Mark Masonry.

It was thereupon decided that the matter be recommended to the consideration of the General Board . Bro . Ridgway , G . Reg ., rose , in pursuance of his notice , to propose : " That the Grand Muster be authorized to appoint three additional Grand Officers under the title of Grand Overseers , and that the precedence of such Grand Officers be determined by the General Board . " He made this proposition for several reasons : first , although at the present time , no officer was appointed under the constitution to work in the Lodges under the title of Overseeryet the function of the

, Overseer was most prominently alluded to in our working , and in several old Lodges which had joined the Grand Lodge the office was not only mentioned and recognized as with us but the officer in person was essential ; secondly , that the English Lodges yet isolated almost universally worked with Overseers , and that to carry out the great object of unity and uniformity , the recognized working would in all probability , before long , require to be modified by a clearer recognition of this office ; thirdly , that it would give the Grand

Master the opportunity of annually distinguishing a larger number of worthy Brethren by conferring on them an office in the Grand Lodge . Bro . Burrell , J . G . D ., had great pleasure in seconding this proposition . It had been universally approved on several occasions of its being brought before the General Board , and was also fully discussed at the committee of Masters . Bro . Jones , P . S . G . W ., considered that there had not been sufficient opportunity of considering this question . He had not heard of it before , and therefore not to it until he had

was prepared support an opportunity of discussing it at the General Board . He thought the object offered simply to create a place , which could not be considered other than a corrupt object . He wished to suggest , whether the proposition had not better be withdrawn . Bro . Payne , of the Royal Cumberland Lodge , Bath , said that his Lodge worked with the Overseers ; indeed he could scarcely see how they could work without themHe knew that the Howe Lod

. ge , Birmingham , the Newsted Lodge , Nottingham , and a Lodge at York , also worked with the Overseers ; and the appointment of such a Grand Office would show that his Grand Lodge recognized , such an important element in the working of several ancient Lodges of their number .

Bro . Barker could also bear testimony that his own Lodge ( the Nothumberland and Berwick ) the officer , as well as the function , was recognized ; and other Brethren followed to the same effect . Bro . Barnard considered that the matter should be left until after a settlement and uniformity should have been brought about . Bro . Ridgway replied . —He could not admit that no opportunity had been afforded of considering this matter : the approbation of the General Board and the notice and discussion at the Committee of Masters was proof to the contrary . He could not that this

agree matter should be postponed to the final revision and settlement of the working ; such a settlement might be most materially aided by the evidence of fairness exhibited by this Grand Lodge in passing such a resolution as that ho proposed . The creation of a place did not necessarily imply a corrupt creation . In this case it would enable the Grand Master to extend that satisfaction which his previous exercise of patronage had so universally given . A show of hands was then taken , and declared in favor of the resolution

. Bro . Barker desired to have the opportunity of mentioning a fact of very great significance , in respect to the extraordinary and unwarrantable course adopted by the Grand Chapter of Scotland as to this degree ; and which was exposed not only in this Grand Lodge on the last occasion of meeting , but by the subsequent , recall of " the false certificates and the professed Mark charter based thereon . Ho alluded to a letter written about 1842 to a member of his Lodge b

y the Scotch authorities , in which ho saw they coolly mentioned that they were preparing for the Mark and other degrees , and requesting information ; this coincided with the date , 1843 , when , according to a repeatedly published yet uncontradicted statement , the Grand Chapter first assumed to govern the degree , even in Scotland itself : but he should bring this matter forward in another way , and not detain the Grand Lodge further at present . He wished , however , to know whether there was any truth in the statement that the scheme

attempted to be carried out with reference to Brethren of the Kent Lodge was not an isolated case ; and whether , at the self-same time , similar false certificates were not issued by the Grand Chapter of Scotland whereon to ground another warrant for a Lodge to be held hi the neighbourhood of London . The Grand Registrar , in reply to Bro . Barker , stated it had come to his knowledge that , although the Grand Chapter of Scotland had professed to be scandalized a " t its own conduct in respect to the Kent Lodge , and to have undone what wrong they had committed , yet they had not repented their sin , but only that one of their pet sins

had been found out . This was proved by the fact that a Lodge at Woolwich was constituted in a precisely similar manner to the one just alluded to , namely , by the issue of these false certificates . He , the Grand Registrar , had not the power to produce , as he had done on the former occasion , the striking evidence of the false document itself ; but he stated , on very good authority , that the circumstances of the Woolwich Mark Lodge were the exact counterpart of those of the Kent , except that the Kent affair was discovered promptly , the other had onlrecentloozed out .

y y Bro . Payne said he was enabled to state an additional fact bearing on this matter . Bro . Thearle , the Masonic jeweller in Fleet Street , had had thrust upon him , quite unsolicited by him , ono of these false certificates , at the same time as the others were issued ; but finding the false position in which he had been placed , he demanded the return of the fees ; this , however , the Scotch authorities demurred to , and it was not until this very morning the money had been returned , under absolute threat of legal proceedings .

Bro . Jones was utterly astonished at the accumulation of circumstances attending this Masonic invasion of England by the Grand Chapter of Scotland with false certificates and pretended authority . He trusted these matters being published would open the eyes of those in this country , whom the Grand Chapter of Scotland had enticed into vassalage . After some further discussion of this matter , and the transaction of sundry other business , the Grand Lodge was closed until the second Wednesday in December .

Masonic Charities.

Masonic Charities .

FREEMASONS' GIRLS' SCHOOL . A Quarterly Court of the Governors , of this School was held at the offices in Great Queen Street on Thursday , July 8 th , wdien seven children ( the whole of the candidates ) were admitted into the school , six coming from the country and one from London . The . Report of the Committee on Education was brought up , and , after some discussion , adopted , with the addition of a proviso that the friends of the children to be taught music should 10 s 6 d

pay . . a quarter , to pay the expense of new music and other incidentals . A proposition was made to increase the salary of Bro . Crew , the excellent secretary , by £ 50 a year , thus making it £ 150 . On this an amendment was moved to increase it to £ 200 . The amendment was carried . Some formal business was then transacted , and the meeting adjourned . The following circular has been issued :

" London , July 28 th , 1858 . " Worshipful Sir and Brother , —In the report of the committee of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys , dated Gth February , 1858 , there appeared the following paragraphs : " 'The committee , while gratefully acknowledging the liberal support they have received from some of the Lodges ami Brethren in the provincescannot but regret that in instances this institution

, many has not received that encouragement to which it is , from the number of country boys now on its books , fairly entitled . Many cases come before the committee , recommended by long lists of Provincial Grand Officers and otherinfluential Brethren , none of whom , or their Lodges , subscribe to the institution . The committee , therefore , venture to appeal to thoir provincial Brethren for their increased aid in carrying out the objects of the charity , and feel confident that it is only necessary to call their attention to the subject to meet with a ready and liberal

response . "' The committee may perhaps mention here , that out of the twenty-five boys in the school-house , fifteen are from the provinces ; and twenty-one of the other forty-fire on the institution ; making a total of thirty-six country boys . ' " With respect to this subject , several influential Brethren in the provinces have addressed letters to Brethren connected with the committees of this institution and of the Royal Freemasons' Girls ' Schoolin which direct attention to the fact of wdiich

, they ( we believe there can be no doubt ) that this difference in the amount of London and country subscriptions is owing to no indisposition on the part of the provincial Brethren to recognize the claims of the charities ,