Mother Kilwinning.

formerly to yours which is our Mother Lodge . We , the Masters and Wardens of your Daughter Lodge of the Canongate have subscribed this by order of our lodge , and are , Right Worshipful Master and worthy brethren , your most affectionate brethren , George FrazerMaster .

, David Home , S . W . Richd . Cooper , D . J . W . " Cannongate Lodge , 16 th February , 1736 , Tear of M . 5736 . "

" P . S . On our promising continuance in our duty to you our Mother Lodge , we hope you'll be so good tis to confirm your grants to us by signing and transmitting a ratification thereof . " This petition , which is beautifully ' written upon a ; sheet of gilt-edged foolscap paper , was enclosed in a

letter addressed by a member of the Canongate Lodge named Sandilands to Patrick Montgomery of Bourtreehill , \ T ith whom he seems to have been on intimate terms ; and as showing the eccentricity of the postal arrangements of those days , letters for Kilwinning or its neighbourhood sent from Edinburgh

were usually addressed " to the care of the Postmaster -of Glasgow" a functionary living at a distance of ¦ nearly thirty miles from the destination of such letters . Our allusion to the minute authorising such letters of the Canongate Lodge having led lis into somewhat of a digression , we may as well follow up ¦ our remarks on this point by stating that the petition received the most favourable consideration of a

committee of the Mother Lodge to whom it was remitted to be reported upon , and the 24 th of June following its receipt was thus disposed of by the lodge : — " The Master presented to the meeting the charter appointed to be drawn at the meeting in March last in favour of the Kilwinning Canongate Lodge , which after reading was approved of and signed by the Worshiful

p Master and the other members present ; and it was appointed to hand the said charter about to them that are absent , that they may sign the same . The scroll -of it was also appointed to be put in the box , together with the letters desiring the charter . The meeting . also desired the Secretary to the lodto the

exge pay pense to next meeting . " Leaving a description of this charter to be given by those writing the sketch -of the Canongate , Kilwinning , we thus abruptly con-• clude our second contribution of these hastily prepared Notes on Mother Lodge .

Freemasonry In Ceylon.

FREEMASONRY IN CEYLON .

( From the Colombo Twnes , May 22 . ) It would be difficult to name any Institution better « alculated for such a state of society as is found in the Colonies than that of Freemasonry . It brings together where there is a constant tendency to disit cements where there are elements calculated

perse , to disunite . It creates friendship and fellowship , where these are most needed , in a distant land , removed from our natural ties and connections . In this , doubtless , lies the secret of the rapid progress made by Freemasonry in our limited community during the last eighteen monthsWhilst thing

. every else around us fails to preserve its original vitality , Freemasonry lives and thrives in increasing vigour and freshness . The noble and mystic science existing as it has done

since the days of King Solomon , one of its first craftsmen , has numbered in its ranks the highest born of the earth . It would be difficult to travel through the world without finding in every clime and country numbers of this most ancient brotherhood . There can be but few of our readers who have not , at some

period of their lives , heard of cast-away voyagers being saved from starvation and helped on their way ; of men overtaken by misfortune and poverty being provided with means for afresh start in life ; or of the widow and the orphan being comforted and cheered in their sorrow ; and all these for the sake of the

brotherhood of Masonry . It cannot be a body other than worthy of its royal founder which permits no good member to seek in vain for aid from the Craft . This , no doubt , and the lofty code of religious morals and obedience to the laws which it inculcateshave made the bodas

uni-, y versal as it is , and doubtless it will be so to the end-In the early days of the Dutch rule in Ceylon , Masonry was represented by at least one Lodge at Colombo , which continued to exist after the English took possession of the maritime Provinces at the end of the last century . We are not aware if any other

than military lodges were held in Ceylon after that period , up to the institution of St . John ' s Lodge of Colombo , No . 665 , subsequently removed to Kandy ; but the facts with which we now desire to deal , refer to a still later period , viz . 1 S 60 . At this time the Military LodgeNo . 58 attached to the 50 th Queen ' s

, , Own , included many civil residents of Columbo . The head-quarters of the regiment Ijeing , at the period to which we allude , removed to Kandy , the non-military members petitioned the Grand Lodge of Ireland , to

which No . 58 belongs , for a Warrant of Constitution for a hew lodge for Colombo . This prayer was granted , and early in the following year a warrant under the Grand Seal of Ireland was received , constituting the Sphinx Lodge , No . 107 . In April of 1861 , the new lodge was regularly and formally constituted , and the first master and other officers installed at Kandat

y , a meeting of the lodge No . 5 S . The first year of the new lodge passed smoothly under the guidance of its first Master , Bro . Arthur Hansbrow . The second year , 1 S 62 , saw a considerable accession to its members , under the careful and zealous

working of Bro . Henry Thompson , notwithstanding that at its commencement the very existence of the lodge was in danger . By the sudden removal of brethren from the island , the number of resident members was reduced to eight , and frequently it would have been impossible to hold a lodge without the assistance of

several brethren of No . 58 , who kindly came to the rescue . At one time it was in serious contemplation to return the warrant to Grand Lodge , but better counsel prevailed , until applications for admission became so numerous , as to compel the holding of more frequent meetings , and ere the year was out

there were forty-two members on the books , besides several proposals . A ball in commemoration of St . John's day , in which the " Sphinx" took a prominent part , closed the second year of this young and prosr perous lodge . The progress of Masonry in connection with No . 107 has been still more marked during the current year , thanks to the unwearied labours of the Worshipful Master , Bro . Colonel Mavdwell ,, who has