New Year's Entertainment At The Girls' School.

Rounds of applause followed the execution of these selections . The company separated about half-past ten . Among those present were : Bros . James Moon , J , H . Matthews , M . W . Allison , Charles Frederick Hogard , Robert Grey , R . L . Buck , Mrs . K . Chapman , Mrs . Dicketts , Miss A . S . Dicketts , Mr . E . E .

Dicketts , Bro . G . S . Peachey , Mr . S . F . Dicketts , Mr . R . T . Dicketts , VV . Toone , Miss Alice Fadelle Pratt , Mrs . G . Pratt , Bro . John L . Mather , Bro . H . Massey , Bro . George S . Graham , Bro . Horace Brooks Marshall , P . G . Treas . ; Mr . Walter F . Morgan , Miss Massey , Miss A . Massev , Miss Ellen Massey , Mr . F . Gates , Bro . G . Faulkner , Bro . E . Letchworth , and F . R . VV . Hedges ( Secretary ) .

Bro. Lane's "Masonic Records."

BRO . LANE'S " MASONIC RECORDS . "

THIRD AND FINAL NOTICE . In criticising a work of this kind it is impossible to give much more than a general idea of its contents . Any attempt to follow Bro . Lane through the whole of his long catalogue or register of lodges would involve the necessity of writing a work almost as elaborate as his . Every lodge warranted by one of our Grand Lodges has a separate notice of its ovyn , amounting in very many cases to a complete skeleton of its history , in which

are noted ihe changes that may have taken place in its number , name , and quarters , and any special rights or privileges pertaining to it . Thus , every one of the 3000 lodges and upwards which Bro . Lane has traced from its creation to its ultimate destiny is a study by itself , and in order to test the accuracy of each sketch it would be necessary we should examine the whole of the Records to which he has had access . We can , however , describe with a certain amount of detail what , by dint of so much labour , he has brought together , and this task we purpose attempting in the present article .

Parts I . and II ., the former dealing with the Grand Lodge of All England at York , and the latter with the Grand Lodge of England South of the Trent , will not detain us long . The York Grand Lodge , with its impressive title and chequered career , appears to have had a more numerous offspring than has previously been ascribed to it , but even Bro . Lane with all his industry and indomitable energy of research , appears to have been

able to discover little more about its daughter lodges than the dates of their warrants and their places of meeting , while , as regards the Grand Lodge South of the Trent , neither it nor the trumpery squabble which led to its establishment would ever have made their mark in our history , had not Preston had a chief hand in the business . It warranted two lodges whose names and places of meeting are duly recorded in Part II .

Part III . which includes the lodges warranted by the regular Grand Lodge of England of 1717 , the schismatic or "Ancient" Grand Lodge of 1751 . and the United Grand Lodge of 1813 , necessarily forms the bulk of the volume . By comparison with this Parts I . and II . with their meagreness of detail—for which , of course , Bro . Lane is not responsible—and the very limited amount of interest they are likely to arouse , stand a very fair

chance of being overlooked . The Part begins with some early lodge lists , namely , the oldest , of 1723 date , followed by two of the year 1725 and the three hitherto unpublished lists of the Atholl Lodges . Of the earlier three the 1723 list and one of the 1725 have already appeared in Gould ' s " Four Old Lodges , " the second 1725 list being from a fac-simile belonging , we believe , to Bro . Hughan , of an engraved list in the possession

of Bro . Albert Pike , of Washington , U . S . A . The three Atholl lists are from "Morgan ' s Register , " our remarks as to the discovery of which appear to have given rise to a certain amount of misapprehension . In ascribing to Bro . Lane the merit of having discovered these lists , which are by themselves at the end of the Register , and separated from the earlier contents by a long interval of blank pages , we never had it in mind to

suggest that he discovered the Register itself . We believe it was Bro . Sadler who brought the book to light , and there is published evidence that the Grand Lodge authorities had themselves turned its earlier information to account in determining the dates of constitution of the first five Atholl Lodges . But in looking over the pages of the Register in search of further light , Bro . Lane , just as Bro . Abbott did a few months later , and quite

independently , came upon these important lists and at once recognised their value . We have no desire to qualify our former remarks as to the credit justly ascribed to Bro . Lane for discovering the lists , but the book itself had of necessity been previously ousted from its hiding place and the earlier contents had become known to the Grand Lodge staff . This explanation will , no doubt , make clear the intention of our former remarks .

But to resume . The six lists we have named precede the Roll of Lodges , 1717-1886 , which is thenceforward dealt with regularly and minutely , within the limits prescribed by the author , and lodge by lodge , each one being , as we have remarked already , a separate and distinct study , and requiring , therefore , a separate and distinct examination . The method that has been adopted is uniform , and the information brought together into so manageable

a compass has been derived from Grand Lodge lists , the minutes and proceedings of the rival and United Grand Lodges , and lodge minute books and registers , where possible . Indeed , wherever the author thought he was likely to _ find information , lie has gone in quest of it , and the result is a compilation of matter which may be accepted almost without question as being accurate . Where there is a missing link , the shortcoming is traceable

to absence or the non-supply of the requisite information , not to any omission or oversight on the part of the author . In short , though , as we carry our examination of the Roll further , we may meet with cases in which we may be inclined to differ with Bro . Lane as to his opinions , we feel that , so far as his investigations have proceeded , he has succeeded in obtaining and setting forth with a tolerably close approximation to accuracy the facts . By

way of better illustrating our meaning we will take the case of the Grand Master ' s Lodge , No . I , which is referred to by Bro . Lane in his Preface , and which has also been referred to in a former article . He gives , in the column provided for the purpose , the date of the lodge warrant—13 th August , 1759 . But in another column he ascribes to it an earlier date of existence , viz ., 1756 , and he has done this on the strength of a mention in the minutes of

the Atholl Grand Lodge of that year of certain brethren of a No . 1 having been present at one of its meetings . Now , apart from the fact that nothing is to be gained by an attempt lo antedate the constitution of a lodge , the brethren thus described as of No . r in this , and a minute of the following year , are the Grand Officers , which inclines us to agree with Bro . Gould that at first the Grand Lodge was looked upon as No . 1 . Here

we have the fact of the warrant of subordinate lodge No . I being dated 13 th August , 1759 , which there is no gainsaying ; and the opinion that a subord-. < J No . 1 existed in 1756 , which is very much open to question , of which , indeed , there is no evidence beyond the aforesaid description , in two minutes , of the Grand Officers as being of " No . 1 . " 1 Of 'he advantages of having such a work as this for a guide in tracing older lodges , and consequentiall y of the service which Bro . Lane has

Bro. Lane's "Masonic Records."

rendered by compiling it , we have an instance in the Witham Lodge , " Modern , " founded as No . 530 in 1793 , but now , by successive changes , No . 297 . Had the late Dr . Oliver had these " Masonic Records" before him when compiling his history of this lodge , he would not have fallen into the error of writing : " The precise date of its establishment is not known ; but the oldest minute book contained in the archives of the lod ge , commences with Dec . the 5 th , 1732 , " & c , & c , & c . He would have found at page 27

that the lodge at the Saracen s Head , Lincoln , which was warranted 7 th September , 1730 , was " erased 17 th November , 1760 , but kept on lists till 1762 , " and he would have recognised at once that there was nothing more in common between this Saracen ' s Head Lodge and the Witham , whose history he was writing , than the fact of their having been held in the same city , but with an interval of more than thirty years between the erasure of the elder , and the Constitution of the younger lodge .

Yet another advantage is the knowledge we obtain from this work of the fate of the many lodges which were at different times borne on our Grand Lodge Registers , but which on the establishment of separate Masonic Jurisdictions in the countries or British Colonies in which they existed transferred their allegiance from England to the new supreme authority . As a case in point we may cite the Atholl Lodge , No . 16 9 , warranted at Boston ,

Massachusetts , on the 13 th July , 1771 , which subsequently had a hand in founding the Grand Lodge of New York , and after remaining on the roll of that Grand Lodge for many years surrendered its warrant in 1827 . A better case still is that of our lapsed No . 17 , known as the Albion Lodge from 1832 , which remained on our Register till 1870 , and is now in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Quebec .

But it is not necessary we should prolong these remarks . We have hinted already at the impossibility of following Bro . Lane throughout his series of investigations , or rather , their results as set forth in these records . We have enlarged on the authentic character of the sources whence he has obtained his information , and the admirable manner in which he has arranged his work ; and we have selected a few cases at random for the purpose of illustrating

either some of the special advantages to be derived from his compilation or the point of certain of our criticisms . We mi ght very easily multiply these illustrations as regards Bro . Lane ' s merits as a capable , painstaking , and conscientious recorder , but we fail to see what benefit would ensue if we did so . Nothing , therefore , now remains for us to say except that there is an

Index , which constitutes Part IV ., and which will be found invaluable in facilitating the researches of the student . And having said this , we take leave in our capacity of critic of a work , which we are probably not singular in believing will do more to promote an accurate knowledge of the establishment and spread of English Freemasonry than any work that has hitherto been published .

Freemasonry In Ireland.

FREEMASONRY IN IRELAND .

The publication of the " Irish Freemasons Calendar and Directory " for 1887 appears an appropriate time for saying a few words about the Fraternity in that country , for , as a rule , we hear but little of its doings , and only know of its condition generally through the annual issue of this useful Calendar . The handy little volume is dedicated to his Grace the ( 2 nd ) Duke of Abercorn , Grand Master . ( As Marquis of Hamilton , his lordship was S . G . W . of England in 1875 . )

There are but few changes in the personnel of the officers , and these are not so many , as , according to our English Masonic views , we should consider desirable . We entirely disagree with the policy of simply moving brethren up one stage , instead of appointing new brethren to office . The Grand Wardens and Chaplains remain the same , as do also the Grand Treasurer and Secretary . These two , being purely honorary , might surely be changed every three years at least , and if oftener , so much the better .

Then , the two Deacons , G . D . C , Grand Steward , and G . S . B ., are simply composed of brethren advanced from lower positions in the previous year , the only really new appointments being Bros . W . Spence , C . E ., Grand Supt . of Works ; Dr . Marks , Grand Organist ; and Dr . Pirn , Grand Inner Guard . Of course , if the Irish brethren are satisfied with such a result it is not for us to complain , but it presents a considerable contrast to the system pursued by our Royal Grand Master and his advisers .

There are 380 lodges on the roll , numbered from one to 1014 ( excepting the Grand Masters' Lodge at the head , without any number ) . So far as we can trace the Register they are thus distributed—37 lodges in the Dublin District , 273 in the Home Provinces , 54 in the Colonies , & c , and 7 in Regiments . * The largest province is Antrim , with 87 lodges , presided over by Sir Charles

Lanyon ; the next in size being Doivn , which musters 46 , Lord Arthur W . Hill , M . P . ( J . G . VV . of the Grand Lodge ) , having its oversight . The third is Londonderry and Donegal , with 26 lodges , the R . W . W . E . Scott , Prov . G . M . The remainder in Ireland range from 23 to 5 , the average lodges in the thirteen divisions being 21 to each province .

The Province of Victoria has 16 lodges , New Zealand , 14 , Queensland , 13 , Tasmania , 7 , and Ceylon , 4 . The remaining 10 are thus scattered : two lodges in St . George ' s , Bermuda , and one each in Canada , Constantinople , Isle of Man , Port Louis ( Mauritius ) , New South Wales , Gibraltar , South Australia , and Malta . The method of conferring high or

old numbers on new lodges , simply because they happen to be vacant , has long prevailed in Ireland , the result being a numerical list without any regard being paid to chronology . No . 7 , Belfast , was warranted in 1875 , whereas No . 1014 , Belfast , was chartered in 1814 ; No . 1 , Cork , dates from 1731 , No . 3 , from 1808 , and No . 71 , from 1771 ( of the same city ) .

We are not aware of any other Grand Lodge following such an extraordinary nu . nerical arrangement , the plan , we understand , being continued in part because of the attachment of brethren to the numbers of their lodges , some having no other designations or titles . After the roll of lodges comes the names of the Past Grand Officers , these numbering exactly 21 in all !

The Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Ireland has for its chief officer the veteran and esteemed Bro . Judge Townshend , and has 149 chapters on its roll , or more than one chapter to each three lodges , being a similar proportion to that of England . The numbers are the same as those of the lodges , as with those under this Grand Chapter .

The Mark , Arch , Templar , & c , are recognised by the Grand Lodge of Ireland , no other ceremonies being permitted to be worked by the members of any lodge than those of the regular " additional " Degrees , to the " Ancient and Accepted Rite " inclusive .