West Yorkshire And Royal Arch Masonry.

tered in l 79 % are na PP >' y still in existence , as No . 139 , Sheffield , and No . „ Bradford . These are all of last century origin , and those still working , have warrants of confirmation as generally granted by the Grand Chapter after 1 S 17 , which seems a pity , as the change of warrant tends to blot out the record of previous existence , the fact of an earlier origin not being noted on the new charters . Many of the historical notes are of interest , e . g ., No . „() t Keig hley , with new warrant of 8 th May , 1822 , has the older one of 24 th February , 1791 still preserved . No . 308 , Leeds , chartered in 1 790 ,

did not open until 179 6 , its confirmation dating from 1819 as the Alfred Chapter . Mention is made of the R . A . Chapter under " York " auspices , AD . I 78 ° > anc * tne note ' PP ended—" no records are known at present . " We hope , however , some energetic and competent brethren will soon

discover these . We congratulate the province on possessing such an excellent Royal Arch Guide .

Old Warrants, No. Ix.

OLD WARRANTS , No . IX .

ST . JOHN'S LODGE , No . 134 , LURGAN , A . D . 1743 . " Tullamore , G . M . By the Right Worshipful and Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Tullamore , Grand Master of all the Lodges of Free Masons in the Kingdom of Ireland ; the Worship ful Cornelius Callaghan , Esq ., Deputy Grand Master ; the Worshipful Edward Harrington and John Morress , Esqrs ., Grand Wardens . Whereas , our trusty and well-beloved Brothers , Mr . John Magill , Mr . William Guthry , and Mr . Robert Turbitt have besought us , that we would be pleased to erect

a Lodge of Free Masons in the Town of Lurgan , in the County of Ardmagh , of such persons who by their knowledge and skill in Masonry , may contribute to the well-being and advancement therefore , We therefore duly weighing' the premises , and having nothing more at heart than the prosperity and true advancement of Masonry , and reposing special trust and confidence in our trusty and well-beloved Brothers—the said Bro . lohn Magill , Bro . William Guthry , and Bro . Robert Turbitt—of whose abilities and

knowledge in Masonry we are satisfied : Do by these presents , of our certain knowledge and meer motion , nominate create authorize and Constitute the said Bro . John Magill , Bro . William Guthry and Bro . Robert Turbitt to be Master and Wardens of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons , to be held by them and their successors lawfully admitted in the said Lodge for ever . And we do hereby grant under the said Bro . John Magill , Bro . William Guthry , and Bro . Robert Turbitt , and their successors , full power

and lawful authority from time to time to proceed to election of a new Master and Wardens , to make such Laws , Rules and Orders , as they from time to time shall think proper and convenient for the well-being and ordering af the said Lodge , reserving to ourselves and our successors , Grand Masters of [ or ] Grand Wardens of Ireland , the sole right of deciding all differences which shall be brought by Appeal before us and our successors , Grand Masters and Grand Wardens of Ire / and .

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hand and Seal of Office , this twentyeth day of May , in the year of our Lord God 1743 , and in the year of Masonry 5743- Intratur per EDWARD SPEATT , G . Sec .

The foregoing is copied from the by-laws of this old lodge , which were finally revised on the 27 th February , 1888 , and duly certified by the Dep . G . Sec . An interesting list of " Worshipful Masters of Lodge 134 , from 1775 to 1888 , " is appended , so it is presumed the members possess the

minute books lor that period . I am indebted to Bro . Cooper , ot Dundalk , for the above , who takes a special interest in this series of " Old Warrants , " especially those respecting Ireland . The Official Calendar erroneously gives the date of the lodge as A , D . 1843 , but doubtless that typographical slip will be corrected in the next issue . W # J' HUGHAN -

A Day With The Grand Lodge Of The Netherlands.

A DAY WITH THE GRAND LODGE OF THE NETHERLANDS .

By BRO . G . W . SPETH . A short account of a visit made by Bro . Gould and myself to the headquarters of Dutch Masonry at the Hague may not be unacceptable to the readers of the Freemason . An invitation from the Grand Officers , courteousl y communicated through the Grand Secretary , Bro . J . P . Vaillant , to

attend the Grand Lodge of the Netherlands at its annual session , and afterwards to partake of the banquet , led to our being present at Fluweelen Burgwall , 22 ( Freemasons' Hall ) , the Hague , at 10 a . m ., on Sunday , the ^ th inst . With the Deputy Grand Master and the Grand Secretary , who are members of the Ouatuor Coronati Lodge Correspondence Circle , we

™ ere in some measure acquainted , and introductions to the Grand Master , Wardens , and other officers followed in succession . The members of the Grand Lodge then proceeded to take up their allotted stations in the hall , which being accomplished we were summoned by the Grand Master of tne Ceremonies , who ushered us into the Grand Lodge , and conducted us

to the dais , where seats had been assigned to us . The total number of lodges under the obedience of the Grand Lodge is l 0 4 i of which , however , only 86 are now active . Each lodge is represented "J the Masonic Parliament by three deputies , who are elected annually , these deputies have three rows of seats assigned to them on either side of

" hall , and the centre is open for the free passage of brethren , as with ourselves . Each deputy is provided with pen , ink , and paper , which lie r j-ady to his hand on a . desk . The Grand Master sits , of course , in the East , e Deputy Grand Master on his left , and the Grand Secretary , together ) Vtth the Assistant Grand Secretary , on his right . The Wardens both sat

the West , and the remaining Grand Officers , who were apparently also e Puties ( or representatives of lodges ) , had taken up their positions on the ^ ts to the right and left of the body of the hall , as seems to be the custom en brethren , who either hold Grand office or represent foreign Grand "ges , are also the elected deputies of private lodges .

the ceremony of opening the Grand Lodge was very similar to our S » sh practice , and the other business transacted was the reception of the presentatives of foreign Grand Lodges , who were severally conducted to " ^ Places on the dais , the roll was then called by the Grand Secretary , after which the Grand ster delivered a long and telling address , and the ordinary business of

A Day With The Grand Lodge Of The Netherlands.

the session commenced . A debate , or motion , is inaugurated by a member claiming the right of speech { demander la parole ) , which is done by bringing together the hands in a manner that would at once arrest the attention of any Master Mason . Every brother is permitted to speak twice , as of right , and a third time , by permission of the chair . This license seems somewhat

liable to abuse , and we noticed that several speakers—notabl y an advocate and a pastor of the Lutheran Church—took several opportunities of impressing their particular views upon the meeting . At mid-day we retired , and soon after the Grand Lodge was adjourned for refreshment , but it speedily resumed , and continued in session until

5 p . m . The labours of the Grand Lodge being concluded , the Deputy G . M . and the Grand Secretary , Bros . Maas Geesteranus , and J . P . Vaillant , conducted us over the Grand Lodge premises , and it goes without saying —that both Bro . Gould and myself felt no sli ght difficulty in limiting our

inspection of the famous Kloss Library within the small number of minutes that would alone admit of our also visiting the many other objects of interest that are to be seen at the head-quarters of Dutch Freemasonry . The library referred to was formerly the property of Dr . G . Kioss , a Masonic

critic and historian of most wide celebrity , whose valuable—or , rather , invaluable—collection passed at his death into the possession of Prince Frederick , for upwards of 60 years Grand Master of the Netherlands , who presented it to the Grand Lodge .

A large number of rooms in the building are fitted with Masonic curiosities , and one of them is entirely devoted to the display of the many gifts or presentations made from time to time to the late Prince Frederick during his Grand Mastership . Our inspection of these interesting relics were scarcely completed when the Tyler informed our courteous hosts and

conductors that dinner was ready . Accompanying them at their desire , we were ushered into a large hall . Over the entrance was a gallery occupied by the band ( string and wind ) , of the Grenadier Regiment . Three long tables ran the length of the room in parallel rows , and at the further end , on a dais raised some two feet , and backed by an arrangement of flowering

shrubs ana evergreens , extended a slightly curved cross-table . Our seats were here assigned to us as follows : to the right of the Grand Master , the Grand Secretary , myself , Baron Gentz , Representative of the Grand Lodge of Sweden ; Bro . Gould , Major-General Kromhout , representing France ; and the Representatives of Roumania and Peru . To the left—the Deputy

Grand Master , Rev . Lieftinck , Grand Orator , M . P . ; Capt . Lelyveld , G . D . of C . ; the Grand Superintendent of Works ; Rev . Helder , Grand Librarian ; the Representative of Ital y ; and the Grand Expert . The three long tables , at which were seated some 200 brethren , were headed by the Grand Wardens and the Grand Treasurer . The music , excellent in

every way , and the toasts alternated during , and not after the repast , the Wardens being desired to perform their usual functions b y the G . D . of C ., who , at the same time , announced the speaker . The first toast b y the G . M . himself was , of course , "King and Fatherland , " greeted with great enthusiasm amidst the strains of the National Anthem . After the " Grand

Master" had been given in a very effective speech by the S . G . W ., followed a toast which was entrusted to the eloquent Deputy G . M . After a long address in Dutch to his compatriots , Bro . Maas turned towards us , and speaking with great precision of diction , and no small fluency in English , said : "W . Bros . Gould and Speth , —I have just asked our brethren to

drink to "The Prosperity of our Sister Grand Lodges , " as represented on the dais , and in the body of the hall , by their respective Ambassadors . In former times we were honoured by the presence of a Representative from the Grand Lodge of England , that Grand Lodge , from which we ourselves sprung , to which we have ever been attached heart and soul , to which

oursympathies most strongly turn , the Venerable Mother of all Grand Lodges in ex istence . Untoward event of , we trust , a passing nature , have deprived us of this pleasure , but we are perfectly convinced that the former feeling of mutual love and respect is as strong as ever . This day we derive a great consolation from the fact of your presence amongst us . Not only does this

show that the fraternal bonds are not broken , we believe not even strained ; not only are we enabled to welcome in our midst two English brethren , the one distinguished by having occupied a high office in his own Grand Lodge , and by his surpassing historical and literary attainments in the sphere of Masonic research , the other by his successful efforts in binding together

under the wing of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge , of which Bro . Gould is the present W . M ., all those interested in the same absorbing studies ; but we find our former English Representative , who , alter all , was of course , only a Dutch brother , replaced by two actual and Representative members of the English Craft . The Grand Lodge of England is thus not merely

represented in this assembly , it becomes actually a component member thereof . Grand Lodge in the person of Bro . Gould , and the English Fraternity in that of Bro . Speth are acting with us , seated at our board and assisting at our festivities . This , my brethren , is a day of happy augury for us ; may it prove the harbinger of a resumption of our former close relations ; we

welcome you personally for your own merits , and representatively as sons of our Common Mother , the Grand Lodge of England . On your return convey to your Grand Lodge , and to all the Brotherhood in England , the assurance of the profound love and esteem which we entertain for them . Bros . Gould and Speth , to your Grand Lodge , and to yourselves , your Dutch brothers now drink . "

The enthusiasm which immediately followed is scarcely to be described . The band struck up " God save the Queen , " every brother at the crosstable , including the G . M . himself , left his seat to clink glasses with our two selves , and their example was followed by members from the body of the hall , one brother making a particular point of the fact that he was initiated at Marazion , near Penzance . " Hoch " rent the air and almost drowned