Letter Of Bro. W. J. Hughan, Of England, To The Grand Lodge Of Ohio.

ness imaginable . After constitution they all set out in grand procession through the town iu manner following , " etc ., . . "Mr . Jos . Laycock being Provincial Grand Master of the Bishopric of Durham . "

Joseph Laycock was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Durham under the Grand Mastership of Earl of Crawford ( 1734-5 ) . The first Provincial Grand Master was appointed , 1727 , to represent the Grand Master in Wales . The year

172 G has generally been fixed for this appointment , and doubtless because in Entick ' s "Constitutions " that year is recorded above the first Provincial Grand Master , but the exact dates are given of the two brethren who first held that distinction in

the "Constitutions" of 1738—viz ., 10 th May and 24 th June , 1727—for North ancl South Wales respectively . Similar Deputations for abroad were granted to Captain Ralph Far Winter , for East India , in 1729-30 ; to Daniel Cox for New Jersey ,

New York , ancl Pennsylvania ; ancl to Monsieur Du Thorn , for Lower Saxony . Then follow other appointments for Russia , Spain , France , Portugal , Africa , Switzerland , Upper Saxony , etc ., all illustrative of the spread of Freemasonry through the medium of the Grand Lodge

of England . The lodge—an operative lodge—which accepted a AVarrant from the Grand Lodge , and was constituted according to the foregoing report , appears to have quite ignored the Grand Lodge of all England , which

was working at the City of York , which as a Grand Lodge was formed A . D . 1725 . but as an independent lodge had been activel y engaged in Masonic labour many years prior to the "Revival . "' For some reason the York authority was but little patronized

by the old lodges in the North of England . Likely enough the latter were jealous ot the prominent position assumed b y the York Lodge , and considered they had as good a right to call their meetings the assemblies of a Grand Lod ge . All true

enough . No doubt either mi ght have resolved itself into a Grand Lodge , accordinoto the London pattern , as the York Lodo-e did , and later on the Mother Lod ge intervening did ; but , as these Northern lodges did not , they could not well avoid being absorbed in the York Lodge or the more

successful London rival . Some , like the old lodge at Alnwick , never gave in their adhesion , ancl finally collapsed . The history of the lodge at Gateshead ( or Swallwell ) has lately been written in the Masonic Magazine , by the able Masonic

student , the Rev . A . F . A . Woodford , M . A . The lodge , however , has no Minutes beyond last century . April 19 , 1735 . On Thursday last , Procession of Freemasons from Grosvenor Square to Mercer ' s Hallheaded by " I

, kettle-drum , 4 trumpets , 2 French horns , 2 hautboys , 2 bassoons , all on white horses . The musick had all leather aprons and white gloves . Afterwards 6 coaches with the 12 stewards , followed by an infinite number of gentlemen ' s coaches , etc . Lord

Yiscount Weymouth , Grand Master , and Grand Wardens , closing the procession . These Grand Lodge processions have been entirely abolished for many years , either with the accompaniments of kettledrums or without . It is generally felt

that the Masonic society is pre-eminently a private one , and all needless exposure of the paraphernalia of the Order is indiscreet .

I also enclose a former article of mine on the early meetings of lodges in the Masonic Magazine , to complete the series : EARLY MEETINGS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND . " Students of Masonic history will be

aware that but little is known about the institution of the Grand-Lodge of England in 1716-7 , and for that little we are mainly indebted to tho Rev . James Anderson , D . D . There are , however , other indications of the importance and position

of Freemasonry in the early part of last century than those furnished in our Books of Constitutions—historical introductions —from A . D . 1723 . One important work especially , written iu 1721 , ancl printed in 1722 , dedicated to the Grand Master of

the Freemasons of Great Britain and Ireland ( there being but one Grand Master at that period , namely , in England ) , and containing many curious allusions to the Fraternity , has not yet been fully considered as it deserves , ancl it is our intention to treat of it shortly . " Because , however , we obtain our knowledge of the Grand Lodge and its meetings