Correspondence.

of England , and represented at the Convention , do in reality belong to the new body . By this statement it will be at once seen that a very great majority of the Canadian Masons remain true to their allegiance . The alleged cause which immediately led to the formation of the new body , was the refusal of the R . W . B . G . M ., at a special meeting of this Prov . Grand Lodge , held at the Clifton House , Niagara Ealls , on the 19 th of July last , to submit a motion from the chair , which , if carried , would have led to immediate and open rebellion on the part of the

Canadian Craft to their Mother Grand Lodges . He , in common with nearly the whole of the Lodges under his control , determined to remain true to their allegiance , hut at the same , time to employ every-legitimate means for obtaining from the Mother Grand Lodge those further privileges and immunities which this Grand Lodge had some two years previously asked for . This was the unanimous feeling of the Prov . Grand Lodge at an adjourned meeting on the following

morning , when the disaffected Brethren were not present ; and in furtherance of this object , it was moved by Bro . W . M . Wilson , the Master of the new Grand Lodge , "That Bro . R . H . Townend be appointed the Special Agent of this Grand Lodge , and requested to use his best endeavours to obtain an answer to the Petition of this Grand Lodge , and that , he be invested with full power to act in the matter . "

About a month prior to the half-yearly communication of the Grand Lodge held in Toronto , on the 23 rd of October following , a summons for said meeting was issued , which informed the Craft that Bro . Townend , our Special Agent , had brought the subject-matter of our grievances before the Board of General Purposes of the Grand Lodge of England , and that matters were in a fair way towards a satisfactory result , begging us to wait patiently a short time longer , and assuring us that we should have all our requirements granted to us . This summons was

sent to all the Lodges under this jurisdiction ; but the recusant Lodges being unwilling to wait longer , at the Convention at Hamilton on the 10 th of October , assisted in the formation of the new body , which at ihe meeting of this -Prov . Grand Lodge , held on the 23 rd October , was declared illegal , and all Masonic intercourse was by a unanimous vote strictly forbidden . Thus matters remained until the meeting of this Prov . Grand Lodge on the 21 st instant , when further information was received from Bro . Townend , to the effect that he had succeeded

in bringing up the subject of our complaints before the Grand Lodge of England , and that the Craft throughout England were fairly aroused to our position , and fully alive to the justness of our demands , as will be seen by the following notice of motion to be made at the next Quarterly Meeting of the Grand Lodge of England , to be holden on the first Wednesday in June : — " That , in the opinion of this Grand Lodge , it is expedient that the Prov . Grand Lodge of Canada West should enjoy all the immunities and privileges of an independent Grand Lodge , save and except , that it shall once in every three years

submit the names of two or move Brethren to the M . W . the G . M . of England , who shall appoint one of them to be Prov . G . M . ; and the Prov . G . M . so appointed shall exercise the same powers within his Province as are exercised by the M . W . the G . M . in England . That it is further expedient that the same privileges be accorded to other foreign Prov . Grand Lodges on their petition ; and the M . W . the G . M . is hereby respectfully requested to carry this resolution into effect at as earl y a period as possible : " and also , " That the thanks of this Grand Lodge arc due , and are hereby given , to those Canadian Lodges which have maintained their allegiance to the M . W . the G . M . and the Grand Lodge of England . "

rrom the above statement it will be evident that the disaffected portion of the Masonic Fraternity in this Province is comparatively small , although nearly the entire Craft agree in the belief that an independent organization is essential to the proper and effectual working of the Craft in this Province ; yet this Grand Lodge is fully determined to obtain this position in a legitimate manner , and not by violence ^ as in the case of the Canada Grand Lodge , whose existence as a Masonic Body this Grand Lodge entirely repudiates . By order ,

m EttANCJTK UtOlTA-llDftON , loitOOTO , May 28 ih , 1 . 850 . Grand Secretary .