The Early Grand In Scotland.

THE EARLY GRAND IN SCOTLAND .

LONDON , SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 22 , 1862 .

( From our oion . Correspondent . ) " Where do any of the Early Grand Encampments hold their meetings F" is the inquiry of " P . E . C . " Circumstances of a peculiar nature having led to our paying a visit to an Early Grand Encampment , we are enabled to give the fullest—we had almost said an

official — answer to the question upon which our brother desires to be informed . We may be permitted to state that , notwithstanding the encounters we have had in the arena of controversy with the leaders of the Early Grand , our reception was one of courtesy and great brotherly feeling , and brought us much

information upon matters in connection with the local history of a body of which we had before been in comparative ignorance , and documents were shown to us which go far to disprove the exaggerated statements in regard to their mode of working , and the manner in which the business of the encampment is

carried on . During ovir conference with the Sir Knights of that encampment , the Grand Master and Grand Scribe ( Bros . Eobert Chambers and David Spence ) , assured us that the statement made by a "Grand Officer of Scotland , " as to initiation fees beingpocketed by any individual member of the Order was

incorrect , and that the following paragraph in a "Grand Officer ' s" letter must have been penned under a misapprehension of the real facts of the case touched upon : — "The person who confers these degrees jjockets all the fees in name of expenses . He has no settled place , but goes about the country wherever he can find victims : sometimes as many as a dozen or twenty are made in one ni ght . "—( Fetter in EitEEJ . iASOS"s ' MAGAZINE , November 23 , 1881 . )

"Without either justifying or condemning the writer of the above , we have simply to remark that he must have been wofully misinformed as to the itinerative propensities of the person to whom he alludes , for , to our certain knowledge , he has been an industrious and respectable resident in the town of Ayr for the last nine years .

Waiving' for the present all enquiry as to the origin of the Early Grand , we learn that previous to 1827 the Scottish encampments held of , and were subject to , the " Honourable . the Early Grand Encampment of Dublin . " For many years these encampments were entrusted to the guardianship of " Sir Knight Eobert

Martin , " of Kilmarnock , upon whom was conferred the rank and title of Provincial Early Grand Master for Scotland , " authorized and empowered to receive in Scotland , and communicate to the Earl y Grand Encampment in Dublin , all matters relating to the Order of Knihts Templar and Knihts of Malta "

g g , as practised under the charters granted by the said Earl y Grand Encampment . A consideration of the expenses incurred and inconveniences experienced in keeping up regular communication with Ireland induced tbe members of the Earl y Grand Encampment hi Scotland to think of separation from the mother

encampment , and , after a seven years' agitation , this was effected in a way satisfactory to all parties interested in the settlement of the question . The Early Grand Encampment of Dublin not onl y relinquished

all authority over their subordinates in Scotland , but by charter constituted them into an independent body under the designation of the " Earl y Grand Encampment of Scotland , " and formally recognised them as such . The Earl y Grand Encampments existing in Scotland at the time this arrangement took effect were as follow .- —Kilmarnock , Nos . 22 , 33 , and 40 ; Muirkirk , No . 2 S ; Dairy , 62 ; Ayr , 32 and 39 ; Newmilns , 60 ; Saltcoats , 61 ; Stewarton , 63 .

These encampments having met , in consideration of the great services rendered by Bro . Eobert Martin in obtaining for them the recognition of their independence , they appointed that brother to be Grand Master for life . In course of time many of these encampments became dormant , and in 1 S 5 S the

Grand Master ' s death necessitated a reorganisation of the body . In 1860 a successor to Bro . Martin was named , and strenuous efforts put forth to have the dormant chapters rescusitated . In carrying out this it was proposed to drop the numbers originally assigned to the encampments by the Dublin

Encampment ; but this measure not meeting with the approbation of the members the several encampments were allowed to retain their original numbers . The following are the encampments now holding of the Scotch Early Grand : —Nos . 33 , meeting at Kilmarnock ; 28 at Muirkirk ; 39 at Ayr ; 63 at Stewarton ;

, , , 65 , at Wishaw . These encampments are governed by a Grand Encampment , whose chief seat is at Kilmarnock . The Grand Master and other Grand Office-bearers are elected at an annual General Meet- , ing of the Order held at Kilmarnock . The present Grand Master and Grand Scribe reside in Ayrbut

, all official documents are dated as from Kilmarnock . The Grand Encampment exact a recording fee of Is . Gd . for each intrant and 3 s . for diploma , with 2 s . 6 d . annually from each encampment . The fee for a Charter is £ 3 .

An official of the Grand Encampment furnished us with a list of the degrees conferred under the Early Grand and the fees charged for the same . We append them : — s . 3 . Burial Step and Knights of the Blue 5 0

Excellent , Super-Excellent , Royal Arch , Pilgrim , and Knight Templar 12 G Knights of the Ark 2 6 Mark , Link , and Chain 2 6 Mediterranean Pass 2 0 Knight of Malta 2 6

Suspending Cross of Babylon 2 6 Princely Order of Eed Cross 7 6 Seven Steps of Priesthood 16 6 Jacob ' s Wrestle 2 G White Cross 2 6 Black Cross ... ' 2 6

Royal Mariner 2 6 Master Architect 2 G The Mother Word , or the Knights of the Holy Ghost 3 0 Knights of Patmos 3 0 Knights of Death 2 6

Elysian Eields S 6 The nine last named degrees are worked by associated bands of Early Grand Knight Templars . Seven Kni ghts are required to form a band , and they are