Correspondence.

that announcement by concessions to the Canadas , which every one ( including . the Colonial Board , Bro . Portal , and Bro . Beach ) admitted to he ample , although they did not suffice to avert tho predetermined separation . Instead of accepting this declaration of the Grand Master , as did every good Mason , as an " earnest of a sincere desire to co-operate with them in tho promotion of the interests of our common Order , " the faction have never ceased to harp upon this Canadian grievance—to cite it as a reason for a radical change in the government of Grand Lodge ; and to make

it , in the language of the 11 . W . the D . G . II ., " a stalking horse" on every occasion . Every one who has had a knowdedgo of tlie proceedings of the Observer faction in their provincial tours will not have failed to observe this , and it has even been carried to the extent that , in one province , Bro . Portal ' s indiscreet incriminations have been peremptorily stopped by the Master in the Chair . While the faction thus pursued the Canadian grievance , it need scarcely be said that they bitterly complained that recognition ofthe so called Grand Lodge of Canada was withheld ; and no stronger proof of this

is required than Ihe fact that , at the last Board of Masters , Bro . the Rov . G . R . Portal placed on the notice paper for tho Grand Lodge of the 1 st December , the following motion : — " That in the opinion of this Grand Lodge the interests of Masonry will best be promoted by the recognition of the Grand Lodge of Canada , and that it respectfully requests the M . W . Grand Master to take the necessary steps for establishing Masonic relations with that body . " In tho meantime the Grand Master and his executive had not for a moment forgotten their understood engagement of March , 1 S 57 ; and as a proof that the M . W . Grand Master , had ever kept it iu view , it may mentioned that , so far back as August last , he had instructed the Grand Secretary that if the official intimation of the

union of the Canadian Grand Lodge arrived in time , lie should , at the meeting of Grand Lodge in September , propose their recognition by the Grand Lodge of England . This official intimation did not reach England until the 29 th November , and true to his promise , the Grand Master rose in his place in Grand Lodge , ou the 1 st December , to propose the recognition of the Grand Lodge of Canada . Might it not have been expected that such recognition would have been carried amid the acclamations of Grand Lodge ? Whatever had been the mistakes or the faults of Canada , they had

been condoned by the M . W . Grand Master , and whatever had been the mistakes on this side , they had been fully atoned for in 1857 . Surely neither could be remembered by those who had so unceasingly , and obliviously of her faults , urged the claims of Canada during past years . But no ! reason , and Masonic feeling , demanded the unanimous and immediate recognition of the Canadas . Faction , however , still held her course—and that course is , as was proved on Wednesday , to oppose everything which , may emanate from the Grand Master and his executive . The result was , that the motion

for the recognition of the Canadas was opposed—will the Craft believe it—by Bros . Lord Carnarvon , the Rev . G . R . Portal , and their satellites . Another Brother took part in it . Of him I will say nothing , except that at the end of the debate , he rose and expressed his acquiescence in the views just announced by the M . W . Grand Master . I regretted , however , to see him unwittingly lending the prestige of his name to the discreditable course which followed . Of Lord Carnarvon I will say but this , that every one must regret to see a nobleman bearing his ancestral name led away by such a faction as that with which ho has unfortunately become connected . The name of Carnarvon is naturally dear to the Craft , and we may bo pardoned the regret with which we' see its " ancient lustre dimmed .

But what shall we say of Bro . Portal ? No words of mine can express the feeling with which his conduct will be viewed . His prostitution of the best interests of Freemasonry to the cause of faction—his support of the Canadas when it seemed to suit the purposes of his party—his repudiation of her recognition when the game of his party became desperate , and that after ho had himself given notice of such a motion—must be chronicled and criticised by abler pens than mine . But all good men and Masons who have studied these matters and who become aware of the miserable

exhibition of Wednesday last will , I feel certain , bo irresistibly led to the conclusion that that reverend Brother is an object of either pity or contempt—pity , when regarding an undoubtedly fine intellect , which regardless of his Masonic obligations , is prostituted to tho purposes of faction ; contempt , for the Brother ( alas , that it should be said !) who can , hoping to serve motives best known to himself , do all in his power to destroy the noble fabric of our Craft , and to make the ruin of Freemasonry a monument of gratification to his personal spite . What has been said of the Canadas may be said of tho report of 'he Board of General Purposes . It needed scarcely the able

exposition of Bro . Havers to draw us to the conclusion that we , the Grand Lodge , ought to have sot and not to follow the example of English Masons , and emancipate ourselves from the just reproach of holding the head quarters of Freemasonry at a Tavern . This again was a subject ou which all surely were agreed—but it met with the same fate . Obstruction after obstruction was offered by the faction , until , as a last effort , they attempted to adjourn the debate ; a division showed them that it was hopeless to contend further against the strong determination of Grand Lodge . Tlie motions on the

subject , replete with interest to the good of our Order , were then carried , despite the opposition of those who arrogate to themselves tho claim to have been tho promoters of all which has of late been done to advance the interests of Freemasonry . Tho whole proceedings plainly demonstrate that the Observer faction is determined to offer its most strenuous opposition to everything which may be proposed by tlie M . W . Grand Master or the constitutional authorities ; and that in tho course which they have pursued and are pursuing , the interests of the Craft are made

secondary to their own personal motives ; but these proceedings also unmistakably show a most gratifying result , and that is , that out of a very unusually large number of Brethren who attended Grand Lodge , the Observer faction could command but comparatively few supporters ; and that they have now publicly forfeited their absurd claim to represent the feelings of tlie Grand Lodge of England . It may well be asked , who are now the obstructives—the executive , who have found it their duty to oppose propositions made with a view to encroach illegally on the constitutions of the order ; or the

Observer party , who have publicly demonstrated their determination to oppose everything which they themselves have not originated , and that without reference to the ' triie interests of the Craft . I have heretofore said thatl should freely speak my opinions . I havo done so . I regret that I should have had to apply such observations to any Brother or section of Brethren , but the time for anything approaching to false delicacy has gone by . The proceedings " of last Wednesday must clearly prove to every reflecting Mason that the day of temporizing is past . The worm is scotched , not killed ; and

the Brethren must gird up their loins for the combat , and resolve never to stay in their course till our Craft has been purged of such disreputable and contemptible proceedings , and we can revert to the Masonic harmony which characterized the Craft before tho reverend Brother and his party appeared on the scene , after making their long since forgotten pledges to " pay homage to tho Grand Master for the time being , and to his officers when duly installed , and strictly to conform to every edict of the Grand Lodge . " I am , Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , 4 th Dec ., 18-58 . JUSTITIA .

We have been requested to publish tho following . — THE GRAND SECRETARY'S OFFICE . TO TnE EDITOR OP THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIlUtOR . SIR AND BROTHER , —In your number of tho 3 rd inst . which I

have only just seen , are these words : — " But as regards one of the officers specified , justice compels us to say that the duties of the Grand Secretary ' s department , have during the tenure of office of the present incumbent , been performed not only with an urbanity and attention which must win for hint the regard of his Brethren , but with a punctuality and disyuttehto which that office had long been a stranger . " I have reason to doubt this view of the case ; and as facts are of more importance than wordsI send you the accompanying

corres-, pondence , relying on your impartiality to insert it , and leaving the Brethren to form their own opinion of the Grand Secretary ' s urbanity and attention , and whether such letters as Hint of the 24 th May , arc calculated to win for him the " regard of tho Brethren . " My second and more explanatory letter was disregarded also ; and I had to call at the Grand Secretary's office and got the certificate barely iu time to save the last practicable post to Livirpool , to enable a worthy Brother to take his certificate with him when finally leaving his native land .

It ntay r bo right , as a rule , to have fees paid before issuing certificates ; but I think I might have been in such a case trusted for two or three days , especially as I had just before paid the returns for Lodge No . 555 , of which I was W . M ., mid of Lodge No . 462 , of which I was Treasurer ; and also because I was well known at the Grand Secretary ' s office as an active Mason of upwards of twenty years' standing !