Provincial Grand Lodge Of Lincolnshire.

Bro . FULLARD responded . He said he was proud to reply to the toast of St . Matthew ' s Lodge . For two years they had been looking forward to entertaining the Prov . Grand Lodge . More than ioo years ago there was a St . Matthew ' s Lodge in Barton . They were very pleased to have received them that day , and they hoped to entertain them on a future occasion . They would look back to that day with feelings of pride . They hoped that in future years they would have others coming forward to get positions on the Prov G . Lodge of equal attainments to the present .

Bro . VICKERS , Prov . Grand Secretary , in submitting " The Masonic Charities , " said the remarks made by the Worship ful Master were far more forcible than any which he could make in commending the Charities to the consideration of the brethre n of the province . He was very glad to hear from Bro . Goodwin such a good report ; and since coming into the room he had heard that it would have been still better but for pressing local claims . So that was a good reason for certain

lodges not responding this time to the calls of the Provincial Charity Stewards . Some years ago when he went up to London they said to him , " What are you Lincolnshire people doing ? You never send us anything . " They put their shoulder to the wheel , and when he subsequently went up they were second of all in the provinces ! That shows what can be done in a poor , thinly-populated

county like Lincolnshire . Being lately addressed on the subject by an officer in London , he told him they had raised iooo guineas in the last few years . The rejoinder was , "You ought to give us £ 500 " He ( Bro . Vickers ) informed the brethren they would raise about £ 350 this year . In conclusion , he said he need scarcely remind them that these Charities have carried joy and gladness into many hearts .

Bro . G OODWIN was loudly cheered on rising to respond . He said it was his p leasing duty to visit 15 lodges ; it was a labour of love . He met with the right hand of fellowship , and he was sure he was proud of being a Mason of Lincolnshire and of coming there that day on behalf of the Charities of the county .

Bro . MEGGITT gave " The Visiting Brethren . " He remarked that the toast endorsed that welcome which they extended with the hand of fellowship to every Mason they met in order that whenever he came amongst them as a stranger he mig ht feel he was at home , that he was welcome , and that he was seated amongst his brethren . The lodge he represented heartily rejoiced to see visiting brethren present there that day , and to extend to them that feeling of brotherhood and welcome which every brother should ever try to offer to another .

Bro . G . H . BURTON , who by geographical exigencies belongs to the Province of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire , acknowledged the warm-hearted greeting ever to be found among the people of North Lincolnshire . The Tyler ' s toast was duly honoured , and the company separated .

Provincial Grand Chapter Of Buckinghamshire.

PROVINCIAL GRAND CHAPTER OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE .

The first meeting of the new Provincial Grand Chapter of Bucks was held in the Masonic Hall , Aylesbury , on Thursday , the 1 ith inst . Comp . the Rev . John Studholme Brownrigg , M . A ., who had been appointed as Grand Superintendent by H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , was accompanied by Comps . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , G . S . E ., Frank Richardson , and other companions from Grand Chapter and the province .

The ceremony of installation was ably performed by Comp . Col . Shadwell H . Clerke and Comp . F . Richardson , who acted as D . C . Comp . Rev . J . Grace , G . P . S ., was appointed Prov . G . H ., and Comp . Thos . Taylor , P . Z . 8 40 , was appointed Prov . G . J . Comp . Thomas Horwood , P . Z . 591 , was elected Treasurer , and Comp . J . Williams , P . Z . 591 , was continued in office as Prov . G . S . E . The other offices were distributed amongst the members of various chapters in the province , as follows :

Comp . Bernard T . Fountaine , P . Z . 948 ... * ... Prov . G . S . N . „ John Hattersley , H . 2262 ... ... ... Prov . G . P . S . „ L . N . Simms , H . 591 ... ... ... Prov . ist A . G . S . „ Nathaniel Goodchild , Z . 948 ... ... ... Prov . 2 nd A . G . S . „ J . R . Slator , P . Z . 840 ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . „ E . T . Mackriii , 591 ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B .

„ W . H . Sherman , 591 ... ... ... Prov . G . Std . Br . „ Henry King , Z . 840 ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ Charles R . Williams , J . 2262 ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ Frederick Johncock , 591 ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ Henry . Ellis Coffin , H . 948 ... ... ... ) D n Ci . , „ W . H . Rowe , 591 ! .. j Pr 0 V * G * Stwds * „ F . Payne , Janitor 591 ... ... ... Prov . G . Janitor .

At the completion of the ceremony the companions adjourned to the Bull ' s Head Hotel , where a very excellent repast was provided by Comp . Simms . The Grand Superintendent presided , and gave the usual loyal and Masonic toasts . The party broke up about eight o'clock to enable the companions living at a distance to return by the last train . This is the beginning of a new epoch in Royal Arch Masonry in Bucks , and it is understood that two other chapters will shortly be formed in the province .

An Extraordinary Record.

AN EXTRAORDINARY RECORD .

Bro . S . J . Quinn . P . M ., has kindly forwarded to me a copy of liis historical sketch of the famous Lodge No . 4 , Fredericks-Wg , Virginia , in which the great George Washington was initiated .

I was very surprised to find in this most readable and carehill y written brochure an extract from the first minute book , dated December 22 nd , 1753 , of a meeting held for the conferring of the Royal Arch Degree .

I his is the most important record of its kind in the world , •* it refers to an assembly of Royal Arch Masons convened for Uie purpose of " raising" three brethren " to the Degree of } oyal Arch Masons " in z '/ SSi being nine years earlier than the irst

of the meetings held at York ( England ) , and 12 years beore the first recorded minutes of the Degree in London . The j ^ oyal Arch is mentioned in the " Atholl * " Grand Lodge Minute 00 k in 1752 , but no actual records until now have been traced ot a date prior to 1762 .

J have written to Bro . Quinn to make doubly sure of this "lost extraordinary entry . W . J . HUGHAN .

History Of Freemasonry And Concordant Orders.

HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY AND CONCORDANT ORDERS .

there is much in this handsome volume which will render it of permanent value , especially the ( necessarily ) brief histories of the Grand Lodges in North America , all written by authors who have had access to the best sources . There is also much ,

especially in connection with the history of the Craft before 1717 , with which I cannot agree , but as these are matters of personal opinion , it is clear that the authors in this case have as much ri ght to their own views as I have to mine , and it must be left to the

reader to take sides with the view which seems to him the more reasonable . At some future time I may , perhaps , enter into these matters at more length , but my object to-day is to call particular attention to one chapter in especial , viz ., the one '

devoted to a review of the old Manuscript Constitutions of the Freemasons , by Bro . H . L . Stillson . As there are some 50 of these , and the chapter is limited to 40 pages , it will be evident that condensation has had to be resorted to

in a very marked manner , but Bro . Stillson has yet managed to give a very good and clear idea of the whole subject . I am also glad to see that he has not failed to acknowledge the great debt he owes , in the execution of his project , to the previous exertions and publications of Bros . Gould , Hughan , Woodford , and

the Quatuor Coronati Lodge . After a preliminary review of the general field , Bro . Stillson reprints the various tables of the " Old ' Charges" given by Bro . Gould in Vol . I . of " Quatuor Coronatorum Antigrapha , " inserting , however , in their " places

those copies of these documents which have been unearthed since the ori ginal tables were compiled , insomuch that even the latest discovered—the William Watson MS . —finds a record . I am informed that the stereos of this chapter were altered no less than three times in order to bring it up to date .

We have next a disquisition on the Regius Poem , the major portion of which is composed of judicious quotations from the work of Bro . Gould upon the same subject , and we have moreover the first 86 lines of the poem itself in facsimile . It is , however , not lithographed , but struck from process blocks , with the perhaps

unavoidable consequence that here and there a letter or two has not been properly impressed . I likewise miss the red initial letters of the original as also the other rubrications of the poem . These are sli ght defects which so far militate from the perfection of the reproduction , but on the whole a very fair idea of the

aspect of the original MS . is conveyed . Below this is a transcript of the passages facsimiled , and in order to avoid the necessity-of a glossary some of the words have been modernised . Here again it is possible to find fault , as the editor has not always employed the best word available . I will only mention one

example . Desese , in line 10 , should be translated as dis-ease , want of ease , trouble ; but the author has rendered it as disease , which is manifestly wrong . The remainder of the poem is given in a condensed form , and with copious notes , full advantage being taken of the latest light thrown on the subject by Bro . Gould .

We are next presented with the whole of the Matthew Cooke MS . in the free rendering of it , which was given in Vol . II . of Quatuor Coronati Reprints , the editor having further done me the honour to adopt my remark in my commentary on the MS . Having thus furnished us with the earliest two forms of the

Craft Legends , Bro . Stillson has reprinted the " Grand Lodge Roll" as a fair sample of the remainder of these documents , calling attention in foot notes to the main differences between it and certain others of different families . The result * is that a fairl y accurate idea of the whole subject is attained without

distracting the reader by a multiplicity of types . The New Articles and the Apprentice Charge , so distinctive of certain copies , are then given , and thus the whole range of these documents is brought to the comprehension of the reader . For the purpose of the ordinary student , bent upon gaining a general

idea without entering into too many details , no plan could be more satisfactory , and I can strongly recommend this chapter for this especial purpose . The really earnest student of this branch of Masonic literature will , of course , require much more than this , but for the generality of readers I conceive all has been said

that could profitably have been introduced . I have called attention to some few defects , as in duty bound , because if we are only to speak of a book in terms of praise , and omit all reference to matters that mi ght be improved , it would be better to remain silent ;

our praise would be discounted in advance , and soon no man would pay the least attention to a criticism appearing in any paper . But taken as a whole the chapter under review is a very readable one , and a good guide to a rather abstruse although highly interesting study . G . W . SPETH .