Hampshire, Maffachusetts, Rhode-Ifland, Connecticut, Vermont, and New-York; or with any committee or committees, duly appointed and authorized by any or all of faid chapters, and to deliberate upon the propriety and expediency of forming and establishing a grand chapter of royal arch mafons, for the government and regu lation of the feveral chapters within the said ftates."

M.E. THOMAS SMITH WEBB was chofen Chair

man.

Comp. WILLIAM WOART, Scribe.

The convention, having taken the matter into confideration, came to a determination to forward to each of the chapters within the fix ftates, before mentioned, a circular letter, expreffive of their opinions on the subject, which letter was in the words following, viz.

"COMPANIONS,

(CIRCULAR.)

BOSTON, OCT. 24, 1797.

"FROM time immemorial, we find that Grand Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons have been established wlierever masonry has flourished; for the purpose of granting warrants for instituting private Lodges, as well as for establishing certain general rules and regulations for the government of the same.

"It is an opinion generally received, and we think well authenticated, that no grand lodge of master masons can claim or exercise authority over any convention or chapter of Royal Arch Masons; nor can any chapter, although of standing immemorial, exercise the authority of a grand chapter: We therefore think it highly expedient for the regular government of all chapters within the said states, whe exercise the rights and privileges of Royal Arch Masons, and to prevent irregularities in the propagation and use of those rights and pri vileges, that there should be a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons established within the said states: And whereas this convention has received official information from our companions at Philadelphia, that the several chapters within their vicinity have recently assembled, and established a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons for

their government; in conformity to their example, we think it our duty to recommend to the several chapters within the said states of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode-Island, Connecticut, Vermont and New-York, to unite and form a Grand Chapter for the said states. "The local situation of the states before mentioned, the easy and frequent intercourse between their several principal towns and cities, as well as the similarity of habits, manners and customs, as citizens and as masons, which prevail throughout the said states, induce us to believe that a union of all the chapters therein in one Grand Chapter will have the most useful, lasting and happy effects in the uniform distribution and propagation of the subline degrees of Masonry. They therefore take the liberty of recommending to the consideration of your Most Excellent Chapter, the propriety of appointing one or more delegate or delegates, to represent your chapter, at a meeting of the several chapters before mentioned, to be holden at the city of Hartford, in the state of Connecticut, on the fourth Wednesday of January next ensuing; investing them with full power and authority, in conjunction with the other delegates, to form and open a Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and to establish a Constitution for the government and regulation of all the chapters that now are, or may hereaf ter be, erected within the said states."

In confequence of this addrefs, the feveral chapters within the ftates therein enumerated (with the exception of two or three chapters only) appointed delegates, who affembled at Hartford, on the fourth Wednesday in January, 1798, and after several days deliberation upon the fubject they formed and adopted a conftitution for the government of the royal arch chapters, and lodges of mark mafters, paft mafters, and moft excellent mafters, throughout the faid ftates; and having elected and inftalled their grand officers, the grand chapter became com pletely organized.

CHAPTER II.

Powers vefted in the General Grand Officers.

AGREEABLY to the General Grand Royal Arch Conftitution, Grand Royal Arch Chapters were eftablished in the feveral Northern States, where there were royal arch chapters exifting; and in every inftance the private chapters have united with, and acknowledged the authority of, the faid grand chapters.

The long defired, and neceffary authority for correcting abufes, and regulating the concerns, of royal arch mafonry, in the northern ftates, being thus happily eftablifhed, the fublime degrees foon became flourishing and refpectable. Royal arch mafons in the fouthern ftates (where there were no grand chapters) obferved with pleafure and fatisfaction the establishment of grand chapters in the northern ftates, under the authority of a general conftitution, and became defirous of uniting with them, under the fame authority. Applications were accordingly made for the privilege of opening new chapters in the fouthern ftates; but there being no provifion made in the conftitution for extending its authority beyond the limits firft contemplated, the ftate grand chapters took the fubject into confideration, and paffed a concurrent decree, vefting power and authority in the three first general grand officers, or any two of them, conjointly, to grant and iffue letters of difpenfation for the inftitution of lodges of mark mafters, paft maf

ters, most excellent mafters, and chapters of royal arch masons, within any state in which there was not a grand chapter established. By virtue of this authority, on the firft day of December, 1804, the general grand officers granted a letter of difpenfation for forming and holding a chapter of royal arch masons in the city of Savannah, in the state of Georgia, by the name of GEORGIA CHAPTER; and on the first day of March, 1805, they granted a letter of difpenfation for forming and opening a new royal arch chapter in the town of Beaufort, in the state of South Carolina, by the name of UNITY CHAPTER.

At the fucceeding meeting of the general grand! royal arch chapter, the powers before mentioned were confirmed and made permanent in the general grand officers, by the ninth fection of the firft article of the general confitution; and the proceedings of the general grand officers under the decree before mentioned were approved and confirmed.

CHAPTER III.

THE GENERAL GRAND CHAPTER.

On the ninth day of January, 1799, the grand chapter of the northern ftates met, by adjourn ment, at Providence, in the ftate of RhodeIsland, and revised their conftitution.

The fecond fection of the firft article of the conftitution, as revised, directed that the general

grand chapter fhould convene feptennially, for the choice of officers, and other bufinefs. A meeting was accordingly holden at the city of Middletown, (Conn.) commencing on the 9th day of January, A. D. 1806.

Prefent,

Representatives from the refpective grand chapters of the ftates of Rhode-Ifland, Connecticut, New-York and Vermont.

The general grand chapter refolved itself into a committee of the whole upon the general grand royal arch constitution, when fundry alterations and amendments were propofed and confidered, and afterwards ratified and confirmed, by the general grand chapter.

Among other amendments of the conftitution was the following, viz. The ftyle or title to be "The General Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the United States." The jurifdiction was declared to extend throughout the United States, and to any state or territory wherein no grand chapter was regularly established.

A communication was prefented from Rutland, in the state of Vermont, informing this general grand chapter of the formation of a grand royal arch chapter in the said ftate, and fubjoining a copy of their regulations, and alfo a certificate of the appointment of a proxy for the grand high prieft of the faid grand chapter.

A communication was also received from the fecretary of the grand chapter of the state of New-York, containing the report of a committee appointed by the faid grand chapter upon the