Colonial.

of No . 781 , on the 3 rd of November , and the following resolutions come to : — "That the members of No . 781 , present at this meeting , after hearing from Bro . Toby the communications received by him from the Prov . Grand Master , relative to the release of the members of Lodge , No . 781 , from suspension , and requesting to be furnished with information concerning communications to the Grand . Master , and the publication of the various articles upon Masonrywhich have

, appeared in the public journals , consider that the information so requested has nothing whatever to do with the question at issue , namely , tho release of the Lodge . " " That a large majority of the members of No . 781 having , in obedience to the decision of the Most Worshipful Grand Master , recognised the appointment and authority of the Rev . R . K . Ewing as Prov . Grand Master of Tasmania , by signing the petition forwarded by him for release , and praying to be restored to their Masonic status ,

aiid pledging themselves to work within the laws and constitutions of the Craft—it is the opinion of this meeting that all that was required by the Prov . Grand Master , as set forth in his letter of the 5 th of August , accompanying the petition , has been complied with . It is , therefore , resolved ' that Bro . Toby be desired to request the Prov . Grand Master—in case he shall not have decided , before ' the 9 th instant , to reinstate the members of Lodge No . 781 who have signed the petition—to return such petition to him by that date , in order that it may be forwarded , witli the correspondence relating thereto ,

to the Most Worshipful Grand Master , by the next overland mail . " On the 8 th of November , Bro . Ewing wrote that his Board of . General Purposes had decided " My questions are met—the release , & c , will be posted to-morrow . " Being now in a fair way of settling all disputes , any one would have thought Bro . Ewing , and his Board of General Purposes , would have been satisfied , and congratulated themselves upon having so easily got rid of a troublesome and vexatious question ; but on the following day another letter was dispatched in these terms : — " The Board of General Purposes took , yesterday , the recent correspondence between No . 781 and myself into consideration . Touching the first of my questions submitted to you , in my letter of the

26 ' th ult ., it was held that your letter of the 4 th instant contains a sufficient answer ; the second question was not held to be vital , the more especially as it was concluded that the parties who caused the reprinting of the articles complained of have , to some extent , atoned by the recent reprint of Lord Panmure's speech in answer to Bro . Warren ' s motion ; concerning the third question , it was held that the Secretary should be alone responsible . Bro . Drake is not therefore released , and I shall make an especial representation of his case to Grand Lodge . Bro . Learmonth's letter was published since the 6 th

of August , after the receipt of the petition I sent you ; and during the period of suspension , as the custodian of the document referred to , he is responsible to the Craft for its being printed . In . the printing of it ( see No . 3 , p . 74 , ' Of Members and their Duty' ) , the Book of Constitutions lias been violated . It will be for me to recommend to Grand Lodge the enforcement of that law , unless Bro . Drake can give me a satisfactory explanation as to the manner in which Bro . Wilkinson became possessed of it ; B ' ro . Wilkinson ' s conduct in printing it is already before Grand Lodge . "

On tlie next day , November 10 th , a protest was entered against the decision with regard to Bro . Drake , it being clearly shown that the document alluded to had been printed in the first published correspondence on this unfortunate dispute—a copy of which many of our English Brethren will remember to have received about twelve months since ; and the probability was that Bro . Wilkinson had reprinted it from that correspondence . The exclusion of . Bro . Drake from the act of grace was however continued , and , moreover , the following peremptory demand was sent to Bro . Toby , the Worshipful

Master of No . 781 : — '' I also summon you to place , under cover and seal , in my possession , by the 20 th of the month , the minute book of No . 781 , and tho minutes and records of every meeting of No . 781 , and of all committees and boards of P . Ms . that have taken place since 1 st January , 1857 . " This the restored Brethren held to be exceeding the power of the Provincial Grand Master , as laid down in the Book of Constitutions" The Provincial Grand Master may summon any Lodge or Brother ,

within his district , to attend him , arid to produce the wan-ant , books , papers , and accounts of the Lodge , or the certificate of the Brother—" The result was , that at the first meeting of the restored Brethren , on the 18 th November , as a Lodge , they came to the resolution with two dissentients to dissolve tho Lodge , and return the warrant to the Most Worshipful Grand Master . This Bro . Toby at once die ) ,-without giving due notice to the absent members of his Lodge , and without waiting , as he should have done , for the confirmation of the

resolution , accompanying it also with the charter of the Grand Chapter ; and , as will have been seen by the notice in the business paper for Wednesday next , the documents are now in the possession of the Grand Master . How fur Bro . Toby , and those who have acted with him , have been justified in the course they have pursued , we are somewhat doubtful , as at page 05 of the Book of Constitutions , we find the following words : — " Should the majority of any Lodge determine to retire from itthe

, power of assembling remains with the rest of the members who adhero to their allegiance ; but if all the members of a Lodge withdraw , the warrant becomes extinct ;" and it is clear , from Bro . Toby's statement , that all the members have not withdrawn , there being a minority , or only a bare majority of the restored members present , and amongst them , two dissentients to tho proposition for dissolving , irrespective of absent Brethren who might claim to be allowed to work the Lodge .

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF BENGAL . A SPECIAL meeting of the District Grand Lodge of Bengal and its territories was held at the Freemason's Hall , Calcutta , on Friday , the 29 th October , when there were present the R . W . Bros . John J . L . Hoff , D . Prov . G . M . as Prov . G . M . ; Samuel Smith , P . Prov . G . M . ; Henry Howe , P . D . Prov . G . M . ; William Clark , Prov . S . G . W . ; John B . Roberts , Prov . J . G . W . ; William J . Judge , P . Prov . J . G . W . ; V . W . Bros . John Gray , Prov . G . B . and Offg Prov . G S . ; Michael S . StauntonP . Prov . G . R . ; the W . Bros . Charles F . TonnerreProv .

, , J . G . D . as Prov . S . G . D . ; Alexander H . Ledlie , Prov . G . S . as Prov . J . G . D . ; Thomas Jones , Prov . G . Sup . of W . ; Henry Frazer , P . Prov . G . Sup . of W . ; George . 0 . Wray , Prov . G . P . as ' Prov . G . D . of C . ; John Parry , Prov . G . S . -as Prov . G . S . B . ; Louis A . Emanuel , P . Prov . G . O . as Prov . G 0 ; Joseph K . Hamilton , Prov . G . S . as Prov . G . P . ; the Provincial Grand Stewards , and Representatives of Lodges , No . 80 , No 205 , No . 282 , No . 551 , No . 715 , and No . 740 . The District Grand Lodge was opened in form . The Deputy Provincial Grand Master stated that this meeting had

been called for the purpose of receiving an important communication from the Provincial Grand Master , which he would now read for the information of the District Grand Lodge ; and as the report of this evening ' s proceedings would be printed and circulated immediately , the same information would also be conveyed , generally , throughout the province . The Deputy Provincial Grand Master then read the Provincial Grand Master ' s letter , as follows : — "To the Provincial Grand Officers , Past Grand Officers , and Members of the District Grand Ledge of Bengal . " DEAR BRETHREN , —As I shall not have the opportunity of meeting von again in Grand Lodge , I adopt this means of announcing to

you , with deep regret , that the state of my health renders my immediate return to Europe absolutely necessary . "It is not my intention to resign my office , at present ; but as going beyond the limits of my province , and , as provided in Art . 10 , p . 47 , of the Book of Constitutions , I hereby appoint the Deputy Provincial Grand Master the R . W . Bro . John Jacob Louis Hoff , Pas ' t Junior Grand Warden of England , to execute all the functions of my Office , in my name ; and for this purpose , I hereby invest him , under my hand and seal , with all the requisite powers , during my pleasure .

"Should it be determined that I am not to return to India , I shall , of course , tender my resignation of the office of Provincial Grand Master , to the M . W . the Grand Master in England . As , however , such an event is more than probable , I would recommend that yon should , in the interim , nominate a Brother to be my successor ; and forward your nomination , for submission to the M . W , the Grand Master . The supervision of this large province is very important : I trust , therefore , that you will give the nomination of a head to rule over it your serious consideration . I need hardly addthaton taking my

, , seat in the Grand Lodge of England , as P . Prov . G . M . of Bengal , I shall watch over the interests of this province ; which , as having spent in ic many happy years of my life , shall ever be cherished in my memory with the most kindly recollection . As your representative in England , my services may be freely commanded by the Provincial Grand Master and District Grand Lodge of Bengal . " I thank you for the support and kindness I have experienced from yourselves , and from the Craft generally ; and bidding you all an affectionate farewellI remaindear Brethren

, , , " Yours fraternally and affectionately , "JAMES RAMSAY , Prov . G . M . " Calcutta , Oct . 22 nd , 1858 . " R . W . Bro . Smith , P . Prov . G . M ., then rose and addressed the District Grand Lodge , as follows : — " BRETHREN , —In reference to the letter which you have just heard read from our R . W . Prov . G . M ., you will , I am sure , be all de-