of the respective fraternities in England, it was ordered that these resolutions be entered on the minutes of this day.

In consequence of its having been found impracticable from the shortness of the notice, for the sister grand lodges to send deputations to this assembly, according to the urgent request of the two fraternities, conferences had been held with all the most ditinguished grand officers and masons resident in and near London, in order to establish perfect agreement upon all the essential points of masonry, according to the ancient traditions and general practice of the craft. The members of the lodge of Reconciliation accompanied by the most worshipful bis excellency Count De Lagardje, grand master of the first lodge of freemasons in the north, the most worshipful brother Dr. Van Hess, of the grand lodge of Hamburgh, and other distinguished masons, withdrew to an adjoining apartment, where being congregated and tiled, the result of all the previous conferences were made know.

'The holy bible spread open, with the square and compass thereon, was laid on the ark of the covenant, and the two grand chaplains approached the same.

The recognized obligation was then pronounced aloud by the Rev. Dr. Hemming, one of the masters of the lodge of Reconciliation, the whole fraternity repeating the same, with joined hands, and declaring "By this solemn obligation we vow to abide, and the regulations of ancient freemasonry now recognized, strictly to observe."

The assembly then proceeded to constitute one grand lodge, in order to which the grand masters, deputy grand masters, grand wardens and other acting grand officers of both fraternities, divested themselves of their insignia, and past grand officers took the chairs; viz. the R. W. past deputy grand master Perry in the chair, as deputy grand master; the R. W. Robert Gill, as senior grand warden, and the R. W. James Deans, junior grand warden.

His royal highness the duke of Kent, then in an eloquent address, in which he stated that the great view with which he had taken upon himself the important office of grand master of the ancient fraternity, as declared at the same time, was to facilitate the important object of the union which had been that day so happily concluded. And now it was his intention to propose his illustrious and dear relative to be the grand master of the united grand lodge, for

H

which high office he was in every respect so eminently qualified.

He therefore proposed his royal highness the Duke of Sussex to be grand master of the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of England for the year ensuing. This was seconded by the R. W. the Hon. Washington Shirley, and being put to the vote, was unanimously carried in the affimative, with masonic honors.

His royal highness was placed on the throne by the Duke of Kent and the Count Lagardje, and solemnly obligated. The grand installation was fixed for St. George's day.

Proclamation was then made that the most worshipful Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, Earl of Inverness, Baron Arklow, Knight Companion of the most Noble Order of the Garter, was elected and enthroned grand master of the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of England." And his royal highness received the homage

of the fraternity.

H. R. Highness the grand master previous to nominating his grand officers, took occasion to observe that he had written to an exalted and distinguished nobleman to be his deputy grand master, who being absent from London, and not able to return an answer in time for this meeting, his royal highness did not feel himself at liberty to name him, but would take the earliest opportunity of communicating the appointment. He then nominated the following brothers to be grand officers for the ensuing year:

The Rev. SAMUEL HEMMING, D. D.
ISAAC LINDO, Esq.

JOHN DENT, Esq.

WILLIAM MEYRICK, Esq.

WILLIAM HENRY WHITE,
EDWARDS HARPER,

S. G. W.

J. G. W.

G. T.
G. R.

Rev. EDWARD BARRY, D. D.
Rev. LUCIUS COGHLAN, D. D.
Rev. HENRY ISAAC KNAPP,

JOHN SOANE, Esq.

G. S. of the Works.

SIR GEORGE NAYLER, G. D. of the Ceremonies.

It was then solemnly proclaimed that the two grand lodges were incorporated and consolidated into one, and the grand master declared it to be open in due form, according to ancient usage.

Here follows several pages of matter consisting principally of resolutions of a patriotic and congratulatory nature, addressed to the Prince Regent, late grand master of modern masonry, and other branches of the royal family who are masons, which being altogether of a local nature, we have thought proper to suppress; not so much on account of their irrelevancy to the subject, or that they might not be acceptable to the American mason, as that our pages are likely to swell to a size which was neither intended or expected.

That following resolutions were also severally put and carried in the affimative, unanimously:

"5. That books be opened by the grand secretaries for the regular entry and record of the proceedings of this united grand lodge: and that there be inserted therein, in the first instance, an account of all the resolutions and proceedings of both grand lodges, with respect to the negociation for the union, and of the conferrences of the commissioners thereon; together with a copy of the articles of union, and the confirmation thereof; also copies of the letters written by their royal highnesses the two grand masters and grand secretaries, addressed to the most worshipful the grand masters and grand secretaries of Scotland and Ireland, announcing the same, together with the resolutions of these grand lodges in reply.

"6. That the proceedings of this day be communicated to the grand lodges of Scotland and Ireland, and to express to them that this united grand lodge feels with the most sensible satisfaction the fraternal interest which they take in the important event of this day. To assure them that it is the anxious desire of this grand lodge to maintain the most constant, cordial, and intimate communion with the sister grand lodges of the United Kingdom, to which end they are persuaded that nothing is so essential as the preservation of one pure unsullied system, founded on the simple and ancient traditions of the craft.

7. That all the rules, orders, regulations and acts of the two grand lodges, previous to their consolidation and union, be upheld, maintained, and enforced by the united grand lodge, subject to reconsideration, on the establishment of a new code.

And further the grand master announced, that he should permit and authorise his own private seal of arms to be used on the issuing of certificates, and other documents, until the new great seal should be prepared.

The united grand lodge was then closed in ample form, and with solemn prayer.

61

SKETCH OF THE

HISTORY OE FREEMASONRY

IN AMERICA.

The following History is extracted from the Freemason's Monitor. By comparing it with that published by the Rev. Mr. Harris, it is considered more correct; being of more recent date. It is also more comprehensive -embracing within a narrow compass every thing which posterity requires on the subject. The list of Lodges, both Grand and Subordinate, which follow, are printed from authority obtained from the Grand Secretaries of the respective states or districts; and to the whole is added a history of the Grand Lodge of the city of Washington, District of Col umbia.

General Remarks.

A GRAND Lodge consists of the master and wardens, of all the regular lodges of master masons, within its jurisdiction, with the grand master at their head, the deputy grand master on his left, and the grand wardens and deacons, in their proper places; attended also by the grand secretary, grand treasurer, grand chaplain, grand sword bearer, grand marshal, and also the past grand and deputy masters, and past masters of regular lodges, while members of a lodge within the jurisdiction. *

In England, until the year 1717, a sufficient number of masons, met together, had ample power to make masons, and discharge every duty of masonry, by inherent privileges, vested in the fraternity at large, without a warrant of constitution. But at a meeting of the grand lodge of England, on St. John the Baptist's day in that year, the following regulation was adopted:

"The privilege of assembling as masons, which has hitherto been unlimited, shall be vested in certain lodges of masons, convened in certain places; and every lodge hereafter convened, shall be legally authorised to act by a warrant from the grand master for the time being, granted to certain individuals by petition, with the consent and approbation of the grand lodge in communication; and without such warrant, no lodge shall hereafter be deemed regular or constitutional.

* For further particulars see chapter 11, page 71.—See also, Ancient Cermonies, chap. 1, p. 88, and several following pages, extracted from Harris's Constitutions, &c.