United Grand Lodge Of England.

To the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England . At the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge in March last , upon the motion ~ of Bro . WILLIAM NICHOLL , P . M . No . 317 , Manchester , it was resolvedist . —That Past Masters shall be entitled to wear a distinctive collar .

2 nd . — Ihat Past Masters duly qualified as members ol Grand Lode ; e shall be entitled to wear such collar on all occasions when Craft clothing may be worn . 3 rd . —That the Board of General Purposes be and are hereby authorised and empowered to determine whether such distinction shall be silver cord in the centre , or whether it should be cord or braid or lace on the edges , and that they re arrange Article 307 accordingly .

4 th . —That the Board of General Purposes be requested to re-draft Article 30 S accordingly . 5 th . — That Article 75 of the Book of Constitutions be referred to the Board of General Purposes for the purpose of ascertaining if it is possible to remodel and simplify and render it more workable as to the mode of recording and counting the votes in Grand Lodge .

The Board have taken into consideration the matters thus referred to them , and beg to recommend the following alterations in the Book of Constitutions—That a rule be introduced after Rule 306 , to be numbered temporarily

306 A , to the following effect : — " Past Masters of private lodges , so long as they continue to subscribe to some lodge , shall be entitled to w ? ar on all occasions when Craft clothing may be worn , collars of light blue ribbon , four inches broad , with stiver braid a quarter of an inch wide in the centre . "

Rules 307 and 308 will then remain as they were before December , 1886 , with the omission of the words " Past Masters " in the fourth line of 308 . With respect to Rule 75 , the Board recommend that the mode of counting the votes on a division be lelt to the discretion of the Grand Director of Ceremonies , and that , therefore , all the words in that rule after the word " conducted " be erased , and the following words substituted : — " under the direction of the Grand Director of Ceremonies . "

To the Report is subjoined a statement of the Grand Lodge accounts at the last meeting of the Finance Committee , held on Friday , the 12 th day of August inst ., showing a balance in the Bank of England ( Western Branch ) of £ 5007 6 s . 3 d ., and in the hands of the Grand Secretary for petty cash ,

£ 100 , and for servants' wages , £ 100 , and balance of annual allowance for library , £ 25 6 s . 3 d . ( Signed ) THOMAS FENN , President . Freemasons' Hall , London , W . C , i 6 th August , 188 ; .

Bro . J AMES LAWRENCE , W . M . 1326 , moved as an amendment— " Past Masters of private lodges so long as they continue to subscribe to some lod « e shall be entitled to wear their collar on all occasions where Craft clothing may be worn ; but when visiting sister lodges a scarlet rosette , three inches in diameter must be fixed to the collar on right breast . Past Masters in a lodge to wear purple rosettes . "

The amendment was not seconded , and the original motion was then put and carried . Bro . FENN said that the next paragraph of the report , " Rules 307 and 308 will then remain as they were before December , 1886 , with the omission of the words ' Past Masters' in the fourth line of 308 , " would not require a resolution , and therefore he would not put it as such .

Bro . TEW said Bro . Fenn had only spoken to a rectification , and all he ( Bro . Tew ) had to do was to ask the Grand Secretary to make a minute of it . Bro . FENN next said , with reference to the succeeding- paragraph of the report of the Board with respect to Rule 75 , the Board recommend that the mode of counting the votes on a division be left to the discretion of the

Grand Director of Ceremonies , and that , therefore , all the words in that Rule after the word " conducted " be erased , and the following words substituted : " Under the direction of the Grand Director of Ceremonies , '' the Board of General Purposes had come to this resolution for regulating elections because the Grand Director of Ceremonies would then have an opportunity of ascertaining the best mode of counting the votes . There was no doubt that one system might be best for a time in a small Grand Lodge and

another system might be advisable when Grand Lodge was full . This lesolution would leave it open to the G . D . C to adopt the best plans according to circumstances . He did not think there could be any objection to that , because if Grand Lodge should find that the G . D . C . had introduced a system of counting of votes which would be applicable to all occasions , it could very easily pass a resolution to that effect . This merely left it open to an experiment , and he thought this better than that they should adopt one mode .

Bro . the Rev . G . R . PORTAL seconded . Nothing- could be more inconvenient than the plan Grand Lodge had adopted lately on the one hand , and on the other , there was no brother in whom they had greater confidence than Sir Albert Woods . ( Hear , hear . ) The motion was carried , and Grand Lodge was closed inform .

"Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, 1886-7."—Iv.

" ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM , 1886-7 . " —IV .

pro . Speth , the model Secretary of No . 2076 , was in " possession of the chair " on September 2 nd , 1886 , Bro . Woodford being the acting W . M .. as before , the subject for his Paper being " The Steinmetzen Theory Critically Examined . " There are few . if any , brethren who are more competent to handle this confessedly difficult subject , from all points of view , than Bro . opeth . and next to him in this country we shall not do wrong in naming Bro .

vjould , who has himself turnished us with by far the most reliable history of that bod y of Craftsmen which has yet appeared in England , America , or elsewhere . Speth ' s able sketch of these Stonemasons of Germany helps ihe ordinary reader to a proper , understanding of their origin and character . ¦ * hey can be traced back to a very early date , and were , first of ail ,

apparentl y as the other Trade Guilds and Fraternities . The three classes of A pprentices , Fellows , and Masters we are familiar with ; but this similarity ooes not prove the Freemasons and the Steinmetzen were virtually one and . ne same body , the points of resemblance noted , as also others enumerated '" the capital and most suggestive PaDer . beini ? in realitv common to Craft

,, '" S . The German stonemasons , however , like other German Guilds , had a certain ceremonious formula of salutation" not known to the ordinary "glish Guilds , as Speth points out , though traced " amongst our Operative oro . S peth combats the theory that the medieval Masons of England

"Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, 1886-7."—Iv.

were deficient in cohesion , doctrine , philosophy , and ceremonial , which were to be found in the Steinmeizen , and ihat ' consequent on a large emigration of German craftsmen to England in the thirteenth century , oui English operatives acquired these attributes , and that , iherelore , Freemasonry is of German origin . " To do this successfull y he directly opposes ' me socalled proof adduced in support of the esoteric doctrines and ritual

attributed to the Steinmetzen , " rightly believingthat it he can show the baselessness of these visionary notions—for such they are—it will be evident that no German immigrants—if there were these—" could possibly have taught our forefathers that of which they themselves were ignorant . " Speth ' s method consists in a critical examination " of the works oi those authors who have conbuted to the structure ol this theory . " Schneider , in 1803 , Heldmann , in 1810 ,

Streglitz in 1827 , Heidelhoffin 1884 , and beyond all others , Fallou , in 1848-59 , are all duly considered , and as duly " weighed in the balance and found wanting , " notwithstanding the support they received later on from Winzer , Findel , and others , in Germany , and Fort and Steinbrenner in America . Kloss was no convert to their theory , and even the Abbe Grandidier , in 1777 , did not start the idea , as he is credited with on the narrow basis and

erroneous foundation of the latter critics , though it must be admitted that the views he propounded became the origin of what is now known as the Steinmttz theory . Bro . Gould ' s History should be carelully read on this subject , especially as Bro Speih declares "that any importance which the catechism of Schneider ' s may have claimed has been thoroughly demolished " in that able work , and in doubting Fallou , Speth feels compelled to follow

Gould . The notion owes us acceptance for a time in this country , to the English Translation of Findel ' s History . The numerous quotations from " authorities" would lead the ordinary reader to look upon the extracts as authentic , and most would not be competent to sift the statements . Gould , however , has done so ably and successfully , and so has Speth , the result being briefly described in the present paper . The discussion started by

Bro . Kupferschmidt , of the "Pilgrim" Lodge ( German ) London , followed by Bros . Gould and Woodford , was of considerable value in relation to the general enquiry , and the details have been carefully supplied by Bro . Speth in the volume of Transactions , thus adding no little to the interest of the enquiry , and reproducing in a permanent form what else would have been lost sight of forever . Speth , in printing the discussion alluded to the late Dr . Mackey , of the U . S . A ., as having been a supporter of theSteinmetz theory ,

in his grand work , the " Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry , " staling that " at this day scarcely any other theory of the origin of the Craft can obtain a hearing in America . " We think , however , that the circulation of this part of the transactions of the " Quatuar Cornonati " Lodge , in America , ( there being several members of the ' Outer Circle " in that great country ) will prove the herald of a more critical and accurate view ol the subject , thanks chiefly to Brothers Gould and Speth , the Senior Warden and Secretary respectively , of No . 2076 .

Grand Lodge Of All Scottish Freemasonry In India.

GRAND LODGE OF ALL SCOTTISH FREEMASONRY IN INDIA .

A Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodgeof all Scottish Freemasonry in India was held in the Masonic Hall , Bombay , on Saturday , the 23 rd July last . . In the absence of Bro . Captain Sir H . Morland , M . W . G . M ., Bro . J . Y . Lang , Depute G . M ., presided , and there was a lull attend " ance of Grand Officers , Present and Past , and members to support him .

Bro . LANG , in the course of his brief address , took the opportunity of congratulating their Grand Master on the honour which the Queen had been pleased to confer upon him in her year of Jubilee , and expressed the hope that their distinguished brother might long live to enjoy a distinction he so greatly deserved .

A letter irom the Grand Master was read , in which he expressed in terms of high commendation his acknowledgments of "the untiring and successful exertions " of their Grand Secretary , Bro . J . Young , " for the aff-urs of Grand Lodge . " Justice was also done to the valuable services to Freemasonry rendered by Bro . J . W . Smith . President , and Bro . Darasha R . Chichgur , Secretary , of the Freemasons' Joint Hall Commuiee .

A letter was read Irom Bro . W . H . Hussey , District Grand Secretary under the English Constitution , in which he conveyed the thanks of the District Grand Lodge of Bombay to the Scottish Grand Lod ge for their congratulations on the appointment of H . R . H . the Duke ol Connaught as Distuct Grand Master , and stating , on the part of the Di-trici Grand Master , " that he appreciates in a high degree the very kind way in which

the M . W . the Grand Master of all Scottish Freemasonry in India has been pleased to place on record the fact that the Grand Lodges under the Scotch and English Constitutions in Bombay have for many years past been working so happily together to the general benefit of the Cralt , and it is the earnest hope of tne District Grand Master that the same fraternal relations

will long continue between those Bodies . " And the Report of Proceedings state :, that , in reference to this letter , " the Depute Grand Master remarked that it was very pleasant reading indeed , and he expressed the belief ihat the two Grand Bodies in Bombay would always work together in a harmonious and fraternal manner . " The other necessary business having been transacted , Grand Lodge was closed in the usual manner .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of New York Under The "Ancients."

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF NEW YORK UNDER THE "ANCIENTS . "

Bv BRO . G . B . ABBOTT . Readers of Bro . Findel ' s History ol Freemasonry will no doubt call to mind that in his" First Period" inthatpartol his chapter on "America" which treats of the establishment and progress of Freemasonry in New York , the learned author , alter referring to the first steps taken by the brethren in respect 01 Deputations and Lodges , devotes some space to a consideration of

the genuineness or spunousness of the charter alleged to have been granted by the Grand Lodge of England ( Ancients ) , lor establishing under its jurisdiction a Provincial Grand Lodge of New York . Bro . Findel says : " In 1781 , many ot the brethren applied to England tor a warrant tor the erection of a Grand Lodge—that application being made to the Grand

Lodge ot the sectarians . By what means the bretnren became possessed ot this Original Constitution will long remain a mystery , for the searching and meritorious inquiries oi Bro . F . Gust . Fincke in Brooklyn have proved almost to a certainty that it was a forged one . This close , critical investigation has made thus much pretty evident , that the person represented as having drawn up the patent , viz ., John , third Duke of Athole , was not