Masonic Notes And Queries.

with the following paragraph , which appeared in the last number of The Guardian : — " The French Freemasons have just brought to a close a rather singular discussion . By a majority of 160 to 50 the Grand Orient has resolved that the Statutes of Preemasonry recognise the existence of a Supreme Being and the immortality of the soul . It must not be understood

that the minority deny either of these dogmas ; they only think that the principles of toleration in matters of opinion know no limit , and that even Atheism should be respected so far as it may be the faith of a brother . Even the majority do not require as a condition of initiation a profession of belief in the contested statute . " —Ex . Ex .

PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTERS ABROAD . Can you give me the names of any noblemen abroad who were Provincial Grand Masters under the Grand Lodge of England ?—P . —[ In ISIS the following foreign provinces had Provincial Grand Masters under the Grand Lodge of England . Bavariathe Prince of

, Thurn and Toxis . Denmark and Norway , Prince Charles , 'Landgrave of Hesse Cassel . Prankfort-on-the-Main , Circles of Upper Rhine , Lower Rhine , and Pranconia , John Noe-de-Fay . Hanover , and the British Dominions in Germauy , Prince Charles of Mecklenburgh Strelitz . HaytiJohn GoffEsq . Ionian Islands

, , , W . R . Wright , Esq . Maryland , Henry Harford , Esq . Naples and Sicily , Due de Sandemetrio Pignateli . Persia , Sir Gore Guselej r , Bart . SAvitzerland , P . L . de Tavel , Esq . ; and the " Acting Grand Master in India" was theiMarquis of Hastings , better knoAvn as Lord Moira . ]

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . THE ITALIAN SUPREME GRAND COUNCIL OP THE 33 ° . 10 TIIE EDITOR OP THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —The brethren of the

Italian lodge here have announced their intention of obtaining the extension of the 33 ° of their Order in Italy to this country . It would interest your readers to explain in the FREEMASONS MAGAZINE Avhether the Italian Grand Council of 33 ° is recognised , and whether it has co-equal authority Avith the English

, Scotch , French , and American SS Grand Councils . Yours fraternally , Boss CROIX . Constantinople , June 7 . [ Any and every Supreme Grand Council of Italy

is , at present , an unrecognised Masonic body , the Supreme Grand Councils of Europe and America knowing nothing of them . The jurisdiction of Preemasonry is—like the kingdom of Italy itself—so divided , or rather , perhaps , unformed , that it is a very difficult matter to knoAV Avhat is legal , or illegal , there .

All over Italy there are numerous isolated lodges each claiming to hold from antagonistic systems , such as the Grand Orient of Italy—a body formed , dissolved ,

Correspondence.

re-elected and re-formed , split into diverse sections and parties , and lately altogether in abeyance—and tAvo Supreme Grand Councils contending with each other for superiority . All three of these , each in their own interest , repudiate the others , and nothing but confusion and disorder is the result . The Supreme

Grand Councils of Italy have no co-equal authority Avith the Grand Councils you mention , Avho neither knoAV , nor recognise , one or other of them , or the Grand Orient of Italy . If you desire to be free from the taint of Masonic schism you will equally avoid them all , until such time as one or other , or all , of

them may be recognised by existing Supreme Grand Councils in Europe or America . No doubt when the kingdom of Italy is consolidated , and geographically defined for certain , then the Masonic chaos existing there will receive due attention , and he reduced to such an amount of order as will entitle it to be received , on equal terms , Avith the usual governing Masonic jurisdictions . ]

The Ill. Bro. Hyde Clarke, S.G.I.G. 33 ° Of France.

THE ILL . BRO . HYDE CLARKE , S . G . I . G . 33 ° OF FRANCE .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROR . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —It has been recently stated , in Masonic circles in this city and at Smyrna , that the V . W . Bro . Hyde Clarke , D . P . G . M ., in his position of member of the Supreme Grand Chapter of the 33 ° has fallen into irregularities in conferring high degrees by means of communication . In order

to answer these objections , and to enable the Craft in this empire to know Avhat are actually the functions Avith Avhich the Y . W . brother is invested , I shall feel much obliged bjr your replying to my question in as explicit a manner as possible . The matter is one of very great importance , tending as it does to cause uneasiness to uninformed brethren . Yours fraternally , A PAST MASTER .

Constantinople , June 7 . [ We should have been much better satisfied if our correspondent had told us who had stated that the 111 . Bro . Hyde Clarke had fallen into irregularities . Common reports are generally common falsehoods . " A Past Master" caunotknoAV anything of Bro . Hyde

Clarke , "in his position of member of the S . G . C . of the 33 ° , " nor was it necessary for him to add the Craft rank of Bro . Hyde Clarke unless he Avished it to appear the latter had done a Avrong against that branch of Preemasonry . It is not our business—if we could— to " enable the Craft in that empire to

knoAV what are actually the functions Avith which the Y . W . brother is invested . " Bro . Hyde Clarke is too good a Mason to overstep the bounds of authority in his patent , and as he is of the Supreme Grand Council of Prance neither we , nor the English Supreme Grand Councilare ansAverable for his actsalthough Ave do

, , not for an instant question his rights . Whatever else tends to the uneasiness of the uninformed brethren at Constantinople , this is no question for them . They are not high-grade Freemasons , OAVC no allegiance to the Ancient and Accepted Rite , and have no more right to set on foot such enquiries than their niouth-