The Craft In Trinidad.

THE CRAFT IN TRINIDAD .

We are always glad of an opportunity of recording or commenting upon the proceedings of our lodges on foreign stations , and a pamphlet has just reached us which enables us to afford our readers an insight into the work done during 18 95 by such

a lodge—the Royal Prince of Wales , No . 86 j , Port of Spain , Trinidad , which was warranted in 1 S 61 , and has thus enjoyed an existence of 35 years . The Secretary of this lodge—Bro . ( i . !•' . MUGGINS—has very kindly forwarded us a copy of the

"Report for the year 18 95 " which he has been at the pains of compiling , and before offering any remarks on its contents , we are only fulfilling a manifest duty in ( hanking , and , at the same

time , congratulating , him on the result of his labours . He has performed his task admirably , and , though he may not himself aspire lo be the historian of Lodge No . 86 7 , he has brought together such evidences of the manner in which it has done its

work as will enable any brother who may at some future date think proper to compile a history to do so accurately , at all events , as regards the proceedings of this particular year . As the Secretary of a lodge for the time being is the

custodian of its archives , we must assume that Bro . MUGGINS is correct in his statement that the year 1 S 95 is "the most successful in the history of this lodge up to that date . " It will , indeed , be difficult to imagine there can have been one more

successful , seeing that it was during this particular year that the ' lodge was honoured with a visit b y Bro . J . ROSS ROBERTSON , Past Grand Master of Canada , and bore its share with the other English lodges located in Trinidad in extending- a cordial welcome to Bro . the Earl of

LATHOM , Pro Grand Master of England , who was then voyaging in the West Indies for the benefit of his health . Accounts of both these visits were subsequentl y published in our columns , and , therefore , we need not do more now than reiterate our

satisfaction at the reception accorded to those distinguished Masons , and the p leasure they derived from their visit . There is , however , one passage in Bro . Hi'GGlNs ' s report relative to certain steps taken by the lodge after his lordship ' s visit , which

is calculated to excite feelings of dissatisfaction . Lord LATHOM , in the address he delivered at the meeting of our Trinidad brethren , " spoke of the necessity of establishing a District Grand Lodge , " and it is to the credit of the Royal Prince of

Wales brethren that Bro . MUGGINS should find himself 111 a position to record that " since then we have made efforts to get the other English lodges to see with us the gain of such a course . " Unfortunately , the other lodges—so Bro . HUGGIN ' S tells us—in

the island do not appear to have viewed the matter in the same light as the Pro Grand Master of England and the Royal Prince of Wales Lodge . " ' At a meeting of all the Worshi pful Masters , Past Masters , and Wardens of all the lodges , speaking , as they

said , the opinion of their , lodges held in October to consider the question , I can onl y say that the greatest amount of discouragement and want of interest was shown b y the Masters of the other two English lodges , thus depriving us of what other West Indian

lodges have—a District Grand Lodge—until such time as either they think differently or the Grand Master chooses of his own free will to appoint a District Grand Master and 1 hope lhat such an alternative is not far off . " It would be an act of presumption

on our part to suggest what course his Royal Hi ghness the M . W . Grand Master may or may not see fit to pursue in certain circumstances , but we do not imagine—indeed , it would be in direct opposition to the policy invariably pursued by him—that

his Royal Highness would ever dream of forcing an organisation upon a group of lodges which did not desire to have it . We must , therefore , content ourselves with uniting with Bro . HuGGlNS in

the hope that it will not be long before the other English lodges in Trinidad are better able to appreciate the value of Lord LATHOM ' suggestion .

I here are a fciv other points in Bro . JIiJCGIN . S ' . S report which appear to be deserving of notice . The lodge has evidentl y acted wisely in appointing a Committee " consisting of the

Worshipful Master , two Wardens , Treasurer , and Secretary , " to deal with all questions of finance and business . Bro . MUGGINS tells us "it most certainly has had good results , as the troublesome question of money has not come up in lodge to disturb its

The Craft In Trinidad.

harmony . " It is also satisfactory to know that the lodge has been enabled to free itself from debt , and that , as a consequence , " t ] lc financial position of the lodge has never been so good as it j s now—the Treasurer ' s report to the end of December showing

that it was 416 dollars better off than it was six months previously . On the other hand , it is painful to read that " t ) , ( 1 arrears due by several members" amounted at the end of December to 3 8 7 . 35 dollars , of which ifio dollars are set d 0 VVri

as " bad , " the balance of 227 . 35 dollars being " nearl y tlouhl 0 what it was at the same period last year . " This is all the niorp painful when we are told lhat part of this sum is due ' •fnr Degrees conferred , " and should have been . paid on the ' ni ghts cm

which they were given . We are afraid there must have been a certain amount of laxity on the part of some officer or officers when arrears of dues are allowed to double themselves in a single year . With this one drawback , the lodge seems to be

most prosperous , while the figures and tables show that it is slronu in point of numbers , and that during the year 1 S 95 it did an amount of work which will astonish our lodges at home , meeting as they rarely do—except , perhaps , in some country

districtsmore than ei g ht or ten , or at most a dozen , times a year , emer . gencies included . As regards members , the lodge has So on its roll , of whom only ei g ht did not put in an appearance during the year , while four others were absent from the Colony . As

regards meetings , they were 40 in number—¦ 12 being regular 26 special , and two emergency—besides three meetings of the Lodge of Instruction . The attendances reached 9 66 , giving an

average per meeting of 24 . 1 . Ten brethren were elected joining members , and there were 16 initiations , 13 passings , and 14 raisings . We congratulate Lodge Royal Prince of Wales , No . 86 7 , Trinidad , on its record for 1 895 .

Transactions For 1895-6 Of The Lodge Of Research, No. 2429, Leicester.*

TRANSACTIONS FOR 1895-6 OF THE LODGE OF RESEARCH , No . 2429 , LEICESTER . *

This lodge which , as our readers are aware , was constituted some years since on the same lines as Lodge Quatuor Coronati , No . 2076 , has been doing , in its smaller sphere of influence , some excellent work , and though its Transactions only fi , l a modest pamphlet of some 64 pages , they will be found to include some very instructive papers , which the Masonic student will find most interesting . The present volume contains the Transactions at the meetings held during the past year , commencing with that of Monday ,

the 23 rd September , 18 95 , when the lodge celebrated its third Anniversary Festival , and Bro . VV . H . Staynes , P . M . 2081 , Prov . G . Std . Br . Leicestershire and Rutland , was installed W . M . and appointed and invested his officers for the ensuing 12 months . On this occasion , Bro . YV . J . Hughan , P . G . D . England , who is an Honorary Member of the lodge , was present

and read a paper on ' * The Origin and History of the Three Degrees , inclusive of the Royal Arch , 1717-1 S 17 . " Of this a synopsis is given , which will enable the reader to form an excellent idea of the paper itself . Those who are acquainted with Bro . Hughan's theory as to the number of degrees extant in the early days of the Grand Lodge of England will not be

surprised to find that he believes there were three degrees known in i 7- \> , I " evidence he adduces in support of his belief being derived from lodge records . In the concluding paragraph of the synopsis of his paper , Bro . Hughan is represented as holding " that , though a Committee was appointed to settle the revised Ritual , yet their work , when so arranged ,

had never been recognised nor officially adopted by the Grand Lodge . This is no doubt true in the sense that Grand Lodge never issued any edict directing that the Ritual as revised after the Union should be adopted as ihe recognised Ritual of Grand Lodge . But the Ritual , as revised by the Lodge of Reconciliation , was submitted , as regards the ceremonies of im " "

tion , passing , and raising , at a Special Grand Lodge held on the 20 th May , 1 S 16 , when the three ceremonies were rehearsed ; and at the regular Grand Lodge on thesth June , when , after alterationson two points in theThird Deg ree had been recommended , " the several ceremonies , Sec , recommended ww approved and confirmed . " Again , as regards the ceremony of installa !' '

a lodge or Board of Installed Masters was authorised in 1827 by tne L » " » of Sussex , and the ceremony worked by such Board in accordance wit " forms which it had agreed upon and submitted to his Royal Hig hness an which the latter had been pleased to approve . For fuller particular * must refer our leaders to Bro . H . Sadler ' s " Notes on the Ceremony ot '

stallation " —London : George Kenning , 16 , Great Queen-street , VV . * 1889-but what we have stated in brief will serve to show that thoug h Revised Ritual of the Three Degree s and ot Installation was not officia " ? claimed as the working adopted by Grand Lodge , it was nevertn ] \ " approved and conliimtd , " as regards the Degrees , by that body , sanctioned as regards the Installation Ceremony by the Grand Master .