From the return of the different Lodges it appeared, that one hundred and sixty-eight had voted for the Incorporation, and only forty-three against it; upon which a motion was made in Grand Lodge on the 28th of April, 1769, that the Society should be incorporated, and it was carried in the affirmative by a great majority. At a Grand Lodge, held at the Crown and Anchor tavern on the 27th of October, 1769, it was resolved, that the sum of 13001., then standing in the names of Rowland Berkeley, Esq. the Grand Treasurer, and Mr. Arthur Beardmore and Mr. Richard Nevison, his sureties, in the three per cent. bank consolidated annuities, in trust for the Society, be transferred into the names of the present Grand Officers; and at an extraordinary Grand Lodge on the 29th of November following, the Society was informed, that Mr. Beardmore had refused to join in the transfer; upon which it was resolved, that letters should be sent, in the name of the Society, signed by the acting Grand Officers, to Lord Blaney the Past Grand Master, and to his Deputy and Wardens, to whom the Grand Treasurer and his sureties had given bond, requesting their concurrence in the resolutions of the Grand Lodge on the 29th of October last. Mr. Beardmore, however, dying soon after, the desire of the Grand Lodge was complied with by Mr. Nevison, his executor, and the transfer regularly made. The Duke of Beaufort constituted several new Lodges, and granted the following provincial deputations during his presidency: 1. for South the Lodge should be erased from the list; but, on the Master acknowledging the fault, and, in the name of bimself and his Brethren, making a proper apology, the motion was withdrawn, and the offence forgiven. Carolina; 2. Jamaica; 3. Barbadoes; 4. Naples and Sicily; 5. The Empire of Russia; and 6. The Austrian Netherlands. The increase of foreign Lodges occasioned the institution of a new officer, a Provincial Grand Master for foreign Lodges in general; and his grace accordingly nominated a gentleman for that office. He also appointed Provincial Grand Masters for Kent, Suffolk, Lancashire, and Cumberland. Another new appointment likewise took place during his grace's administration, viz. the office of General Inspector or Provincial Grand Master for Lodges within the bills of mortality; but the majority of the Lodges in London disapproving the appointment, the authority was soon after withdrawn. At a Grand Lodge, held at the Crown and Anchor tavern on the 25th of April 1770, the Provincial Grand Master for foreign Lodges acquainted the Society, that he had lately received a letter from Charles Baron de Boetzelaer, Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of the United Provinces of Holland and their dependencies, requesting to be acknowledged as such by the Grand Lodge of England, whose superiority he confessed; and promising, that if the Grand Lodge of England would agree in future not to constitute any new Lodge within his jurisdiction, the Grand Lodge of Holland would observe the same restriction with respect to all parts of the world where Lodges were already established under the patronage of England. Upon these terms, he requested that a firm and friendly alliance might be established between the Officers of both Grand Lodges, an annual correspondence kept up, and each Grand Lodge regularly made acquainted once in every year with the most materal transactions of the other. this report being made, the Grand Lodge agreed, that such an alliance or compact should be entered On into, and executed, agreeably to Baron de Boetzelaer's request. In 1771, a bill was brought into parliament by the Hon. Charles Dillon, the Deputy Grand Master, for incorporating the Society by act of parliament; but on the second reading of the bill, it having been opposed by Mr. Onslow, at the desire of several Brethren who had petitioned the house against it, Mr. Dillon moved to postpone the consideration of it, sine die; and thus the design of an Incorporation fell to the ground. Lord Petre succeeded the Duke of Beaufort on the 4th of May 1772; when several regulations were made for better securing the property belonging to the Society. A considerable sum having been subscribed for the purpose of building a hall, a committee was appointed to superintend the management of that business. Every measure was adopted to enforce the laws for raising a new fund to carry the designs of the Society into execution, and no pains were spared by the committee to complete the purpose of their appointment. By their report to the Grand Lodge on the 27th of April 1774, it appeared, that they had contracted for the purchase of a plot of ground and premises, consisting of two large commodious dwelling-houses, and a large garden, situated in Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, late in the possession of Philip Carteret Webb, esq. deceased, the particulars of which were specified in a plan then delivered; that the real value appeared to be 3,2051. at the least, but that 3,1807. was the sum contracted to be paid for the premises; that the front-house might produce 90l. per annum, and the back-house would furnish commodious committee-rooms, offices, kitchens, &c. and that the garden was sufficiently large to contain a complete hall for the use of the Society, the expense of which was calculated not to exceed 3,000l. This report having met with general approbation, Lord Petre, the Dukes of Beaufort and Chandos, Earl Ferrers, and Lord Viscount Dudley and Ward, were appointed Trustees for the Society; and the conveyance of the premises which had been purchased was made out in their names. On the 22d of February 1775,† the hall-committee reported to the Grand Lodge, that a plan had been proposed and approved for raising 5,0007. to complete the designs of the Society, by granting annuities for lives, with benefit of survivorship; a * Notwithstanding this estimate, it appears by the Grand Treasurer's accounts, that in 1792 above 20,0001. had been expended on this building; and that, exclusive of an annuity of 2501. on account of a tontine, there then remained due from the hall-fund to sundry tradesmen a considerable debt, the greatest part of which has been since paid off. The tavern has been rebuilt, and enlarged, within these few years, which has increased the expense to 30,0001. "At the battle of Bunker's Hill, on the 17th June, this year, Masonry in America met with a heavy loss in the death of Grand Master Warren, who was slain contending for the liberties of his country. Soon after the evacuation of Boston by the British army, and previous to any regular communication, the Brethren, influenced by a pious regard to the memory of the late Grand Master, were induced to search for his body, which had been rudely and indiscriminately buried in the field of slaughter. They accordingly repaired to the place, and, by direction of a person who was on the ground at the time of his burial, a spot was found where the earth had been recently turned up. Upon removing the turf, and opening the grave, which was on the brow of a hill, and adjacent to a small cluster of sprigs, the remains were discovered in a mangled condition, but were easily identified by means of an artificial tooth; and being decently raised, were conveyed to the state-house in Boston; from whence, by a large and respectable number of brethren, with the late grand officers, attending in procession, they were carried to the stone chapel, where an animated eulogium was delivered by Brother Perez Morton. The body was then deposited in the silent vault, without a sculptured stone to mark the spot; but as the whole earth is the sepulchre of illustrious men, his fame, his glorious actions, are engraven on the tablet of universal remembrance, and will survive marble monuments, or local inscriptions." (Webb's Monitor, p. 292.) I have been induced to insert an account of this transaction, as it redounds so much to the honour and fraternal piety of our American Brethren.-EDITOR. plan now known under the name of Tontine. It was accordingly resolved, That there should be one hundred lives at 50%. each; that the whole premises belonging to the Society in Great Queenstreet, with the hall to be built thereon, should be vested in trustees, as a security to the subscribers, who should be paid 57. per cent. for their money advanced, the whole interest amounting to 2501. per annum; that this interest should be divided among the subscribers, and the survivors or survivor of them; and, upon the death of the last survivor, the whole to determine for the benefit of the Society. The Grand Lodge approving the plan, the subscription immediately commenced, and in less than three months it was complete; upon which the trustees of the Society conveyed the estate to the trustees of the Tontine, in pursuance of a resolution of the Grand Lodge entered into for that purpose. On the 1st of May 1775, the foundation stone* *Within the foundation-stone was deposited a plate, with the following inscription: ANNO REGNI GEORGII TERTII QUINDECIMO, SALUTIS HUMANE, MDCCLXXV. MENSIS DIE PRIMO, HUNC PRIMUM LAPIDEM, AULE LATOMORUM, (ANGLICE, FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS) MAII HONORATISSIMUS ROB. EDV, DOM. PETRE, BARO PETRE, DE WRITTLE, SUMMUS LATOMORUM ANGLIÆ MAGISTER; ASSIDENTIBUS VIRO ORNATISSIMO ROWLANDO HOLT, ARMI- JOH. HATCH ET HEN. DAGGE, PLENOQUE CORAM FRATRUM CONCURSU; STUDIOQUE SUSTENTATUM-MAXIMOS PER |