Early Records Of Lodge, No. 35, Cowes, Isle Of Wight.

It was resolved , September 19 th . " lhat ye Candlesticks belonging to this Lodge should henceforward no more be lended out to any Lodge or bod y whatsonicvci' . " Be it renicmbered these were of silver and so were valuable adornments . A curious minute ou Murch Oth . 1755 . recites lhat "Bin . AVm .

Hardin was at the same time made a . Mason and as lie had been made before , his cxpeiices was . suspended to the Determination of fhe next Lodge . " This may refer to the '' remaking" of one of the "Ancients , " or Seceders . who had been formed into a Grand Lodge from 1751 .

Another entry occurs . Jul y 3 rd , ol a similar character , when a Brother " who had formerl y been made Illegall y was to be made again and also raised . " The "' making " appeal's io have included the Second Degree . The last minute is dated February 10 th , 1756 , when " Bro . Burton was raised a Master and paid his line accordingly . " Thc accounts , however , ceased apparently , March 20 th . 1754 . but virtually on October 4 th . 1753 . when a balance of £ 12 16 s . lid . was in hand .

In Bro . Lanes indispensable "Masonic Records . 1717-1886 , " the lodgo is stated to have removed to the "Golden Fleece , Goodman ' s Fields"' in 1730 , but save the entry of June 22 nd . 1741 , there is no mention of such removal , all the headings being " At a Lodge held at Bro . Huddy ' s" from November 8 th . 1736 . to that date . Likely enough , however , the Landlord had removed in ( he interim ,

but as the lodge followed him to his new house , no notice was taken of the change in the records , but only in the "Engraved Lists . " Bro . Lane notes 1751 as ( lie year when flic lodge removed ( o fhe "Cit y of Norwich , " but , according to thc minute book . 1752 appears to have been flic date . It was situated iu " Wentworth St . ( not Wiuford St . ) Sjiittlcfields . "

The difficulties as fo the matter arc not lessened , but rather increased , b y reference to the Warrant of Confirmation * dated 24 th April , 1824 , granted lo the present "Medina"' Lodge . No . 35 , (' owes , Isle of AVig ht . It stales thai a Charter was issued on Feb . I 7 lh . 1732 , to the lodge , then No . 111 . and meeting at fhe "Theatre Tavern" aforesaid , reinovinir lo the "Fleece Tavern . " Goodman ' s

l'iclds , in 1 / 38 . to ( he "Angel and Crown m 1 / 41 . and ( o ( he " City of Norwich " in 1750 . The years , in sonic instances , do mil agree with Bro . Lane ' s dates , and certainl y are not conlirmed b y llic minutes , neither is thc year of ori g in correct , as that should be 1733 . It was 1732-3 " Old style , " which , of course , meant ( hc latter year , and not 1732 .

Bro . Lancf furnishes a list of a dozen date ' s , as given under thc numeration of 1710-1755 , which were " arbffaril y and incorrect Iv altered , whereb y several Lodges obtained a priority ( o which ( hey were not legitimatel y entitled , " including the present No . 35 aforesaid , under a lirevions warrant . Really , then , .-mother Lodge .

The document likewise stales that the lodge was removed in 1758 to " Greenhitho Coffee House . " Grccnliithe . and in 1761 to AVest Cowes , Isle of Wight ( one year earlier , each , than Bro . Lane gives ) , iu which island it still happil y continues , though it has changed about a dozen times sinco as respects p laces of meeting .

Early Records Of Lodge, No. 35, Cowes, Isle Of Wight.

The jiefitioncrs declared in 1821 "that ( heir said AVarrant hath b y sonie accident been lost or destroyed , " but how far snch ori ginal authority partook of the nature of a Warrant , as we understand the lenii . is open lo question , for . as I explain in my last work on the " l'hisrravcd List of 1 734 . " even rears later than 1733 no Warrant

was issued , at least not in L melon , but the Graud AIaster . when he agreed with thc prayer of the petition , simpl y signified his consent accordingly , and lixed a day for thc " Constitution , '" or , as AVC should sav , " Consecration " of the lodge . It was doubtless so with this old Indue of 1732-3 .

A memorandum is still preserved at Cowes . dated Ajiril 15 , 1801 , aud signed b y Bro . Wm . Holloway , D . Prov . G . M ., to thc effect that the original " Constitution , dated February 17 th , 1732 . " was "lost or mislaid , or jicrhaps in the jiossession of some person ( not a Mason ) who chases to keep if . As thc Lodire of England never issue

a second Constitution of lhe same number , I would advise that a copy of lhe Old Constitution be sollictcd from the Grand Secretary , who , I should suppose , would not refuse it . " In time , the advice , as wc have seen , was taken , the issue of the Warrant of Confirmation ( 1821 ) being the result .

Bro . Asher Barfield ( P . G . Treas . J has also lent mc another volume of Records for examination , beginning " Sejitember , 1767 , " when the meetings were held at the Vine Tavern . West Cowes . This is a year earlier than the Engraved Lists give . There is no indication in the volume as to the exact period of the advent of the lodge at the Isle of Wi g ht , which is disappointing , fo say the least . Thc lodge was erased in 1773 and restored in 1778 , so Bro . Lane

tells us . but the first meeting subsequent to the dormancy and erasure ( according to the minutes ) was on 29 th Oct . 1777 , and was dul y authorised b y " Lieutant Thomas Duuckerl y , Esq ., of the South . Battalion of Hampshire Militia . P . P . G . M " . for this count y , in the absence of the I ' rov . G . M . the Rt . Hon . Lord Charles Montague . " The disif ' ifttt ' . inii was granted to Lancelot Foijnett , Robert liixon , William Holloway , James Davis , and George Maynard , "for holding ii Lodire in this Town to make Masons , -fee . "

Of these live brethren , only two werc members " of Ihe former Lodge . " viz .. Davis aud . Maynard , but later on , another old member joined , HIM . John Miyor . who is credited with having ori ' g ' nall y lu-gan bis memberslii ji in 1767 . Bro . . Maynard was the host of the " \ in-. * ' his mother lodge , apjiareully , being the one held at the "King ' s Anns . Portsmouth . "

Oi thc opening day two guineas were voted to the General Charity , aud a similar sum to the "Hall Fund ; '' Bro . Dunckerley being present as a visitor . It was agreed , a little later on , that " Gloves be presented to the Wife or Friend of every member .... in consequence of the said Lodge being restored to its antient No . 30 . " which was allotted to il iu 1770 ; but I fancy thc jubilation was rather in advance of thc much desired event , as in thc

"Leiter Book ' jircscrvccl . the desire was expressed on 11 th October , 1780 . thai the lodge might be restored "to th-it honour amongst lhe Crafl in general , which ihcy . on their jiart , hope to maintain . " The aid of the Provincial Grand Master was also solicited , aud eventually this special petition was granted . Throughout this volitmj thc lodge is styled the Medena , not "Medina . " as stibseqiientlv . W . J . HUGHAN .

"A Man And A Brother."

"A Man and a Brother . "

Mi ij- ^ 15 ? T is as recentl y as thc beginning ol thc month ol Scjitciiibci ^ JJST * of ( he present year of grace , 1880 , that thc episode cou-^ Vj Mf , tained herein occurred . ?§§¦ &• , I was out with the c . sprditiun of the Sabi O phii wf' / JJi Minimr Comnanv on the south-east coast of Africa , and

^ WJ ? ihe object of our commander at the time was to visit ( he ^ fov Kraal of King (' iiiiganyune . which would find its position somewhere on the skirts of that jiortion of even recent gcogra j diical reconnoitrings marked on the maj ) " sujiposcd territory of the Queen of Sheba , " and the region from which it is sujiposcd King Solomon drew his boundless wealth of gold , ivorv and precious

. stones . The dusk y and dangerous chief was at the time of om ijijiroach proved to be rather a difficult customer , for in consequence >>! ' some iivi-v-fricndlincss ujion the part of tlie Portuguese , who arc id present making such prcposfcroiis claims to portions of his dominions as well as those of his neighbour Lobeiiirulu . and liiiradinir

the bones of their heroic and intrepid forefathers as vindication ol their acts , against which the British Government proles ! s . But let that jiass here , suffice it lo say that the dusk y monarch in question having been advised b y these pastors and would-be masters not to move lo bis summer Kraal , beuan lo feci the bonds of I ' riondlv

advice somewhat irksome and . began to make his " progress" bv ordering out his Impi under the command of his brolher Jokane . chief of the lig hting' men—who did his work onl y loo well wilh wide spread murder and devastation— thus paralysing all enterprise for ihe time he and I lie ten thousand men under his command were occujiicd in their gruesome work .

"A Man And A Brother."

During ( his period I found myself on ( he Island of Clu'loane performing the unenviable jiart of the only English resident , for weeks amongst Kaffirs , convicts , and a handful of " Banian " traders . M y sojourn was however li ghtened b y the jiresence

suddenl y as one dropped from the skies of our guide and interjireter , "Bill lleavisides . " known to the Kuliir •' boys" as " Gomculc , " which being translated , means thunder , on account of his voice which is as deep and terror-striking as his heart is li ght aud soft . I explained to my friend that sonic days previous to his return , a distinguished visitor had arrived in our midst , heralded hi- niucli

blowing of horns and beating of tom-toms . This visitor he discovered was no other than his friend Jokane , brother and li ghting mail of Giig'inynne , returning to thc bosom of his famil y with alibis honours thick ujion him , and the inevitable emissaries of thc Portuguese with thc soothing siipjilics of " square face , " otherwise Hollands gin of the most ardent dcscriiilion . Hc sent

a message ol greeting to thc chief , am one day on my ret urn from ti sketching-walk . / entered our hut to find a somewhat weazened and elderl y "nigger" sitting on ( he onl y chair wc [ lossessedcoveted treasure . This was too much ! So with gentle firmness 1 proceeded to draw him out of it ; not wilh jiersuasive tongue , but

b y physical force . I had not noticed entering the dark hut out of llic glaring sun . that lleavisides was reclining ujion sonic rugs in a further corner of thc room , and to my consternation I heard "the voice of Thunder" calling "for the love of life , Mack , droj ) him . il is llic King ' s li ghting man ! " I dropped him .

Hurrying into the sleeping ajiartment and tilling my most oriiiimciital jiipc . J returned with il to the awful presence , and oifereil it nilb many bow . s and scra pings ( you must aiwavs scrajie rtith your foot when bowing in these jiartsj . A . raju'd and fortunate explanation on the purl ' of my guide , philosopher and friend had brought ( he chief lo accept ( he harmless fief ion that 1 was ; i vcry