Extracts From The Minute Books Of The St. Paul's Lodge. Birmingham.

EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTE BOOKS OF THE ST . PAUL ' S LODGE . BIRMINGHAM .

1782 . Richard Wastell , of Sutton Coldficld , gave a minute book to the lodge , October 18 th . 1785 . The lodge had 20 members this year , Bro . James Sketchley , elected 27 th April , 1764 , being at the head of the list as senior member . 1786 . Jan . 6 . Lodge No . 41 , the old number of St . Paul ' s , held at the Freemason's Tavern , Jeremiah Vans ,

R . W . M ., who gave a lecture upon the first step of Masonry . Little Count Boriilawski ( a Polish dwarf ) and his attendant , Mons . Lalen , with John Husbands , of 8 t . John ' s Lodge , were visitors . R . Wadell entered the minutes of the night by request of the whole lodge . William Walker was installed Master . Tho lodge was closed in unity at high twelve .

Jan 20 fch . Notification received from Grand Lodge that certain brethren had been expelled for countenancing " a sett of persons calling themselves ancient Masons , " and under tho patronage of the Earl of Antrim . Their names were printed iu the communication , to prevent their gaming admission to any lodge . A brother " whose behaviour was modest" was relieved

, , with 7 s . 6 d . Auother , a Welshman , " being drunk and insolent , " was refused , although it had been intended to help him . The lodge of St . Albans , held in tho same town , is mentioned ; also that of Canongate Kilwinning , from which Bro . Jos . Templeton Robinson , M . B ., joined . Joining fee , one guinea ; 38 s . a-year subscription ; and 2 s . 6 cl . for registering in Grand Lodge ; initiation fee ,

£ 3 3 s ., and 5 s . registration . Lecture on the 2 nd step delivered , after which the lodge was closed in unity with all honours . Lecture on the 3 rd step . Fine , for nonattendance on St . John's-day , 2 s . March 3 rd : An abandoned and bad character refused relief . March 17 th . A brother relieved with £ 1 Is ., and former landlady with £ 5 5 s . Half a guinea was resolved should

be deposited , as caution money , on the proposition of a candidate , and that a certificate should be issued to a member upon leaving the lodge . Resolved—that the lodge was to meet on the first and third Fridays in every month from that time , except from May to October , and then on the first Friday only . June 2 nd . Considered how to arrange to meet the

brethren at Wolverhampton on St . John's-day . June 22 nd . The lodge adjourned to Wolverhampton . August 29 th . A meeting at the Shakspeare Tavern . Resolved to remove there , from the Freemason ' s Tavern , the proprietor to make a Tyling room . & c . September 15 th . The W . M . paid Thomas Hodgldns , landlord of the Freemason ' s Tavernan "exorbitant charge "

, £ 2 12 s . 6 cZ , for illegally detaining their . furniture . An acknowledgment was ordered to be taken from the new landlord as to the furniture , & c , to deliver the same up to the lodge when called upon . Abraham , ben Aga and Mahomet Mustapha ordered to be relieved . Mohit Blokhunzrar Wohler also visited . The object was to frank the Turks to Londonbut it was afterwards erased

, , and the matter was left open to be . arranged with the other lodge . ' A curtain for the outside of the windows was also proposed , and that , too , was to be arranged with the other lodge . David Owen , the builder , was proposed . The Turks were excused their subscription . [ It is presumed this means their visiting fees . ] October 6 th . The lodge was invited to the constitution

of a new lodge at Bromsgrove . Thanks to Thos . Evans , who had resigned that night , for his attention as Tyler for twenty-two years . He was proposed as a member free of charge , but desired his naine to be withdrawn from the ballot . The members unable to attend at Bromsgrove , as a lodge , but as many as could would go privately . October 20 th . Tho by-laws to be revised and a committee appointed to report on them on the 3 rd Friday in November . To this there was but one dissentient voice .

November 3 rd . A new Tyler initiated free . 5 s . was paid for registering him in Grand Lodge , under the denomination of a " Servitor . " November 17 th . The By-law Committee made their report . William Moody , barrister-at-law , of Olton End , proposed . December 1 . Ordered that Bro . Wadell do " correct the

by-laws , for the printer , at " free cost . " December 15 . W . M . elect chose Bro . Vaux as his deputy . [ The Wardens appear to have been electedi ] December 27 th . There was no installment [ i . e . installation ] , the new officers not attending . The St . Albans and St . Paul ' s Lodge kept their St . John ' s day together . —NOTES BY AN OLD P . M .

s-r . JOHN ' S LODGE . In the above extracts certain visitors are recorded as of St . John's Lodge . This was the old way of expressing that they were Freemasons , but unattached to any lodge at the time , or , as we should now say , non-subscribing members to a lodge . —NOTES BY AN OLD P . M . MASTER MASON ' S MONUMENT .

This is a drawing of the Master Masons Monument alluded to , page 46 , Art . 40 , No . 133 , on Masonic Facts . The above projects from the wall about two feet . This drawing is made at an angle of about 80 ° South side , the bracket is about nine feet from the ground , to the right and above the doorway leading to the crypt of Gloster Cathedral . —R . E . X .

THE SHIELD OF DAVID , Tour correspondent A , p . 231 , extracts from Allen ' s Modern Judaism what is there called the " Shield of David . '' That , however , is not the real cabalistic form , which is more in accordance with Royal Arch Masonry . It is as follows , and is taken from a Jewish cabalistic work called Seplier Raziel , i , e ., " The Book of the

Angel Raziel , " which , according to their tradition , was given by that angel to Adam , our first parent . In this book is the annexed figure of a circle enclosing a double triangle , our Boyal Arch jewel , and it is called " Maghen