United Grand Lodge Of England.

were never of any benefit , and whose moral , by judicious enactment of the imperial and provincial legislatures , has been of the greatest advantage to the province . " I have the honour to remain , Dear Sir and R . W . Brother , " Yours faithfully and fraternally , Wm . Gray Clarke , Esq ., " THOMAS B . HARRIS , " Grand Sec , Grand Lodge of England . " " Grand Sec .

[ ENCLOSURE ] . " Grand Lodge of Canada , Grand Secretary's Office , " Hamilton , Canada West . " Extract from minutes" The letter from the Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England , of the 16 th December , 1858 , having been read , the following resolution was unanimously adopted : — " Be it resolved— ' That whilst the Grand Lodge of Canada notes with pleasure the w ord ' recognition' contained thereinand the

, , promptitude of the Grand Lodge of England with reference thereto , they are under the necessity of calling attention to an error with respect to their territorial jurisdiction in making the proffered recognition apply to Canada West , and they therefore await the recommunication of the same , made perfect in this respect . " It may be named that the Grand Lodge of England properly excludes Novia Scotia and New Brunswick , as they form a part of Canada , but are irregular in applying such exclusion to Canada

East , as the Grand Lodge of Canada embraces the entire province of East and West or Upper and Lower Canada , which were united into one province in 1843 . " The Grand Lodge of Canada merely desires to allude to the well recognized principles of Masonic jurisprudence , that 'more than one Grand Lodge cannot exist in the same kingdom , state , or territory , without destroying that unity which must be admitted as forming the basis of all Masonic legislation . " A true copy .

" Given under my hand and seal of the Grand Lodge at Hamilton , the 24 th day of January , A . L . 5859 , A . D . 1859 . "THOS . B . HARRIS , Grand Sec . " " Grand Lodge of Canada , Office of the Grand Master , " Simcoe , C . W ., 9 th February , 1859 . " Most Worshipful Sir and Brother , —Impressed with the belief that in all your Masonic acts you have ever been prompted by an anxious desire to promote the best interests of the Order ; believing also , that from the high esteem with which you are regarded , not only by the Masons of England , hut by the Craft generally in

all parts of the world , that you will take a large and liberal view of all matters affecting the prosperity and general standing of our Order ; and professing at the same time , on my own part , an earnest desire to perpetuate , on a correct basis , the principles , practice , and tenets of Masonry on this Continent , I have ventured , in the true spirit of fraternity , to address you personally , in the hope that a frank , although necessarily brief statement of facts , may have a tendency to remove certain impressions which appear to exist in your . lordship ' s mind , with reference to the present condition of Canadian

Masonry . Without , therefore , referring directly to the more immediate causes which led to the organization of the Grand Lodge of Canada , there was a consideration which , I may state incidentally , powerfully impelled the brethren here to take that important step , and that was a desire to be in a position to imitate the noble example set by the Masons of England , in the establishment of their benevolent institutions for charitable and educational purposes ; in order to enable them to take the necessary steps to secure this most desirable objectand fully believingat the same timethat the best

, , , interests of Masonry would be advanced and secured by the establishment of an independent Grand Lodge , the Masons of united Canada , without any diminution of paternal regard or respect for those Grand Bodies from which they formerly hailed , declared their masonic independence ; the propriety and correctness of this proceeding has now been generally admitted , and the results already arrived at , prove conclusively the wisdom and policy of the course . " In that part of our province called Upper Canada , there are , I believeonly two Lodges at present working under English

war-, rants . In Lower Canada , in the district of Quebec and Three Rivers , there are only three ; and these are all located in the city of Quebec . In the district of Montreal and William Henry there are only four English Lodges , and these are all in the city of Montreal ; three of these latter Lodges were represented at the convention , and took part in the formation of the Grand Lodge of Canada . The warrants by which these Lodges were working were surrendered to the Prov . Grand Master of that district , with the view , and with the distinct understanding , as I am informed , that

they were forthwith to be returned to England ; but that official having succeeded in inducing certain Members of the Craft to accept these warrants , Lodges were again opened under them . It appears , therefore , that in the whole Eastern part of Canada there arc now only seven English Lodges , and these seven Lodges are controlled by and are represented in two Prov . Grand Lodges , while in that section of the province , which formerly constituted the district of Montreal and William Henry , there are now twelve Lodges working under warrants from the Grand Lodge of Canada .

In the published report of the proceedings of the December meeting of your Grand Lodge , your Lordship is said to have remarked , in the course of the debate upon Canadian matters , that " recognition must precede negotiation . " The correctness of this apothegm is indisputable , and while the Masons of Canada received with the the liveliest satisfaction this acknowledgment of the correctness of their position from a Grand Lodge from which so many of them originally hailed , and while I , as their Grand Master , gladly receive and warmly reciprocate the paternal feeling which you , M . W . Sir ,

so kindly expressed through your Grand Secretary , I feel , and the Masons of Canada feel , that the act was deprived of much of its grace by the attempt to limit the territorial jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge . " I have ever held and frequently expressed the opinion , that any subordinate Lodges , preferring to continue under their English warrants , had a perfect and undoubted right to do so , and were entitled not only to a recognition from us , but to ail their Masonic privileges . These would have been cheerfully concededbut

be-, yond this we cannot go—and I can scarcely imagine that you , Most Worshipful Sir , or the members of the Grand Lodge in England , knowing the importance of Masonic unity , would , upon mature consideration , ask us to do more . Would it not , I venture to ask , be more in accordance with true Masonic principle , and have a

tendency to raise still higher the character of the Craft in the eyes of the world , were the Grand Lodge of England , with that magnanimity which has heretofore distinguished its acts , to take the earliest opportunity of announcing to those seven Lodges in Lower Canada , that in consequence of the recent events which had transpired in Canada , no new warrants would be issued in that province , and that although the continuance of their connection would give pleasure and satisfaction , it was for them seriously to consider whether the best interests of the Order would not bo advanced by uniting with

their brethren and fellow-subjects in the Grand Lodge of Canada , a body now established and recognized by the Masonic world ? " In July next , I shall retire from the proud position which for the last few years I have occupied among the Masons of Canada ; the many difficulties which lay in our path have been overcome , and Masonry has at length attained a position which must soon lead to the most desirable results . It would be most gratifying to me , on leaving the Oriental chair , to feel that the cloud which has so

long lowered over the Masons of England and Canada had been at length dispersed , and that the link , which for so many years had connected us in the bonds of brotherly love and friendship , " although strained had not been broken , but , in a new and nobler form , had united us more closely and indissolubly together . " There are now 113 Lodges in working under warrants from this Grand Lodge , the majority of which I have personally visited , for the purpose of inspecting their workcomposed as these Lod

; ges are of Masons coming from nearly every part of the world , I found , as a natural consequence , a great diversity in their mode of working , and I have laboured earnestly , in order to introduce a uniform system of work among them ; this great object , I am bappy to say , is now in a fair way of being accomplished ; the English mode has been adopted as a basis , and the Committee , to whom the matter has been entrusted , will soon be in a position to exemplify the result of their labours and research .

" I have instructed the Grand Secretary to forward to you copies of our printed proceedings since our organization , with specimens also of our warrants , certificates , & c ., of which I beg of your acceptance . " The subject of the appointment of Representatives will , in all probability , soon be brought up for consideration , and I need only say bow gladly and gratefully I would receive any suggestion which you , Most Worshipful Sir , might be pleased to offer . " Induling in the hope that a full recognitionbased natural

g , upon confidence and Masonic principle , will be properly accorded , "I have the honour to be , Most Worshipful Sir and Brother , " Yours fraternally , "WM . M . WILSON , " Grand Master of the Masons in Canada . " The Right Hon . the Earl of Zetland , " Grand Master of Masons of England , & c , & c , & c . "