resolute determination to uphold the true principles of the Order against all and every opposition. Such are the qualifications, which Masons, if they be wise, will look for in every candidate for the office of Master; qualifications which must have a tendency to raise the Order to its proper position in the scale of human society, as their absence has in too many instances the opposite effect.

CATO.

POETRY.

CREATION-THE FALL-RESTORATION.

A MASONIC ODE.

BY S. WOODWORTH, ESQ.

When the great Architect of heaven and earth
Spake this magnific system into birth,

And bade its numerous orbs in order roll,
To perfect wide creation's wondrous plan,
He breathed his own pure spirit into man;
And man became a living soul-
Lord of the fair Elysian fields he trod—
An image and a likeness of his God;
Designed by wisdom infinite to be

A living temple of the Deity

An earthly palace, where would deign to dwell
A guest divine, of name ineffable.

But love of self-a wily serpent-stole
Into the sacred precincts of the soul,
And tempted man to taste and eat
The specious, fair, forbidden fruit of pride,
Which heavenly love in mercy had denied ;
By which offence

He lost the Eden of his innocence,

And fled, an exile, from the blissful seat.
The hallowed mental temple thus became
A mass of shapeless ruins, where
Eternal Truth no more inscribed his name-

A den of thieves, and not a house of prayer.

'Twas to rebuild this miniature of heaven,
This temple of Jehovah in the mind,
That the eternal threefold WORD was given,
And our symbolic mystic ART designed;

For this, confiding Faith, and smiling Hope,
With sweet celestial Charity appeared;

Wisdom, and Strength, and Beauty, joined the group,
And each a column of the fabric reared;
Surmounted by the royal arch above,
Joined by the key-stone of celestial love—
The work completed on this heavenly plan,
His tabernacle is again with man.

As an auxiliar in this glorious cause,
Our fellow-craft here consecrate this pile,
Sacred to pure benevolence, whose laws
Of mutual kindness light a blissful smile
In sorrow's dewy eye.
This splendid dome

Shall never echo an unheeded sigh ;
For Charity, descending from the sky,
Claims the proud fabric as her future home-
Her earthly temple-where her blazing shrine
Glows with a light that never shall decline,
Till thousands yet unborn admiring see,
And own the peerless worth of PIETY.

SONNET TO THE MOON.

BRIGHT Orb of Beauty! Queen of starry Night!
When I behold thee with thy smile benign

Diffusing lustre from thy fount of light

O'er the cheer'd earth, I own in thee the sign
Of the Almighty Architect divine,

Who for his glory and our good hath set

Thy course among the heavens, as with a line

Around us circumscribing thee. And yet

I

may not deem thee made for us alone

I may not think thy silver-bright domain
A realm where soulless solitude doth reign,
Spiritless being!—though unseen, unknown,
Living Intelligence may there obtain,

Higher than ours, to glorify God's throne.*

PILGRIM.

Dr. Scoresby, in describing the appearance of the moon as seen through Lord Rosse's telescope, says, it appeared like a globe of molten silver, and every object of one hundred yards in extent was visible. Edifices, therefore, of the size of York Minster, or even the ruins of Whitby Abbey, might easily have been perceived if they had existed. The general appearance was like one vast ruin of nature." Hence it has been somewhat rashly inferred that our satellite is totally untenanted by intelligent beings.

MASONIC INTELLIGENCE.

SUPREME GRAND CHAPTER OF ROYAL ARCH MASONS OF ENGLAND.*

QUARTERLY CONVOCATION, Feb. 3, 1847.-Present, E. Companions, T. H. Hall, Z.; A. Dobie, H.; James Savage, J.; several present and past Grand Officers, and the present Principals and past First Principals of subordinate Chapters.

The Supreme Grand Chapter was opened in form, and the minutes of the last Convocation were read and confirmed.

It was resolved that the recommendation of the General Committee, that the annual voting by First Principals of Chapters, in the event of the consent of Grand Lodge being given, to the acceptance of one hundred pounds per annum on the part of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity Fund, be adopted.

The financial report was highly satisfactory.

The appeal of Comp. Jar ett against the decision of the Grand Superintendant of the Bahamas was rejected, and the decision confirmed.

The Earl of Yarborough, Grand H., being necessarily absent from England, permission was granted to the Scribe E. to sign all warrants and other Masonic documents on his part, during his lordship's present absence from England.†

The petition of a Chapter at Montreal, working for some time in an irregular manner, to be allowed to place themselves in a proper position, was discussed; but to prevent any future misunderstanding, the Grand Chapter preferred granting a new charter.

New charters were granted to a Lodge at Leicester and elsewhere. The Grand Chapter was then adjourned.

UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND.

COMMITTEE OF MASTERS.

FEB. 24, 1847.

Present-Bros. Norris, Crucefix, M'Mullen, Rule, &c.

A message was delivered from the M. W. Grand Master, intimating that the memorial from the Grand Chapter, requesting the Grand Lodge

* Jan. 20, 1847.-A circular has this day been issued, containing such disclosures of the transactions of the Supreme Grand Chapter as the Grand Scribe E. condescends to permitsuch disclosure commencing Dec. 1, 1844, and ending Nov. 4, 1846.

Scribe E appeared to misunderstand the words present absence, almost persisting that the premission was to run during any period of absence.

to accept the annual grant of one hundred pounds, given by the Grand Chapter in aid of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Annuity Fund, be considered at the ensuing Grand Lodge.

The report of the annual audit was read.

The report of the Board of General Purposes was read, among other subjects, it stated—

"That the proceedings of Masonic meetings found their way into the public journals and other periodicals, which was a direct violation of the Consitutions."

A memorial was read from the Victoria Lodge, St. Vincent, praying that a law might be so framed as to meet the case of the coloured population, many of whom were men of intelligence, and desirous to be initiated into Freemasonry; some of whom were not "free by birth," being born of mothers "not free;" others were themselves " free," but

not born so.

The financial report was most favourable :-Benevolent Fund, 11,000%. consols; Fund for General Purposes, 6,4007. 3 per cent. reduced.

NOTICES OF MOTION.

Bro. SCARBOROUGH-The immediate application to the purchasing of books, &c. of 207., the sum voted by Grand Lodge from the Fund of General Purposes, together with the sum remaining in hand. That the library shall remain open every day from 10 A. M. till 8 P. M. ; and that a promulgation be made by the Grand Lodge, requesting donations of books, &c.

Bro. HAVERS-That a grant of 50l. be made in favour of the nine motherless orphans of the late Rev. Bro. Hewlett.

Bro. CRUCEFIX-Renewed his motion (to take precedence by consent) of annuities for widows. Also-"That the sum of one thousand pounds be granted in aid of the poor in Scotland and Ireland, now suffering from fainine, such sum to be taken from the Fund of General Purposes." SCRUTINEERS-Bros. Goodchap, Leveck, Lazarus.

The Board of Benevolence was then opened, and among other votes was the recommendation to Grand Lodge of the sum of fifty pounds to the widow and orphan children of the late Bro. Daly.

QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION.*

MARCH 3, 1847.

Present-R. W. Bro. H. R. Lewis, P. G. M. (Sumatra) as G. M.
R. Alston, P. G. M. (Essex) as D. G. M.
T. H. Hall, P. G. M. (Cambridge) as S. G. W.
R. G. Alston, P. J. G. W.
as J. G. W.

V. W. Rev. Bro. Fallofield, J. Henderson, W. H. White; W. Bros.
G. R. Rowe, M. D., Granville, M. D., Crucefix, M. D., Parkinson,
B. Lawrence, Shadbolt, Norris, Bossy, M'Mullen, Jennings, Chapman,

A GREAT FACT!-The circular containing the proceedings of the Grand Lodge, held on the 2nd of December, 1846, was distributed on the 31st of the same month. The Grand Secretary did right, it saved his reputation morally, and perhaps his position.

Hardwick, &c. The Grand Stewards of the year, the Master, Past Masters, and Wardens of the Grand Stewards' Lodge, and the same of many other Lodges. The members present were considered to exceed four hundred,

The Grand Lodge was opened in form.

The GRAND MASTER, in the chair, then stated his regret that the Earl of Zetland in consequence of most important business could not be present; and that he had received official notice from the Grand Lodge of Ireland of their having elected as representative (a Past Senior Grand Warden) from that body to the Grand Lodge England, in the person of Bro. Richard Lea Wilson,* in which appointment the Earl of Zetland, as Grand Master, fully concurred. Some discussion took place as to whether the Brother had formally resigned the office of representative from the Grand Lodge of Texas, which point having been settled, a deputation of Grand Officers then retired and introduced Bro. R. L. Wilson, with the customary formalities; after which he was saluted and proclaimed as follows:-"The R. W. Bro. Richard Lea Wilson, of Streatham, Surrey, one of her Majesty's commissioners of lieutenancy for the city of London; Past Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, a member of the Victoria Lodge (No. 4), Dublin, Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden for Surrey, and Past Master of several Lodges under the Grand Lodge of England, and late representative of the Grand Lodge of Texas."

A letter from the Grand Registrar was read, expressive of his great regret that he was precluded from attending the Grand Lodge by reason of indisposition, but sincerely hoping that the grant to Mrs. Eccles would NOT be confirmed!-(Great sensation.)

Bro. ALSTON expressed his regret that such a letter had been read, it was not a proper one for Grand Lodge to receive.

The minutes of the last Grand Lodge were then read, and on being put for confirmation

Bro. HAVERs rosee-he claimed for himself the same attention which the mover of the grant to Mrs. Eccles had received, and would in a calm and temperate manner endeavour to bring such reasons before Grand Lodge against this grant, that he felt certain, however reluctant they might be, they would come to an almost unanimous resolution with him; and he should first remind them that the resolution was named at a very late hour, and without that ample investigation which was needful on the granting of so large a sum; and that, furthermore, the case had been mis-stated, for the truth had been suppressed-had the truth been told, the Grand Lodge at their last meeting would have rejected the petition. He next adverted to the marriage settlement of 1000l., and the sum of 1400l. as the goodwill for the practice of the deceased Bro. Eccles. It would be no answer that this 14007. had not been paid; every one knew that medical practice required at least a twelvemonth to collect in accounts. Then look at the establishment in Charterhouse-square; was it to be believed that under these circumstances the case could be entertained. He further stated that he had watched the proceedings step by step, and that such was the opinion entertained of Bro. Eccles' practice, that he had heard a sum of five hundred guineas having been offered, but which, of course, had been refused in favour of the 14007. The Board of Benevolence were wisely limited to a grant of 10%., and this

* Vice Bro. H. C. Sirr, resigned. We augur that the change is for the better.