Consecration Of The Tuscan Mark Lodge No. 454.

Ruspini Lodge it might seem a hindrance to that body to start a new lodge , but he could assure them it would be an assistance . They had laid down good lines to work upon in order that the work might be properly done . One good rule was that brethren who did not attend to their work when appointed , or failed to do it properly must not expect promotion , for this

lodge was started in order that promotion might take place amongst those who were willing to work . It was not to be that brethren who had already passed the chair in other lodges should come into that lodge and stop the promotion . He was satisfied that if the rules were properly carried out this lodge would be as a lodge of instruction to the Ruspini Lodge and a great advantage generally .

Bro . MCLEOD , District G . M . Burmah , responding for " The Visitors , " said he was in a somewhat difficult position in being called upon to reply , having had the honour of being elected an honorary member . He was gratified at the privilege of having enjoyed their hospitality that night , and on many occasions while in England . He should carry away with him p leasant recollections , especially as that was the last evening it was possible for him to attend . Bro . A . C . SPAULL also responded .

The WORSHIPFUL MASTER submitted "The Mark Benevolent Fund , " and said he believed it to be a most deserving Charity . The Secretary of that Charity was the Grand Mark Secretary , and they would all agree that it would be utterly impossible to find any Secretary who did his duty more honestly and conscientiously than Bro . Matier . Bro . C . F . MATIER , G . Sec , responding , said the Mark Benevolent

Fund tried to supplement the other Masonic Charities by taking certain children who were perhaps two old or other circumstances disqualified them . They had an example the other day when a boy over n came to them , and they were enabled to provide for him at once . He could not hope the Deputy Grand Master would again take the chair at the anniversar \ ' festival , as he

was engaged to take the more honourable position of the chair of the Girls ' School Festival . He could only ask for the cordial support of the brethren , feeling sure he should have a Steward as representative of the lodge . Bros . HOPKINSON , Treas ., and EBBETTS , S . W ., returned thanks for " The Officers , " after which the Tyler's toast closed the proceedings .

Bro . Rose , P . G . Org ., rendered valuable assistance in the musical portion of the ceremony , and Bro . Franklin Clive and others supported an excellent programme after the banquet .

The Grand Lodge Of Ulster.

THE GRAND LODGE OF ULSTER .

BY HENRY SADLER . ( Continued from page 54 . ) This was " carrying the war into the enemy ' s country" with a vengeance , not only the outworks , but the very citadel , fell easily into the hands of the invaders , while those who had for a long period been in undisturbed possession were utterly routed , and compelled for a time to seek other quarters

—an event unparalleled in the history of Freemasonry in any country . I am not in a position to state definitely how long the victors retained their hold on the Grand Lodge premises , but , in addition to the meetings above mentioned , they certainly held one on the 6 th August , 1807 , in the same place , when a lengthy address was ordered to " be printed and forwarded to all the regular Lodges in Ireland . " In this address their opponents are

referred to as " those persons who call themselves a Grand Lodge , and meet in William-streel . " In another paragraph they are described as a " surreptitious association of suspended and excluded Masons , " and the brethren are informed that " Mr . John Leech has no book or legal document in his possession ( counterfeit certificate plates and forged seals not deserving that title ) , by which he can give Grand Lodge Certificates . " These examples

of Irish pleasantry and humour with which the circular abounds will doubtless suffice to indicate the character of the whole document . There is certainly nothing of a timorous or half-hearted nature in it , evidently it is the work of men " flushed with victory " and confident of permanent supremacy . It is not improbable that some of my readers may desire to know the effect which this clever memorial from the newly-formed Grand Lodge ( the compilers of which had apparently " kissed the blarney stone" to some

purpose ) produced on the question at issue . So far as I can learn the result was nil , for there : s no reference whatever either to the memorial or the disturbance , in the records of the Grand Lodge of England ( then presided over by the Prince of Wales , and known as the Grand Lodge of the " Moderns " ) , and I have considerable doubt as to whether the document ever reached the hands of the "illustrious personage" for whose enlightenment it had been so carefully prepared .

Unfortunately the cover in which it was enclosed is missing , but had it been addressed to the Grand Secretary for presentation , as no doubt it was , in all probability it would have been carefully perused and endorsed , and with the several enclosures neatly tied up with red tape and carefully pigeonholed , there to remain until the prying propensities of some such inquisitive person as the present writer should be instrumental in restoring it to light . For a long period the regular or " Modern " Grand Lodge had scarcely

been " on speaking terms " with the Grand Lodge of Ireland , the sympathies of the latter being invariably on the side of the rival Grand Lodge , of which the Duke of Athole was then at the head , and known as " The Grand Lodge of England according to the Old Constitutions , " the two rival Societies being briefly distinguished b y the titles of " Ancients" and " Moderns . " Between the " Ancients " in England and the Grand Lodge ° f Ireland the closest intimacy had always subsisted , it was but natural , therefore , that the Dublin brethren should have looked to their old allies for

support and sympathy in their distress . As will be seen hereafter , they did not ask in vain , for the subject was at once taken up and acted upon by the 'Ancients , " with the spirit of determination which invariably characterised their proceedings . The first reference to the Irish quarrel is contained in the Grand Lodge Transactions of December 3 rd , 1806 , when "The R . W . JJeputy Grand Master produced Letters and Communications from the "rand Lodge of Ireland , which was ordered to be referred to a Committee

° f the Present and Past Grand Officers to consider the same and report thereon to the Grand Lodge . " The subject cropped up again at a meeting ° f the Stewards Lodge , on the 20 th of May , 1807 , when , " Upon reading ¦ "t Letter or printed circular purporting to be from the Grand Lodge in trelan d relating to the expulsion of Alexander Seton , late Deputy Grand ^ ecre tary . It was ordered that the same be referred to the Committee of the Present and Past Grand Officers , to be by them considered of , with the ° toer Papers already referred to by the Grand Lodge in December , and

The Grand Lodge Of Ulster.

that the Grand Olhcers be requested to meet thereon the earliest opportunity . " , This seems to savour slightly of doubt on the part of the members as to which was to be considered " The Grand Lodge in Ireland . " If , however any doubt then existed , it was very soon dispelled , for at the next meeting of the Grand Lodge the Committee brought up a lengthy report , which is

duly recorded in the transactions , -wherein the turbulent conduct of Alexander Seton and his followers is referred to in the strongest terms of condemnation . The report concludes as follows : " Your Committee , therefore , duly considering all the premises , most earnestly recommend to the Grand Lodge to confirm and resolve—That this R . W . Grand Lodge shall not under any pretence receive and acknowledge any certificate

signed by the said Alexander seton , bearing date at any time from and after ^ the 5 th June , 1 S 06 , and that the same be observed at the R . W . Stewards Lodge , nor shall any person bearing such Certificate under the hand of the said Alexander Sexton be thereby received into any Lodge nor receive any of the honours of Masonry . All

which is rcspectfujfy submitted to the Grand Lod ge . Which said report being received and read , the same was unanimously confirmed in Grand Lodge . " The minutes of this meeting were duly confirmed on the 2 nd of September following , and a circular letter containing the substance of both the report and tlie resolution thereon , as well as a list of the Grand Officers

of Ireland was printed in bold type and dispatched to all the lodges under the ancient Constitution . I need hardl y state that the names of Brcs . Irvine and Seton are not included in the list of Gran d Officers . At a meeting of the Stewards Lodge on the 20 th of January , 180 S , " Edward Hayes with G . L . Certificate dated 15 th December , 1806 signed

, G . D . Irvine and A . Seton , " applied for pecuniary assistance , " but this being contrary to the Resolution of Grand Lod ge of 2 nd September last his petition was rejected . " On the 19 th of October in the same year Patrick Allen , late of 845 , Ireland , was similarly treated , as were probably many other applicants .

At this period Masonry in Ireland was not what it is in the present day , being much more popular with the masses , including in its ranks every grade of society down to the artizan and private soldier . In the year 1814 there were upwards of 700 lodges on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Ireland , 84 of them being military lodges and in the two years immediately preceding ,, the proportion of military lodges was still greater . "Ancient "

Masonry in England was on a similar footing , although on a smaller scale . On an average about two out of every dozen applicants to the Ancient Grand Lodge for relief were Irish Masons . The following extracts from the minutes of the Stewards Lodge will doubtless suffice to confirm the foregoing . At the usual monthly meeting on the 17 th October , 1810 , 10 petitions for relief were considered , three of them being from members of

Irish lodges . At the top of the list is the case of " William Hurley of No . 413 , Ireland , G . L . Certificate of date 10 April , 1810 , 2 years a Mason , was rejected , on account of the name in his Certificate being of a different handwriting to the signature in his Petition . U pon examination into the business it appeared the Petitioner could not write at all . " On the i 8 lh March , 1 S 12 , 23 cases were considered ( three of which were Irish ) , 17 of

these were relieved with sums ranging from one guinea up to seven , the remainder being rejected . Amongst the latter was the petition of William Hopkins , of No . 252 , " who produced a G . L . Certificate , which upon examination appeared not to belong to him , " and that of James Jackman , of No . 293 , who had a certificate purporting to have been signed by him , " but upon trial he cannot write , his identity could not therefore be ascertained . "

The determination of the "Ancients" not to acknowledge Seton ' s certili cates probably did more towards quashing the rehellion than anything that had been done by the practically deposed authorities in Ireland , who marked their appreciation of the support thus rendered them by passing a very laudatory Address , expressing their gratitude to the Grand Lodge of England , " at a meeting of the Grand Lodge of Ireland held at the Exhibition

House in William Street on Thursday , 5 th of Nov ., 5807 . " ( It would appear from this that the premises in Back-lane were in possession of the Northern faction at the latter end of 1807 ) . This address was read in Grand Lodge on the 2 nd December , 1807 , and ordered to be entered in the minutes , but as it throws no fresh light on the subject I shall not reproduce it here .

In order to elucidate the real origin of this remarkable schism , it will be necessary to take a retrospective glance at the condition of Masonry in Ireland during the few years immediately preceding the outbreak of hostilities in Dublin , and in so doing I shall principally avail myself of the contents of several letters written by John Boardman , Grand Treasurer of Ireland ( who , notwithstanding that he was so unfortunate as to incur the

deadly enmity of the Seton faction , apparently had the real interests of Masonry at heart ) , to Thomas Harper , then Deputy Grand Master of the " Ancients" in England . The correspondence seems to have begun in 1801 , at all events the earliest letter at hand is dated the 21 st of March in that year , and I judge from the tenor thereof that several years had passed since these two Masonic worthies had been in communication .

Having due regard for the space at the disposal of the editor of the Freemason , the reader ' s patience , and my own time , I shall only quote such portions of the letters as in my opinion either have a bearing on the subject of the schism or are of general historic interest . The above-mentioned letter is for the purpose of introducing the bearer , a Mr . Graham , who is visiting London on business , and having got through

the introduction , the writer proceeds : " I find you have incorporated Roval Arch with Blue Masonry , and sanctioned it under the authority of Grand Lodge . Here the case is different , and the Grand Lodge of Ireland recognises only the three First Degrees . I wish to follow your example , and engraft the fourth under the authority of the Grand Lodge , but before any measures can be taken for this purpose it is necessary to know whether

separate warrants are granted by you for holding R . A . Chapters , and what charge is made for issuing them ' ! " " As I am anxious that the proceedings of both kingdoms should correspond as nearly as possible , I beg the favour of you to give me such information as may most likely point out the means of obtaining this desirable end . " Unfortunately I have no copy of the reply to the foregoing , nor of any

of the letters I am now quoting ; if copies were made , which is extremely doubtful , they were probably destroyed prior to the union in 1813 , and , in view of the fact that the " Ancients " had no central office or head-quarters , it is a matter of surprise to me that so many of their old books and documents are still extant . However , as the proverbial " half a loaf is better than no bread , " we must endeavour to learn from the " half" we have what the missing portion was like . ( To be continued . )