The Threatened Secession From The Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter Of Scotland.—No. V .

Supreme Chapter , that that body may determine what steps ought to be taken in the circumstances . "It appears that in the month of June last a circular in the following terms Avas addressed to the Royal Arch Masons in the West of Scotland : —

" Glasgow , 28 th June , 1862 . " Dear Sir and Companion , —In consequence of the late extraordinary decisions of the Supreme Grand Eoyal Arch Chapter of Scotland , which have led Dr . G . A . " Walker Arnott , Provincial Grand Superintendent for the AVestern District of Scotland , to resign , not only his office as Provincial Grand Z , but also that of Past

Grand Z of Scotland , as well as to renounce all connection with the Chapters holding ; nnder banner , I have to request your attendance at a Special Meeting of the Eoyal Arch Masons of the AVest of Scotland , to " be held in the CroAvn Hotel , George Square , on Tuesday , Sth prox ., at 7 o ' clock , p . m ., to determine the steps necessary to be taken in the circumstances of the case . " I am , & c ., "EOB . "WALLA . CE , "Prov . Gr . Sc . E .

" In accordance Avith this circular , a meeting * Avas held in the CroAv Hotel , George Square , GlasgoAA * , on the Sth Jul y , and which resulted in a report , to Avhich the Committee will afterwards advert . This report , the Committee understand , has been circulated among the Chapters in the Western

districts of Scotland , and a document purporting to be an extract of a minute of a meeting of the Royal Arch Masons of the Western Districts ( a copy of Avhich is annexed ) has been transmitted to the Grand Scribe E .

'' At the outset , the Committee would lay before the Supreme Chapter a short narrative of tlie true facts of the case , not onl y that that body may have materials before them in a connected shape , to enable them to form a correct judgment as to the course to be folloAved ; but also that the

Chapters in Scotland generall y may be put in possession of what truly occurred , in order that they may not be misled b y statements made b y members of the Order who are , unfortunatel y , not seeking to promote its Avelfare , but are actuated by selfish

motives"" Some months ago a petition was presented to the Supreme Chapter b y a number of Royal Arch Masons , resident in the toAvn of Ayr , and belonging to the Ayr Chapter ( No . 18 ) and the Kilwinning Ayr Chapter ( No . 80 ) , praying the Supreme Chapter to disjoin Ayrshire from the province of

the Western Districts , and to erect it into a province . The petition proceeded upon the narrative that Ayrshire was so far removed from GlasgOAV that eonnianions resident there could not be expected to go such a great distance and take part in the deliberations of the Provincial Grancl

Chapter •it was not from the Chapters in Ayr , but from members of the Order in their private capacity . " Before laying the petition before the Supreme Chapter , or Committee , the intention of presenting such a petition Avas communicated to Dr . Walker Arnott , at that time Provincial Grand

Superintendent of the Western Districts , and hia reply to the Grand Scribe E is in the following terms : — "Dewanhill , 23 rd Jan ., 1862 . " As to the other point in your letter , I cordially agree wifch you thafc Ayrshire ought to be separated—but I think that when at it ht to extend it

we are Ave oug a little . I quite too , concur in your recommendation that Major Thornton is a proper person , but there is a diffi . culty in setting about it . It Avould be most unfair were I to memorialise the Supreme Chapter as you propose , without consulting the other Principals here—and Avith . out consulting the Provincial Grand Chapter itself- and

; on the other hand , it would be taken unkind vrere the Supreme Chapter to proceed to disjoin without laying fche matter before the Pi * ovinciaI Grand Chapter . J personally quite approve of the thing , and Avould make the IIOAV Provincial Grand Chapter , or any other , heartil y

Avelcome to all that are beyond the blue-mason districts of' Glasgow , ' 'Lanarkshire , ' 'EenfeAV , ' and' Dumbarton , ' especially the east part , as Kirkintilloch , which falls in most readily Avith us . Ayr and AAlgton , & c , and all to the South , are more connected than Avith us . " The first day I see Campbell I will speak to him , and see Avhether he thinks it ought to come before the

Pro-Aancial Grand Chapter here , from me ; or that a cominunication be made to it from you , by order of the SAApveme Committee . But I am . rarely iu toivn , and when in toAvn always find him out . —Tours truly , " G . A . WALKER . AR - SOTT .- ' " P . S . —Is not Major Thornton a Z , H , or J of one of the Ayr Chapters . If soAvould it nofc be for

, proper him to attend at first meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter here , and state the wishes of the Ayr province , and so get us to go along wifch them ; also ought not the Ayr ' secesh' to petition the Provincial Grand Chapter * first . I pledge myself to support them .

" On this petition coming before the Supreme Chapter , it was remitted to Dr . Walker Arnott to report . It is alleged by Dr . Walker Arnott that before reporting on . the petition his first duty was to ascertain if all these ( i . e . the petitioners ) 'had a ri g ht to sign the petition . ' What the meaning

of this statement AA as did not clearly appear to the Committee ; if it meant that the reporter Avished to know whether the petitioners ivere regularly recorded Royal Arch Masons , he could easily have got this information from the Grand Scribe H . But he did not adopt this course . He sent down

the ProA'incial Grand Scribe E to Ayr , with instructions to take the books of the Chapter No . 80 to GlasgoAV * no such instructions Avere g iven with reference to the books of Chapter No . 18 , although among the p etitioners there Avere a number of members of that Chapter .

" The Piwincial Grand Scribe E accordingly proceeded to Ayr upon the 29 th March last , and on his arrival ascertained that Major Thornton , the First Principal of Chapter No . 80 , was out of town •he then AA'aited on the Second Principal , Companion Good , AVIIO had the books of the

Chapter in his possession , at his private residence , and demanded from him their immediate delivery . Companion Good demurred to this , in absence ol the First Principal , and Avithout the authority _ ol the Chapter ; but he was told by the Provincial Grand Scribe E that ; he ( the Provincial Grand Scribe E ) - " had nothing to do with either or