Warrants With Inaccurate Recitals. &C.

HI . Another series of errors—and they are more numerous —arises in the notes generally placed at the south-west corners of the " renewal" warrants , or re-issues of old Numbers , by the " Ancient" Grand Lodge . Of these 1 will cite but a few : — ( a ) The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Lodge , now No . 24 , was ori ginally warranted by the "Ancients" on 24 th September , 1 S 05 , as No .

131 . For special reasons a new Warrant , No . lo , was granted to it on 2 nd April , 1813 . This Warrant refers to 2 nd April , 1755 , which happens to be the first date in Vol . 2 , Letter B , of the Athol Registers , containing the particulars and names of members of an old London Lodge , No . 15 , of 9 th January , 1753 , which names are moreover continuous from Vol . 1 ( Morgan ' s Register ) so long

missing . Ihe insertion ot 2 nd April , ltoo , is misleading and incorrect , as neither that date nor the older one , 9 th January , 1753 , had the slightest connection with the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Lodge . In connection with this Warrant of 1813 , I may say that it bears unmistakable evidence of having been written over , and that the writer has made a great many palpable blunders .

( b ) The Warrant of 10 th July , 1810 , of the Robert Burns Lodge , now No . 25 , formerly No . 16 , "Ancients , " states that the original ( i . e , the orig inal or first-issued Warrant bearing the same Number 16 ) , bears date 1 st June , 1755 . This is quite incorrect . There were three previous Warrants numbered 16 , namely , ( 1 ) llth

December , 1752 , which became No . 14 in the same year . ( 2 ) 10 th January , 1753 , which was declared vacant , null and void for non-payment on 7 th August , 1754 , and ( 3 ) April , 1757 , which lapsed about 1760 . The first payment registered for the third was on 1 st June , 1757 .

( c ) St . John ' s Lodge , No . 70 , Plymouth , formerly No . 74 "Ancients , " warranted 21 st . March , 1759 , had a Warrant of Renewal on llth November , 1771 , which states " a Renewal bears date March 21 , 1759 . " This does not accurately record the fact , namely , that the Warrant of 1771 was itself "a Renewal [ of the original Warrant No . 74 , which ] " bears date March 21 , 1759 , " and from which earlier period the Lodge has had an unbroken and continuous existence .

IV . Another kind of "error" is the insertion of wrong dates , either b y mistake or accident on the part of the writer of the Warrant , or else the document has been wilfully tampered with b y some person desirous of increasing the antiquity of a Lodge . The following instance will illustrate my meaning : —

On 17 th March , 1759 , a Lodge , No . 240 , was warranted or constituted at the Sun Inn , Newton Abbot , by the "Modern " Grand Lodge . It became No . 196 in 1770 , No . 160 in 17 fc 0 , No . 161 in 1781 , and No . 141 in 1792 , being designated the Sun Lodge . There was probably a paucity of members , onl y three names having been registered iu Grand Lodge during the time the Lodge was supposed

to be meetivg at Newton Abbot . As early as 1786 the Provincial Grand Secretory reported : — " 'Tis supposed that No . 161 has not met for a long time ; " and in February , 1801 , " Remaining members abroad , and the Master in Ireland ; there is a request to be indulged to fhe next Q . C . in May and no longer . " This of course alludes to the non-payment of Grand Lodge dues at the Quarterly

Communication , On 26 th March , 1 SU 3 , the Provincial Grand Secretary stated that "the Warrant of the Lodge No . 141 , Sun , at Newton Abbott , has been for some time lost or missing , the members are all dead except one , and he , if not dead , is in Ireland and not likely to return . " Hence it is quite clear that there was no actual Lodgo in existence under the old Warrant . In 1804 , however , some brethren at Exmouth obtained an

authority from the Provincial Grand Master to remove ( he " Lodge " from Newton Abbot to that town , which document bears date 18 th January , 1804 , and is now preserved in the Archives of Grand Lodge . No Members were registered at Exmouth until 6 th December , 1806 , and ui . der this temporary "authority "—it . cannot be called a , "Warrant " —the Members acted until 1822 . On the 17 th June , 1822 , a Warrant of Confirmation (!) was granted , which

Warrants With Inaccurate Recitals. &C.

purports to recite that the Lod ge was removed to Exmouth on the 18 ih January , 17 S 4 , exactly liceuly years prior to the date of the abovementioned Provincial authorit y to remove . The " Centenary" (!) of the Lodge , then No . 123 , and now No . 106 , was celebrated on 6 th June , 1859 , when the W . Master

stated that "In 1795 the original Warrant and the Minute and other Books were destroyed or lost , it is believed by fire . " Wc now- know that this was also incorrect , inasmuch as there is evidence to show that the Warrant of the Newton Abbot Lodge was being offered for sale as late as the year 1803 .

How the date 17 b 4 became inserted in the Warrant of Confirmation may be a mystery , but it is none the less a grave mistake , for it is quite patent that the Sun Lodge at Exmouth dates from 1804 only . 1 was able , in 189 o , after some correspondence , to convince the then W . Master of the Lodge that this was the case , but probably , in consequence of tho erroneous recital , many of the

present Members consider their Lodge dates from 1759 , and that it has been continuously at work from that period , and , accordingly , when the foundation-stone of their New Masonic Hall was recently laid , the old story of antiquity was trotted out again , and , I believe , is permanently recorded on the building , so that he who runs mav read .

It may be thai , it is intended to be a warning to other Masonic students not to be "too particular" in ascertaining what is true in reference to these matters , but to accept any and every statement from any source whatever , without hesitation , enquiry or doubt . I need scarcely say that not having followed that course myself , I do not recommend it to others , but rather advise them to " prove all things , " and hold fast to that which is genuine , authentic , and absolutelv correct . JNO . LANE .

Under Supervision.

Under Supervision .

SKETCH No . I .

. t ' . p ^ = 5 ^ f ^ j OME few years ago I had occasion to visit Rotterdam , r ^ O ^^ X'lli and , having a decided partiality for sea travelling in ^' i \§^^ 0 S ( i l lrcf emice to l ° o llU ( l tedious railway journeys , I lil-O ^^/ Jf decided to proceed on one of the excellent fleet of | £ _/§ j & -ra £€ ii steamers running from Grimsby . Passengers did not as a rule embark until some little time before the

sailing ho . ir ; on this occasion I managed , however , to get on board rather early , as 1 was always glad to have a chat with my old friend Captain Toogood , who was so well known at that port . Just before the order was given to "let go , " I noticed a cab being driven at a rather rapid rate along the quay , which eventually pulled

up at the foot of the gangway of our steamer ( the " Halifax " j , when there emerged therefrom a gentleman in the garb of a Roman Catholic priest . His clerical coat was of the glossiest black , evidently just home from the tailors ; his hat , too , had the appearance of having been but recently taken out from the proverbial band-box ; his white cravat and clean-shaven chin also bore evidence of careful

grooming , but the accompanying portmanteau was not altogether iu keeping with the general get-up of "his Reverence , " as it was decidedly well-worn and somewhat out of date . Hastily discharging the cabby , he stepped upon the deck and arranged with the captain and steward as to his passage , and then retired below .

About S p . m . wc steamed out of dock—being about midsummer , the passengers mostly enjoyed the evening upon deck until the brilliant light upon the Spurn Head had been left behind . On going below I found that the saloon was occupied by about a dozen individuals , amongst them notabl y two foreign gentlemen an {

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