Bro. Lamonby's Notice Of Motion.

BRO . LAMONBY ' S NOTICE OF MOTION .

We do not see how at the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge on the 6 th instant Bro . the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE , D . G . M ., Acting- Grand Master , could have adopted any other ruling than he did in respect of Bro . \ V . F . LAMONBY ' S notice of motion . That notice was , in brief , to the effect that the District Grand Secretaries of certain dissolved District Grand Lodges should forward to our Grand Secretary , for retention among the

archives of Grand Lodge , " all books , returns , and documents relating to registrations " formerly belonging to such dissolved District Grand Lodges . On this motion being submitted , the Grand Registrar immediately rose to order , and pointed out briefly , but clearly and unmistakably , that it was not competent for Grand Lodge to entertain such amotion . His first reason for this proposition was that it was not District Grand Secretaries , but

District Grand Masters to whom our Book of Constitutions referred specifically as being responsible for the returns mentioned in Article in ., and that being so , that Grand Lodge would make itself ridiculous if it called upon the former to do that which they were not legally competent to do . His second , and principal , reason was that , as the said District Grand Lodges had been dissolved , Grand Lodge no longer had jurisdiction

in this or any other matter . True , Grand Lodge might call for these returns , just as Glendowcr was able to " call spirits from the vasty deep , " but the point to be considered here is whether the returns , any more than the spirits , would come when it did call for them . It is approaching perilously near to the region of metaphysical discussion when we hear of a brother proposing with all due solemnity that Grand Lodge shall elicit something out of nothing . It is , at all

events , in direct contravention of the old Latin adage—Ex nihilo nihil ft—and we may , therefore , safely uphold the Grand Registrar when he lays it down absolutely that it would be useless for our Grand Lodge to ask for something it cannot obtain from bodies which no longer exist . Our worthy Bro . RICHARD EVE , P . G . Treas ., does not appear to have realised thc full force of Bro . PHILBRICK ' S advice and suggested that thc motion would be in order if the words " District Grand Masters " were substituted for " District Grand Secretaries . " We are unable to

admit the merit of this suggestion . Is it Bro . EVE ' opinion that these District Grand Lodges will be less entirely dissolved than they have been if application is made for these Returns to brethren who are officially as non-existent as those they appointed , when in office , to be their District Grand Secretaries ? Or is it his firm and unqualified belief that a District Grand Master retains a certain amount of official vitality long after the

dissolution of his District Grand Lodge ? Even if this were so , it will not help us much . Our Grand Lodge will be able to address itself to the District Grand Master , who , according to this theory , is to be found existent somewhere in one of the recesses of Bro . EVE ' S most fertile brain ; but how will this wonderful District Grand Master , any more than our own Grand Lodge by direct application , be able to obtain returns from a body

which everyone allows is non-existent ? Moreover , though by Article 8 ( i of the Book of Constitutions " in the event of the death , resignation , removal , or suspension of a District Grand Master , the District Grand Lodge shall coniinue to exercise its functions , " it is nowhere enacted in the said Book—it would be impossible indeed to make any such enactment—that when a District Grand Lodge has

undergone the pangs of dissolution—the District Grand Master remains and > s competent to perform his functions . On the contrary , Article 81 provides that ' _ ' a Provincial or District Grand Lodge consists of the Provincial or District Grand Master , the Present and Past Provincial or District Grand Officers , " & c , & c , etc . Thus when the District Grand Lodge is dissolved the District Grand Master , as a constituent part thereof , must be dissolved

Unwise . Therefore , though we have been at considerable pains in providing a variety of pleas in extenuation of Bro . EVE ' S thesis , we have no alternative but to revert to the original proposition which the Grand Registrar submitted to Grand Lodge the other evening with all his usual perspecuity—it is no good requesting a dissolved body to do anything , ^¦ ipable as our Grand Secretary is , he must in the nature of things

experience enormous difficulty in addressing an official letter to " nothing , " and even if he succeeded in carrying out his part in the programme , our Postal authorities would experience equally serious difficulty in conveying "le letter to " nowhere" ; nor has it yet succeeded in establishing postal communication with Hades , where , as the place of happy departed spiiits , ir

"dissolved District Grand Lodges may be supposed to dwell . As for the other principal contention of Bro . EVE ' S , that the notice of "otion was in order because the Board of Masters had allowed it to e , nc 'uded in the agenda , we do not attach to it any importance . Let us ssume for the sake of argument that , on this ground , it was in order : the of I ' I ^ 11 ''' 65 we ' lave already enumerated as arising out of the non-existence the persons to whom application was to be made would still remain . On

Bro. Lamonby's Notice Of Motion.

the other hand , if it was not in order , it would not , in ordinary circumstances , have been allowed to appear among the agenda . But in this particular case it has been pointed out that the notice of motion was handed in to the Board of Masters at the last moment , when there was no time to consider whether the motion was a proper one or not . There appears to be no doubt upon this point , and , as it is a reasonable plea in

extenuation of an admitted oversight , we see no reason why it should not be accepted . The Board of Masters say—Bro . LAMONBY ' S notice of motion should not have been included in the agenda , but it was laid before us at the last moment , when it was impossible to decide whether it was a proper motion or not to bc submitted to Grand Lodge . Since our meeting we have come to the conclusion—informally , of course—that the motion ought not to be submitted . We therefore declare it , by thc mouth of the

Grand Registrar , to be out of order , and invite the Grand Master in the chair to rule in accordance with this declaration . We fail to see how any reasonable brother can object to this plea or to its adoption the other evening by thc Acting Grand Master and its endorsement by Grand Lodge . Finally , it has not been shown that thc Returns which Bro . LAMONBY proposed to ask for were not made in due course ; but , even if they were not so made , it is too late to apply for them now that the said District Grand Lodges have ceased to exist .

Ancient Freemasonry In Madras.

ANCIENT FREEMASONRY IN MADRAS .

The Indian Masonic Review for August , 1893 , contains an article on " Athol Masonry in Madras , " from which I extract the following , with the form of warrant referred to : " Lodge Perfect Unanimity , No . 150 , is the lineal descendant of the old Athol Lodge , No . 152 , which was established in Madras in the year 1768 . . This old lodge , thev mother lodgeof the district , exercised the

function ^ a Provincial Grand Lodge , and granted warrants for the foundation of other lodges long before thc existence of our present District Grand Lodge . Wc give here , as a matter of interest to our readers , the form of warrant which was used in establishing new lodges on the Coast . Two lodges , at least , at St . Thomas' Mount and Vizagapatam , and , perhaps more , were warranted in this way . " :

" Form of warrant granted to the subordinate lodges on the Coast of Coromandel . . .

"To all whom it may concern , we , the Provincial Committee of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons , according to thc Old Institutions granted by His Royal Highness Prince Edwin at York Anno Domini nine hundred twenty and six , and in the year of Masonry four thousand nine hundred twenty and six , in ample form assembled , by virtue of the power and authority vested in us by a commission

bearing date the twenty third day of March one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight , and Masonry five thousand seven hundred and seventy eight , from the most Noble Prince , John the Third Duke , Marquis and Earl of Atholl , Marquis and Earl of Tullibardine , Earl of Strathtay and Strathardle , Viscount of Balquider , Glenalmond , and Glenlyon , Lord Murray Belveny and Gask , Heiitable Captain and

Constable of the castle and Constabulary of Kenclevin , Hereditary Keeper of thc Palace of Falkland , and Rt . Wor . Grand Master of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons in that part of Great Britain called England , and Masonical jurisdiction therewith belonging . The Rt . Wor . William Dickey , Esq ., Deputy Grand Master ; the Rt . Wor . Robert Davy , Esq ., Senr . Grand Warden ; and the Rt . Wor .

George Stewart , Esq ., Junr . Grand Warden . VVe do hereby authorize and empower our trusty and beloved Brethren the Wor . A . B ., oneof our Master Masons , the W . ' CD ., his Senior W ., the W . E . F ., his Junior W ., To form and hold a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons aforesaid at , upon the Coast of Coromandel , in the East Indies , on the _ day of , and on all seasonable times and lawful occasions , and

in the said lodge . ( when duly congregated ) to admit and make Freemasons according to the Most Ancient and Honourable Custom of the Royal Craft in all ages and nations throughout the known world . And we do hereby further authorize and empower our trusty and well-beloved Brethren , A . B . and CD ., with the consent of the members of their lodge to nominate , choose , and install their successors , to whom they shall deliver this

dispensation , and invest them with their powers and dignities as Free and Accepted Masons , and such successors shall in like manner choose and install their successors , kc ., such installations to be upon or near every St . John ' s Day during the continuance of this lodge , providing the abovenamed Brethren , and all their Successors , always pay due respect to this Rt . Wor . Provincial Committee or Lodge , otherwise this dispensation to be of no force or virtue . This dispensation is to hold and continue in full force for tne seal 01

twelve calendar months . Uiven unaer our nanas ana our Provincial Grand Committee in Madras this day of iri the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundered and seventy nine , and in the year of Masonry five thousand seven hundred and seventy nine . "J SYKES , President . BASIL MONTEITH , ) , „ . . ..• BENJAMIN GOURD , l Mem 0 ers >