Supreme Grand Lodge.

REPORT OE THE C 0 L 02 * IATJ BOABD . To the " United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England . Tne Colonial Board beg to report as follows . — A complaint has been preferred on the part of the St . Lawrence Loclge , at Montreal , Canada East , being No . 923 on the Register of

the Grand Loclge of England , having reference to a resolution passed by the Grand Loclge of Canada at their annual communication in July , 1860 , adopting a report of their Committee on Constitutions and regulations whereby it was declared that the said lodge , No . 923 , was working in an irregular manner , and could not be recognised as a legally conducted Masonic Loclge . The effect of this resolution is stated by the complainants to' be that they have been refused admission to the assemblies of the Canada Lodges , and

they allege other grievances under which they suffer by or from the same resolution . Pending the investigation into the subject matter of the complaint , the Board caused a communication to be made to the M . W . the Grand Master of Canada , Brother T . Douglas Harington , through the representative of the Grand Loclge of England in Canada , urging that the resolution above complained of should be ordered to remain in abeyanceuntil opportunithad been afforded of

as-, y certaining whether it was justified , or had been passed under erroneous information , or from misapprehension of facts . To this the M . W . the Grand Master of Canada , acting , as he states , on his own responsibility , at once assented , ancl has caused it to be notified to bis Deputy District Grand Master for Montreal , and through him to the brethren generally , that so much of the said report ancl resolution of the Grand Lodge of Canada as related to the St . Lawrence Loclge , should be held in abeyance until the annual

communication of the said Grand Loclge to he holden in July next . The specific charges against the St . Lawrence Loclge , as stated by the M . W . the Grand Master of Canada , appear to be , that it is working in an irregular manner , and is de facto not a legal loclge . That it sent accredited representatives to assist at the origination of the Grand Lodge of Canada , and that it surrendered its English Warrant and affiliated with the Grand Loclge of Canada , and accepted , worked under , and elected and installed its officers under authority of a dispensation signed hy the Grand Master of Canada . That a portion only of its members subsequently received back the Enslish warrant from the Provincial Grand Master for Mnntre . il

and William Henry under the English constitution , in violation of an alleged solemn ancl well understood condition , that it was to be returned to England , aud recommenced to work under it . There appears no doubt but that a delegate on the part of the St . Lawrence Lodge was appointed , ancl did attend the meeting above alluded to , ancl which took place at Hamilton , in the month of October , 1855 ; hut the complainants deny that such delegate had authority to bind the lodge to the movement ; and it does not

appear , from the evidence before the Board , that the said lodge ever subsequently ratified the acts of such delegate : on the contrary , the said loclge appears in the month of February , 1856 , to have been working under their English Warrant . The allegation as to the surrender by the St . Lawrence Lodge of their English Warrant appears to be negatived by the very able Report made by the R . W . Bro . William Ba . lgley , Provincial Grand Master for Montrealand William Henry under the English

Con-, stitution , which details the proceedings taken by him in his official capacity in November , 1855 , in reference to the lodges in his district . He states that lie summoned the Masters of the lodges in his district to appear before him with their Warrant and Minute Books for production , and not for tho surrender of the Warrants ; and that , after temporary detention for examination , the Warrant and Minute Books werein strict conformity with Masonic law and

, usage , returned to the continuing members of the lodges respectively , upon their formal application for them as their rightful owners ancl custodiers . Bro . Badgley states that the Warrants were returned to the several lodges in ' jun . uu-y in 1856 . It appears that the only member of the St . Lawrence Loclge ( which it is stated to have consisted iu 1855 of about 40 members ) who actually seceded and joined the Grand Lodge of Canada , was the

then W . Master . It appears to the Board probable , that this brother _ may have delivered the Warrant of the loclge to the Provincial Grand Master , with the intention of committing the loclge to the movement ; but this , if done , would appear to havo been clone purely of his own motion , and not pursuant to any resolution come to by this loclge , and the Book of Constitutions gives the Master no to bind the locl b and in the

power ge y so doing , opinion of the Board the Warrant " remained the property of the lodge , ancl was rightly delivered liy the Provincial Grand Master to the continuing members of the lodge on their application , and the said English Warrant has ever since continued in the possession of the said St . Lawrence Lodge , No . 023 .

It seems that between November , 1855 , and January , 1856 , tbe seceding member of the St . Lawrence Loclge above referred to , being the then W . Master , did obtani a dispensation from the body which was then in formation , ancl which subsequently resulted in the Grand Lodge of Canada , and under such dispensation did bold meetings during the period when the Warrant ancl Minute Books of the lodge were in the possession of the Provincial Grand

Master Badgley , and some of the members of the said loclge are stated to havo attended these meetings . There is no evidence before the Board as to what took place at these meetings , which were not held at the regular place of meeting ofthe St . Lawrence Lodge , No . 923 , nor in pursuance of any resolution passed thereat . In the opinion of the Bourd such meetings -were , so far as regards the said Loclge , No . 923 , wholly irregular and disconnected from the business ancl proceedings thereof .

Tho papers ancl documents connected with this ease are very voluminous , and have had careful perusal and consideration on the part of the Board , and the foregoing is an epitome of what appear the principal points . ¦ In a case so important as that under consideration , which involves a question between two independent Grand Lodges having cordial relations of amity with each other , the Board have considered it their duty to report the result of their labours thus far

for tho information of Grand Lodge , before again communicating witb the authorities of the Grand Lodge of Canada . They propose , if it meets with the sanction of Grand Lodge , to furnish the M . W . the Grand Master of Canada , as he requests , with a copy of Bro . Badgley ' s Report referred to as above , and also with copies of such other documents as may appear to the Board desirable , so that the

M . W . the Grand Master of Canada may be enabled to lay all the facts before his Grand Lodge at their Annual Communication in . July next , in the confident hope and belief that when that Grand . Loclge shall have hacl all the facts of the case before them , they will see the justice of rescinding the obnoxious Resolution , passed in July , 1860 , and again extend the right band of fellowship to the members ofthe St . Lawrence Lodge . The Board cannot conclude . their Report on this case without

respectfully expressing their admiration at the true Masonic spirit evinced by the M . W . the Grand ' Master of Canada , Bro . T . Douglas Harington , in so promptly suspending the operation of the resolution of his Grand Lodge , with which the brethren of the St .. Lawrence Lodge felt aggrieved , until the complaint of those brethren had been investigated by this Board , and this on his own responsibility . The Board feel that such a course of action is . worthy of the high character of Bro . Haringtonancl ofthe exalted

, position which he fills as Grand Master of Canada . A complaint has been received against the Union Lodge , No . 308 ,. Demcrara , for having elected to the oflice of Master a brother who hacl . not previously served the office of Warden in any loclge . The loclge having been communicated with , transmitted , as required , a certified copy of the minutes with reference to the election of officers .. The offence was admitted , but the Master pleaded in extenuation that no Past Master ofthe lodge would take the officethat he had

, already served for two years , ancl that the Wardens were absent .. Tlio Board severely censured the loclge for so serious a breach ofthe law , ancl informed the W . Master that the election as above was null and void , and that he { still continued Master , and as such responsible for airy further irregularities .

( Signed ) J . LLEWELITI * EVANS , President . At the regular Meeting of the Colonial Board held the 7 th instant ,, it was resolved unanimously : " That the warmest thanks of the Board are due to their President , the Worshipful Bro . J . Llewellyn Evans , for the zeal ho has shown in discharging the duties devolving

on him , for his regular attendance at the stated and special meetings of tho Board during the past Masonic year , ancl for the courtesy arid urbanity which helms ever manifested towards every memberof the Board . "

( Signed ) NICHOLAS B RADFORD , Freemasons' Hall , 22 nd May , 1861 . 7 ice-President . The Annual Report of the Royal Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and their Widows will bo laid before the Grand Lodge , in which there are the following proposed alterations of the laws :

1 st . "That Article 4 , page 17 , of the Rules and Regulations for . Widows' Fund , be altered as follows , viz ., to omit the words ' not exceeding the age of 65 years , £ 15 ; ' and 'from 65 to 70 years £ 20 / and insert in place thereof , ' from the age of 55 to 70 years , £ 20 . '" 2 nd . " That Article 4 , page 17 , be suspended , so fur as relates to Female Annuitants . it present receivin ; ' £ 15 , and that for the future their Annuities be increased to £ 20 . "