The New Masonic Hall At Philadelphia.

Brethren were members , that "these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States ; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown , and that aU political connection between them and the State of

Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved . " The treaty of peace had been signed at Paris . In the same month of September , 1786 , in which the Commissioners from the States of New York ,

New Jersey , Pennsylvania , Delaware and Virginia , met at Annapolis , and recommended the holding of the Convention in

Philadelphia on the Second Monday of May , 1787 , "to take into consideration the . situation of the United States to devise such further provisions as shall appear to them necessary to render the Constitution of the Federal Government adequate

to the exigencies of the Union , " which re . suited hi the formation of the- Constitution of the United States , decisive steps were taken by our provisional Grand Lodge to cease dependency in any manner on the

Grand Lodge of England . On the 25 th September , 1786 , B . W . Wm . Adcock , G . M ., and the other Grand Officers , together with the officers and representatives of a number of regular lodgea under the jurisdiction , " duly appoin t ed

and specially authorised , as also by and with tho advise and consent of several othe r lodges , by their letters expressed , at a Grand Quarterly Communication held in the Grand Lodge room in the city of Philadelphia , after mature and serious

deliberation , unanimously resolved , " that it is improper that the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania should remain any longer under the authority of any foreign Grand Lodge , '' and closed the Provincial Grand Lodge for

ever ; and immediatel y thereupon , in th e room of the late Provincial Grand Lodge , according to the powers and authorities entrusted to them , formed themselves into a . grand" convention of Masons ,, to deliberate on the proper methods of forming a Grand

Lodge totally independent from all foreign jurisdiction , and adopted by a unanimous vote , " that the lodges under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Grand Lodge should and they did form themselves into a Grand Lodge , to be called ' The Grand Lodge of

Pennsylvania , and Masonic jurisdiction thereunto belonging , ' to be held in the city of Philadelphia . " The peculiarity of this title , unchanged until this day , has sometimes provoked

comment . As a Grand Lodge , it possessed all the powers inherent in and appertaining to other like Masonic organizations . Among these was the right to establish lodges in territories not subordinate to or under the

immediate jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge formed and existing within that territory From what has already been stated , there were a number of lodges under its jurisdiction at that time , located outside of Penn . sylvania , and by virtue of its Masonic

power , conceded and recognized . It after wards granted warrants , not only within on State , but also to lodges hi -Trinidad , St . Domingo , Louisiana , Cuba , Ohio , Illinois Missouri , Buenos Ayres and Montevideo ,

South America , Mexico , and to the United States' Army , St Clair ' s Expedition . Many of these lodges subsequently became subordinate to other Masonic jurisdictions and ceased to be under the authority of this

Grand Lodge . This will account for many of the vacancies in the numbers of our lodges— -fifty-five warrants having been granted outside of Pennsylvania and eight to army lodges . On our register on No . 1

appears , for this was the number of the Provincial Grand Lodge . At the first communication of the Grand

Lodge , 25 th of September , 1786 , a committee was appointed to write a letter to the Grand Lodge of England , taking a formal leave of them . The reply to his letter appears on the minutes of our Grand Lodge , of December 3 , 1792 , and consisted of a resolution of fraternal recognition and intercourse , and an address congratulatory ,