More On The Philadelphia Question.

Historv , " in its issue of 2 nd July , that 1710 was substituted for 1730 . In my paper , printed 25 th June , I applied the words " home rule " to Coxe ' s Deputation , meaning that if he

had established a Prov . Grand Lodge that tho Prov . Grand Lodge would have been as independent of the Mother Grand Lodge as Mr . Parnell's scheme of home rule for Ireland would be if he had his way ; for Coxe ' s Patent ordained that after he served as Prov . Grand Master

for two years , the Prov . Grand Lodge should elect his successor . Thus the Grand Master of England virtually renounced his right to appoint Coxe ' s successor . Unfortunately , the printer here made a mistake ; instead of

" renounced " he made it " announced . " On the day I received the paper I corrected the error in the margin , and did the same to the copy at the Boston Masonic Temple . It seems to me that a man of ordinary experience would

at once have seen that it was a typographical error , and might from the context have guessed what it was . To " A Student of Bro . Gould's History " the printer ' s blunder

was a great puzzle . Having , however , explained it , I wonld like " A Student of Bro . Gould's History " to explain his whole tissue of puzzles . He says : —

" Coxe ' s Patent was then a limited Patent for two years . It was not certain that he would be re-elected , and it has occurred often to me that a popular election was then an unknown force and factor . Coxe practically never

exercised ( as Bro . Gould so well says ) any authority under ifc ; but let it lapse , and left it to the Brethren—following the words of the Patent , nofc even the Prov . Grand Lodge ,

be it noted—to elect his successor , he taking no part in it . Had he done so , Franklin must have known of it , and wonld have mentioned it when he first wrote to Henry Price . " This is the most singular style of reasoning that any

Philadelphia Mother of American Masonry advocate has yet attempted . He says , if Franklin had known that Coxe took part in founding Philadelphia Masonry he would have informed Price thereof . It seems to me thafc if Franklin

had known that Coxe was directly , or indirectly , connected with the origin of Masonry in Philadelphia that he would have made some mention thereof either in the Record , in the Pennsylvania Gazette , or to Henry Price . The fact

that Franklin never mentioned Coxe ' s Masonry , even in 1739 , when he noticed Coxe's death in his paper , proves that he never heard of his 1730 Deputation . Our Philadelphia advocate goes on to say : —

" The passage in the Pennsylvania Gazette , of 26 th June 1732 , seems to show thafc the Brethren knew of the Patent and acted under ifc . Franklin , later , seems to have

been dissatisfied as regards the legality of the proceedings , about which some question may fairly arise , and to have wanted the sanction of some authority from home , to validate all that had been done . "

The above quotation simply amounts to this— " I declare , " saith the unknown Student of Bro . Gould's History , " without reason and against reason , thafc ifc seems to me that this , that , and t'other prove the

possibility of the moon having been made of green cheese , and , therefore , the readers of my letter should believe in my inspiration . " Seriously speaking , the passage in fche Pennsylvania Gazette , of 26 th June 1732 , contains no hint

" to show that the Brethren knew" anything either of Coxe ' s Patent or of the very existence of Daniel Coxe ; there is not a particle of evidence that the Philadelphia

Masons , from 1731 to 1749 , acted under any authorised Patent whatever , nor can the " Unknown" furnish an iota of evidence or reason that Franklin first believed

Coxe ' s Patent to be O . K ., and that he later on became dissatisfied as regards the legality of the proceedings . It

amused me to notice how he pats Bro . Gould on the shoulder with his condescending approbation—viz ., " as Bro . Gould says so well , " implying thereby that he and Bro . Gould are in perfect accord about Coxe ' s connection

with Philadel phia Masonry in 1731 , while , in reality , there are no two men wider apart on the qnestion at issue than the " Student of Bro . Gould ' s History " and Bro . Gould himself .

There was , however , another puzzle to be solved—viz ., Coxe ' s Patent authorised him to hold office until 24 th June 1732 . The Philadelphians , however , elected a Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master in 1731—that is just a

year before Coxe ' s Provincial Grand Mastership expired ; hence it was justly claimed that Philadelphia could not have derived its Masonry from Coxe ' s Patent . To the above question our " Unknown " replies : —

More On The Philadelphia Question.

" I do not attach much importance to the minute book , letter B , as regards Allen and Pringle [ the Grand Master and the Deputy Grand Master ] in 1731 . All such books

are often posted up later , not written at the time , and the mistake of a year or so often occurs ; probably the minute should read June 1732 . "

Now , I admit that a mistake in the said book is possible . Here , however , the statement that Allen was Grand Master in 1731 was confirmed on another page ofthe same book by another scribe , who began a different method of

ledgering , a year after the first Secretary wrote up his minutes to near the close of 1731 . It is , therefore , stretching a little too far to suppose that two successive Secretaries

would have written 1731 instead of 1732 ; besides which , if Allen had succeeded Coxe , he would have been styled in the record " Provincial Grand Master , " and not "Grand Master . "

I shall only add that our " Unknown" should have sent his letter to the Keystone at Philadelphia , whose Editor would not have allowed a word in opposition to it to

appear in his paper . There the paper is one-sided upon the question at issue ; but the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE is , unfortunately for Masonic dreamers , open and free for men of common sense to expose all kinds of nonsense ,

including the nonsense of Coxe's connection with Philadelphia Masonry in 1731 . Boston , U . S ., 13 th July 1887 .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Essex.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF ESSEX .

rpHE Annual Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex was held - * - on Tuesday last , at Romford , under the banner of the Liberty of Havering Lodge , No . 1537 , when there was a numerous attendance of brethren from

all parts of the Province , and the meeting was altogether of a highly successful character . It appeared to be quite " an event " with the inhabitants of the quaint little town , for in honour of the visit of "ye mystic tie" they

adorned the streets with bunting , and displayed considerable interest in the proceedings . The weather was brilliantly fine , and a refreshing breeze kept in lively motion the strings of flags that spanned the streets all the

way from Bro . John Little ' s " Rising Sun "— the headquarters ofthe Liberty of Havering Lodge—into the heart of the town . As usual , the Great Eastern Railway Company issued return tickets at single fares , a concession that

is always appreciated ; and at two o clock the Court House , which had been placed at the disposal of the Committee by the local magistrates , became the scene of unwonted activity and animation . The brethren clothed in a

marquee erected for their convenience m rear of the building , and took up positions under their respective banners in the Lodge-room , the Present and Pasfc Prov . Grand Officers soon afterwards entering , amidst the cordial

applause of the assembly . The Provincial Grand Master , Bro . the Right Hon . Lord Brooke , was accompanied by his Deputy , Bro . F . A . Philbrick , Q . C , Graud Registrar , Bros .

F . W . Imberfc Terry S . G . W ., A . C . Durrant J . G . W ., Rev Thos . Cochrane P . G . C . of England ( who officiated as Prov , Grand Chaplain ) , Andrew Durrant G . Treasurer , Thos . J Railing P . G . Sd . Br . G . Secretary , J . Salmon G . Registrar ,

A . J . Dudgeon S . J . D ., H . R . Heasman J . G . D ., J . Grimes G . Supt . of Wks ., A . Lucking G . Dir . Cers ., J . Corbie Assistant ditto , Joseph Clever , G . C . Sewell and S . H . Ellis G . Sd . Brs ., T . W . Smith G . Org ., A . Rattray Assistant G . Secretary , G . T . Bailey G . Pur ., G . Riches

Assistant ditto , T . S . Sarel G . Tyler , G . R . Dawson , J . K . F . Lightowlers , R . J . Warren , A . G . Maskell , W . Metcalfe , and E . Durrant G . Stewards . Amongst the Visitors was Bro . F . Binckes P . G . Sword Br . ( Secretary of the Royal

Institution for Boys ) , and on the dais were a large number of Past Prov . Grand Officers , making altogether a goodly display of purple . As the Provincial Grand Master , attended by his Officers , entered the Lodge-room , Bro .

Smith , Prov . G . Org ., played appropriate music on the organ , and his Lordship was greeted with an unmistakably warm welcome . Prov . Grand Lodge was then opened in due form , and the Grand Master was saluted

according to ancient custom , Bro . A . Lucking P . G . P . Eng ., officiating as Director of Ceremonies . The miuutes of the last Annual Provincial Grand Lodge , at Saffron Walden , and of the special meeting at Southend , having been read