MASONRY. a Separate Society, Without Connection with Grand Lodge and Its Explanations of Freemasonry Are Very Pleasing and (Concluded from Page 290)
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known in England, in which the present Grand Officers THE ENGLISH EITE OF FREE- are mostly members of the Chapter. They belong to it as MASONRY. a separate society, without connection with Grand Lodge and its explanations of Freemasonry are very pleasing and (Concluded from page 290). instructive." The rest of the Chapter, interesting as it is, concluding chapter gives a concise sketch of the need not detain us. It carries us on to the present day, THB the subject " Constitution of the Grand Chapter," the progress whatever of consequence happens being made of the Eoyal Arch Degree and its connection with tho of appropriate remark. include the Charter of " Modern " system being very carefull y delineated. The The appendices, seven in number, formal constitution of the G. Chapter took place on the Compact (R.A.) 1767 ; the Laws of Grand Chapter 1776 ; 22nd July 1767, under the authorit of Lord Blaney, the Warrant of No. 79 granted by Dunckerley in 1791 ; Char- y lar), 1780 ; a list of R.A. Act of Constitution being known as the " Charter of ter of Compact (Knight Temp Compact," and including the regulations for the govern- Chapters 1769 to 1813 ; ditto of Extinct R.A. Chapters ment of the body. Here, then , wo have it iu evidence that 1769-97 ; and another of the Grand Superintendents of the Degree was recognised, though not official ly, by the the R.A., 1778 to 1813. These appendices constitute by " Moderns." It gradually extended its influence, but no means the least valuable portion of the book ; indeed ilation of these important docu- more particularly in the Provinces, the first warrants the publication and comp ments would alone entitle Bro. Hughan to the thanks of granted being issued in 1769. By 1778 there were fifteen chapters on the roll, which number went on increasing every student of the Craft of Masonry. ht our stud han' still more rapidly, thirty-eight warrants having been We have now broug y of Bro. Hng s " to a conclu- granted in the course of the nine years following 1778, sketch of the " English Rite of Freemasonry forty-nine more being issued between 1787 and 1796, and sion. It has been said by those who are fond of thence to 1810 some seventy-one more. Moreover, the instituting comparisons that this is the best of the works that has emanated from the author's pen. We shall take most distinguished among the " Moderns " cultivated the to this view h it Degree, the most noteworthy cases in point being the Dukes no exception , thoug may be we agree mean t to be of Manchester, Cumberland, and Sussex, all successively with it in a sense in which it was not exactly Grand Masters of the " Regular " branch of the Frater- understood. We do not consider it his best work, on the nity. Other active members at different times are ground that he has shown greater skill in the treatment and arrangement of his materials. We cannot picture to mentioned by Brother Hughan, such as the famous ourselves Bro. Hughan , after having selected different Dunckerley, the Hon. C. Dillon, the Hon. Rowland Holt, doing aught else than bring the whole of James Heseltine, Sir Peter Parker, the Earl of Moira, subjects of study, his vast knowledge and experience to bear on the treat- Chevalier Ruspini, W. R. Wright, &c, &c. As to the exact stattts of the Royal Arch under the ment of each. Were there observable any difference in " Moderns " we are enabled to form a tolerable idea from the degree of success attained in one case as compared with another, we imagine it would be due rather to the subject a statement made in auswer to inquiries by Brother James Heseltine, for many years (1769-84) G. Secretary, who, selected than to the extent and character of his labours, which have been always carried out most carefull and in reply to a Bro. Gogel, says, in 1774, that the Grand y conscientiousl This sketch of our English Rite may, how- Lodge only recognised the three degrees, but at the same y. time added : "It is true that many of the Fraternity ever, perhaps, be set down as his best and most important work in the sense that it treats not of a belong to a degree in Masonry, which is said to be higher , separate event or than the other, and is called the Royal Arch. I have the portion of our history, but of tho English system as a honour to belong to this degree . but it is not acknow- whole. It traverses the whole of the period embraced in our history, so far at least as has been thoug ledged in Grand Lodge, and all its emblems and jewels are ht necessary to elucidate the forbidden to be worn there. In order to convince you of the purpose of the work. At all events, it is a most valuable contribution to our literature untruth of the rumours yon have heard I can assure you , and, like all his , previous contributions that our present Grand Master Lord Petre is not a member , is based on trustworthy sources of information. As Brother of the Royal Arch , nor was our Past Grand Master, Lord Whytehead remarks in the concluding h of his Beaufort. You will thus see that the Royal Arch is a paragrap preface to the work— " The author has certainl private and distinct society. It is a part of Masonry, but y gathered together a verv valuable mass of facts, and has dealt throughout exhaustivel has no connection with Grand Lodge, and this is the only y with his subject ;" and, like Bro. Whytehead further degree known to us in England." In August of , we " esteem it a great privilege " to have been allowed an opportunit the following year, Bro. Hanbnry, writing for Bro. Hesel- y of tine in answer to a further communication from the Sfime placing on record our appreciation of the " latest efforts of one who has laboured so closel conscientiousl correspondent, points out that " Masonry is Masonry with y, y, and successfull for a course of years, to open out the or without this degree (i.e. R.A.) ; if it ht a 7iew y, paths of taug Masonic literature and to bring to li ht our hidden doctrine, ifc would be quite different , g secrets and must be rejected of the past." unhesitatingly. That is why we reject the high degrees of the Strict Observance. They We would add that the style in which the volume has are a confusion without been presented to the public is in all sequence. English Masons have one respects most credit- (R.A.) of which I am able to the publisher. a member, and Heseltine is President. It contains a high degree of morality and therefore rejoices in general appro- bation." In December of the same year Bro. Heseltine, in The installation meeting of the William Preston Lodge, a further communication to Bro. Gogel, says :—"I have No. 766, will be held on Thursday next. Brother Alfred already told you a further degree, called Royal Arch, is Le Grand is the W.M. elect. the long maram grass, already alluded to, not only binds THE LIFE-BOATS OF THE UNITED tl 'i« sand together, but causes it to accumulate. In Lin- KINGDOM. colnshire they are of great height aud extent, and on the nort h coast of Norfolk , at Holkham, a large number of fir THE ancient and loyal burgh of Great Yarmouth de trees have been planted by Lord Leicester, thereby impart- rives its name from tho position it occupies close ing \o them a very effective and picturesque appearance. to the mouth of the Yaro, one of three rivers which The chain of outl ying sands off the eastern coast of unite in a broad expanse of waters called '• Braydon ," Norfolk, at vary ing distances from the shore, present grave whence one channel only—the Ya ro—carries them to the dangers to nav i gation , and every year numbers of lives and sea. All the authorities who have written upon the subject vessels are lost. A magnificent roadstead, several miles in seem to bo agreed that Y armouth sprang from the sea ; length , exists off Caister and Yarmouth, formed by the that at one time, in the past ages of the world, tho waves close proximity of the Scroby Sands, distant only about of the German Ocean flowed over the low-lying marshes 2^ miles, running parallel with the beach, which effectually of eastern Norfolk, and that whether from the gradual rise protects it, and affords an excellent anchorage for vessels of the soil, or from the receding of the waters, the sandy in distress or weather-bound. foundation on which the town stands gradually rose above Refore the improvements in the haven, providing for the action of the tides, cut off from the mainland by the the better landing and transport of fish , were carried out, River Tare, which at that time emptied itself by two it was the custom to ferry the catches from the smacks channels into the sea—one to the north, botween Caister lying in tho roads to the beach, where the sale and packing and Yarmouth, and tho other to the south , about four of tho fish took place. This occupation, and the assistance miles distant. The northern channel was entirely blocked so often required by vessels in the roads, or outlying banks, with sand in tho eleventh century, and the southern chan- probably called into existence a race of men known on the nel has since been used as a haven for shipping.