Thunder.

THUNDER .

LONDON , SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 27 , 1864 .

It will be seen by tlie following circular tliat tlie FEEEMASONS' MAGAZINE has come under tlie displeasure of tlie Provincial Grand Master for tlie Eastern Division of SoutliWal . es . And no bonder . We exposed a great Masonic mistake—we will

use no harsher term . —which took place in the Glamorgan Lodge , when the Provincial Grand Master was present , and ought to have prevented it ; ancl hence this mighty thunder . But it would scarcely have clone to hurl this Jo re-like bolt at our heads

for that offence , ancl we accordingly receive it for publishing a letter from a correspondent , showing that , at a subsequent meeting- of the lodge , the brethren interested generally admitted the error into which they had fallen , and took the necessary steps

for placing the lodge right before the Craft . We "beg respectfully to inform Bro . Charles Kemeys Ketneys Tynte that , notwithstanding ; his thunder , the FEEEJIASONS' MAGAZINE will again appear ne ^ b week , ancl that we shall not altogether lose sight of the Eastern Division of South Wales .

[ Copy . ] " Provincial Grand Lodge of the Eastern Division of South Wales , "Swansea , 4 th February , 1864 . " The W . M . of Mb . 36 , Cardiff , " Woasiiippuii SIK AXD BROTHER , —I am directed by

the " R . W . Prov . G . Master , to call your attention to a letter which appeared in the SViesrAsOiYs' HAGAZISVE of the 16 th tilt ., reporting without his consent the proceedings of the Glamorgan Lodge . This being directly contrary bo the " Book of Constitutions , " I am desired by the Prov . G . Master to request that you , Wor . Sir , with the hrechren

of your lodge , will co-operate with him in checking a proceeding which is an infringement of the laws of Masonry . "I have tho honour to be , "W . Sir and Brother , " Truly and fraternally yours , " GEOKGE ALLU > J , Prov . Q . Sec . "

The Three Grand Lodges.

THE THREE GRAND LODGES .

BY BEO . EOBEET MITCHELL , LATE PEOV . G . SEC , GLASGOW . After unusual delay the " British , Irish , and Colonial Masonic Calendar" has been published in Glasgow . What , may have retarded its

appearance could , no doubt , be satisfactorily explained by the worthy publisher . It is with the contents

of the book , however , not with the circumstances of its publication , that I purpose to deal at present , ancl particularly that portion of it which relates to the Grand Lodges of England , Scotland , and Ireland . My observations will unavoidably partake of a statistical character , but by using round numbers ( not too round ) , where practicable , and in other ways , I trust to succeed in making them readable .

The Grand Lodge of England has of late been applying the pruning knife so liberally to the dead branches encumbering her stately growth , that about 800 lodges have been lopped off her roll . Notwithstanding , she can still count a progeny of 1 , 000 daughters . Before its recent

re-arrangement her roll exhibited 280 foreign and military , ancl 150 London lodges . A good many of these , especially of the foreign , must be dormant now . Calculating them at one-third , which is below the averag-e , there remain in activity 300 London , foreign , and military lodges , ancl 700 in England , exclusive of the metropolis . Pull information connected -with about one half of them has been sent

in to the editor of the Calendar , as the dotiule numbers ( an excellent feature ) on the margin of the list show . Scotland has onl y two Amazonian or military daughters , ancl 59 abroad , amongst her whole family of 810 . At one time the warlike , element pervaded it to a greater extent , no lessthan 23 lodges connected with the British Army having' as various times sank and died ' neath her

standard since it was first unfurled . Ireland has only 300 lodges flourishing , although her roll runs up as high as 1 , 000 , of which 48 are foreign and 10 military . Prom the memorabilia it appears that the Grand Lodge of England was revived in 1717 . How many lodges she had to reign over

then it is impossible to say . She must have had more than the four or so without dates , which are printed prior to No . 6 , erected in 1721 , the first date which occurs on the roll . It is worth while remarking that , even before that comparativel y remote yea-one English lodhas as part of its

, ge title the Scottish name "Inverness ; " and that another ( 25 ) which entered on its career in 1723 , or thii-ty-six years before he was born , has the name of Scotland ' s greatest poet and brilliant " son of light" for its particular designation . The Grand Lodge of Scotland was constituted in

1736 , and at least 24 of the lodges now working under her government were b y that time formed . They did not all , however , concur in the establishment of a rifling power then . Amongst others , No . 32 , which was incorporated by an authentic charter from King Malcolm Canmore , in 1057 , refused to

come under Grand Lodge control , and continued in that perverse mood until within the last fewyears . I have seen the ori ginal charter , at all events the skin on which it was engrossed , but the writing itself was illegible . An exact copy was obtained from the books or chartnrlary , containing the records of the See of Glasgow , and