Origin Of Freemasonry In Nova Scotia.

ORIGIN OF FREEMASONRY IN NOVA SCOTIA .

BY BRO . JACOB NORTON . The Massachusetts record of the colonial Grand Lodge attests , that Henry was the founder of Masonry in Kova Scotia . Under date of June 24 ,

1740 , the record says " Omitted in place that the E . W . G . M . Mr . Price granted a deputation to Annapolis , N . S ., also , one to Halifax , the lit . Hon . Ed . Cornwallis , W . M . " NOAV , as Price ceased to be G . M . after Tomlinson ' s

installation in 1757 , the aboA e paragraph naturally implies , that Bro . Price granted the above deputations previous to Tomlinson's installment , but the Secretary having neglected to make a minute of it , it Avas therefore inserted under

the date 1740 . It seemed somewhat strange that the scribe omitted to mention the exact date of those deputations , and the name of the Annapolis WM . These omissions , hoAvever , occur so many tunes in the record , when charters were alleged to have been granted by Price , that it Avas really one of the causes that led me to doubt the

genuineness of the record . About a year ago , shortly after my review on Bro . Gardner ' s address Avas printed in The Freemason ( August 10 th ami 17 th , 1872 ) , I discovered that up to 1749 , the harbour now called "Halifax

Harbour , " was known by the name of " Chebucto Bay , " or " Harbour . " That in the month of May of the above year through the influence of the then Earl ° f Halifax , an expedition Avas sent to 'hat part of North America , consisting

° f several hundred colonists , soldiers , *« ., under the command of the Hon . * d . OoniAvallis ; the expedition arrived at Chebucto harbour the latter part of August . They found the coast all round " 'e harbour covered with Avoods down

w tlie water ' s edge . They first attempted to clear the land on the southerly side ° J the harbour , but meeting with ° » stacles , they crossed over to the

northerly side , cleared the hill of the trees , then built a log house , and after that Avas accomplished the governor named the HBAV settlement " Halifax , " in honour of the Earl of Halifax to whose exertion the settlement owed its

origin . As Bro . Brennan happened to be in Halifax Avhen I discovered the above facts . At my request he made inquiry there regarding the early history of Masonry in the colony , and learned from

a book of Constitution printed in 1826 , that Governor Cornwallis in 1750 obtained a charter from Erasmus James Philips of Annapolis , N . S .. The Grand Lodge record at Halifax did not go so far back as 1750 ancl where the editor

, of 1726 Constitution got Ms information about E . J . Philips of Annapolis , Bro . Brennan could not discover . Brd . B . even went to Annapolis , but could

discoA r er no traces of an early lodge there . The name of " Erasmus James Philips , " I happened to remember Avas among the names of Pelham ' s list of the members of the " first lodge " ( Boston ); a MS . I more than once

referred to in my former communications on the early history of Masonry in Boston , and shall have to refer to again . On that list the dates of the said E . J . Philips ' s said initiation is given "Nov . 14 th 1737 . " Now be it

, remembered that that was some months after Tornlinson was installed G . M ., and Price if ever he was a G . M . must have ceased to be so after his successor Avas installed .

Last week I found in the Boston Public Library a Halifax Constitution of 1786 , which is prefaced by a St . John ' s day oration , and also with a sketch of the "Else and Progress of Freemasonry in Nova Scotia . " This

sketch , I herewith annex , omitting only a couple of redundancies , and adding betAveen brackets some explanations , the rest is copied verbatim ancl here it is . " As early as the year 1750 which was as soon almost as there were any houses erected at Halifax , Ave find a number of brethren met together with Governor Corn-