Masonic Notes And Queries.

and 1831 steps were taken ivith avieioto the reorganisation of the Langue in England , which steps were consummated on the 29 th January , 1831 ; and a corporation formerly revived in the Court of King ' s Bench on the 24 February , 1834 . " If this statement is correct , how is it that the Language of England—which , according to the Syn . Sketchwas only revived in 1826 , 18311834—should le

, , included in the " Executive Sovereignty ofthe Order " from 1814 ? These contradictory statements defy all explanation . "Within that time , indeed { i . e . from the period of the French Chapter in 1814 ) , the formality of electing a Lieutenant of the Mastership has been kept up by a Chapter of Conventual ' Knights , which at one time has been seated at Catania , at

another period in Ferrara , and latterly in Rome . But the proceedings of this body , isolated as it is , and devoid of power as a representative Council of the eight Langues , have no weight with those preponderating administrative Councils of the Order in Western Europe , that constitute virtually the Sovereignty ; and whose fraternal support aud concurrence the acts adopted in this country , for the legal and constitutional re-organisation of the Langue of England have been made and declared to be effectual and conclusive . "—P . 31 . Here we have the admission that the Conventual

Knights ( i . e . the convent , or head-quarters of the Order ) existed at Catania , Ferrara , and latterly at Borne , together with the Lieutenant of the Magistery . This corresponds with the statement in the United Service Magazine ( p . 203 ) , that the head of the Order is now ( 1863 ) represented by a Lieutenant of the Mastery at Rome . In Rome , therefore , the head and supreme

authority of the Order exists . And , moreover , we have been told that the " formality of electing a brother Chief to discharge the duties of Grand Master , and thus to preserve the vitality of the Sovsreign Institute , were duly attended to , " down to " Colloredo , the reigning Chief " ( p . 22 ) . And that there should be no doubt left , the Syn . Sketch gives a "Chronological Table of the Grand

Masters of the Order of St . John , " beginning with Raymond du Puis , elected in 1118 , and ending with " the Bailli Count Colloredo , " elected in 1847 . Quid plura ? Then , at p . 30 , we were informed that the Executive Sovereignty of the Order may be said to have been exercised exclusively by the Six Langues , " & c . And now , at p . 31 , we learn that "tho preponderating Councils of the Order in Western Europe constitute virtually the Sovereignty . One extract more , and I have done with the Syn .

Sketch : — ' f AVith these historical facts , patent and known to all men , it is not necessary to terminate this Synoptical Sketch with any observations calculated to countenance the supposition that a laboured apology is needed for the acts and doings of those in the British Islands , by whose instrumentalit y the Corporation of the Prior and Co-brethren of the Hospital of St . John of

Jerusalem Anglia { sic ) , with its hereditaments , privileges , and prerogatives , has been re-established . " —P . 36 . This passage needs no comment , it speaks for itself , At the end of the Syn . Sketch , I find some " Declaratory Resolutions adopted at a General Chapter of the Knights of the Langue of England , held on the Anniversary Festival of the Order , 24 th June , 1841 . " " Declaratory

Resolution , " No . ' VI ., is quite remarkable in its way , and also very important .- —¦ "VI . That the British Langue , having been re-established in the _ Reign of King George the Fourth ( who was himself a Knight of St . John ) , under Commissary Powers similar to those under which the Venerable Langues of Provence , Auvergne , aud France , are now being re-organised ; and further , that the

Royal Charter of King Philip and Queen Mary incorporating the Order in this Kingdom , having been formally revived by proceedings for that purpose taken before the lord Chief Justice of England , in the Court of King's Bench , on the 24 th of February , 1834 , it is now competent for such members of the aristocracy of England , Scotland , and Ireland , as can furnish the quarterings of arms required by the Statues to make foundations in it . "—P . 43 . Here we learn that , in 1841 , the date of the resolution ,

the Three Langues of Provence , Auvergne , and France , were only being re-organised ! After what has been stated in the Syn . Sketch , about the " exclusive exercise of the Executive Sovereignty ofthe Order hy the six Langues , " & c , and the preponderating adminstrative councils- of the Order in Western Europe that constitute virtually the Sovereignty , it is marvellous to see how their

proportions dwindle away by this declaratory resolution . It is also marvellous to learn that the French Languages , about which so much has been said , were , after all , only in the act of being , but not actually re-organised in 1841 , under Commissary Powers similar to those , under which the Langue of England was re-established in the reign of King George IV . Whoseor what where these

Com-, missary Powers ? The English Langue claims to have been re-established by the French Commission , in 1826-31 . I presume , therefore , that " Commissary Powers " refer to this commission . Now , if those powers could re-establish tbe English Langue in the reign of George IV ., why should the French Languages , in 1841 , according to the Declaratory Resolution of that very Langue

which they themselves are stated to have re-established , only be then in the way of being re-organised ? Surely , if the Capitular Commission had possesssed the power of re-establishing the English Langue in 1826-31 , it would have preferred to exercise that power in regard of the French Langues , whom it represented long before 1826 or 1841—seeing that the object for which the Commission of Paris was formed was to obtain the

restoration of the " biens non vendus , and thereby to effect the revival of the three Langues of Provence , Auvergne , and France . Testing these curious and contradictory statements one by the other , and applying collateral evidence , I am at a loss to understand why the Syn . Sketch should have been written ; unless to mystify the reader , and under

tho tolerably sure presumption that no one into whose hands it might fall would ever think of analysing it , or of testing its accuracy . And still more do I wonder why your correspondent ( 2 nd S . x . 460 ) should have drawn the attention of your readers to it , as the best book on the present condition of the English Langue : presuming , of course , that he has read the pamphlet as carefully

as I have done . Yet the Syn . Sketch has received the official sanction aud approbation of the "Langue , " as I learn from a little pamphlet which has been sent to me . From this document it appears that , on May 28 , 1858 , a General Chapter of the Langue was held , ab which the Grand Prior presided . After the usual custom at meetings , a Report , together with the Syn . Sketch , was laid upon the table ; and , on the motion of the Grand Prior , seconded by a " Chevalier Grand Cross , " it was unanimously ordained : —

"That this General Chapter of the langue receives with cordial " satisfaction the Report and Synoptical [ sketch now submitted , approves of the proceedings therein referred to , & c . Here we have positive evidence that the Syn . Sketch was received by the " General Chapter , " and that all its errors and misstatements , & c , & c , including the revival of tlw Corporation itnder the lapsed Charter of the

Incorporation , were approved of !" Of course , after this proceeding , one is naturally inclined to ask , whether the " General Chapter " had the slightest knowledge of the conbents of the Syn . Sketch , which they received and approved of ? From the Syn . Sketch , and the other collateral evidence I have addduced , I draw the following conclusions : —

1 . That the supreme authority of the Order has been , and bis now , actually vested in the Lieutenant ofthe Magistery—the reigning chief elected to preserve the vitality of the Sovereign Institute—and the S . Council , forming the body of "Conventual Knights , " or Government of the Order , at one time seated in Catania , then in Ferrara , and latterly in Rome , where the head-quarters , or " convent" of the Order , is now established . 2 . That from their own official documents , the French .