Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS— PAGE - Concurrent Jurisdiction in British Colonies and Possessions ... 59 Freemasonry in Queensland ... ... •¦¦ •• ••¦ 59

Consecration of the Loyal Travellers' Lodge , No . 2733 ... ... ... Co A Handsome Badge ... ... .. ... ¦¦ + Jjo Scotland—Grand Lodge ( Quarterly Communication ) ... ... ... Bi Provincial Grand Lodge of Forfarshire ... ... ... •¦• l > i Ladies' Night of the Pantiles Lodge , No . 2200 , at Tunbridge Wells ... Cu The Craft Abroad ... ... ... ... ... •¦• 62

MASONIC NOTESDeath of the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg ... ... ••• f > 5 Board of Stewards for Festival of Benevolent Institution ... ... f _ Consecration of the Harlow Lodge , No . 2734 ... ... ... 65 Installation at the Royal Savoy Lodge , No . 1744 ... ... ... fis Committee of Management Meeting of the Benevolent Jnstitu'ian ... C > 5 Quarterly Meeting of the Grand Lodge of Scotland ... ... ¦•• f > 5

Correspondence ... ... ... ... ... " 6 Reviews ... ... ••• ¦•• ••• ••• 6 G Ladies' Night of the Strong Man Lodge , No . 45 ... ... ... G < 5 Craft Masonry ... ... ... ... ... GO Royal Arch ... ... ... ... ... ¦•• f > 7 Mark Masonry ... ... ... ... ... G !" Instruction ... ... .. ... ••• ¦•• GS Obituary ... ... ... ... ... - - r > S Masonic and General Tidings ... ... ... ... ... 70

Concurrent Jurisdiction In British Colonies And Possessions.

CONCURRENT JURISDICTION IN BRITISH COLONIES AND POSSESSIONS .

In referring , in our " Notes " of last week , to the principal points mentioned by Bro . I . M . SHIELDS , acting District Grand Master , in his address at tlie half-yearly meeting on tiie 29 th November last of thc District Grand Lodge of Bombay , we

noticed certain remarks which he made m respect of the contemplated establishment of an Irish lodge in the City of Bombay , of which hc had heard SOUK ? months previously . fn the majority of those of our Colonies which are under thc

government of the Grand Lodges in the United Kingdom , such an incident would , in all probability , have been allowed to pass unheeded , or if reference were made lo it , it would take the form of a congratulation to our Irish brethren on the project for

establishing a Masonic lodge under the Constitution of the ( irand Lodge of Ireland . Bui . in Bombay , there appear to be no Irish lodges and all the practical knowledge which our Bombay brethren of the English Constitution seem to have of Irish

Masonry seems to be derived from the occasional sojourn in their neighbourhood of an Irish Military lodge . Nor is there " nvthin _ we have read in our Book of Constitutions which bears on the subject of Concurrent Jurisdiction , so

in . 'it Bro . SlllKLD . " may well be excused for being unfamiliar "'ith the p lan pursued in British Colonies and Possessions ' 11 reference to jurisdiction . Thus , when he heard that an application for a warrant for such a lodge had been

forwarded to Dublin , he does not appear lo have realised that it "'as the usual thing in I . Sritish possessions to lind not only Eng" * h and Scottish Lodges , but English , Irish , and Scotch Lodges working harmoniously together in nearly all those pans of the

I British Empire , which have no Grand Lodges of their own . 'lence , in his address at this half-yearly Communication of the district Grand Lodge , he seems to have regarded thc project as i kind of intrusion . "With all due respect , ' ' said he . "to so

'• 'nerable and honourable a body as the Grand Lodge of Ireland , l ; 'ippeared that to introduce a third jurisdiction into this Province , where there are already so many lodges under the English ' lll ( l Scottish Constitutions , would not really be for the

''' lunate advantage of the Craft , and might create con-1 , ision , and disturb thc amicable feelings which now ! : v vail . " It may be quite true , as Bro . SHIELDS went ' " to remark that "the Grand Lodire of Ireland has not

Concurrent Jurisdiction In British Colonies And Possessions.

hitherto , doubtless for good and sufficient reasons , sought to form any permanent lodges in India , though we are frequently visited by , and are glad to welcome , military lodges under her banner . " But wc confess that wc fail to see why the permanent

location of one or more Irish lodges in the city or presjdency should be held as likel y to cause a disturbance of those * harmonious relations which have always existed—at all events between the members of the English and Scottish Constitutions ,

Elsewhere the lodges and brethren of the three Constitutions have worked together most amicably . It was so in the old . days in British North America and in the Australasian Colonies in which sovereign and independent Grand Lodges are established .

It is so in the different Districts into which South Africa is . parcelled out , where , indeed , there are four , not three , Constitutions working side by side ; it is so , as far as we know , in Queensland and Western Australia ¦ ; in Ceylon , which is geographically , if

not Masonically , a part of India ; and we know of no reason why it should be otherwise in Bombay . True , no Irish lodges liave ever been warranted there , and from what the "influential officer of the Grand Lodge of Ireland " said to our Grand

Secretarythat no warrant would be granted " unless recommended by an existing lodge in that city "—there would appear to be no present likelihood of one being established . It may also be readil y conceded that the ' establishing a lodge in Bombay under a

third Constitution " may be very undesirable . But it occurs to us that the Grand Lodge of Ireland has the ri ght to establish lodges in Bombay or elsewhere in British territory , so long as it does not , in issuing its warrants , infringe

upon the rights of existing Colonial Grand Lodges . There must have been a time in the case of all our colonies and possessions when no lodges of the English , Irish , or Scottish Constitution existed , and when consequentl y there were none that could

recommend the grant of a charter under one of these Constitutions . Yet lodges were established , and in due time increased in number to such an extent as to justify the organisation ofthe lodges into Provinces or , as wc now call them , Districts . So in

Bombay , though there may never have been an Irish lodge permanently located , we are not aware of any insuperable difficulty in granting a warrant any more than in a colony or possession

which has never had lodges of any of the three Constitutions located in them . Certainly , it strikes us as being a great hardship that Irish Masons should not enjoy the same ri ghts and privileges in Bombay and the other Indian presidencies , which are cheerfully recognised as theirs in our other possessions and dependencies .

Freemasonry In Queensland.

FREEMASONRY IN QUEENSLAND .

It is to be regretted that a movement should have been started during the past year in Queensland tvith a view to establishing an independent Grand Lodge for the whole of that colony . We trust our readers will clearly understand that we are very far

from being opposed to the establishment of Masonic autonomy in those of our colonial possessions which desire it with some approach to unanimity . We can all remember well how grieved the late Earl of CARNARVON , Pro G . Master , was when , on

visiting our Australasian colonies , he was approached b y members of a Constitution to which , as it had been established in direct opposition to thc wishes of the brethren of the three recognised English , Irish , and Scottish Constitutions , he found himself unable , officially , to tender the same cordial reception hc