Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
India.
Scotland has not appointed any Prov . G . M . for Bombay since R . \ A . Bro . Cartwright ' s resignation two or three years ago , of course no Provincial Grand Loelge exists , and , as a natural consequence , no such person as Prov . G . Secretary of such Provincial Grand Lodge exists . ' " I am further directed to add , that the above is nofc the only instance in which Bro . Judge lias received a letter to which he had no right ; for just about tlie time that he appears to have
sent the letter which tho Secretary of Lodge Hope , Kuraehee , quotes , a registered letter to the address of the Prov . G . Secretary of Provincial Grand Lodge of Scotch Masonry in Western India was received by Bro . Judge , detained for a fortnight , anel then reposfced , after having added to the address the Secretary ' s name . Such unwarrantable conduct on the part of Bro . Judge , if ifc only ended with receiving letters which ho well knew were nofc intended for him—they havingbeen clearladdressed
, , y to the Prov . G . "Secretary" of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Scotch Masonry ( with which Bro . Judge had no connection whatever)—woulel , the acting Prov . G . M . feels assured , have been marked with your very serious displeasure ; bufc looking more gravely into the tenor of Bro . Judge ' s reply to the Knrraehee Lodge , ifc is much to be regretted that a most studied desire to mislead one of fche daughter loel working under the
ges banner of the Grand Lodge of Scotland is apparent , anel that , no doubt , dictated too by the influence of a spirit of opposition to the interests of Scotch Masonry in Western India , Bro . Judge was led on to state what , it is assumed , he must have been well aware was not the case , and that therefore you will take such serious notice of fche conduct of Bro . G . S . Judge as it seems to deserve .
From G . S . Judge , Esq ., D . Prov . G . M ., to G . Taylor , Esq ., Prov . C 7 . il / ., dated Bombay , ihe 13 th July , 1863 . I have read the letter signed " G . A . Summers , Prov . G . Secretary Provincial Grand Lodgo of Scotch Masonry in Western India , " dated the 22 nd ulfc ., handed to me by you on the IGfch instantand I cannot sufficientl surprise and
re-, y expresss my gret that any body of Masons could assume a brother to be guilty of such disgraceful conduct as Bro . Summers states that they who directed him to write the letter under notice have assumed me to be guilty of , without hearing him in his defence , or even asking him for an explanation . This , however , shall not deter mo from replying to the charges with such courtesy and forbearance as one Mason ought to use towards another ,
even though that other may have erred . 2 . With reference to the registered letter , ifc is a pity I was nofc asked for an explanation six months ago , when the matter was fresh in my memory ; but , if I remember rightly , that letter was left afc my house during my absence from home , and mislaid , so that ifc did nofc in fact reach my hands until fche day on which I returned ifc to the post office . 3 . With regard to the letter from the Secretary of Lodge Hope ( No . 350 ) , of Scotland , I found it on my office table on the clay on which I returned ifc to the sender , and I openeel it iu the hurry of business , under the idea that it was intended
for me . Ifc certainly was not directed to any one by name , bufc to the Prov . G . Secretary , which office I then held in your District Grand Lodge . Neither , to the best of my recollection , was there a word about " Scotch Masonry" on the envelope ; and , if the remainder of the direction was " Provincial Grand Lodge of Western India , " arrcl nofc " District Grand Lodge of Bombay , " which , at this distance of time , I cannot recollect , I certainly did not observe ifc before I openeel the
letter : nor would ifc have made any deep impression upon me if I had , because I had already received other letters really intended for me so misdirected . 4 . In addition to the reason hereinafter given for returning the last mentioned letter to the sender , I beg to say that , if [ remember rightly , that letter contained money , anel as I should have been personally liable if I had paid ifc to a person not entitled to it , I thought ifc best to return it to the person who
had sent ifc . 5 . With reference to both of these letters , ifc was no fault of mine that I received them , because they were left at my house and office respectively during my absence , anil I can only say that I sincerely regret the detention of the one and the opening of the other , though the former was an accident over which I had no control , and tbe latter was a mistake which any one is liable to make in the hurry of business . 6 . In reply to the charge of having wilfully misrepresented
to the said Secretary of Loelge Hope , m my letter of the 27 th January last , that no Provincial Grand Lodge of Western India under Scotland then existed , well knowing the contrary to be tbe case , I beg to say that , so far from that being the fact , ifc was my firm conviction that no such Provincial Grand Lodge was then in existence . My reason for entertaining that opinion was , that Article X ., Cap . XIIL , of the laws of the Grand Loelge of Scotland enactsthat " their ( Provincial Grand
, Lodge ' s ) meetings shall not be interrupted by the death or retirement of the Prov . G . M ., unless the Grand Lodge shall not deem it expedient within the space of one year to appoint another ; " and I was under the impression that R . W . Bro . H . D . Cai-twrighfc had resigned the appointment of Prov . G . M . of Western India under Scotland upwards of a year before the elate of my letter ( I might say upwards of two years before it ) ,
and that the Grancl Lodge of Scotland had not deemed ifc expedient to appoint another ; so that , in accordance with the law above quoted , the Provincial Grand Lodge of Western India under Scotland had ceased to exist . 7 . I " presume , however , from the tenor of Bro . Summers ' letter , that I must have been mistaken upon one of those two points , and that either R . W . Bro . Carfcwright had nofc resigned upwards of a year before the 27 th of January last , or that the
Grand Lodge of Scotland had appointed a brother to succeed him . I shall therefore fool obliged if you will have the goodness to send a copy of this letter to Bro . Summers through your Prov . G . Secretary , with a request to be informed upon which of these two points I erred , and , if upon the latter , then with a request to be told the name of the brother who bad received a commission from the Grancl Lodge of Scotland to succeed R . W . Bro . Cartwright , the date of his commission , and the date on which be had read tho same in a Provincial Grand Lodge convened for the purpose , iu accordance with the laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , to enable me to
tenderample apologies to that brother and the rest of the brethren whom I , i" that case , unintentionally wronged . S . In reply to the allegation that I am hostile to what my accusers call " Scotch Masonry , " I beg to say that they have imputed to me sentiments I have never felt ; for I have always regarded Masonry as universal , and I have never drawn any distinction in Masonry between men of different countries or different creeds , so long as they have believed in the Glorious
Architect of Heaven aud Earth , and have practised the sacred duties of morality . 9 . As a further proof that I am not only not inimical but positively -friendly to the interests of the so-designated " Scotcti Masonry , " I beg to remind my accusers that I rule Royal Arch Masonry in AA estern India as Prov . Grand Superintendent under Scotland , having been appointed to that office by the Grand Chapter of Scotland afc the unanimous recommendation
of all the chapters then working in the province ; that I was the first to introduce into those chapters the correct mode of working according to the Scotch method ; that I have promoted the interests anel extended the influence of tho sodesignated " Scotch Masonry , " by aiding m the establishment of a new chapter under Scotland ; and that my exertions on behalf of the so-designated "Scotch Masonry" have been recognised and acknowledged by the presentation to me of a
handsome jewel by the Scotch Chapter Perseverance , of Bombay , and by my re-appointment by the Grand Chapter of Scotland for a second term of five years . 10 . In conclusion , I beg to say that I believe I have now replied to every charge brought against me in the letter under notice , and I sincerely hope you will consider that I have answered them fully and satisfactorily , and in such a Masonic manner as befits one whom you have thought fit to appoint to tho high and honourable office of D . Prov . G . M . of Bombay and its territories under yourself .
From A . King , Fsq ., tlie English Prov . G . Secretary , lo G . A . Summers , Esq ., ihe Scotch Prov . G . Secretary at Bombay , dated loth July , 18 G 3 . I am directed by tlie R . W . the Prov . G . M . of Bombay and its Territories under England , to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22 nd ult ., and to send herewith a copy of R . W . Bro . G . S . Judge ' s reply to the charges therein contained , which the R . W . the prov . G . M . desires me to inform you , he considers full and satisfactory ; and he is therefore of opinion that R . W . Bro . Judge is entirely blameless with resoecfc to tha charges contained in your letter under reply .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
India.
Scotland has not appointed any Prov . G . M . for Bombay since R . \ A . Bro . Cartwright ' s resignation two or three years ago , of course no Provincial Grand Loelge exists , and , as a natural consequence , no such person as Prov . G . Secretary of such Provincial Grand Lodge exists . ' " I am further directed to add , that the above is nofc the only instance in which Bro . Judge lias received a letter to which he had no right ; for just about tlie time that he appears to have
sent the letter which tho Secretary of Lodge Hope , Kuraehee , quotes , a registered letter to the address of the Prov . G . Secretary of Provincial Grand Lodge of Scotch Masonry in Western India was received by Bro . Judge , detained for a fortnight , anel then reposfced , after having added to the address the Secretary ' s name . Such unwarrantable conduct on the part of Bro . Judge , if ifc only ended with receiving letters which ho well knew were nofc intended for him—they havingbeen clearladdressed
, , y to the Prov . G . "Secretary" of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Scotch Masonry ( with which Bro . Judge had no connection whatever)—woulel , the acting Prov . G . M . feels assured , have been marked with your very serious displeasure ; bufc looking more gravely into the tenor of Bro . Judge ' s reply to the Knrraehee Lodge , ifc is much to be regretted that a most studied desire to mislead one of fche daughter loel working under the
ges banner of the Grand Lodge of Scotland is apparent , anel that , no doubt , dictated too by the influence of a spirit of opposition to the interests of Scotch Masonry in Western India , Bro . Judge was led on to state what , it is assumed , he must have been well aware was not the case , and that therefore you will take such serious notice of fche conduct of Bro . G . S . Judge as it seems to deserve .
From G . S . Judge , Esq ., D . Prov . G . M ., to G . Taylor , Esq ., Prov . C 7 . il / ., dated Bombay , ihe 13 th July , 1863 . I have read the letter signed " G . A . Summers , Prov . G . Secretary Provincial Grand Lodgo of Scotch Masonry in Western India , " dated the 22 nd ulfc ., handed to me by you on the IGfch instantand I cannot sufficientl surprise and
re-, y expresss my gret that any body of Masons could assume a brother to be guilty of such disgraceful conduct as Bro . Summers states that they who directed him to write the letter under notice have assumed me to be guilty of , without hearing him in his defence , or even asking him for an explanation . This , however , shall not deter mo from replying to the charges with such courtesy and forbearance as one Mason ought to use towards another ,
even though that other may have erred . 2 . With reference to the registered letter , ifc is a pity I was nofc asked for an explanation six months ago , when the matter was fresh in my memory ; but , if I remember rightly , that letter was left afc my house during my absence from home , and mislaid , so that ifc did nofc in fact reach my hands until fche day on which I returned ifc to the post office . 3 . With regard to the letter from the Secretary of Lodge Hope ( No . 350 ) , of Scotland , I found it on my office table on the clay on which I returned ifc to the sender , and I openeel it iu the hurry of business , under the idea that it was intended
for me . Ifc certainly was not directed to any one by name , bufc to the Prov . G . Secretary , which office I then held in your District Grand Lodge . Neither , to the best of my recollection , was there a word about " Scotch Masonry" on the envelope ; and , if the remainder of the direction was " Provincial Grand Lodge of Western India , " arrcl nofc " District Grand Lodge of Bombay , " which , at this distance of time , I cannot recollect , I certainly did not observe ifc before I openeel the
letter : nor would ifc have made any deep impression upon me if I had , because I had already received other letters really intended for me so misdirected . 4 . In addition to the reason hereinafter given for returning the last mentioned letter to the sender , I beg to say that , if [ remember rightly , that letter contained money , anel as I should have been personally liable if I had paid ifc to a person not entitled to it , I thought ifc best to return it to the person who
had sent ifc . 5 . With reference to both of these letters , ifc was no fault of mine that I received them , because they were left at my house and office respectively during my absence , anil I can only say that I sincerely regret the detention of the one and the opening of the other , though the former was an accident over which I had no control , and tbe latter was a mistake which any one is liable to make in the hurry of business . 6 . In reply to the charge of having wilfully misrepresented
to the said Secretary of Loelge Hope , m my letter of the 27 th January last , that no Provincial Grand Lodge of Western India under Scotland then existed , well knowing the contrary to be tbe case , I beg to say that , so far from that being the fact , ifc was my firm conviction that no such Provincial Grand Lodge was then in existence . My reason for entertaining that opinion was , that Article X ., Cap . XIIL , of the laws of the Grand Loelge of Scotland enactsthat " their ( Provincial Grand
, Lodge ' s ) meetings shall not be interrupted by the death or retirement of the Prov . G . M ., unless the Grand Lodge shall not deem it expedient within the space of one year to appoint another ; " and I was under the impression that R . W . Bro . H . D . Cai-twrighfc had resigned the appointment of Prov . G . M . of Western India under Scotland upwards of a year before the elate of my letter ( I might say upwards of two years before it ) ,
and that the Grancl Lodge of Scotland had not deemed ifc expedient to appoint another ; so that , in accordance with the law above quoted , the Provincial Grand Lodge of Western India under Scotland had ceased to exist . 7 . I " presume , however , from the tenor of Bro . Summers ' letter , that I must have been mistaken upon one of those two points , and that either R . W . Bro . Carfcwright had nofc resigned upwards of a year before the 27 th of January last , or that the
Grand Lodge of Scotland had appointed a brother to succeed him . I shall therefore fool obliged if you will have the goodness to send a copy of this letter to Bro . Summers through your Prov . G . Secretary , with a request to be informed upon which of these two points I erred , and , if upon the latter , then with a request to be told the name of the brother who bad received a commission from the Grancl Lodge of Scotland to succeed R . W . Bro . Cartwright , the date of his commission , and the date on which be had read tho same in a Provincial Grand Lodge convened for the purpose , iu accordance with the laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland , to enable me to
tenderample apologies to that brother and the rest of the brethren whom I , i" that case , unintentionally wronged . S . In reply to the allegation that I am hostile to what my accusers call " Scotch Masonry , " I beg to say that they have imputed to me sentiments I have never felt ; for I have always regarded Masonry as universal , and I have never drawn any distinction in Masonry between men of different countries or different creeds , so long as they have believed in the Glorious
Architect of Heaven aud Earth , and have practised the sacred duties of morality . 9 . As a further proof that I am not only not inimical but positively -friendly to the interests of the so-designated " Scotcti Masonry , " I beg to remind my accusers that I rule Royal Arch Masonry in AA estern India as Prov . Grand Superintendent under Scotland , having been appointed to that office by the Grand Chapter of Scotland afc the unanimous recommendation
of all the chapters then working in the province ; that I was the first to introduce into those chapters the correct mode of working according to the Scotch method ; that I have promoted the interests anel extended the influence of tho sodesignated " Scotch Masonry , " by aiding m the establishment of a new chapter under Scotland ; and that my exertions on behalf of the so-designated "Scotch Masonry" have been recognised and acknowledged by the presentation to me of a
handsome jewel by the Scotch Chapter Perseverance , of Bombay , and by my re-appointment by the Grand Chapter of Scotland for a second term of five years . 10 . In conclusion , I beg to say that I believe I have now replied to every charge brought against me in the letter under notice , and I sincerely hope you will consider that I have answered them fully and satisfactorily , and in such a Masonic manner as befits one whom you have thought fit to appoint to tho high and honourable office of D . Prov . G . M . of Bombay and its territories under yourself .
From A . King , Fsq ., tlie English Prov . G . Secretary , lo G . A . Summers , Esq ., ihe Scotch Prov . G . Secretary at Bombay , dated loth July , 18 G 3 . I am directed by tlie R . W . the Prov . G . M . of Bombay and its Territories under England , to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22 nd ult ., and to send herewith a copy of R . W . Bro . G . S . Judge ' s reply to the charges therein contained , which the R . W . the prov . G . M . desires me to inform you , he considers full and satisfactory ; and he is therefore of opinion that R . W . Bro . Judge is entirely blameless with resoecfc to tha charges contained in your letter under reply .