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oldest lodges of the Craft in England . We have the representative of No . 4 , and ourselves . The Antiquity , established by records of Grand Lodge , has 1 S 3 years—and , who knows how much longer ? We say that the event requires more consideration at the hands of Freemasons than it has hitherto had , and we hope t ^ at what we have inaugurated this evening may not die , but that it may form one of those many centres of interest which Masons all have at heart to keep going . It would be interesting if we could show some sort of history of how Masonry has developed ; if after 1 S 0 years the features of Anthony Sayer , the first Grand Master , who had the pride of having

been elected from No . 3 Lodge , and which is verified by the most competent authorities to be No . 12—could be produced ; it would be interesting if we could have seen painted the ceremony in which the Genesis of Freemasonry was brought about ; but it would require more time than is at my disposal to give the various _ developments that have taken place in Freemasonry , although it is certain that were it not for the continued zeal an ! activi : y shown by the Grand Officers , and were it not for them we should have had but a poor show of that progress and development . I consider the future has a vary glorious vision in

front of it . We hope that Freemasonry is not a thing of to-day only , but that under this consideration of those who are loving it it may become an abiding force for good in the land . There is no reason why it should be a mere clubland . If every one of the members thatform part of Freemasonry would carry ou' the precepts that have been designed for it , and designed for ourselves , there is no reason why it should not be , as I have said , a real and abiding force for good in the land . There is no doubt that we have a glorious future , and all those , I am sure , who are here this evening will do their

best to further the interests of Freemasonry ; and we , an old lodge which has come to life again , are resolved to do our best to serve the good cause which you have so well supported . The point which I wish to dilate on this evening was simply the commemorating the foundation of Grand Lodge , and I ask you to drink to " The Pious Memory of the Founders of Grand Lodge of England , the Mother of Grand Lodges . " Bro . Stephens , W . M ., here announced that the Household Brigade Lodge which was meeting upstairs , had sent a message of hearty congratulation , and he had replied that this lodge heartily reciprocated the good wishes .

Bro . Stephens , W . M ., proposed " 1 he Time I nmemorial Lodges of Engla nd and Scotland . " Bro . Nicholson had explained in a very lucid manner How Grand Lodge was established in 1717 , and it was now his duty to propose the health of those lodges which had survived from that time . In 1717 , four lodges created Grand Lodge of England . Of those , No . 2 and No . 4 on the present register ware direct lineal descendants . They had always conformed to and obeyed the authority that they created ; but they did not think fit to insist on appealing to that authority for charters for recognition of existence ; they had always worked under their time-immemorial rights ; and

there was no doubt among Masons that they were the original lodges before the creation of Grand Lodge . Fortitude and Old Cumberland was the ancient No . 3 , but they accepted a constitution , and somehow or other the fact that they existed before that constitution existed had been lost s i ght of in the general knowledge of its makers . But if as they were assured there was evidence of that No . 12 through various vicissitudes was down in succession to No . 3 , No . 12 was also one of the lodges that existed before the creation of Grand Lodge . In Scotland Grand Lodge was created in 1736 , but he did not know whether in those old days Scotland had the reputation of being canny and

careful : but they were very careful of their minutes and other evidence of their existence , and there were now alive between 30 and 40 lodges that existed before 173 C , when Grand Lodge of Scotland was created . Fortitude and Old Cumberland hid noped to be favoured with the company of the members of Mary's Chapel Lodge and Canongate Kilwinning , but they were not able to be present ; but thay had , however , received very kind letters from them , but , unfortunately , none of the active members or officers of the lodges could come to London . He called upon Bro . F . West to reply for No . 4 , and Bro . Gould for the Grand Lodge of Scotland .

Bro . Frederick West , P . G . D ., Dep . Prov . G . Master Surrey , in acknowledging the toast , observed that he was bound to say that that night he felt himself in an awkward position having to respond to this toast , as he was not a Demosthenes , and he was a representative of one of the Time Immemorial lodges . But on their behalf he begged to say he was obliged to the W . M . for associating his name with the toast . The Book of Constitutions limited the number of Time Immemorial lodges , and that being so the number represented that night was small . He was not prepared to enter into a discussion as to whether the number should be increased or not . The W . M . had told

them that somebody sneaked No . 4 , and we ( somerset House and Inverness ) took that number . If Grand Lodge would increase the number of Time Immemorial lodges of England , he was quite sure the present Time Immemorial lodges would be glad to extend the right hand of fellowship to others . He knew that the Scotch lodges had greater claim to antiquity ; they had been more careful of their records than the English lodges ; but no doubt in Scotland they could date back long anterior to our Time Immemorial lodges . He was fond of looking at old buildings , and he had seen Masonic marks on drawings and pillars which ware marks

recognised at the present time . Those were much earlier than our own , and we , as Masons , must recognise the ambition of the lodge which felt entitled to claim antiejuity . Bro . Gould probably knew as wall as he did that Ihere were some cases where the senior counsel made a speech , and the junior had to follow . Fortunately , that night the junior had to commence , and to leave it to the senior to spoil him . He thought thc lodge was fortunate in having an historian in Bro . Gould . He hoped the Fortitude and Old Cumberland Lodje would be successful in its endeavours to commemorate annually the establishment of Grand Lodge , and if so none would be more ready to congratulate it than No . 4 .

Bro . R . F . Gould , P . G . D ., in the course of his reply to the same toast , said he thought it a very happy thing indeed on an occasion like the present that the toast of the evening had been proposed by a member ol that lodge—a lodge which had called that meeting—and that a brother like Bro . West , a member of one of the T . I . lodges of England , had responded on behalf of the lodges of England . They all knew of course that time did not wait , and while he could address them at considerable length on the existence of Time Immemorial Lodges , he was unwilling to do so , because that had already been d . 'ne very admiiably and well by Bro . Nicholson . The Usk of rcspondiig

lor the old Scottish lodges , reminded him , indeed , of a story told of a leading brother in the United States . Somebody asked him what his religion was . " Well , " said he , "I sin a Mcthcdist , but I haven ' t done mu : h at it lately . " Now it certainly happened that le ( Bro . Gould ) had been for upwards of , p years a Scottish Mason , but like the hero tf his anecdote , " he had not done much at it lately . '' He was pleased , however , to fulfil any duty the W . M . might entrust to him , and he would try to carry out that duty

to the best cf his tbility . With regard to thc Scots' lime Immemorial lodges , there were many of them . The brethren had heard many limes that night that there were four lodges which took part in forming the Grand Lodge of England . It was rut a little lingular that there were also four lodges concerned in promoting the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Scotland . At the time of the actual inauguration of that Grand Lodge in 1736 , there were lto Judges in the Northern Kingdom , 33 of which were

Craft Masonry.

represented or present at the great Convention of that year . All the others , still surviving , subsequently joined the Grand Lodge , the latest to do so being the Lodge of Melrose , which only surrendered its independence in iSqi . There were between 50 and 60 Scottish lodges which were of earlier existence than their Grand Lodge , and some of them dated back to a period of time so far remote as to reach an era which correspond with what were veritably the dark ages of English Masonry . Nor were their claims merely traditional . They were amply supported by documentary evidence . Three

hundred years ago the Lodge of Edinburgh was referred to as the principal Lodge of Scotland , Mother Kilwinning was second , and Stirling third . The Lodge of Edinburgh had minutes going back to 1599 , Kilwinning to 1 C 42 , Scoon and Perth to 165 S , Aberdeen to 1670 , and M elrose to 1 C 74 . Many had been invited to be present to-night , but their representatives had been unable to come . Telegrams , however , had been received , and one was from the Lodge of Edinburgh , " the oldest existing lodge in the world send Fraternal greetings and best wishes and thanks . " Other lodges , Canongate Kilwinning .

among them , sent messages . He had also received from the Grand Secretary , Bro . David Murray Lyon , and Bro . William Officer Fraternal regards . He thought , therefore , that the brethren would be satisfied of the interest taken by the Edinburgh brethren in this gathering . He had received a message from them to the effect that they heartily congratulated the Master and officers of the Fortitude and Old Cumberland Lodge on

the celebration of to-night . They had expressed to him that they hoped that this celebration would develope into an annual festival not only of English , but of British Freemasonry , and that they hoped and believed it would tend to unite by an even closer tie of brotherhood than the ordinary bond of the Craft , each and everyone of the surviving lodges in North as well as in South Britain , which sprang into existence before the era of Grand Lodges , and whose Constitution was Immemorial .

Bro . Stephens , W . M ., proposed " The Visitors . " It was a privilege the Fortitude and Old Cumberland Lodge cherished during two canturies ; they cherished very highly the privilege of seeing visitors around them . They had been favoured with the company of 12 Grand Officers , and with the support of the good wishes of all the most ancient lodges of Scotland . They had had , too , hearty greetings from the Household Brigade Lodge , and they had many visitors , whom they were pleased to see .

Bro . Sheath , W . M . 2530 , replied . The Shirley Woolmer Lodge was a young lodge , but Kent sent " Hearty good wishes , " and it was very gratifying to him as Master of a Kent lodge to be present . He testified to the pleasure it had given him to read Bro . Gould ' s report of this lodge . He congratulated the lodge on its antiquity and on the desire of the lodge to b : earlier on the roll of Grand Lodge than it was . Bro . Octavius F . Peall , P . M ., D . of C , proposed " The Health of the W . M . " Bro . Gould had spoken of Scots lodges , but not of Irish lodges . Those Irish lodges

they had come across had been good Masons , and yet they seemed to have been left out entirely . Bro . Nicholson had made an able speech ; he was a P . M . in speaking in any subject he undertook . Would the brethren allow him to point out in this toast of the Master of this lodge how the W . M . thoroughly appreciated the position the brethren had placed him in . This lodge was warranted in 1722 . No doubt it lost its precedency from the inadequacy of the Master who presided at that tima . When he ( Bro . Piall ) presided in iSSG Colonel Shadwell Clerke came as an uninvited guest to the Slip and

Turtle , and he stated that the Fortitude and Old Cumberland Lodge was the first lodge that ever appointed a Grand Master , and that Grand Master was Anthony Sayer . Colonel Shadwell Clerke tO ; d the lodge then that that lodge , as far as he could trace , had never done anything wrong to bring it down from its original position , and he came to tell them it was the first lodge that ever appointed a Grand Master . The brethren were not now on an ordinary occasion . If it had been a summer meeting they would hive b ; en out of London , and would have had non-Masons present ; but the Past Masters thought they

would keep the day as a red fetter day in Freemasonry . He hoped they had don : so , and that they would follow in thc same footsteps , and that they would have more visitors at future meetings , and fourScotslodges and Irish lodges on this St . John ' s day in Freemasonry . Coming to the toast of the W . M ., Bro . Stephens was both a Mason and a Master of a gooi old lodge , and it was a pleasure at all times to work under such a gentleman , liro . Stephens had taken a great deal of trouble to put all the work properly forward . If he had succeeded in so doing to the brethren ' s satisfaction ( anl hs was quite sure he had done so ) , he had the gratitude of every member of the Fu ... jia and Old Cumberland Lodge .

Bro . Stephens , W . M ., replying , said he thanked the brethren for their warm reception , which he thoroughly appreciated , as well as the kind words of Bro . Peall . He had the welfare of the lodge thoroughly at heart , and would do all in his po # er to forward it . That had been an extraordinary meeting . They hid not had a sumner outing ; the summer roses had come to them ; and he hoped the brethren had enjoyed themselves thoroughly . They had had sunmar outings to which non-M isons had come , and had expressed their wish to join the lodge . Thit had b ; en the case that night . Sir John Tyler wished to b ; a joining member ; Bro . Cartlini also ; and Mr . Charles Tyler , at present with her Majesty's Forces in South Africa , was propose ! as

an initiate . The Tyler ' s toast , given by Bro . Willis , closed the proceedings . The music performed was by Miss Erminie Stuart , Miss Eleano : Nicholl , an 1 Mr . Saye Thomson . Signorina Da Negris was pianist .

De Grey and Ripon Lodge , No . 1161 . The regular meeting was held at Freemasons' Hall , Cooper-street , Manchester , on Wednesday , the 20 th instant . The following were present i Bros . Walter Cockerham , W . M . ; J . T . C . Blackie , S . W . ; S . Richards , J . W . ; J . Schofield , I . P . M . ; O . M . Jones , P . M ., Treas . ; J . M . Moss , P . M ., P . P . D . G . S . B ., Sec ; J . Brownhill , S . D . ; A . E . Bentley and G . J . Critchley , Stewards ; E . Loebcll , P . M . ; Buckley Carr , P . M ., P . P . G . D . C , D . C ; H . M . Massingham , P . M . ; R . DottieP . M . ; Alfred

, Griffiths , Geo . II . Tyler ; J . M . Wnalley , L . A . Harrison , and J . R . Fletcher , Tyler . Visitors : Bros . R . A . Hana ' ord , 2 G 79 ; J . S . Derbyshire , S . W . 15 ^ 5 ; H . Hjlt , 101 ;; A . T . Forrest , P . M . 1 O 3 3 ; and J . H . Greenwood , 903 , P . P . G . O . The lodge having been opened by the Worshipful Mister , the minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed . The ballot was taken for Messrs . 'I ' . Thrutchley and Wm . Arnold , which proved unanimous in their favour . The ceremoiies

of initiation were performed by Bros . j . M . Moss , P . M ., P . P . D . G . D . C , and J . Schofield , I . P . M . Bros . E . A . Harrison and G . H . Tyler were afterwards pissed to the Second Degree , the ceremonies being performed by B .-os . VV . Cockerhm , VV . M ., and II . M . Massingham , P . M . The whole of the ceremonies ware performed in a mist admirable manner , and rellacted great credit upon trie working of the big :. ' Hurcy good wishes " hiving been proposed by the visiting brethren , the lod ^ e was afterwards closed . The brethren adjourned to thc social board , and spent the rest of the evening in harmony .

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