Notes On The Old Minute Books Of The British Union Lodge, No. 114, Ipswich. A.D. 1762.

five visitors . On the 30 th of the same month we find that a General Lodge was held at the " Golden Lion , " to attend the funeral duties of Bro . P . Hunt , who was also hurled at St . Mary , Stoke , Ipswich . Eighteen members of the British Union were present 13 of the Perfect Friendship

, , and 7 visitors . In the Ancient and Accepted Rite abroad , as no doubt many of the readers of the "MASONIC MAGAZINE" are aware , what are called Funeral or Sorrow Lodges are always heldand in that valuable work

, , the " Monitor of the Ancient and Accepted Rite , " by Bro E . T . Carson 32 ° , we find an account of the grade in which these ceremonies are performed . The degree is called Perfect Master , the fifth grade of the A . and A . Riteand the

, second of the Ineffable series . Bro . Carson says : " This grade was originally established as a grateful tribute of respect to the memory . of a departed worthy brother . " Its ritual aud lectures furnish

many interesting details of the mode of his interment , aud the honours paid to his memory . The ceremonies are gloomy and funereal , and well calculated to fill the mind with solemn thoughts . In this grade are held the Loclge of Sorrow , and are performed the funeral cez-emonies of

any brother of the sublime degrees . The Lodge is hung with green tapestry on eight white columns , four in each side , at equal distances . It is illuminated by sixteen lights , four in each cardinal point . * In Scotland , we see by the "Freemason "

as well as iu America , Sorrow Lodges are frequently held . In this country , however , we rarely or never read of such a thing in the "Freemason , " not even in the A . and A . Rite , which seems curious . The reason is probabl y because so few Masons are buried

as Masons . In the United States , a great Parade is made of Masonry—notso , however , m England . Except under very extraordinary circumstances , such as the Installation of the Prince of Wales , or the annual meeting of the Prov Grand Lod in our

ge , various Provinces—the Masons in England rarel y appear in public at all , and as the Constitutions only allow of a Masonic funeral at the express desire of the deceased

brother made ( publicly , we believe ) before his death , of course the occasions are few and far between , when Sorrow Lodge could appropriately be held , except by brethren of the high degrees , who are few in number —not more , we suppose , than a twentieth part of the Craft .

To return , however , to the Minutes of the British Union Lodge—we find an interesting one under date May 3 rd , 1791 : " This evening a motion was made by W . S . W ., in full Lodge assembled , to send to the Royal Cumberland or Freemason ' s

Schools ye sum of . £ 1 Is ., and £ 1 Is . towards ye expenditure of the new Regalia , which is now fitting out at ye Grand Lodge , in honour of ye Prince of Wales , Grand Master of England . Ye above was secondedbyyeR . W . M , and J . W ., and unanimously agreed to by ye brethren present . " Now that we have another Prince of Wales

Grand Master , it is worth while considering whether the Masons of England could not do something to celebrate his accession to office , and at the present moment when we are writing * to make a thank-offering for his happy return to his native shores after a journey , not lacking in peril to himself , to our great Indian Empire . A g ift of £ 500 or £ 1000 to the fund for the restoration of St . Paul ' s Cathedral would

be a most appropriate recognition of the care of the G . A . O . T . U ., and a tribute to the memory of a former Grand Master , Sir Christopher Wren , the Architect of that stately edifice — Verbum Sap . At the Lodge meeting , August 2 nd , 1791 , we find the Lodge was visited by Bro . Bazil Hown ,

or Heron , D . P . G . M , who appears to have been accompanied by Bros . J . R . Willett , P . G ., Treasurer , and J . Thompson M . D ., P . G . S . W . ; the P . G . M . Bro . Middleton was also present . We venture to think that if all Prov . Grand Masters made it a

point of visiting every Lodge in their province , where it is a small one , onee a year , and where the province is large , as in E and W . Lancashire , once in every two or three years , it would tend to uniformity of working—would bring them face to face with the real working Masons , and not merely the ornamental ones ( like ourselves , we fancy hearing some of our good brothers