation on reading the detection contained in that letter ; but , observe , the indignation was levelled , not at the parties concerned in thc fabrication , but at thc party who detected it . I must confess on such occasions I
prefer , notwithstanding the Deputy ' s indignation , the character of detector to that of detected ; and I had rather be the object of enmity by exposing duplicity and falsehood than of friendship as having been guilty of them . In this , I trust , there is no peculiarity of taste , but as questions of such nature
bear not an argument , I pretend not to prescribe in that respect to others . The D . G . M . on the same occasion declared that such things were infamous ; I agree with him , and add , nothing can be more infamous ; but , you will again observe , it is to those convicted of the act the
infamy belongs , and not to the detector . AVhatevcr guilt attaches to the hitter I freely take to myselfthe rectitude of the former I must leave to the proper owners . I am much afraid this explanation will not gratify them , but as they are not bound to be pleased , so neither am I bound to please them .
The D . G . M . having thus indulged his indignation against the absent detector , challenged an inquiry into the Masonic conduct of his Principal , and as I knew that " any statement oi" facts is to that Principal a matter of perfect indifference , " I cannot be supposed in the slightest degree to injure his
feeling by accepting that challenge ; and although the Masonic world and the Deputy may somcwliatdiffer in their sentiments on these facts , " thc freedom from partialities and prejudices , " and the total absence from the Grand Master ' s contemplation of " any other object than the honour ancl thc interests
of Masonry , " yet I may hope that thc difference of opinion in this case will not be visited on me as an offence more than thc peculiarity of taste in the former . It is a fact , that 21 years ago , after the late Marquis of Downshire and the late Duke of Leinstcr had declared themselves honoured by
being called to the Masonic Throne of Ireland , thc then Baron Donotighmorc condescended to succcd them . The benefits which followed that gracious condescension I cannot pretend to enumerate ; but thc first eighteen years may be well diviclcdintotwogr . ind periods , of which thc best account wc have , coining from his adopted and bosom friend , we may
Freemasonry In Ireland.
reasonably suppose those benefits suffer not from them any envious diminution . From 178 9 to 1797 , having certainly " no other object in view than the honour and the interests of the Order , " the Grand Master was entirely occupied by two most important employments : raising regiments for the honour of
Masonry , and establishing with equal disinterestedness a Grand Lodge in the city of Cork for the accommodation of twelve or fourteen lodges . Such great exertions , no doubt , required great repose , or in the classic language of the family friends , " having no more regiments to raise , the
Order was no longer an object of attention to the Grand Master . " This period of rest may well terminate with 1807 , some little dreams of resignation in 1805 and elections in 1 S 06 and 1807 , not being for the present worth observation . I would not here be supposed to detract from the merit or
deny the necessity of raising men to fight the battles of our country , and I am well persuaded that a man is not the worse soldier for being a good Mason . Corporal Trim says " the greatest cowards are always the greatest scoundrels , " I yet may doubt whether much advantage is derived to thc
principles of Masonry , or much honour to its practice , by converting the rendezvous into a lodge room or the Crimp Serjeant into a Master Mason . It may be objected to me that the Grand Lodge of Cork is called provincial ; ' tis true , but essentials are of more consequence than names . The Grand
Lodge of Cork does all acts within the power of a Grand Lodge , decides controversies , receives annual dues , dispenses these annual dues , honestly in charity , not dishonestly in litigation . 'Tis true , like other Grand Lodges , the Grand Lodge of Cork is not omnipotent ; for in 1808 , no doubt
without any solicitation on his part , twelve or fourteen members of that Grand Lodge invested their founder with an unlimited authority , not over themselves , but over the rest of the Masons of Ireland . The validity of this grant was unkindly denied , and the Grand Master was very cruelly refused the
benefits he expected from it , on this most ridiculous pretence : that three or four hundred lodges in Ulster ought to be in the Grand Master ' s estimation of at least equal importance with ten or twelve in Cork ; whereas it is well known that out of his
great impartiality he prefers one vote in Cork to one hundred in Ulster ; and that , barring a small trifle of family patronage which he has in view , and which we will mention hereafter , "he would not condescend to be Grand Master even in Dublin
wilh a single dissenting voice . " But here , again , you will observe a small distinction : every one who votes for him , even a Fellow Craft , is a good , valid , and existing vote ; but those who vote against him , so says the Deputy , are nonentities . Hence you learn the vast importance of being
allowed to contribute to family aggrandizement ; so long as you support a certain family with your votes , and a certain lawsuit with your money , you are the most honourable , independent , existing Masons in the world ; but the moment you withdraw your confidence from one , or your subscription from the
other , your Masonic existence terminates—you are nonentities . The D . G . M . has pronounced the sentence of annihilation from the Dublin Throne ; and extraordinary as it may appear , each Mason in the kingdom , the favourite city of Cork , and the brethren therein residing always excepted , although he may believe in his existence , attend his lodge ,
eat , drink , sleep , & c , & c , he is to all intents and purposes , Hutchinsonically speaking , a nonentity . It may be a point of doubt , which is most to be admired , the novelty of this idea , or the prudence of the Deputy ' s challenge springing from it—nonentity having neither person nor voice , there was little danger to be apprehended , the courage and wisdom balanced each other
So nicely pois'd , ' tis clear his brain OutwcigU'd his courage—half a grain . It is a fact , that between the months of June , rSoS , and December , 1 S 09 , a period in which thc Order in Dublin has not only been honoured by thc condescension of this Grand Master in holding
office , but also by thc superintendence of his Special Deputy , and his regular attendance on election nights , that the Fund of Charity has been distributed with a very liberal hand , no doubt to very deserving objects . Those of the greatest merit seem to be Mr . Ay . Hill and Mr . I . AVilliams ,
attorneys ; , £ 471 8 s . 4 d . is incontestible proof , not only of their deserts , but also of the strength of thc fund in 180 S ; ancl thc poverty in 1810 is evidenced by a balance in hands of £ 1 13 s . 3 d . This sum of , £ 47 1 8 s . 4 d . was a small tribute of gratitude for the Mnsonic talent and " best judgment " of a Grand Master who " perfectly free from prejudices or
partialities" with the experience of twenty-one years , "having no other object in view than the honour and interests of thc Order , " conducted that Order to a crisis equally honourable and advantageous . £ 1 13 s . 3 /_ d ., at thc end of twenty-one years , is nearly is . 7 c ! . per annum—incontestable proof of the great benefits received from such wonderful condescension . I must here confess , that
Freemasonry In Ireland.
in my opinion somewhat greater liberality has been used with respect to the charity money than the conductors of that fund are ready to evince with respect to their own money . Some people have the art of taking better care of their own money than of that with which others may entrust them .
In this I may be mistaken , and as nothing could afford these conductors greater satisfaction than to detect my errors , their friends have now the best opportunity to prove my ignorance , and their liberality ; let the lodges attached to them , according to the usage of the Cork brethren , which must
be right , suspend for two or three years the payment of their dues , and if in that time the Grand master of Dublin and his Deputy , the Grand Secretary and his Deputy , the Grand Treasurer , individually or collectively , expend in their Masonic litigation as many shillings of their own as they
have done pounds belonging to the Fund of Charity , I will again acknowledge that "I know not the kind of men I have to deal with . " 'Tis only fair to afford these liberal conductors an opportunity of proving in purse as well as in person their disinterested attachment to the Order , and their
perfect freedom from all interested and personal objects . Should I , however , be correct in myopinion , the brethren , by adopting this plan , will , at the end of two or three years , have the satisfaction to find their lodge chests , instead of being exhausted in idle litigation , replenished with means to relieve the
indigent and distressed brother , to give food to the hungry , to clothe the naked ; and the reflection that they are enabled so to do will give more gratification to the Masonic mind than can be derived from any measures of family aggrandizement or any display of family adulation ; and should the brethren
then deem it expedient to reimburse them their just and necessary expenses , it will afford a testimony of attachment on both sides—honourable and disinterested . Having disposed of these comparatively lighter matters , I will not at present enter into a detail of
the various occurrences which took place between the Grand Master ' s dream of resignation in 1805 and the meeting of 1808 , which was " to re-illume the sun of Masonry in Ireland , " nor will I now suppose the Grand Master fomented dissentions for the sole purpose of subjecting the Order of
Freemasonry in Ireland , in all its branches , to his absolute control ; to be afterwards wielded as a weapon of political consequence or converted into a tool of family aggrandizement . These points may afford matter for a future occasion ; the sug : gestion of them at present may be a caution to the
brethren that they may become not the victims of such artifice . But I will recall to your recollection the pomp with which the Grand Master assured the brethren of" his perfect freedom from partialities and prejudices , " and his having " no other object in view than the honour and the interests of the
Order . " AVhen " perfect freedom from partialities and prejudices , " and " no other object in view than the honour and the interests of the Order" are mentioned among Masons , it is not unnatural to suppose these expressions arc to be understood in their ordinary meaning , without any sinister design
or personal object skulking behind them ; but here again , in the family language , " you know not the kind of men you have to deal with . " Should it be my misfortune to prove duplicity of conduct , falsehood of statement , and breach of obligation , the portion of Masonic honour which remains will not
be very burthensome . You will , then , understand what is meant by " freedom from partialities , " and " know thc kind of men you have to deal with . " Among Masons , you know , guilt in the two former charges always implies guilt in the latter : the Mason who endeavours to injure or deceive , who falsely
vilifies or wilfully mis-states , in addition to the moral turptitude attached to deceit and falsehood , is also guilty of a breach of Masonic obligation ; he tears assunder those bonds which bind Mason to Mason , which when preserved form the wreath of moral superiority , when severed , the disgrace falls not on
thc institution , but on the individual . The Grand Master having thus pledged himself " to have no other object in view but the honour and thc interests of the Order , " we will examine the sincerity of that profession . Thc ofiice of Deputy Grand Secretary has always been in the gift of the Grand Secretary ,
and not in the gift of the Grand Master . It has trouble attached to it , and has also , in the Grand Master ' s words , " unfortunately some emolument . " It had until latterly been supposed not to be injured by a little respectability in the person who held it ; a knowledge of spelling and English , a
little education , and such other trifles , were thought not incompatible ; in short , both for Masonic and other reasons , it was formerly believed expedient it should be held by a gentleman—wc have , out of respect to the Masons of Ireland , been latterly told
in Dublin that it ought not to be held by a gentleman . Be that as it may , thc G . M ., in April , 1808 , gave it as his solemn opinion that neither of thc parties who claimed to be Grand Secretary ought to be elected ; their very claims , he said , disqualified