Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for ike opinions expressed by Correspondents . MASONIC POLEMICS IN INDIA .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE A 2 fD MASONIC 1 IIRROR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER ,- —It is with great reluctance I have to apprise the Masons of England , through your valuable MAGAZINE , of the recent Masonic doings of our Provincial Grand Lodge of Bengal . As you will doubtless have seen the proceedings of the Provincial Grand Lodge , as reported in the Indian

Freemasons' Friend , concocted by Bro . Hoff , Prov . G . Sec , you will easily gather the cause of our unhappy dispute , which has already caused a division in our ancient Order in Bengal . No further , I am glad to say ; for the Proviucial Grand Masters of Madras and Bombay have never questioned the correctness or otherwise of our landmarks ; butin Calcuttaour well-to-do brethren have

, , decided that " no Asiatic or Mahommedan can be admitted into the Craft without the permission of the Provincial Grand Master . " This , too , in the face of our late Royal Master ' s decision , as published in 1813 . ( See Freemasons' Quarterly Review for that year . ) The Indian Freemasons' Friend , for September and October last , clearly admits the fact of the Duke of

Sussex ' s decision , and other high Masons , in favour of ihe Asiatics ; but all to no purpose here iu Bengal . AV . Bro . Sandemann and others , on social grounds , would keep out the very mon from whom we borrow our science , & c . This , too , after hundreds of Mahoinmedans , Persians , and others have been initiated , passed , and raised , some of them bthe hand of our Provincial Grand Master .

y He would rob our lodges of their inherent rights of admitting candidates . He would deprive us of onr antient usages . He deliberately breaks tho laws , and , worse still , encourages others to do the same . Instead of guiding , he wishes to misguide , and punishes those who endeavours to go right , by suspension , & c . Tho late fracas at Cawnpore is the topic of the

daydiscussed in all the papers , ridiculed by non-Masons as well as Masons . Vide accompanying extracts from Bengal Hurharu and Delhi Gazette . The Worshipful Master of Lodge Harmony ( No . 438 ) , it will be observed , applied for dispensation to initiate Prince Said-oo-Dowlah , the son of a Royal Arch Mason , and member of Lodge Harmony , Prince

Moomtazoo-Doivlah ( son of the late King of 0 nde ) , who was highly recommended by several old Past Masters , balloted , and approved of by Harmony . The Provincial Grand Master , who through some whim or other , would not give , nor would he refuse his consent , informed the AVorshipful Master of Lodge Harmony that ho Avas satisfied with his recommendation , but would consider ou the candidate ' s

eligibility , & c . The AVorshipful Master , by the advice of several old Past Masters , initiated tho Prince , placed his lodge in abeyance , and referred the Avhole proceedings to tho Grand Lodge of England . Our Provincial Grand Master having been informed of the circumstances , hastened up to Cawnpore , demanded tho warrant and books of Harmony , and in a common . Mahomedan

hotel , with open doors ( brandy bottles and glasses on table ) , lectured the Worshipful Master on his want of Masonic knowledge ; and although he acknoivledged AV . Bro . Jordan ' s Lodge ( Harmony ) to be in abeyance , pending decision of Grand Lodge ( consequently the Worshipful Master was not subject to his authority ) , pronounced the Worshipful Master ' s suspension .

Suspension for acting up to the landmarks , the Constitutions of the Order ! This , too , after AV . Bro . Jordan ' s pointing out paragraph 11 , "Antient Charges , " and paragraph 2 , page 77 , " Constitutions . " Here is a beautiful illustration of Indian Masonry—. Freemasonry ! But mark , brethren , our Proviucial Grand Master , not satisfied Avith his rude and arbitrary

proceeding at Noor Mahomee ' s hotel , with open doors , & c , but away he dashed to the lodge , found the doors fastened , and , without asking for the keys , smashed the locks and enters the lodge ; but the warrant which he Avas evidently in search of was not be seen . The editors of native newspapers , no doubt , edify their Hindoo and Mahommedan countrymen with accounts of

our grand universality , kind fraternal feelings , & c . The Masonic world will feel highly grateful to Bro . Sandemann for this un-Masonic display of power and conduct . The Grand Lodge will , however , bring oar Provincial Grand Master to a sense of his duty ( although our Provincial Grand Master says his lodge is equal , in respectto the Grand Lodge of Englandergo he

every , , is equal to our Grand Master ); however , on this subject , more hereafter . I am , dear Sir aud Brother , yours fraternally , VERITAS . CaAvnpore , 7 th November , 1863 .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE DELHI GAZETTE . ' ¦ ' SIR , —Your Lucknoiv correspondent in the last issue of the Delhi Gazette has made a little too free in his uncalled-for remarks regarding the Freemason lodge of this station . That a good Freemason—one whose position aud experience in the Craft entitles him to a little

consideration—has been suspended from his Masonic privileges is , I regret to say , too true ; but that any serious consequence can possibly follow to him or tho Lodge of Cawnpore is very unlikely . The Master , Officers , and members of Lodge Harmony , Cawnpore , are I trust , too well acquainted with Masonic jurisprudence to leave themselves open to censure , & c , at the

hand of the Provincial Grand Master of this province . On the contrary , the latter has made a mistake or two in his recent acts which will have to be explained to his and our superior the Earl of Zetland . Grand Master of English Masons . The mistakes to wliich I allude have already been brought to notice by the Master of Lodge Harmonyand I may further add the latter has closed

, his lodge pending the decision of the Grand Master of England . " I Avould further observe , for the information of your Lucknow correspondent and others , that the chief cause of complaint against tho Provincial Grand Lodge of Bengal , is a new law made without the knowledge or consent of the Mofussil Lodge—iu direct violation of

the "Constitutions" and the ancient "landmarks" of the Order , and Avhich no honourable body of men Avill submit to without proper inquiries on the subject , or at least until the law is passed by the Grand Lodge of England , by whom alone such a law can be made . " The obnoxious law complained is fifty-five of the new by-laws of Provincial Grand Lodge—passed by that

body in June , promulgated iu July ( with the sanction of the Grand Lodge ) , wherein it is stated that no " Mahommedan or other Asiatic shall be initiated in any lodge , without tho previous sanction of the Provincial Grand Master , " & c . Who ever heard of such an absurd law ? Here Ave have been making Asiatics for centuries , many of them actuallhave become Mastersand ruled

y , large bodies of Masons with great credit , as , for example , "Rising Star , " Bombay , with a Parsee Master ( Judge Monokjee Cursetjee ) , another first-class lodge in China , splendidly worked by a Parsee Master . All over the world Eurasians and other coloured Masons have enjoyed Masonic privileges , but never simply for their creed or colour . The Asiatic is insulted—their friends and

relatives , equally hurt , have to beg for admission into an Order professing universality . Hitherto men of every colour and creed , so long as they have a good name for morality , & c , were eligible for admission . Not so in Bengal , our worthy ruler would keep out the poor Asiatic —no matter Avhat his character may be—no matter what