Some Notes On Freemasonry In Australasia.– –(Concluded).

Some Notes on Freemasonry in Australasia . – –( Concluded ) .

By Bro . W . F . LAMONHY , P . D . G . M . of Victoria , and P . A . G . D . C . of England .

NEW ZEALAND .

WHEN Sir Walter Scott , in the Lay of the Last Minstrel , sang ot the " Lund of hrowii heath and shaggy wood ; Land of the mountain and the flood "he might unconsciously have been referring to the conformation of New Zealand , which with its thickly-timbered

country and glorious lakes and mountains is even worthier of the poet ' s imagery than " Caledonia stern and wild . " New Zealand was discovered by Tasman in the same year as Van Dieman ' s Land . Capt . Cook had repeatedly urged on the British Government to declare the islands a colony , but with strange indifference or perversity , one administration after

another allowed the golden opportunity to pass . Meanwhile , however , the first Europeans settled in the North Island in 1792 , and in 1825 , the first of the two New Zealand Associations , for colonising purposes , was formed in London , onl y to end in failure . In 18 33 a British resident was appointed ,

but in two years he was recalled , and at the same time the second New Zealand Association was organised . It was not till February 4 th , 18 40 , that a definite effort for taking over the islands was arrived at , and on that clay the famous " Treaty of Waitangi " was executed , whereby the Maori chiefs ceded

to Queen Victoria and her successors for ever the right of Government over the whole of New Zealand . In the same year , too , was granted a charter for a Parliament .

HHCl . . IOIIN ISKVAN , RIGHT WORS 1 I Il'l-T I , DISTRICT GIIANI ) . MASTER OF WIMTLANJI , N . Z ., E . G . Turning now to the history of Masonic New Zealand , the Irish Constitution was lirst in the field , in 18 42 , when a dispensation was granted by the Australian Social Lodge in

S ydney , to open a lodge at Auckland , under the name of the Ara Lodge , which is now No . 1 , of Hie New Zealand Constitution . In the same year , too , the Provincial Grand Master of Australasia , English Constitution , the indefatigable [ - ) ro . Robert Nicholls . issued a dispensation for the New Zealand Pacific Lodge at Port Nicholson , now No . 2 , New Zealand

Constitution . In 18 43 is recorded a singular , yet interesting , incident in connection with French Freemasonry . It appears that two members of the French corvette Le Rhin , then cruising amongst the islands , opened a lodge at Akaroa , and initiated four candidatesunder the authority of the Supreme

, Council of France , the name given to the lodge being the Francaise Primitive Antipodienne . This recalls to mind the circumstance that in 188 9 , a lodge under the proscribed Grand Orient of France was opened in New Zealand . In regard to English Freemasonry in New Zealand ,

however , no steps were taken to place the lodges under a Provincial or District Grand Master until 1859 , > n which year , also , Capt . Clarke , the head of the English Province of Victoria , granted a dispensation for the opening of a lodge at Otago . The district of Canterbury was the first to lead the way , and the rulers of that and other districts rank as follow : —

CANTERBURY . John C Watts Russell 1859 William Donald , M . D 1868 Henry Thompson ... ... ... 188 4 Peter Cunningham ... ... ... 18 91 Richard Dunn Thomas ... ... 1896 C . Dill worth Fox ... ... ... 1905

OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND . John Hyde Harris ... ... ... 186 4 Thomas Sherlock Graham , 33 " ... 1881 WKSTLAND . John Lazar ... ... ... ... 18 70 John Bevan ... ... ... ... 1880

AUCKLAND . George Samuel Graham ... ... 1877 Charles Cookman McMillan ... 1896 WELLINGTON . Sir Donald M'Lean , K . C . M . G . ... 1 S 75

Christian J . Foxward ... ... 1 879 Sir Harry A . Atkinson , K . C . M . G . ... 1887 Francis Cartwright ... ... ... 18 93 A . de Ba ^ he Brandon ... ... 18 99 Of the foregoing English District Grand Masters , it will

be noted that the senior is Bro . John Bevan , of Westland , and following him closely is Bro . Thomas Sherlock Graham , of Otago and Southland . He was initiated in Lodge No . 8 , Cork , I . C ., in i 860 . He is also a Past District Grand Mark Master for the South Island . Knight Commander and Past

Prior of Otago , K . T ., Sovereign Grand Inspector-General 33 " Supreme Council of Scotland , and prominently identified with other branches of Masonry .

There is an interesting incident worth recording in connection with the District Grand Lodge of Canterbury and the dedication of Christchurch Cathedral , in November . 1904 . A brass plate in the north-east of the transept bears the following inscription : — "The shaft of this column was erected by the Freemasons of Canterbury to the glory of

God , and in grateful and fraternal remembrance of the p ioneers of the Craft in the Canterbury Settlement , Anno Lucis , 3902 . " At the installation of Bro . C Dillworth Fox as District Grand Master of Canterbury in June , 1 905 , another interesting

incident was the handing over to him of the " Thomas Memorial Jewel , " a valuable and handsome decoration subscribed for by the lodges in the district . It had been intended to present this jewel to the late Bro . R . D . Thomas as a recognition of his services during seven years' office ,