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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews.
The smoke above his father's door In grey soft cddyings hung ; Must he , then , watch it rise no more , Doomed by himself , so young ?
Yes , honour calls : with strength like stec He puts the vision by . Let dusky Indians whine and kneel , An English lad must die .
And thus with eyes that would not shrink With knee to man unbent , Unfaltering on its dreadful brink To his red grave he went !
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
OLD MINUTES . Can any brother Secretary tell me of any minutes or manuscripts , ip lodge archives or dusty boxes , previously ° 1 ? , ? ' MASONIC STUDENT .
THE MASONS' COMPANY . Can any brother put me in the way of seeing the Charter of Incorporation of the Masons'Company , "tempore" Charles II ., 16 7 6 ? MASONIC STUDENT .
GILD RETURNS . Is there any brother who could take up the task of Overhauling and collating the returns of the gilds in the reign of Richard II ., where Mr . Toulmin Smith has left them ? Why should not Mr . Cornelius Walford , whose able work is mentioned in a recent review in the Freemason , give himself to the work ? ANT 1 QUARIUS .
THE ANTIQUITY OF LAYING CORNER STONES . In the " Masonic Magazine , " July , 1 SS 0 , p . 11 , is a lecture on this subject , and , in dealing with the foundation stones of ancient Assyria , when referring to the metal plates discovered by M . Victor Place at Khorsabad , the ancient Dur-Sargina , we have the following statement : " This is the onlv extant specimen of the Assyrian foundation stone . "
Not to enter into the question as to what the Assyrian foundation stones were , it may interest the author of the paper referred to , Bro . R . VV . C . Levi Woodbury , to know that in the " Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archreology , " Vol . VII ., part 2 ( 1 SS 0 ) , is an account of stone tablets , discovered by Mr . Rassam during his excavations at the mould of Balawat . The slabs are of alabaster ,
twelve-and-a-half inches long , eight w'ide , and two-and-ahalf thick . They were both found in an alabaster coffer , the inscription of the second slab being a duplicate of that of the first . Asurnatsirpal , by whom the tablets were deposited , was King of Assyria , c , B . C . S 85 to B . C . SGo , 01 about 150 years earlier than the date of the slabs of Sargon ( c . B . C . 722 to 705 ) , found by M . Place ; and in the present
inscription , after recording his victories during a campaign , the King says , speaking of the city : "The city Imgur-Bel , its name I called , this temple then I built with the bricks of my palace * * * * the temple I established ; 1 made beautiful ; the god Makhir , the great lord 1 seated in the midst ; a written tablet in his temple I established ; oh future Prince among the Kings , my sons , who Assur shall
proclaim [ when ] this temple shall decay [ and this ] tablet thou seest and thou removest restore [ thou ] its ruins , restore to its place the characters of my written name . * * * * * Whoever [ this ] tablet shall sec and (?) remove altars shall cleanse , a victim shall sacrifice [ and ] , to its place shall restore [ it ]; Assur , the great lord , shall hear his prayers in the battle of the Kings , at the place of encounter his courage shall not fail him . " R .
THE "MASONIC STUDENT" AND ELIAS ASH MOLE . I hope that the interesting communication from the "Masonic Student" relative to the initiation of F . lias Ashmole , A . I ) . 1 G 4 G , and as to the character of the lodge itself in which he " first saw the light , " will be carefully read by all who wish to understand the various points raised . There is doubt that in
no many important questions are - volved in this enquiry as to the lodge of 164 G being partly or mainly speculative . I do not deny that the lodges generally of the seventeenth century were mainly operative , but only th . Pt the lodge of 1 G 4 G was operative . It is impossible for me to do justice to the subject , as the researches arc not yet completed , but I hope to again refer to the subject when 1 SS 2 dawns , if all be well . W . J . HUGHAN .
MASONIC INVOCATION . Can any brother student give me a due to that peculiar invocation which Mr . llalliwell Phillips , in his preface to the "Early History of Freemasonry in England , " says was in a Masonic Constitution , but of which he has kept no reference ? MASONIC STUDENT .
HERBERGAGE . Referring to the notes on this word in reply to the enquiry of " G . 11 , " its meaning may perhaps be further elucidated by the following with their definitions as given by Bailey in his " Universal Etymological English Dictionary , 1724 " : Herber , an arbour ; llerhcigcours , inn-keepers ; Herbigage , an inn , a lodging . ( This word was used by Chaucer in this sense . )
B . BROUGHTON . [ The suggestion is , whether Herber , an arbour , is not derivative , and not an original meaning . ] EDITOR "FREEMASON . "
Hol . t . uw . w ' s PIU . S . —In Mwms when attack * of illness are buth sudden and alarming , precious time should not be wasted in seeking a remedy . Ilolloway ' s wonderful Pills possess the power of removing or' neutralising all contaminations of the blood and svstem generally . They quietly but certainly overcome all oh . structions tending to produce ill-health , and institute regular action
in organs that are f . iilty from irritation or debility . The dyspeptic , weak , ard nervous may rely on lhese Pills as their best friends ami tnmfor'ers They improve the appetite , and thoroughly invigorate the digestive apparatus . Holloway ' s I'ilU have long been known to be the surest preientives of liver complaints , dreadful dropsies , spasms , colie , constipation , ami many other diseases always hovering round the feeble and inlirm , — [ ADIT . ]
The Grand Lodge Of Quebec.
THE GRAND LODGE OF QUEBEC .
The following correspondence has passed between the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Quebec : "The Grand Lodge of Ouebec A . F . and A . M . " Office of the Grand Master , "Richmond , P . O ., Canada , " March 21 st , 1 SS 0 . "To His Royal Highness , Albert Edward , Prince of Wales , & c , M . W . Grand Master of the United Grand T . nrhrf . nf A . F . nnH A . M .. nf England .
" Fraternal Salutations : "M . W . Sir and Brother—Praying you to accept the assurance of my personal and fraternal esteem , and loyally seeking the removal of all causes tending to mar the harmonious relations which we earnestly desire ever to exist between the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Ouebec , and being anxious to secure the peace , unity and harmony of the Craft , 1 now beg most respectfully to
address your Royal Highness , hoping that you , as Grand Master , and the Grand Lodge of England , over which you so worthily preside , will , at an early day , duly consider , and favourably act on the following important matters which are most fraternally submitted : — " The Grand Lodge of the province of Quebec ( after long and careful deliberation by the Craft here ) was duly formed in the year 1 SG 9—two years after the disseverance of the
' Province , of Canada , ' by the ' British North America Act of 1 SG 7 , ' into ' two separate Provinces , ' styled respectively the ' Province of Ontario , ' and the ' Province of Quebec , ' —and has , ever since , enjoyed a marked degree of prosperity . "The lodges of the English Constitution ( and the one of the Scottish ) situated in the City of Quebec loyally joined with the majority of the lodges of the * Canadian Registry , '
within the new Province of Quebec , in the formation of this Grand Lodge , —the English Provincial Grand Lodge of the cities of Ouebec and Three Rivers being of consequence dissolved . " Six years ago , after the most full consideration of the circumstances , the 'Grand Lodge of Canada , ' ( since and now exclusivel y occupying the 'Province of Ontario , ' ) withdrew her claim to any jurisdiction whatever within this
province , most fraternally recognized , and interchanged Grand Representatives with , the Grand Lodge of Ouebec —all lodges of her constitution then remaining within our province becoming enrolled on our Registry—and all our relations to that mother Grand Body were happily adjusted with the most gratifying results . " 'The Grand Lodge of Ouebec also enjoys the most fraternal intercourse with all the other Grand Lodges of the
Dominion , and with all the Grand Lodges of the United States , with the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and with several of the regular Grand Lodges of Europe and other countries , having received from nearly everyone of them due recognition as a regularly constituted Grand Lodge , justly entitled to exercise exclusive , sovereign jurisdiction within this province of the Dominion . Grand Representatives also have been interchanged with these Grand bodies , and all our
relations therewith are most satisfactory and harmonious ; and ' a fortiori , ' we earnestly desire our relations to the mother Grand Lodge of England to be , in like manner , speedily and happily adjusted . "Your Royal Highness is doubtless aware that there still exist in the city of Montreal , within our Grand Lodge jurisdiction , three lodges of the English constitution , and over them a brother seemingly performing the duties of
Provincial Grand Master . I therefore respectfully submit to your Royal Highness , as Grand Master , and to the Grand Lodge of England , that the Grand Lodge of Quebec , considers the continued existence of these lodges within her territorial jurisdiction as a violation of her rights as a duly constituted Grand body , contrary to the long-established practice prevailing among most of the regular Grand Lodges of the world , and subversive of the harmony , unity , and
prosperity of the Craft . " And while we are aware that it is held by some in England that daughter lodges situated in distant parts of the Empire , even wherein Grand Lodges have been of right formed , should be upheld in their continuance under the mother Grand Lodge as long as they may desire , instead of being fraternally given to understand that they should loyally give their adhesion to the Sovereign Grand Lodge of
their own province or colony , or return their warrants to the Grand Lodge from whence derived ; it appears to us , M . W . Sir , that it brethren entertaining such opinions could fully appreciate the painful experience of the Grand Lodges of Canada and Ouebec , during the past quarter of a century , resulting Irom the existence of these ' impcria in imperiis , ' they would either be induced to accept and act upon the doctrine of exclusive Grand Lodge sovereignty ,
prevailing throughout North America and elsewhere , —or they would favour the speedy adoption of a wiser course to be pursued toward such lodges which arc ever endangering and so often disturbing the peace and harmony of the Craft , both at home and abroad , and thus causing international Masonic discord and alienation ; and I need not assure your Royal Highness that it gives me much pain to be compelled to communicate to you , as Grand Master , and to the
Grand Lodge of England , that in the recent unwarrantable invasion of the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Ouebec , by the Grand Lodge of Scotland , in establishing in addition to its one lodge heretofore existing , two new private lodges , and organizing a Provincial Grand Lodge within this province , acts justly receiving world-wide condemnation , and which , in civil affairs , would be deemed to be acts of treason and rebellion against the lawfully constituted sovereignty ;
that in these most unfraternal and unconstitutional events , the chief representative officer of the Grand Lodge of England , and the principal officers of these English Lodges here , have actively participated , and , with seeming pleasure , continue to aid and abet these attempts to resist and subvert the lawfully constituted sovereign Masonic authority within this province . " In parallel circumstances in civil affairs , righteously deserved punishment would have speedily overtaken the
guilty ; and would not the Grand Lodge of Ouebec be justified in the exercise of her inherent right of ultimate jurisdiction overall Masons , or bodies of Masons , within her Territory , committing or abetting acts in contravention or violation of her constitutional sovereign authority , if no other solution of the difficulty is to be found and applied . "These deplorable consequences clearly appearing to be the inevitable outcome , on this continent at least , of multiple lodge obedience within one Grand Lodge jurisdiction , it is my firm conviction , M . W . Sir , that prudent forethought
The Grand Lodge Of Quebec.
and practical wisdom alike imperatively demand that these disturbing causes be fraternally and for ever removed , and that , too , for many obviously important reasons deeply affecting the international Masonic relations of the Grand Lodges of our respective jurisdictions , and the interest of our Fraternity in general . " I beg further to assure you , M . W . Sir , that every effort consistent with Masonic duty and honour has been put
forth , formerly by the Grand Lodge of Canada and for a decade of years by the Grand Lodge of Quebec , peacefully and harmoniously to secure the adhesion to the local sovereign Grand Lodge of these few lodges which practically act as if a 'law unto themselves , ' but hitherto without satisfactory result ; and hence , before taking an } ' other action , this fraternal appeal and solemn protest to the Grand Lodge of England , which gave them their existence , is now
made , and which we pray may speedily avail . " The Grand Lodge of Quebec loyally desires , above all things Masonic , to have these unhappy difficulties removed , to receive unconditional fratcrnai recognition from the Grand Lodge of England , to interchange Grand Representatives therewith , and to establish a perpetual league of fraternal amity with the Craft in the mother country . "With profound regard , 1 have the honour to be ,
" Loyally and fraternally , your obedient servant , "J OHN H . GRAHAM , LL . D ., "G . M . G . L . of Q . " [ LODGE SEAL . ] Attest , ] . H . ISAACSON , " "G . Sec . G . L . of O . "
" Freemasons' Hall W . C , " 10 th August , 1 SS 0 . " M . W . Bro . J . H . GRAHAM , LL . D ., G . M . G . L . of O ., " Dear Sir and M . W . Bro . "I have duly laid before the Grand Master your letter of the 31 st March , in which you request that the three lodges at present holding under this jurisdiction in Montreal should be transferred to that of the Grand Lodge of Quebec .
" In reply , I am directed by His Royal Highness to refer to my predecessor ' s letters of the 31 st March , ' 75 , and Gth Dec . ' 77 , and to remind you that it was expressly stipulated at the formation of the Grand Lodge of Quebec that the three lodges in question should continue under the jurisdiction of England—and His Royal Highness regnts that he cannot now deviate from an arrangement which was made and fully acquiesced in at ( hat time . " t have the honour to be , " Dear Sir and M . W . Bro ., " Yours fratcrnallv , "SHADWELL H . CLERKE , Lt .-Col . " G . Sec . of Enrr . "
" The Grand Lodge of Ouebec , A . F . and A . M ., " Office of the ' Grand Master , "Richmond , Province of Ouebec , Dominion of Canada , " December iGth , 1 SS 0 . " 'To His Royal Highness , Albert Edward , Prince of Wales , & c , Most Worshipful Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England :
"Fraternal Salutations : "M . W . Sir and Brother , " 1 beg to be permitted , most respectfully and with fraternal thanks , to acknowledge the receipt of a reply of date August the tenth , through the R . W . the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of England , to the communication of date the thirtieth day of March last , which I had the honour to address to your Royal Highness anent the
inharmonious and unhappy state of Masonic affairs here , consequent on the continued existence of three private lodges of English constitution in the City of Montreal , within the jurisdiction of our sovereign Grand Lodge of the Province of Ouebec . " Be pleased , M . W . Sir , to pardon me , if need be , in the pursuance of what 1 deem to be my bounden duty not only to the Grand Lodtre of Ouebec , but also to the M . W . the
Grand Lodge of England , and to our beloved Craft both at home and abroad , again to approach your Royal Highness and humbly and earnestly to request the more full consideration by you , M . W . Sir , and by the Grand Lodge of England , of these very important Masonic matters which so vitally affect the unity , welfare and prosperity of the Fraternity here , and which , if not soon adjusted , are calculated to imperil the peaceful interjurisdictional relations of the Grand Lodges of England and Ouebecand perchance
, , to a great extent , injuriously affect the harmony of the Craft in general . " Your Royal Highness will doubtless permit me to call your attention to the fact that the statements in the reply of August last , received by me through your Grand Secretary , ' that it was expressly stipulated at the formation of the Grand Lodge of Ouebec that the three lodges in question should continue under the jurisdiction of I'Zngland , ' is incorrect .
" May it please Your Royal Highness , I beg to say that at its formation the Grand Lodge of Quebec made no such stipulation and entered into no such treaty with the Grand Lodge of England , or with any other Grand Lodge . It was formed , as wc hold it ought to have been , like the mother Grand Lodge of England itself , without exterior consent or stipulations , b y the due and regular exercise of inherent and inalienable right , and in strict accordance , as
wc believe , with the landmarks and constitutions of the Fraternity ; and ab initio , it has claimed to be duly entitled to have and to exercise exclusive sovereign jurisdiction over all Craft lodges within the Province of Ouebec ; and , as such , it has been duly recognized by , and hasliappily established fraternal correspondence , and interchanged Grand Representatives with , the greater part of all the regular Grand Lodges of Freemasons throughout the
world . " Your Royal Highness will graciously permit me further to say that even if the views held by some in England , as to the right , by prior existence , of private lodges of English constitution to a continuance at will , within the jurisdiction of our Grand Lodge , were to be considered correct , can it be possible , M . W . Sir , that the
said lodges for such reason are to be upheld and maintained by the Grand Lodge of England , after they have deliberately and repeatedly , and for a long series of years , violated and set at naught the first principles of the English Constitution , the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Quebec , and of the whole Fraternity , as we affirm that they have done , and still continue to do , to the manifest injury of our Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , and most detn-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews.
The smoke above his father's door In grey soft cddyings hung ; Must he , then , watch it rise no more , Doomed by himself , so young ?
Yes , honour calls : with strength like stec He puts the vision by . Let dusky Indians whine and kneel , An English lad must die .
And thus with eyes that would not shrink With knee to man unbent , Unfaltering on its dreadful brink To his red grave he went !
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
OLD MINUTES . Can any brother Secretary tell me of any minutes or manuscripts , ip lodge archives or dusty boxes , previously ° 1 ? , ? ' MASONIC STUDENT .
THE MASONS' COMPANY . Can any brother put me in the way of seeing the Charter of Incorporation of the Masons'Company , "tempore" Charles II ., 16 7 6 ? MASONIC STUDENT .
GILD RETURNS . Is there any brother who could take up the task of Overhauling and collating the returns of the gilds in the reign of Richard II ., where Mr . Toulmin Smith has left them ? Why should not Mr . Cornelius Walford , whose able work is mentioned in a recent review in the Freemason , give himself to the work ? ANT 1 QUARIUS .
THE ANTIQUITY OF LAYING CORNER STONES . In the " Masonic Magazine , " July , 1 SS 0 , p . 11 , is a lecture on this subject , and , in dealing with the foundation stones of ancient Assyria , when referring to the metal plates discovered by M . Victor Place at Khorsabad , the ancient Dur-Sargina , we have the following statement : " This is the onlv extant specimen of the Assyrian foundation stone . "
Not to enter into the question as to what the Assyrian foundation stones were , it may interest the author of the paper referred to , Bro . R . VV . C . Levi Woodbury , to know that in the " Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archreology , " Vol . VII ., part 2 ( 1 SS 0 ) , is an account of stone tablets , discovered by Mr . Rassam during his excavations at the mould of Balawat . The slabs are of alabaster ,
twelve-and-a-half inches long , eight w'ide , and two-and-ahalf thick . They were both found in an alabaster coffer , the inscription of the second slab being a duplicate of that of the first . Asurnatsirpal , by whom the tablets were deposited , was King of Assyria , c , B . C . S 85 to B . C . SGo , 01 about 150 years earlier than the date of the slabs of Sargon ( c . B . C . 722 to 705 ) , found by M . Place ; and in the present
inscription , after recording his victories during a campaign , the King says , speaking of the city : "The city Imgur-Bel , its name I called , this temple then I built with the bricks of my palace * * * * the temple I established ; 1 made beautiful ; the god Makhir , the great lord 1 seated in the midst ; a written tablet in his temple I established ; oh future Prince among the Kings , my sons , who Assur shall
proclaim [ when ] this temple shall decay [ and this ] tablet thou seest and thou removest restore [ thou ] its ruins , restore to its place the characters of my written name . * * * * * Whoever [ this ] tablet shall sec and (?) remove altars shall cleanse , a victim shall sacrifice [ and ] , to its place shall restore [ it ]; Assur , the great lord , shall hear his prayers in the battle of the Kings , at the place of encounter his courage shall not fail him . " R .
THE "MASONIC STUDENT" AND ELIAS ASH MOLE . I hope that the interesting communication from the "Masonic Student" relative to the initiation of F . lias Ashmole , A . I ) . 1 G 4 G , and as to the character of the lodge itself in which he " first saw the light , " will be carefully read by all who wish to understand the various points raised . There is doubt that in
no many important questions are - volved in this enquiry as to the lodge of 164 G being partly or mainly speculative . I do not deny that the lodges generally of the seventeenth century were mainly operative , but only th . Pt the lodge of 1 G 4 G was operative . It is impossible for me to do justice to the subject , as the researches arc not yet completed , but I hope to again refer to the subject when 1 SS 2 dawns , if all be well . W . J . HUGHAN .
MASONIC INVOCATION . Can any brother student give me a due to that peculiar invocation which Mr . llalliwell Phillips , in his preface to the "Early History of Freemasonry in England , " says was in a Masonic Constitution , but of which he has kept no reference ? MASONIC STUDENT .
HERBERGAGE . Referring to the notes on this word in reply to the enquiry of " G . 11 , " its meaning may perhaps be further elucidated by the following with their definitions as given by Bailey in his " Universal Etymological English Dictionary , 1724 " : Herber , an arbour ; llerhcigcours , inn-keepers ; Herbigage , an inn , a lodging . ( This word was used by Chaucer in this sense . )
B . BROUGHTON . [ The suggestion is , whether Herber , an arbour , is not derivative , and not an original meaning . ] EDITOR "FREEMASON . "
Hol . t . uw . w ' s PIU . S . —In Mwms when attack * of illness are buth sudden and alarming , precious time should not be wasted in seeking a remedy . Ilolloway ' s wonderful Pills possess the power of removing or' neutralising all contaminations of the blood and svstem generally . They quietly but certainly overcome all oh . structions tending to produce ill-health , and institute regular action
in organs that are f . iilty from irritation or debility . The dyspeptic , weak , ard nervous may rely on lhese Pills as their best friends ami tnmfor'ers They improve the appetite , and thoroughly invigorate the digestive apparatus . Holloway ' s I'ilU have long been known to be the surest preientives of liver complaints , dreadful dropsies , spasms , colie , constipation , ami many other diseases always hovering round the feeble and inlirm , — [ ADIT . ]
The Grand Lodge Of Quebec.
THE GRAND LODGE OF QUEBEC .
The following correspondence has passed between the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Quebec : "The Grand Lodge of Ouebec A . F . and A . M . " Office of the Grand Master , "Richmond , P . O ., Canada , " March 21 st , 1 SS 0 . "To His Royal Highness , Albert Edward , Prince of Wales , & c , M . W . Grand Master of the United Grand T . nrhrf . nf A . F . nnH A . M .. nf England .
" Fraternal Salutations : "M . W . Sir and Brother—Praying you to accept the assurance of my personal and fraternal esteem , and loyally seeking the removal of all causes tending to mar the harmonious relations which we earnestly desire ever to exist between the Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Ouebec , and being anxious to secure the peace , unity and harmony of the Craft , 1 now beg most respectfully to
address your Royal Highness , hoping that you , as Grand Master , and the Grand Lodge of England , over which you so worthily preside , will , at an early day , duly consider , and favourably act on the following important matters which are most fraternally submitted : — " The Grand Lodge of the province of Quebec ( after long and careful deliberation by the Craft here ) was duly formed in the year 1 SG 9—two years after the disseverance of the
' Province , of Canada , ' by the ' British North America Act of 1 SG 7 , ' into ' two separate Provinces , ' styled respectively the ' Province of Ontario , ' and the ' Province of Quebec , ' —and has , ever since , enjoyed a marked degree of prosperity . "The lodges of the English Constitution ( and the one of the Scottish ) situated in the City of Quebec loyally joined with the majority of the lodges of the * Canadian Registry , '
within the new Province of Quebec , in the formation of this Grand Lodge , —the English Provincial Grand Lodge of the cities of Ouebec and Three Rivers being of consequence dissolved . " Six years ago , after the most full consideration of the circumstances , the 'Grand Lodge of Canada , ' ( since and now exclusivel y occupying the 'Province of Ontario , ' ) withdrew her claim to any jurisdiction whatever within this
province , most fraternally recognized , and interchanged Grand Representatives with , the Grand Lodge of Ouebec —all lodges of her constitution then remaining within our province becoming enrolled on our Registry—and all our relations to that mother Grand Body were happily adjusted with the most gratifying results . " 'The Grand Lodge of Ouebec also enjoys the most fraternal intercourse with all the other Grand Lodges of the
Dominion , and with all the Grand Lodges of the United States , with the Grand Lodge of Ireland , and with several of the regular Grand Lodges of Europe and other countries , having received from nearly everyone of them due recognition as a regularly constituted Grand Lodge , justly entitled to exercise exclusive , sovereign jurisdiction within this province of the Dominion . Grand Representatives also have been interchanged with these Grand bodies , and all our
relations therewith are most satisfactory and harmonious ; and ' a fortiori , ' we earnestly desire our relations to the mother Grand Lodge of England to be , in like manner , speedily and happily adjusted . "Your Royal Highness is doubtless aware that there still exist in the city of Montreal , within our Grand Lodge jurisdiction , three lodges of the English constitution , and over them a brother seemingly performing the duties of
Provincial Grand Master . I therefore respectfully submit to your Royal Highness , as Grand Master , and to the Grand Lodge of England , that the Grand Lodge of Quebec , considers the continued existence of these lodges within her territorial jurisdiction as a violation of her rights as a duly constituted Grand body , contrary to the long-established practice prevailing among most of the regular Grand Lodges of the world , and subversive of the harmony , unity , and
prosperity of the Craft . " And while we are aware that it is held by some in England that daughter lodges situated in distant parts of the Empire , even wherein Grand Lodges have been of right formed , should be upheld in their continuance under the mother Grand Lodge as long as they may desire , instead of being fraternally given to understand that they should loyally give their adhesion to the Sovereign Grand Lodge of
their own province or colony , or return their warrants to the Grand Lodge from whence derived ; it appears to us , M . W . Sir , that it brethren entertaining such opinions could fully appreciate the painful experience of the Grand Lodges of Canada and Ouebec , during the past quarter of a century , resulting Irom the existence of these ' impcria in imperiis , ' they would either be induced to accept and act upon the doctrine of exclusive Grand Lodge sovereignty ,
prevailing throughout North America and elsewhere , —or they would favour the speedy adoption of a wiser course to be pursued toward such lodges which arc ever endangering and so often disturbing the peace and harmony of the Craft , both at home and abroad , and thus causing international Masonic discord and alienation ; and I need not assure your Royal Highness that it gives me much pain to be compelled to communicate to you , as Grand Master , and to the
Grand Lodge of England , that in the recent unwarrantable invasion of the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Ouebec , by the Grand Lodge of Scotland , in establishing in addition to its one lodge heretofore existing , two new private lodges , and organizing a Provincial Grand Lodge within this province , acts justly receiving world-wide condemnation , and which , in civil affairs , would be deemed to be acts of treason and rebellion against the lawfully constituted sovereignty ;
that in these most unfraternal and unconstitutional events , the chief representative officer of the Grand Lodge of England , and the principal officers of these English Lodges here , have actively participated , and , with seeming pleasure , continue to aid and abet these attempts to resist and subvert the lawfully constituted sovereign Masonic authority within this province . " In parallel circumstances in civil affairs , righteously deserved punishment would have speedily overtaken the
guilty ; and would not the Grand Lodge of Ouebec be justified in the exercise of her inherent right of ultimate jurisdiction overall Masons , or bodies of Masons , within her Territory , committing or abetting acts in contravention or violation of her constitutional sovereign authority , if no other solution of the difficulty is to be found and applied . "These deplorable consequences clearly appearing to be the inevitable outcome , on this continent at least , of multiple lodge obedience within one Grand Lodge jurisdiction , it is my firm conviction , M . W . Sir , that prudent forethought
The Grand Lodge Of Quebec.
and practical wisdom alike imperatively demand that these disturbing causes be fraternally and for ever removed , and that , too , for many obviously important reasons deeply affecting the international Masonic relations of the Grand Lodges of our respective jurisdictions , and the interest of our Fraternity in general . " I beg further to assure you , M . W . Sir , that every effort consistent with Masonic duty and honour has been put
forth , formerly by the Grand Lodge of Canada and for a decade of years by the Grand Lodge of Quebec , peacefully and harmoniously to secure the adhesion to the local sovereign Grand Lodge of these few lodges which practically act as if a 'law unto themselves , ' but hitherto without satisfactory result ; and hence , before taking an } ' other action , this fraternal appeal and solemn protest to the Grand Lodge of England , which gave them their existence , is now
made , and which we pray may speedily avail . " The Grand Lodge of Quebec loyally desires , above all things Masonic , to have these unhappy difficulties removed , to receive unconditional fratcrnai recognition from the Grand Lodge of England , to interchange Grand Representatives therewith , and to establish a perpetual league of fraternal amity with the Craft in the mother country . "With profound regard , 1 have the honour to be ,
" Loyally and fraternally , your obedient servant , "J OHN H . GRAHAM , LL . D ., "G . M . G . L . of Q . " [ LODGE SEAL . ] Attest , ] . H . ISAACSON , " "G . Sec . G . L . of O . "
" Freemasons' Hall W . C , " 10 th August , 1 SS 0 . " M . W . Bro . J . H . GRAHAM , LL . D ., G . M . G . L . of O ., " Dear Sir and M . W . Bro . "I have duly laid before the Grand Master your letter of the 31 st March , in which you request that the three lodges at present holding under this jurisdiction in Montreal should be transferred to that of the Grand Lodge of Quebec .
" In reply , I am directed by His Royal Highness to refer to my predecessor ' s letters of the 31 st March , ' 75 , and Gth Dec . ' 77 , and to remind you that it was expressly stipulated at the formation of the Grand Lodge of Quebec that the three lodges in question should continue under the jurisdiction of England—and His Royal Highness regnts that he cannot now deviate from an arrangement which was made and fully acquiesced in at ( hat time . " t have the honour to be , " Dear Sir and M . W . Bro ., " Yours fratcrnallv , "SHADWELL H . CLERKE , Lt .-Col . " G . Sec . of Enrr . "
" The Grand Lodge of Ouebec , A . F . and A . M ., " Office of the ' Grand Master , "Richmond , Province of Ouebec , Dominion of Canada , " December iGth , 1 SS 0 . " 'To His Royal Highness , Albert Edward , Prince of Wales , & c , Most Worshipful Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England :
"Fraternal Salutations : "M . W . Sir and Brother , " 1 beg to be permitted , most respectfully and with fraternal thanks , to acknowledge the receipt of a reply of date August the tenth , through the R . W . the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of England , to the communication of date the thirtieth day of March last , which I had the honour to address to your Royal Highness anent the
inharmonious and unhappy state of Masonic affairs here , consequent on the continued existence of three private lodges of English constitution in the City of Montreal , within the jurisdiction of our sovereign Grand Lodge of the Province of Ouebec . " Be pleased , M . W . Sir , to pardon me , if need be , in the pursuance of what 1 deem to be my bounden duty not only to the Grand Lodtre of Ouebec , but also to the M . W . the
Grand Lodge of England , and to our beloved Craft both at home and abroad , again to approach your Royal Highness and humbly and earnestly to request the more full consideration by you , M . W . Sir , and by the Grand Lodge of England , of these very important Masonic matters which so vitally affect the unity , welfare and prosperity of the Fraternity here , and which , if not soon adjusted , are calculated to imperil the peaceful interjurisdictional relations of the Grand Lodges of England and Ouebecand perchance
, , to a great extent , injuriously affect the harmony of the Craft in general . " Your Royal Highness will doubtless permit me to call your attention to the fact that the statements in the reply of August last , received by me through your Grand Secretary , ' that it was expressly stipulated at the formation of the Grand Lodge of Ouebec that the three lodges in question should continue under the jurisdiction of I'Zngland , ' is incorrect .
" May it please Your Royal Highness , I beg to say that at its formation the Grand Lodge of Quebec made no such stipulation and entered into no such treaty with the Grand Lodge of England , or with any other Grand Lodge . It was formed , as wc hold it ought to have been , like the mother Grand Lodge of England itself , without exterior consent or stipulations , b y the due and regular exercise of inherent and inalienable right , and in strict accordance , as
wc believe , with the landmarks and constitutions of the Fraternity ; and ab initio , it has claimed to be duly entitled to have and to exercise exclusive sovereign jurisdiction over all Craft lodges within the Province of Ouebec ; and , as such , it has been duly recognized by , and hasliappily established fraternal correspondence , and interchanged Grand Representatives with , the greater part of all the regular Grand Lodges of Freemasons throughout the
world . " Your Royal Highness will graciously permit me further to say that even if the views held by some in England , as to the right , by prior existence , of private lodges of English constitution to a continuance at will , within the jurisdiction of our Grand Lodge , were to be considered correct , can it be possible , M . W . Sir , that the
said lodges for such reason are to be upheld and maintained by the Grand Lodge of England , after they have deliberately and repeatedly , and for a long series of years , violated and set at naught the first principles of the English Constitution , the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Quebec , and of the whole Fraternity , as we affirm that they have done , and still continue to do , to the manifest injury of our Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter , and most detn-