Monthly Masonic Summary.

Monthly Masonic Summary .

OUR Royal Grand Master is on his Avay back from India , and has reached Aden . We shall soon happily see him in England , -well , and having gained golden opinions from all . His Progress has been a great

success . The onward progress of Freemasonry continues , and new Lodges are consecrated every day . The number on our Lodge "Roll now records 1600 . The truth is , all the recent attacks have done Freemasonry no great harmrather have conferred on it

, much " prestige , " despite Mr . Gladstone ' s objections to such a use of the word . French Freemasonry is in somewhat a disturbed state , but the Grand Orientseem to be very properly upholding the LaAvs of the Order—the Avhole laws and

nothing but the laAVS . We publish on another page the Wilson MS . Constitution . It is a manuscript Avritten on vellum , rubricated in certain Avords , and said to be of 17 th century . A vellum MS . in England of the 17 th century is very rare . We hopehoAvever ,

, to obtain a facsimile of the handwriting , Avhich may lead to a distinct certainty as to the date . We are ourselves inclined to fix the date as the 16 th century , from the simple fact of its being on vellum and rubricated . It is mentioned by Preston in

1778 , and , if we remember rightly , in Dr . Oliver ' s edition of Hutchinson , and is said b y Preston to be tempore Henry VIII . It Avas purchased by Sir Thomas Phillips , the great MS . collector , from Mr . Wilson , and is now in the possession of his

son-in-Jaw , the Rev , J . E . A . FenAvick , of Hiirlestane House , Cheltenham , who has kindl y permitted a copy to be taken of the ¦ MS ., and that it should be published " literatim et verbatim in extenso . " It is a curious manuscrit sefor several

pper , reasons , to which Ave shall allude in our uext number , and very interesting to Masonic students . . We also publish a most interesting paper 111 this number , by the late Rev . J .

Monthly Masonic Summary.

Dalloway , well known as an archaeological writer , though , we believe , a non-Mason . His paper is most interesting , and deserves to be carefully studied , and we have no doubt that it will be appreciated by all Masonic students . We are glad to note how the increase of

Masonic literature is evidenced daily amongst us , and Ave trust that a new era is daAvning on our Order in that healthy study of our antiquities , our history , our evidences , and our archaeology , which will lead us to be intelligent and critical

, reasoning and reasonable , alike as to our morals and our claims , our facts and our fictions . We defer some remarks about R . Catholic and other eccentricities until our next .

Sonnet.

SONNET .

( For the Masonic Magazine . ) Here , cheerlessly , ' neath frowning heav ' ns we dwell In these cold , cloudy islands of the West

, But looking t ' wards the bri ght and glowing east , Our hearts , Avith hope expectant , joyous swell , And throb with yours , ye sons of Israel . " Tribes of the wand ' ring foot and weary

breast , When will ye flee away , and be at rest ?" So sings a bard , whose strain bemoans ye well—As mine bemoans . —Restor'd to your own land ,

Each Babylonish storm , each tempest o ' er—Nor far the time—then , on your happy shore , The Lodge , of all Grand Lodges the most ^ grand , Shall , yet , the universal centre be Of our true Catholic Freemasonry . Bro . Rev . M . GORDON .