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ffiontmts . PAGE . The Grand lodge of England and the Grand Masonic Body of France 61 The Keys Identified—By AV . IT . Crawford 62 Freemasonry over the Border—By R 64 Burgh Records—ByAV . P . Buchan 67 Masonic Notes and Queries 69

Correspondence 69 Masonic Mems 72 I / odge of Benevolence 72 Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution 72 Royal Masonic Institution for Boys 72 CBAIT LODGE MEETINGS : — Metropolitan 77 Provincial 78

Ireland 78 Royal Arch ; ... 79 Knights Templar 79 Obituary 79 List of Lodge , & c , Meetings for ensuing week 80 To Correspondents 80

The Grand Lodge Of England And The Grand Masonic Body Of France.

THE GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND AND THE GRAND MASONIC BODY OF FRANCE .

LONDON , SATURDAY , JULY 24 , 1869 .

The Grand Orient of France was founded in 1125 , and has been in friendly relations with Grand Lodge of England throughout . There is—or should be—no question about the recognition of the Grand Orient , as representatives have been sent to it and received from it .

This representation ceased by accident , by the death of the last French representative , and has by neglect drifted into disuse , until at length the Grand Orient of France has experienced a spirit of inert resistance from the Grand Lodge of

England . The tAventy-fifth anniversary of the Earl of Zetland ' s Grand Mastership afforded a favourable opportunity to put a stop to this anomalous and un-Masonic state of affairs , and it is presumed that

General Mellinefc , the French Grand Master , would have been , and is , quite ready , on his part , to accept the opportunity , if it were gracefully afforded , of renewing relations which should never have ceased .

There is no real objection , but , during the time of disuse , tAvo varying versions of one doctrine have grown up amongst the members of the Privy Council of the English Grand Lodge . One is , that Ave cannot recognise a country in schism

( Masonicall y ) ; another is that we cannot recognise a country or Grand Lodge where there is more than one Grancl Lodge in the same country or kingdom . The Grand Lodge of the Scottish Rite in France

Avas for some time at dissension with the Grand

Orient , but in this year amity has been restored . The existence of a Grand Lodge of the Scottish Rite in derogation of the ancient jurisdiction of the Grand Orient would be no more a ground for not recognising the legitimate existence of the

Grand Orient , than for the Grand Orient to have refused to recognise our Grand Lodge when the York Grand Lodge existed—or now that a sham Grand Lodge of Memphis is said to be carried on . in London—or because , under the Crown of Her

Most Gracious Majesty , we have in Great Britain three Grand Lodges . We have sitting in our Grand Lodge representatives from Prussia and Switzerland .

Prussia has three Grand Lodges at Berlin : —¦ The National Grand Lodge of the Three Globes , dating from 1740 ; The Grand Lodge of Germany , dating from 1770 ; The Grand Lodge of Prussia ( Royal York of Friendship ) , dating from 1760 .

Switzerland has two Grand Lodges at Berne : — The Grand Lodge Alpina , dating from 1844 ; and The Lausanne Supreme Helvetic Directory ^ dating from 1823 . It has been supposed by some of the very

Conservative members of our Grand Lodge Privy Council that greater advantages may accrue to the Grand Orient of France from diplomatic intercourse than could arise to ourselves . This reason , however , can scarcely be Masonic . We should benefit by

better relations with a power which touches us in Jersey , Mauritius , India , China , and at many other points ; and we should relieve ourselves from a false position , into Avhich \ ve have drifted in connexion with our foreign relations . It behoves those members of Grand Lodge to

Avhorn Ave intrust the management of our external relations to look into such matters , and give to them , such serious , prompt , aad proper attention as they demand . It Avas observed recently by a learned foreign

brother , Avho made a tour through Great Britain for the purpose of pursuing some highly scientific investigations , that in nearly every part of Scotland where he visited a Masonic lodge , he Avas received Avith true fraternal feelings , —in such parts of

Ireland as he visited , he found the members of the Masonic body genial , zealous , and sincere ; but in many parts of England—particularly in a western province , he found the ceremonies badly worked , the lodge business conducted in

differently , and contrasting most unfavourabl Avith the lodges in some of the northern province s