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CONTENTS . PAGE . LEADERS— .,,. „ .. A Question of Jurisdiction ... ... ... ... ... 443 North and East Yorkshire ... ... ... ... ... 444 The " Red Book " ... ... ... ... ... ... 445 Grand Lodge of Scotland ... ... ... ... ... 445 Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of Dorset ... .,. ... ... 445

MASONIC NOTESDeath of Bro . the Earl of Limerick ... ... ... ... 447 Bro . J . Ross Robertson and Charity ... ... ... ... 447 One Hundred and Fifteenth Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of New York ... ... ... ... ... ... 447

Obituary ... ... - — •••- ... 447 Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... ... 44 S Reviews ¦•¦ •¦¦ ••••••••••••¦••44 S Provincial Grand Lodge of North and East Yorkshire ... ... ... 448 Provincial Priory of Dorset ... ... ... ... ... 440

Royal Masonic Institution for Boys ... .,. ... ... 449 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... ... 449 Obituary ... ... •¦ •... ... •••... 450 Presentation to Mrs . J . M . McLeod ... .,, ... ... 452 Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 452

A Question Of Jurisdiction.

A QUESTION OF JURISDICTION .

There is no earthly reason why the Grand Lodges of the United Kingdom and the several Colonial Grand Lodges which are indebted to them in the first instance fortheirexistence—or , be it said rather , for the constitution of the private lodges which established

them—and which the said Grand Lodges of England , Ireland , and . Scotland have from time to time recognised since 1856 , should not live together in the most absolute peace and harmony . The

Colonial Grand Lodges have all they can possibly desire in the way of self-government , and it is only here and there that any evidence of the subordination of the Colonies to the Mother

Country in things Masonic is to be found in the shape of a stray lodge or two which have preferred to remain in obedience to their parent Grand Lodge to casting in their lot with the local

Grand Lodge . And even where these evidences still exist the old and the new order of things have with one solitary exception contrived to rub along together most harmoniously . It is indeed on record in the case of Nova Scotia , that when Bro . General

LUVRIE was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of that Province , he and his Grand Officers not infrequently visited the Royal Standard Lodge , No . 39 8 , Halifax , which is still in communication with the Grand Lodge of England , the relations between

tins lodge and the brethren of the Nova Scotian Constitution being of the most cordial character ; while to take a more recent instance , Bro . Lord BRASSEY , who is Grand Master of ^ ictoria , is a subscribing member of the Combermere Lodge ,

" 75 2 i Melbourne , which retains its connection with our Grand Lod ge . As regards the three English lodges in Montreal it is a Matter of history that difficulties have arisen between the Grand Lod ges of Quebec and England in reference to them , but it will

suffice if we affirm , as we can do most truthfully , that these diificulties are not of our seeking , nor do we imagine they ever u ° nld have arisen , if only the Grand Lodge of Quebec , following the example of that of Canada ( Province of Ontario ) and the rest

° ' 'he Colonial Grand Lodges , had been content to leave our •* glo-Montreal lodges in the undisturbed possession of their "" doubted rights and privileges . It is evident , therefore , that So 'ar as this part of the general question of jurisdiction is

0 | icerned , Cnere is , or in the exceptional case of Quebec , need ' no obstacle to the Grand Lodges of England , Ireland , and •Gotland , being on terms of the most perfect amity with the oioriial Grand Lodges thev have recognised , or been at

nil j' r > J o ' l | mes prepared to recognise , on the usual conditions of respect those lod ges which prefer remaining under the parent Grand J ° ( lge . But on two or three occasions during the last ten or a

A Question Of Jurisdiction.

dozen years other questions relating to jurisdiction have arisen , which seem likely to cause some trouble . The first case of this kind that arose was when the Grand Lodge of Manitoba , one of the independent Grand Lodges established in British North

America , issued its warrant for the constitution of a lodge at Gibraltar . . When the news of this issue reached England , the authorities of our Grand Lodge lost no time in placing themselves in communication with the Grand Lodge of Manitoba , and

in pointing out that Gibraltar was Masoiucally under the Grand Lodges of thc United Kingdom , and that , so far as English Masonry was concerned , it was under the rule of a District Grand Master appointed by our M . W . Grand Master . On

receivingthis information , the Grand Lodge of Manitoba at once and niost gracefully withdrew the warrant it had issued , and no interruption whatever occurred to the fraternal relations which had always existed between the two Grand Lodges . The second

case arose a few years subsequently , when the Grand Chapter of Canada issued warrants for the constitution of sundry chapters in Melbourne , the capital of Victoria , which was then occupied concurrently by the Grand Lodges of England , Ireland ,

. and Scotland , by each of which a District Grand Lodge had been established , while at the same time there was an unrecognised Grand Lodge of Victoria . Remonstrance was at once made by our Grand Chapter , thc authorities of which

pointed out to the intrusive Grand Chapter of Canada that Victoria was a part of British territory over which the Grand Lodges of the United Kingdom , and with them , of course , their Grand Chapters , always had exercised , and still rightly claimed

to exercise , undisputed authority . The Grand Chapter of Canada , however , instead of gracefully retiring , as the Grand Lodge of Manitoba had done , from an untenable position , resolved on maintaining the chapters it had warranted coute que

coute , on , so far as we can remember , the very absurd ground that as there was no recognised Grand Lodge of Victoria , that Colony was unoccupied territory , in which it was lawful for every sovereign Grand Chapter in the British Empire to warrant

chapters . It was claimed that the Grand Chapter of Canada was the peer of the Grand Chapters of England , Ireland , and Scotland , and as such was fully entitled to do as it pleased in the matter of issuing warrants for establishing chapters in British

territories , in which there was no sovereign Grand Chapter in the exercise of supreme authority . Our Grand Chapter rejoined that , so far as it was concerned , it had always exercised supreme authority concurrently with the Grand Chapters of Ireland and

Scotland over capitular Masonry throughout the British Empire , and that when the Grand Lodge of England , of which it is a part , recognised the sovereignty and independence of the Grand Lodge of Canada , and with it , of course , those of its Grand

Chapter , it recognised a sovereignty which was naturally and of necessity restricted to the territorial limits of Canada . It had recognised it unreservedly as the supreme authority over the Masonic lodges in the Province of Canada , but , in doing so , it

never intended to confer upon it the right to establish lodges in other portions of the British Empire . To put the matter more clearly , it ceded the Province of Canada , which had been previously British Territory , to the Grand Lodge of Canada , on

the one condition that any English lodges which preferred doing so should be at liberty to remain in communication with the Grand Lodge of England . However , the Grand Chapter of Canada remained obstinatel y deaf to the voice of reason and common sense , and there appeared to be the makings of a