Some Notes On Freemasonry In Australasia.-(Continued).

Some Notes on Freemasonry in Australasia .- ( Continued ) .

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

THE two last Grand Lodges founded were those ol Western Australia and Queensland . The former , opened in 18 99 , was , in the main , composed of English lodges . As in New Zealand there were contending interests , and as the Grand Lodge of Scotland had an important stake in the situation , in the shape of more than

thirty lodges of its own , and as considerable antagonism has prevailed ever since , one cannot but express the opinion that the decisive steps taken by the Grand Lodge of England in the first instance were hasty and unfortunate in their results . In other words , it would have been wiser to have made

haste slowly , and so have allowed local prejudices and jealousies to simmer down and pave the way for an ultimate United Grand Lodge of Western Australia . The locale of the very last Grand Lodge in Australia is Queensland , embracing Irish and Scotch lodges onl y , the English lodges , over sixty

in number , taking no part whatever in the emciile , for it was nothing else . In this place it will suffice to observe that England and Scotland promptly declined to recognise this hastil y formed bod y as a Sovereign Grand Lodge ; but , strange to say , New South Wales has acknowledged it . In addition , the Grand Lodge of Scotland has authorised the

loyal members of its lodges that have gone over to institute legal proceedings ( and will find the money ) for recovery of lodge property in the possession of the seceders . It should not be omitted to add that his Majesty the King is Grand Patron of the whole of the regular Australasian Grand Lodges .

Some controversy arose a few years ago in certain of the Australian Colonics in the direction of forming a federation of all the Grand Lodges ; but a scheme of that nature can be relegated to the dim and distant future , as it is in every way unlikely that anyone of the existing Constitutions would relish the notion of sinking its individual sovereignty and territorial associations .

It is now our purpose to delail the history , progress , and present position of the Craft in each of the seven Colonies or "States , " as they are now styled under the federated Commonwealth of Australia . The order will be in seniority of foundation as colonies .

NEW SOUTH WALES . As was observed at the outset of these notes , the distinction of planting the banner of Masonry in New South Wales , in fact , in Australia , belongs to the Irish Constitution , the first lodge , called the Australian Social , No . 260 , being

warranted in 1820 , on the recommendation of the lodge attached to the 4 6 th Regiment , No . 227 , at that time stationed in Sydney . The warrant of No . 260 had been from 1806 to 1815 attached to the 28 th Royal Irish Regiment , and is now at Ballycarry , in County Antrim . The second lodge in New South Wales also owed its origin to the Irish Constitution ,

and was named the Leinster Marine , the year of the warrant being 1824 . The older lodge had its tips and downs in the early days , as the warrant appears to have been in a state of somnolency ; all the same it is No . 1 on the New South Wales roll , while the Leinster Marine , No . 2 , has had no break

during its eighty years' existence . By the way , the Leinster Marine Lodge had a Royal Arch Chapter attached to it as far back as 18 43 , it being absolutely the oldest chapter in the whole of Australasia . A singular circumstance is , that , although the lodge belongs to the New South Wales Grand Lodge , the chapter is still working in Sy dney under its old

Irish authority . In connection with these two Irish lodges it is interesting to note that they were the nucleus of a Provincial Grand Lodge of Australia under the Irish Constitution , in point of facta " Mathew Bacon , Esquire , " had , about the year 1824 been appointed to that important office .

How long the Provincial Grand Lodge of Australia remained in existence it is difficult to ascertain , but the Irish Provincial Grand Masters of New South Wales were as follow : — Hon . George Thornton ... ... 18 5 8 Hon . James Squire Farnell ... ... 186 9

Major John William Guise ... ... 1880 There would appear to have been a want of " go " about Irish Masonry in New South Wales , compared with England

THK I . ATK 11110 . JOHN WILLIAMS , DISTRICT ( IRANI ) MA . STKR OF XKW SOITII WALKS , K . C and Scotland , for , while the two latter rapidly extended their ramifications as the population of the colony increased , the pioneer of the three British Constitutions moved on at a

slow rate . It has been now and again stated that the composition of the Irish lodges in Australia in the earl y days was exclusive . If so , the slow progress of Irish Masonry was in a great measure a credit , rather than a reproach , to its representatives . The last Provincial Grand Master was reduced to a small following three years before the opening

of the regular Grand Lodge , and he had not a single lodge holding allegiance to him when the now No . 1 on the roll of the New South Wales Constitution surrendered its Irish warrant . The Grand Lodge of England , though later in the field

than its Irish sister , nevertheless lost liltle time in breaking ground , as in 1828 , the Lodge of Australia , then numbered 390 , meeting in Sydney , was constituted . The first English lodge , however , appears to have been a weakling in its infancy , indeed , it was practically dormant for five years ,

from which stage it all at once assumed a vigorous and robust life , and now is No . 3 on the roll of the United Grand Lodge . The Lodge of Australia celebrated its jubilee in 1878 , and a medal was struck to commemorate the interesting - occasion . The Grand Master of England granted a jubilee warrant , there being onl y another medal and warrant of the