Masonic Notes And Queries.

in" - or Early Grand encampments were permitted to join ; but all \ vho did not Avere put out of the pale as irregular and illegal , — ille ° -al because the Masonic body being permitted by Act of Parliament , any body meeting purporting to be a Masonic assembly must hold a warrant duly signed and recognised by the Grand Lod ° -e , Grand Chapter , Grand Conclave , or Grand Council of Bites , otherwise they may be dispersed by the civil poiver . After some time the chivalric body was acknowledgedas in

, former years , to be the head of the Knights Templar , not only of Scotland , but of the whole world ; the Supreme Encampment of Scotland being under it , the Grand Priory or Encampment of Scotland , and legislates as formerly for the Masonic department of the Order . The clandestine encampments ignore one of the first principles of Freemasonry . They ackuoivledge no headneither are they recognised by any . Their funds are

, appropriated to private purposes ; their intrants are recorded noAvhere ; and their office-bearers can multiply Eoyal Arch and Black charters and diplomas cut libitum , at prices varying from five to fifty cents . The history of the " Early Grand " is rather curious . During the last century , and long before the Mother Lodge joined the

Grand Lodge of Scotland , a body of Irish Masons applied to Mother Kilwinning for a charter . The application according to common report , requested that the title should be , " The High Knight Templars of Ireland Kilwinning Encampment , " although this title does not accord ivith that given in the minutes of the Mother Lodge meeting of date Oct . 27 , 1789 . However , certain it is Mother Kilwinning knew nothing Avhatever of Knight Ternplary , and could not by any possibility grant Avarrants for

conferring Knight Ternplary degrees . She did not even profess to do so . And hence the addition to the title of the word lodge giving to the applicants the right to grant all the Masonic degrees the Mother Lodge herself did . Of course the three Craft degrees ivere only meant . But when the applicants got the charter they dropped out the Avord Lodge , ancl surreptitiously inserted " Encampment , " ancl under it practised Black Masonry . To add to the messand increase the confusionthis very body

, , , not content Avith the dubbing of Knights , assumed the prerogatives of a supreme body , ancl inaugurated their usurpation of executive functions by exporting black charters to Scotland . And thus , through the legerdemain of a set of unscrupulous men , the " Early Grand " ivas brought into existence .

LADY TEMPLARS . Can any brother explain the meaning of the subjoined extracts cut from an American Paper :-=-" The folloAving resoulutions -vere passed at a recent session of Taycheedah Lodge , I . O . of G . T .: " Eesolved , that we have heard Avith sorrow * of the sudden death of Sister Lyonslate a member of Taycheedah Lod

, ge , and that in her death Ave recognize [ the loss of a high-minded Templar , a genial lady and a cordial friend , and that Ave tender to her bereaved companion and his family our sincere condolence in their sudden bereavement . What is the I . O . of G . T . ?—A BRITISHER .

PESIALE MASONHY . "What is the meaning of the words printed in italics in the following extract cut from a copy of the defunct " Voice of Masonry" : — "Our old friend , Mrs . Louisa Ellen-jay is , Ave observe , taking the tour of "Virginia . She has lately issued her ' Censoria Lictoria' ancl 'Eising Young Men' ivhichin addition ? £ 'Let

, , , o - ters and Miscellanies , ' published in 1852 , form a series of valuable reading . We recommend this excellent but sorel y afflicted lady to her Masonic brethren wherever she may go . " -A . B . [ Some rubbish about a "Heroine of Jericho , " or Sister of" the Seven Stars . American twaddle . ]

COST OH THE GRAND LODGE PKOPERTY . What has been the total cost of the freeholds and erections on what is known as the Grand Lodge property from its first commencement up to the present time ?—x BHOTHEK ARCHITECT .

ACCOMMODATION l"OB , 18 ° . ' What number of rooms are required to perform the degree of Eose Oroix properly ?—18 ° —[ Four ; all on the same floor . ]

Masonic Notes And Queries.

A MODEST BEQUEST DECLINED . A subordinate lodge that had suffered the loss of its hall by fire , prayed the Grand Lodge of Maine , in 1824 , to sustain the loss , on the ground that it was a " family misfortune . " But the Grand Body decided it was not such a case of real distress as was contemplated in her Constitution , and therefore declined the proposition . — A . B .

MASONIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY . What is the purport of the Masonic Historical Society ? —t * f —[ Their prospectus states : " This Society was organized by the Grand Lodge of Connecticut , in 1859 , for the purpose of increasing the library of the Grand Lodge . By referring to the printed proceedings of that Grand Lodge of 1860 , it will be seen that much has been

accomplished in this direction . The wants of the society are far from being supplied . Every Mason ought to feel an interest iu its success , and exert personal effort in its behalf . Donations of Masonic books , pamphlets , papers , jewels , medals , in fact anything and everything of Masonic interest , bearing the marks of the Craft , is respectfully solicited , aud will be thankfully received . " ]

A RIFLE VOLUNTEER AXD BROTHER S BEQUEST . The following notes were prepared from some leaves of a Masonic book that a lucky chance enabled me , last autumn , to rescue from the fire to which Monsieur le Cure , in a village near Autun ( a very worthy man , the matter of his zeal against thc Craft excepted ) , had consigned the remainder of the volume . The notes are

communicated to the FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE at the request of a rifle volunteer and brother , whom I lately met when on a visit , Department Pas de Calais . He stated that a recent occurrence , very generally known , sufficiently explains the motive of his request . The leaves purport to describe the initiation of his Excellency Prince Askher Khan , the Persian Ambassador at the Court of

France , in the Lodge St . Alexander of Scotland , Orient of Paris , 30 th of November , 1808 . The initiation of Prince Askher Khan terminated , and preparations making made for the initiation of Monsieur Georges Outrey , Vice-Consul of France at Bagdad . " Le nouveau neophyte , s ' approehant du trone ; par un mouvement spontane , il a tire le cimeterre dont il etait armeet

, posant la main gauche sur la lame , il a prononce quelques phrases que sou interprete a traduites . . . . Eecever ce sabre qui m ' a servi dans vingt-sept batailles ; puisse cet hommage vous convainere des sentiment ' que vous m ' avez inspires , et du plaisir que j'ai d ' appartener a , votreordre . "—CHAKLESPURTOX COOPEK , Chateau Frampas , 20 th of August , 1862 . '"

Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.

NOTES ON LITERATURE , SCIENCE , AND ART .

We understand that the Sporting Adventures of Mr . Baldwin , the appearance of Avhich was expected in the summer , cannot be ready till the first Aveek iu November . No expense is being spared to render this work the prince of sporting books . The numerous illustrations , under the drection of Mr . Baldivin , are engraved by M . Zwecker , and the lithographs will

he the production of the noAV celebrated Wolff . There will be about fifty illustrations . "Mr . BaldAvin's Adventures" are so various and novel , and so full of excitement , that the publication of them is aiAKiited Avith eagerness . Weldons ' s Register remarks -. — " So mention of either has yet appeared among the announcements of any of the

publishers , but it is said that Mr . Tennyson has a neiv poem nearly ready , and that the fourth volume of Mr . Carlyle's Frederick the Great is already printed . " An extraordinary change , says The London Eeview , has