United Grand Lodge.

UNITED GRAND LODGE .

The Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge of United Free and Accepted "" Masons of England was held on Wednesday evening , in the large Hall of Freemasons' Tavern . The Right Hon . the Earl of Carnarvon , M . W . Pro Grand Master presided , and there were also present among some 700 brethren : Rev . W . Oswald Thompson , G . Chaplain ; Rev . H . S . Morse , G . Chaplain ; John Derby Allcroft , G . Treasurer ; / Eneas 1 . Mclntyre , G . Registrar ; Sir John B . Monckton , Pres .

Board General Purposes ; Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , G . Secretary ; Ernest limil Wendt ( D . C . L . ) , Sec . German Corres . ; Ralph Gooding ( M . D . ) , S . G . D . ; T . H . Devonshire , J . G . D . ; Frank Green , J . G . D . ; Horace Jones , G . Supt . of Works ; Sir Albert W . Woods , P . G . W ., G . D . of C . ; T . Boiling Bolton , Dep . G . D . of C ; Raymond H . Thrupp , Asst . G . D . of C . ; Col . James Peters , G . Swd . B . ; Edgar Bowyer , G .. Std . B . ; W . Stephens , Asst . G . Purs . ; H . Sadler , G . Tyler ; W . W . B . Beach , P . G . M . Hampshire and I . of W . ; John M . Martin , P . G . M . Dumbartonshire ; H . Sandeman , MadrasJohn

P . D . G . M . Bengal ; Col . Aubrey Saunders , D . G . M . ; Havers , P . G . W . ; Rev . H . A . Pickard , P . G . C . ; Rev . A . W . Hall , P . G . C . ; Rev . J . E . Cox , P . G . C . ; Rev . C . W . Arnold , P . G . C . ; Rev . C . J . Martyn , P . G . C . ; Rev . T . H . Hayes , P . G . C . ; Rev . Edward Moore , P . G . C . ; Rev . W . K . R . Bedford . P . G . C . ; H . J . P . Dumas , P . G . D . ; J . E . Saunders , P . G . D . ; F . A . Philbrick , P . G . D . ; J . M . P . Montagu , P . G . D . ; J . A . Rucker , P . G . D . ; Lieut .-Col . Somerville H . Burney , P . G . D . ; Gen . H . Clerk , P . G . D . ; C . A . Murton , P . G . D . ; T . Fenn , P . G . D . ; J . H .

Scott , P . G . D . ; Frank Richardson , P . G . D . ; Raynham W . Stewatt , P . G . D . ; J . M . Case . P . G . D . ; John Sampson Peirce , P . G . D . ; Raphael Costa , P . G . D . ; Jabez Hogg , P . G . D . ; Matthew Clark , P . G . D . ; W . E . Gumbleton , P . G . D . ; Brackstone Baker , P . G . D . ; W . A . F . Powell , P . G . D . ; H . C . Tombs , P . G . D . ; Capt . Nathaniel G . Philips , P . G . D . ; Robert Grey , P . G . D . ; Major Penrice , P . G . D . ; R . Turtle Pigott , P . G . A . D . of C ; J . Lewis-Thomas , P . G . A . D . of C . ; David Smith , P . G . D . A . D .. of C . ; I . Mullens . P . G . S . B . ; W . F . Nettleship , P . G . S . B . ; C . Greenwood , P . G . S . B . ; lames BrettP . G . P . ; E . P . AlbertP . G . P . ; C . A . Cottebrune , P . G . P . ; Thomas

, , Cubitt , P . G . P . ; and C . G . Fiscall , P . G . P . Among those brethren in the hall we noticed the following : Bros . Major T . Davies Sewell , Wm . Roebuck , Griffiths Smith , J . E . Wallford , G . P . Festa , W . H . Dean , James Terry , E . Y . Jolliffe , J . L . Mather , F . R . D . Copestick , A . Lucking , Donald M . Dewar , F . R . W . Hedges , C . G . Sparrow , Capt . Nicols , A . H . Tattershall , T . C . Walls , W . H . Halford , E . C . Mather , N . B . Headon , H . Povey , H . W . Hemsworth , F . Binckes , Wm . Lake , H . C . Lambert , H . A . Dubois , George Kenning , E . Letchworth , John Mason , S . B . Wilson , A . A . Pendlebury , Dodd Pitt

H . E . Dehane , H . Dicketts , C . F . Hogard , J . D . Langton , W . B . , G . Lewis , W . Stephens , H . R . Cooper Smith , G . Mickley , S . C . Parkhouse , G . Chillingworth , Neville Green , A . A . Pendlebury , Q . Quitmann , Charles Atkins , John G . Stevens , and others . Grand Lodge having been formally opened GRAND SECRETARY read the minutes of the Quarterly Communication of March 7 th , which were put and confirmed .

GRAND SECRETARY then read the minutes of Grand Festival of 25 th April , but on the Pro Grand Master rising to put them for confirmation , Bro . HUGH D . SANDEMAN , Past Dist . G . M . for Bengal , rose and said : M . W . Pro G . M ., before the minutes are put for confirmation I desire to point out what seems to me to be an error of some importance in the printed proceedings of Grand Festival . If what I allude to is accidental , there is nothing to say in the matter ; if intentional then I venture to think it

involves an encroachment on the powers and privileges of Grand Lodge . I allude to the third page of the proceedings , where the sequence of appointments of Grand Officers for the year does not tollow that laid down in the Book of Constitutions ; I would ask , therefore , that the record be so arranged as to name the Grand Officers according to the rank assigned to them under Constitutional law , which having been passed by Grand Lodge can be modified or altered by Grand Lodge only .

Bro . / E . J . MCINTYRE , Q . C , G . R ., said : M . W . Grand Master , the only question before Grand Lodge is whether the printed minutes record accurately what took place in Grand Lodge at Grand Festival on the 2 , th of April , and it is perfectly clear that the minutes do correctly state what took place at the Grand Festival , and the order in which the M . W . Grand Master , b y virtue of his prerogative , appointed the Grand officers for the year , and it is without doubt within the province of the M . W . Grand

Master to appoint his officers , and to give rank to his officers such as he himself pleases—( cries of No , no)—and that has been acted upon again and again by former Grand Masters who preceded his Royal Highness in the chair of Grand Lodge . It was acted upon before the Union ; it had been acted upon since the Union ; and the various positions and distinctions of officers have varied from time to time at the will of the Grand Master for the time being ; and , therefore , it does seem to me that instead of being an

encroachment upon the powers of Grand Lodge , it is an attempt to encroach upon the rights , privileges , and prerogative of the Grand Master , who is the fountain of honour appointed to this hig h office . ( Cries of , No . ) Now , M . W . Grand Master , it would appear that on different occasions the Grand Master has varied the rank ot his officers as appearing in the Book of Constitutions—because it is not a law—the first law commences after that which is orinted in the Book of Constitutions as to what is the precedence that the

Grand Master had given to his officers and which he had continued to give to them at the time of that Book . And therefore we find that , I think , in 1813 when the Act of Union had taken place that the M . W . G . M . appointed in order of rank the S . W ., the J . W ., the Grand Treasurer , the Grand Registrar , the Grand Secretary , and then the Grand Chaplain , and Deputy Grand Chaplain , the Grand Superintendent of Works , the Grand Director of Ceremonies , the Grand Sword Bearer , the Grand Organist , a Grand Usher ,

which we do not seem to have now , and the Grand Tyler , and therefore you find that was the order of precedence at that time . Now , we find also that at the time of the Union the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons shall be composed , except on days of festival in •the following manner as a lodge and perfect representative of the whole Masonic fraternity of England , that is to say the Grand Master , Past Grand Masters , Deputy Grand Master , Past Deputy Grand Masters ,

Grand Wardens , Provincial Grand Wardens , Past Grand Wardens , Past Provincial Grand Masters , then Grand Chaplain , Grand Treasurer , then Grand Secretary , Grand Sword Bearer , Grand Stewards . Therefore you find what was done on these occasionsthat the rank was not always the same , but that it varied on different occasions , and it does not appear that in 1814 when the Duke of Sussex was installed in the chair that the order of rank was then other than Grand Master . Past Grand Master , Deputy Grand Master , Senior Warden ,

Junior Warden , Grand Treasurer , Grand Registrar , Grand Secretary , Grand Chaplain , Grand Superintendent of Works , Grand Director of Ceremonies , Grand Deacons , Grand Sword Bearer , and Grand Organist . Therefore , after the time , and only when the two Grand Lodges were united we find that on that occasion this was the order in which the Grand Master for the time being appointed his officers . In 1816 the Grand Master appointed and invested his officers in this order : the Deputy Grand Master , the Senior Warden , the Junior Warden , the Grand Treasurer ; then the Grand Chaplains are interposed ;

United Grand Lodge.

the Grand Registrar and Grand Secretary , the Grand Registrar for German Correspondence , the Senior Grand Deacon , the Junior Grand Deacon , the Deputy Grand Chaplain coming after the Deacons ; the Grand Superintendent of Works , the Grand Director of Ceremonies , the Grand Sword Bearer , the Grand Organist . Well , now I have given in my place before the Grand Lodge the way of the precedence which was given upon

those occasions by the Grand Master . Before the Union it appears that the officers who were appointed by those Masons who , although seceders from the Grand Lodge of England , called themselves the Ancient Masonsthose gave a different order of precedence to those which were given by the Modern or the Prince of Wales' Masons , the principal representatives of Masonry in the South of England , and possessors of the whole of Masonry ,

and who were ruled over at that time b y the Dukeof Sussex . Therefore , M . W . Grand Master , I do most respectfully submit , and I shall with very great respect ask you to rule , that inasmuch as the Grand Master , the fountain of honour , who has the bestowal of these offices , and the appointments of the officers , has also the right to put them in that position and in that rank which he thinks proper , proprio ¦ vi gore . Therefore , I do venture to represent to you that inasmuch as the only question that can be raised here in

this Grand Lodge is whether the printed report of what took place upon the last occasion correctly represents what was done b y the authority and order of the Grand Master , that it cannot be interfered with , and that no rectification—it would be stating that which was not actually done—because what was done was correctly represented by these minutes—what was done was done by an order of the Grand Master—was within his province and within his prerogative with which we have no power whatever to interfere . ( Hear , hear ) .

W . Bro . H . H . LOCKE said : Most Worshipful Grand Master in the chair ; amidst so many eminent brethren in this large assembly of rulers in our Craft I feel deeply that I speak with but feeble voice , all the feebler , perhaps , in that my work in Masonry has been done-many thousand miles away , and that I am a stranger amongst you . But I would say , both for myself and for those far-off brethren with whom I have worked , that we

yield to none in affectionate loyally to our Most Worshi pful Grand Master . Deep , however , as this feeling is , I cannot but raise my voice , with all the earnestness I can , in most emphatic protest against the astounding doctrine just laid down by the Grand Registrar—doctrine not only , as I conceive , unsound and dangerous in itself , being contrary to our Constitutions , but such as I am convinced will be as distasteful to the Grand Master himself

as it will be to the brethren at large when they hear of it . Bro . J AMES STEVENS , P . M ., said he spoke with a great deal of diffidence upon the point which had been raised with respect to the prerogative of the M . W . Grand Master , towards whom they all felt the utmost loyalty that could be felt ; but this was not the first time within the last year or two that when any attempt had been made to set before Grand Lodgein whom lay

, the inherent power to discuss and determine on all questions of Masonry , they were told they wereintruding upon theprerogative of the M . W . Grand Master , He had read the Book of Constitutions—he had read Masonry a very great deal , but he could not find what the prerogatives of the Grand Master really were . If they knew what those prerogatives were he was quite sure none of them would attempt to interfere with his ruling , and his decision on

any point . If brethren took up any question of vital importance to Freemasonry they were immediately met with the assertion that they could not be listened to or attended to in any shape or form , because , forsooth , they were infringing upon the prerogatives of the Most Worshipful Grand Master , the particulars of whose prerogatives they could not tell what they were . Under those circumstances it was one of two things—either the

Grand Master was ruled by his advisers on one side , or the Grand Lodge of England stultified itself altogether by not adhering to that portion of the landmarks which said it had the inherent power of deciding on all questions relating to the Craft . He thought this was an important matter , and he did not think the Grand Registrar had put it in such forcible terms that they could dismiss it with his statement . The

Grand Registrar had informed them that the same practice had not been general and the same prerogative not observed . On one occasion one rota of office , and on another , another , year after year , and making altogether the Book of Constitutions which they had for their information null and void . He spoke from the body of the hall , and he did so because he believed he represented the sentiments and feelings of the body of Freemasons

who felt that they were ruled in a very peculiar manner , and that the ruling did not emanate from his Royal Highness : but that he was made the mouthpiece of advisers who did not take into consideration the position of those who were not quite so elevated in the ranks of the Craft as they might be . He therefore

strongly supported Bro . Sandeman in the remarks he had made and he hoped the Grand Lodge before they allowed this question to fall through would give consideration to and ascertain as soon as they could what were the prerogatives of the Grand Master which were quoted constantly when they were told they were infringing them , to the detriment of their information generally .

The Rev . R . J . SIMPSON , P . G . C , rose to make two observations ; one was that he thought the Grand Registrar had one strong point in his speech —that in which he stated that these minutes were a verification of the record on the occasion of the festival . The proceedings mi ght have been ri g ht or might have been wrong upon that occasion ; but he thought the Grand Registrar was perfectly justified in asking a verification of that—wrong it might be , or right it ; might be—and he ventured to appeal to Bro . Sandeman

to withdraw any objection to those minutes , with a view of raising his question—a very important one—as a substantive motion on a future occasion . He thought that would be the best way to dispose of the question to-night , leaving it to a future occasion , when Grand Lodge could more deliberately look upon the question , and he believed , thinking impartially and loyally to the Grand Master , whom they all honoured and respected —( hear , hear)—but , at the same time , subserving those rights of Grand Lodge which they had a perfect right still to maintain . ( Cheers . )

The Earl of CARNARVON : Brethren , I have purposely allowed this discussion upon a point of order to run on being anxious that a question on which Grand Lodge feels strongly should not seem , to be in any way curtailed by any act of mine from the chair ; and before I , as in duty bound , give my ruling on this subject , I wish to say one word with regard to the remarks

that lell from the worthy brother who spoke last but one . I always deprecate—in Grand Lodge especially—the introduction of anything like personal feeling , which diminishes from the fairness and harmony , with which all our questions ought to be discussed , and which imparts a personal and an acrid tone into our debates . And I think it therefore my duty to notice that that worthy brother went fax beyond his province when he stated that