Puzzles.

When , therefore , our Bro . Hyneman , in his ponderings and puzzlings , found Anderson alluding contemptuously to the "Mother of English Masonry , " "The Grand Lodge of all England , " as the old lodge at York city , and , furthermore found

that Preston , though he certainly venerated York with all the fervour of a Philadelpliiati , yet ho stigmatised the Dermott party as schismatics , etc ., we certainly cannot feel surprised that he pitched into Anderson and Preston as he did .

Preston says : "A number of dissatisfied brethren , having separated themselves from the regular lodges , held meetings in different places for the purpose of initiatins

persons into Masonry contrary to the laws of the G . L ., these seceding brethren taking advantage of tho breach which had been made in the friendly intercourse between the Grand Lodges of London and York , " etc . The truth , however , was , the seceding

brethren did not take advantage on account of any such interruption between those Grand Lodges , for , in the first place , there is nn evidence that there ever was friendl y intercourse between those Grand Lodges . And secondl y , at the time of the schism , there

was no G . L . in York to be offended with what tho G . L . of England may have done . Bro . Preston would have written more correctl y if he had stated that the discontented Masons in London took advantage of the then supposed extinction of the G . L . of York , and , thereupon , impertinently palmed themselves off as the

" Ancient G . L . of York- , " or as its legal successor . These facts , as already remarked , were either unknown to Bro . Hyneman or were discarded b y him , and hence he worked himself up into a passion with Preston , upon that part of Preston ' s history

which just happened to bo true . But here , I suppose , my nervous Bro . A em ? t-s is getting fidgety ; I almost imagine hearing him exclaim , "What is Bro . J . N . driving at ? What had tho G . L . of York to do with Halifax , or Halifax with Bro .

Hyneman ? " But patience , patience , my good Bro . Nonius ; I merely want to introduce the preambles of two charters , sent out to Halifax b y the Grand Lodge of the Ancients ; both charters are signed "Lau Dermott , G . Sec , " and these are respectivel y dated 1757 and 1768 ; and I will next add a few remarks which I think will satisf y even our Philadelphia !!

brethren that Lau Dermott was not exactly a saint . Hero are the preambles side by side : — CHARTER OF 1757 . CHARTER OF 1768 . " We the Grand Lodge " We the Grand Lodge of the most Ancient and of the most Ancient and

Honourable Fraternity of Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted York Free and Accepted Ma-Mnsons . " sons , according to the old Constitution granted by His Pioyal Higliness Prince Edwin of York . "

The different kind of phraseology in the above documents ( as my intelligent friend Bro . Brennan remarked ) would never have been noticed , or if noticed , it would have been attributed to a mere whim , if Bro . Findel had not made known that the

Grand Lodge of York went to sleep from 1730 , or' thereabouts , to 1761 . It is evident then , from , the alteration in the phraseology of the above-named charters , that previous to 1761 , Bro . Dermott pretended to have derived his authority from

the Grand Lodge of York , but after the York G . L . resuscitated itself , he changed the laimuao'e , and introduced "His Royal Highness Prince Edwin , " etc . But here I come to another puzzle . Bro . Brennan describes the seal attached

to the 1757 documents to be " slightly oval , " having in the upper part of the surface a scpiare and compass , with a naked dagger in the lower part ; the whole

partially surrounded with the words , " Virtue and Silence ; " but on the charter of 1768 , a photograph of which lies before me , and a copy of it may be seen in Bro . Hervey's office at Freemason ' s Hall , the seal of that instrument is square , and

it differs also in the inscription from those described by Bro . Brennan . Query . Did the York G . L , have a seal before 17-30 ? and if so , did it resemble the seal of Dermott of 1757 ? There is still another puzzle . But'I

must hero premise , that in 1757 Dermott sent three documents , to Halifax , viz : a Provincial Grand Master ' s Deputation to Erasmus James Phillips , and two charters for lodges , respectively , marked No . 2 and No . 3 . All the preambles read alikeand

, all are headed with the name of the G . M . followed by those of the Grand Officers . Bro . Brennan thinks that the name of the G . M . is an autograph signature , but