Grand Lodge.

Ave have met with many specimens—the most notable , perhaps , being the late John O'Connell , ivho , speaking upon all and every subject at an intolerable length , felt himself aggrieved if his speeches Avere not reported in fidl . And ive have a vivid recollection of the period Avhen that gentleman , to revenge himself on the press , raised the point of

privilege ( of strangers being present ) night after night , to exclude the reporters from the gallery—to the gratification of those gentlemen for the time being , and ultimately to cover himself Avith ridicule and contempt . The fact is—absolutely full reports of the proceedings either in parliament , Grand Lodge , or elseAA'here , it is impossible to give in any journal at present existing ; andivere it

, possible , the life of man would bo fcoo short to enable him to wade through such reports , unless he Avere to forego all other pursuits , and give up the time required for necessary rest and refreshment . We pride ourselves on the accuracy of our reports ; but Ave admit that they are necessarily abbreviated , and for the reasons Ave have stated . Indeed , Ave believe that the public have very little conception of what

reporting really is , and look upon it as a mere mechanical employment of transcribing tbe words of the speakers ; whilst it really requires considerable mental aud discriminative poAvers in giving the thoughts of others clothed in closer and terser language than that originally used . To give an example of what close reporting would be , Ave may state that a verbatim report of the proceedings of Thursday last Avould , in

the small UOAVS type of the Times , occupy from thirteen to fourteen columns of that journal ; and that a " double debate , " as it is called , i . e . a debate both in the Lords and in the Commons—one say of eight hours , and the other of ten hours duration ( no very uncommon event on parliamentary Fridays ) , would fill from fifty-five to sixty columns , or something like a Times and a quarter , whilst the actual

reports rarely exceed from tAventy to twenty-five columns . To return to the subject before us , the Deputy Grand Master explained that the proceedings of Grand Lodge were first published in consequence of unfair reports which used to appear in unauthorized publications , and defended the usefulness of the authorized reports . We are not going to deny the usefulness of the reports ; but we may

be pardoned for expressing an opinion—that the original reason for their publication by Grand Lodge no longer exists ; and we take credit to the present managers of the Freemasons' Macjazine for having intro * duced a fair and honest system of reporting ( through professional reporters ) into Grand Lodge ; and publishing those reports , as we . now do with the sanction of tlie Grand Master , we should justly subject ourselves

to his censure , and the ruin of our property , were ive to fail to render them as accurate as possible . That the quarterly ' reports are . looked forward to with interest in our distant possessions , we are well aware ; and upon that ground their publication should be continued ; one of fche great causes of complaint agaiust a late officer of the executive , who all highly respect , being that they were rendered perfectly useless by delay—three , four , or five quarters' reports being