Original Correspondence.

the brethen sometimes install several brethren in one evening ; they have therefore passed through the chair , occup ied it for perhaps 10 minutes each , and obtained the decree of P . M . At the conclusion of the ceremony the real W . M . resumes the chair and the trick is done . —I am , dear sir and brother , yours fraternally , G . W . SPETH .

REBUILDING THE TEMPLE . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Publicity having been given to my intention to submit a motion for consideration at the ensuing Quarterly Communication o £ Grand Lodge in relation to the rebuilding of thc Temple , I think it advisable to afford

further information at once , thereby placing beyond doubt before your readers what my ideas on the subject are , and probably saving valuable time , as well in the interval between this date and the 5 th December next as on the occasion of the Grand Lodge meeting of that date . Roughly expressed , and subject to other wording , my proposition will be that under the direction and authority

of the Grand Superintendent of Works ( who shall not thereby be precluded from submitting his own designs ) those architects , being members of our Order , who may be desirous to compete shall be invited to send plans and designs for the new building to the already constituted Building Committee , that prizes ot the respective values of say thirty ( or fifty ) guineas , twenty ( or thirty ) guineas ,

and ten ( or twenty ) guineas , be offered for the three most approved designs . That the said designs shall be sent in under mottoes , the names of the respective architects remaining undisclosed until after selection , and the approximate cost of each design shall be stated . That they shall be exhibited for one month , and the selection of the prize designs be made by ballot by Master Masons . ( The

details of the method of taking such ballot are of the most simple and effective kind , and need not be explained in his letter . ) That the Building Committee be requested to report , at such date as may be determined , the result of such ballot , with the names of the successful competitors , and their own opinion as to the advisability ot otherwise of accepting one or other of the prize designs .

In the event of this proposition , or some modification thereof which will ensure the reception of competitive designs , being accepted , it will almost as a matter of course follow that the desigher of the plans which will be ultimately approved of by Grand Lodge will be the architect of the new building under the direction and superintendence of our own Chief Officer of Works , should he not

be himself the successful competitor . Tenders from some of the most eminent contractors should be invited in the manner customary when edifices of importance are to be erected ,, and so in the result we may hope to have a building worthy of our great English Craft as a body , and of the important work which will be carried on within its walls .

It would not become me to enter now into arguments on behalf of my proposition ; at the proper time I shall be able to adduce excellent reasons for its adoption . Meanwhile others should be free to form their opinions , and to be prepared with counter arguments , if they see fit . By the way , a question put by the VV . Bro . Henry Maudslay , P . G . D ., & c , seems to be worthy of consideration

before it is finally settled upon what part ot the property of Grand Lodge the new Temple shall be erected . If there are premises westward of the present ruined Temple which can be adapted for the new building , it may be found advantageous , both in respect of economy and increased convenience to utilise them . Particulars of a survey lead me strongly to believe that the loss which would result from the the

absorption of Bacon's Hotel , as proposed by Building Committee , need not be incurred j and that altogether far better arrangements could be made towards the west than towards the east of the present Grand Lodge offices and lodge rooms . These particulars are at the service of any brother who would care to be acquainted with them , and would see me on the subject . In conclusion , it is to be hoped that the members of Grand

Lodge generally will see the propriety and policy of not too greatly hastening a decision on such an important matter as this . It will be better to delay than to blunder , for it is not only in the present interests of our Order in regard to our " home " that we should be concerned , but the probable requirements of future generations of Freemasons demand from us a dutiful and careful consideration . —Yours truly and fraternally , JAMES STEVENS , Clapham , S . W ., Sept . 10 th . P . M . 1216 , P . Z .

OLD LODGES AS BENEFIT SOCIETIES . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In your review column in the number for June 30 th I observed a notice of the history of No . 42 Lodge , wherein it is stated by Bro . Evans " that 43 had been practically a Benefit Society . " This was not uncommon in former days ,

for I believe many lodges partook of the benefit character . Last year was given to me the bye-laws of a lodge which died , as the doctors say , from inanition about the middle of last century ; these bye-laws were printed in 1760 , and are more benefit than Masonic . Let me allude to some words or yourown in your review . " Everything tends to prove the resolute adherence to ancient formula ; which mark our

brethren in England . " This is certainly incorrect , for the industry with which modern Masonry is attempted to be sown over England contradicts your observation ; and I may say , from the applications 1 receive for the old York working , demonstrates that the tide is turning , and that many lod ges desire to return to their first love , and boast

again ot " antiquity ' s pride . " 1 will take this opportunity of mentioning that in olden times senior lodges in towns issued warrants to hold lodges \ i ' . same place . This has not been noticed by any Masonic " savant . " Possibly some authority can throw light u Pon the practice , and I may say I have the proof of the custom . —Yours fraternally , v , „ R . W . HOLLON , P . M . 236 . York , September 10 th .

THE ORGANIST OF ST . SEPULCHRE'S . n To the Editor of the "Freemason . " D « M Sir and Brother , — „_ ,, , Permit me to correct an error which appeared in 3 Kw F Ia . "" mber . In the report of the meeting of "Ye rtntiente Fraternitie of Ye Rahere Almoners , " Mr . Loaring

Original Correspondence.

is alluded to as organist of St . Sepulchre's . There is buf one organist holding that appointment and he is , yours fraternally , EDWIN M . LOTT . 270 , Cornwall-rd ., Notting Hill , VV ., Sept . 12 th , 1 SS 3 .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Masonic Notes and Queries .

227 J CHARLES SACKVILLE . When turning over recently the pages of the " Freemasons' Magazine and Masonic Mirror" for the first half of the year 1 S 65 , I lighted on a communication under the head of " Masonic Notes and Queries , " in which particulars are given respecting the Sackville medal of " Lorenz Natter , " & c . As they are pertinent to the discussion which has been going on in the columns of the Ft eemason , some account of them will , perhaps , be interesting . The writer , who signs himself * ' Ex . i-. x . " speaks of the "extract "

containing them as having been forwarded to him from an unknown source , his object being to ascertain what , if any , truth there was in the statement made by his informant that Charles Sackville ' s great grandfather , Sir Thomas Sackville , was " Grand Master of the Gcand Lodge at York" in 1561 . The extract states that " Lord Charles Sackville , Duke ( sic ) of Middlesex , son of Lionel Cranfield Sackville , Duke of Dorset , and great grandson of Sir

Ihomas Sackville , who in 1561 was ( jrand Master of the Grand Lodge at York , established , in 1733 , a lodge at Florence . This was done without regular authority , as there was no order for it under the English Constitution , and no acknowledgment or permission for the act by the Grand Lodge of England , which was then under the Grand Mastership of James Lyon , Earl of Strathmore . " It then proceeds : "Whether under the name ' Harpocrates , '

which is on the reverse of a medal in commemoration of this event , in Masonic designs , and the Eleusinian casket with the serpent , the thrysus-staff " (? thytsus-staff ) , and the superscription ab origine ( from the source ) , are represented , or , as might otherwise appear , for truth , it would be difficult to say . The obverse of the medal is adorned with a bust of the founder of the lodge . The name of the maker , ' Lorenz Natter , ' is seen on both sides

of the medal . " The unknown informant states in his next paragraph that "Professor Kohler , in his "Coin Diversions" ( part 8 , page 129 ) , and Bode , in his "Pocket Book" ( dated 1777 , under No . 1 ) , have both given copies of this , probably the oldest Masonic medal . In the valuable collection of Masonic Medals belonging to the Minerva Lodge of the Three Palms in the East at Leipsic , there is also a copy of it " —not as Macoy , in the passage quoted

recently by me from " Kenning's Cyclopaedia of Freemasonry , " would seem to infer , the original . The concluding paragraph speaks of the medal as having on the obverse the " bust of Lord Charles Sackville , with the inscription ' Carolus Sackville , Magister Fl . ' ( Charles Sackville , Master , Florence ) , " anditisadded * ' The exact correspondence of the Masonic emblems in this ancient medal with those of the present day is very

striking . " Here , then , it is stated that this Florence Lodge was estabiished " without regular authority" and without " acknowledgment or permission for the act " from the Grand Lodge of England . This will account for there being no record referring to Charles Sackville and his irregular lodge at Florence in the minutes of the Grand Lodge of England . On turning to see if any correspondent attempted to explain the particulars respecting the medal

or to verify the statement about Sir Thomas Sackville s Grand Mastership of the Grand Lodge at York in 1561 , I found no notice was taken of it . But strange to say , in the very next number 1 came upon a description , taken from the Indian Freemasons' Friend , of the famous Military Lodge , the Minden , No . 63 , or . the roll of Ireland , but now defunct . It begins thus : " The lodge was first organised 11 years prior to the battle of Minden , the

warrant having been granted to Lord George Sackville and others in December , 1748 , when the 20 th regiment was engaged in supressing the attempts of the Pretender in Scotland . " The particulars are derived from Bro . John Clarke's history of the Minden Lodge , wuo , however , seems a little out of his reckoning in the date of the suppression of the Pretender ' s efforts in Scotland . Now there is an old story about an Irish recruit having joined

say , the 34 th regiment of foot , in order that he might be near to his brother who was in the 33 rd . This Lord George Sackville was a younger brother ot Charles Sackville and there is perhaps just a bare possibility that , if we can get further particulars about Lord George Sackville and what was afterwards the Minden Louge—Irish Constitution , be it remembered—we may in a roundabout fashion get some what nearer to the point whether his elder brother Charles

was a Mason and established a 1 jdge . The Sackville family may have had Irish blojd in their veins , and George Sackville may have obtained a warrant for a lodge under the Irish Grand Lodge in order to be neirerspeaking Masonically—to his brother Charles , who had set up a lodge in Florence 15 years earlier . G . B . A . 228 ] Having had "G . B . A . 's" note on Charles Sackville submitted to me , its appearance having been delayed , I write to say

that 1 do not see that this his last note advances us much further . 1 was aware of the older references , but to my mind they prove nothing , as they are nothing but deliberate " sheepwalking . " Everything rests on Bode ' s statement of 1777 , if it be Bode ' s , and he nowhere professes to Know where the original medal is , or to have even seen it . All he says is it was struck " by the brethren in Florence . " The various statements thatit was preserved at Leipsic , in Hanover , and

elsewhere , are all misleading , as it is quite clear all subsequent copies are taken from the medal as it appears professedly in 1777 . The more I think the matter over the more I seem to see , as 1 regard it , that it is not a correct statement . As I often have before remarked , the words " Ab Origine" are fatal to the contention that the medal was really struck in 1732 . There was no such term in Craft Masonry

then , and to a Craftsman they are absolutely meaningless . They are pure Strict Observance words ot 50 years' later use . As fur any supposed allusion in them to the Mysteries , & c , that is simply absurd . Neither is there any proof , except mere surmise , that the lodge was called either Harpocrates or "Zur Wahrheit . " Zacharias gives the medal in his " Numotheca , & c , " and alludes to Kohler and Bode . He

Masonic Notes And Queries.

also says a " replica" of it was in the collection of the Minerva Lodge , Leipsic . ltmay havebeenthatalodgewasformeda Florence by travelling Englishmen ( unwarranted ) ; but it would be an almost inconceivable thing that the brother in whose honour a medal had been stuick , —a very rare occurrence indeed , —should quietly ignore it , as well as his Masonic character , in Englandwhen he had every reason

, and inducement to avow it . I cannot help also thinking if Spence had known of the medal , & c , when he mentions the Kosicrucians , he would have spoken of the Freemasons , at Florence . I admit his silence is not conclusive ; but if it be true that thc Duke of Dorset was VV . M . of a lodge in Florence m 1732 , he never in England claimed the name or rank of a Freemason , though at that special lime such

distinguished brethren were in high favour and great demand , tor these reasons , and many more which might be cited , I have , I confess , come bacic to the same conclusion , with the 'Handbuch , " that the medal is a Strict Observance ' Fraus Pia , " and not historically reliable . At the same time , neither myself nor anyone else is infallible , and subsequent evidence may prove incontestably that " G . B . A . "

is rnjht and that I am wrong . Since I wrote the above , I have heard from Bro . Findel ' s son , Bro . Erwin Fir . del . Bro . Findel is , I am sorry to add , very ill , but his son says , " concerning the Florence Medal , my father is quite of your opinion . " I am promised a further letter from Bro . 1 'indel himself , and a communication from the keeper of the medals of the Minerva Lodge . 1 think it right

to add , that in Holhs's "Memoirs" of 17 S 0 it is stated that this very medal was in Mr . Hollis's possession , but nothing is said of the actual date , and no date whatever is given in the paraphrastic accounts of the medal itself . Hence the alleged date does not apparently exist . The medal prooably existed , but whether struck at Florence or at St .

Petersburgh , is the point at issue . A doubt has even been started as to whether the little Calendar of 1777 is not of later Dutch printing . The great point to be ascertained now is , when and by whom the medal is first mentioned . L . Natter died in 1763 . As several questions arise out of a partial biography of Natter , by Hollis , 1 will recur to the subject next week . DRYASDUST .

329 ] "MONTGOMERY , " PORTRAIT OF . I know of an engraving of the abova individual , with the following inscription : " To the Right Honble . the Marquis of Carnarvan , one of the Lords of the Bed Chamber to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , and Kt . of the Most Noble Order of the Bath , Grand Master of the Antient and Honble . Society Free and Accepted

Masons . This plate is Humbly Dedicated by his Lordship ' s most Obedient Humble Servant , MONTGOMERY , Guarder of ye Grand Lodge . " Engraver , A . V . Haecken , 1738 . Painter , A . F . Meuten . Is the original portrait still in existence , and who was the individual Montgomerie ? "Guarder" probably means the same office as the present Grand Tyler holds . T . F .

The Relief Lodge Sesquicentenial, Bury.

THE RELIEF LODGE SESQUICENTENIAL , BURY .

The following address , delivered by Bro . Harry Grundy , P . M . 42 , Prov . Grand Purst . East Lane , at the 150 th anniversary of the lodge in July last , and which we were unable to find room for in our report of the proceedings , will no doubt be found of interest to many of our readers

On the Gth day ot June , in the year of Our Lord 1733 , a petition was signed by the following brethren : Lawrence Plant , M . j John Hey , S . VV . ; William Loe , I . W .- ; George Leigh , Roger Booth , and Edward Clark , " Free and Accepted Masons , " as they therein describe themselves . It was addressed to the Right Honourable Earl of Strathmore , Grand Master ; Thomas BatsonD . Grand ;

, James Smith and John Ward , Esqs ., Wardens for the year 1733 , and declaring that they , the petitioners , having nothing more at heart than the virtuous principles of Masonry and propagation of the Craft in all its parts , are desirous of being formed into a regular lodge , it humbly prays that a deputation may be granted to our Right Worshipful brother , Mr . Edward Entwistle , to constitute them

into a regular lodge , & o , and as in duty bound , we will ever pray . " The petition was accompanied by a certificate of the same date , under the hands and seals of the before mentioned Edwd . Entwistle and by John Fishwick and Robt . Brown , who were the first Master and Wardens respectively of the Anchor and Hope Lodge , now No . 37 . The petition was presented , and the Grand Master

granted the warrant to Bro . Entwistle to convene the brethren at Bury and constitute them a regular lodge . The warrant is dated the " third day of July , 1733 , and of Masonry 5733 ; but the lodge was not consecrated until the 26 th day of July , according to Pine ' s engraved list . " I need not quote the warrant any further , as it may be seen and read by any brother attending the lodee durinu anv of

its ordinary meetings . The warrant is 8 £ in . wide by 11 J in . deep , and though yellow with age and marked by creates where it has long been folded , is in an excellent state of preservation , and can be easily read although the ink is somewhat faded . The seal—of dark red wax—is cracked , but otherwise perfect . A copy of it has been sent to Bro . Hughan , Past G . S . D . of Englandand a high Masonic

, authority , and he says he has not seen another like it , and that it clearly refers to the Third Degree before the Royal Arch was adopted . The blazon of the arms on the shield are a chevron , charged with a pair of compasses open cheveronwise between three towers embattled . Crest : Upon the helmet of nobility a dove with wings closed . Supporters : Two beavers . Motto , in Greek characters :

"In the beginning was the word . " From the books we find that the warrant was framed on April 23 rd , 1 S 1 S , and when we consider that for the long period ot 85 years this document with its fragile seal appears to have remained unframed , we ought to , and do , admire and feel very thankful to the brethren through whose custody it has passed for the care they have taken in handing it down to us in such

perfect condition . The cost of the frame was 2 S . 3 d ., certainly a modest amount even in 1818 . The warrant is worth y of a better setting , but I hesitate to suggest an alteration in an article which has , so far as I am aware , satisfied the brethren for 05 years . After consecration the lodge appears to have gone steadily to work , for on St . John ' s Day , 1734 , the first byelaws or the lodge were signed b y 59 brethren . They are given in full in Bro . Evans ' s history of the lodge . In