of such plan or system as may be considered most desirable and feasible, for the establishment of a central charitable institution of learning, and to ascertain what aid can be procured for the erection and support of the same, &c. I presume a report will be made by said committee in due time, and I bespeak for it a careful consideration. It is education, my Brethren, which indeed qualifies man to assume his proper rank in creation; which sustains all moral and political concerns; which leads the mind, as if with the wings of the morning, to the uttermost parts of the earth, and brings man in communion with the most distant places; it carries him back to the beginning of time, to creation itself, enables him to mark every epoch through which the world has passed to the present hour, holding, if he pleases, converse with the great, the good, and the virtuous of past ages; drawing lessons of experience as he pursues his course, gathering wisdom from that experience; and thus is qualified to meet every position in which he may be thrown. If there is one duty of Masonry which has my regard more than another, it is that which educates the orphans of our deceased Brethren; and it is my humble prayer to him who has promised to be a father to the fatherless, that He will prosper our efforts in this cause."

The report of the committee on foreign correspondence is a well written and judicious paper. We have room but for what follows:

MASONIC JURISDICTION.

*

On this subject your committee are advocates for the most rigid adherence to limits both clear and definite. Well attested instances have come to the knowledge of your committee, of citizens of this State going into another State, where there is a Grand Lodge, and there receiving degrees of Masonry, and also citizens of another State coming into this, and being invested with the degrees of Masonry, by Lodges subordinate to, and under the jurisdiction of, this Grand Lodge; both of which, in the opinion of your committee, are, on the part of the individuals, highly censurable, and on the part of the Lodges unmasonic. We may be asked, "How far does the jurisdiction of this G. Lodge extend, and within what limits is it confined ?" We answer unhesitatingly, that the G. Lodge of Iowa has exclusive jurisdiction within the boundaries of the State of Iowa, and joint jurisdiction with other G. Lodges, over States, Territories and countries where there is no G. Lodge; thus far may me go, and no further, with safety to ourselves, and without trespassing on the rights and privileges of other G. Lodges. Upon an examination of the proceedings of our sister G. Lodge of Wisconsin, your committee find that she alleges that a Lodge under this jurisdiction, has been making Masons of citizens of that Territory, and under her jurisdiction. That this G. Lodge will sanction such conduct when properly informed, or permit it in future by her subordinates, your committee do not for a moment believe. Nor do your committee approve of the course pursued by our sister G. Lodge in the premises. Instead of her G. Master corresponding with the guilty Lodge on the subject-instead of that G. Lodge publishing the wrong to the Masonic world in her proceedings, she should first have presented her grievance to this G. Lodge (the only body having jurisdiction in the premises) for its action.

Your committee will not attempt to justify a wrong done by this G. Lodge by a greater wrong done by another; yet we were amused (perhaps we should say pained,) to find upon the pages of the same book, that our sister has committed even a more grievous offence against Masonic jurisdiction, inasmuch as she had issued a Dispensation to Masons, permanent citizens of, and residing in, another State, and under the recognized jurisdiction of another G. Lodge of old and respectable standing, to make (not singly, but by the wholesale) what she calls "clandestine Masons." We will do her the justice, however, to state, that she has seen the error of her ways and recanted, and would not have said this much, only to show how important is this subject of Masonic Jurisdiction, and to enforce the correctness of the position we have assumed.

In order to settle this controversy, your committee recommend the adoption of the following resolution :

Resolved, That the Grand Lodge of Iowa claims no jurisdiction beyond the boundaries of the State of Iowa, except jointly with other Grand Lodges over countries where no Grand Lodge exists, and that she will not recognize the right of any other Grand Lodge to exercise jurisdiction within the limits of the State of lowa. All of which is respectfully submitted, by

T. S. PARVIN, Chm'n.

The resolution was rejected, and the following, presented by Br. Booth, and amended by Br. Reynolds, was adopted:

Resolved, By this Grand Lodge, that it is in accordance with the ancient landmarks of Masonry, for any Lodge under the jurisdiction of any Grand Lodge whatsoever, to confer the degrees of Masonry on any worthy applicant who may be residing permanently in its vicinity, and nearer to it than to any other Lodge. [We regret the adoption of this resolution. The report is right.-ED. MAG.]

Obituary.

Lynchburg, Va., Jan. 20, 1848.

DEAR SIR AND BRO. :-Below you will find a copy of the preamble and resolutions adopted on the 21st October last, and which should have been forwarded to you much sooner, but in consequence of ill health, I have delayed sending them until this time. You will please publish them in the Magazine at your earliest convenience. Respectfully and fraternally, EDW. W. VICTOR.

At a called meeting of the Virginia Consistory, De Molay Encampment, No. 4, Eureka Chapter, No. 10, and Marshall Lodge, No. 39, convened on Sunday evening, Oct. 24th, 1847, the following joint preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted:

Whereas it has pleased an all-wise Providence, in his inscrutable dispensations, to call from our midst our beloved Brother, JAMES DOLAN,-be it therefore

1. Resolved, That in this melancholy event, our community has sustained the loss of an industrious, enterprising and public-spirited citizen, society the walk of an upright and honest man, and Masonry a worthy exemplar of her principles, fulfilling, as he did, his various social and domestic duties under the promptings of a noble and generous heart.

2. Resolved, That as a token of respect and esteem for our Brother, and as a further testimonial of our grief at his loss, we wear the usual badge of mourning for the space of thirty days.

3. Resolved, That on tomorrow, at 11 o'clock, we repair in a body to his grave, and pay the last sad honors due to his memory.

4. Resolved, That we tender to his afflicted widow and relatives, in this truly distressing dispensation, the warmest sympathies of our hearts.

5. Resolved, That a copy of this preamble and the accompanying resolutions, be furnished the bereaved family, and that they be published in the Lynchburg Republican and Virginian, and the Freemasons' Magazine at BosE. W. VICTOR, Sec'y.

ton.

Attest,

At a regular convocation of the Council of Royal and Select Masters, holden in the Masonic Temple, at Pawtucket, Jan. 1st, 1847, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously passed:

Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God, in his wise providence, to take out of this world the soul of our deceased Companion, BARNEY MERRY, late Th. II. G. Master of this Council,-therefore,

Resolved, That while we bow submissively to this dispensation of God, we mourn the removal from this Council of a Companion so much and so deservedly endeared to us by his character and services, and entertain a grateful remembrance of his unaffected zeal, of his hearty and uncompromising devotion to our Order, of his untiring diligence in its defence and propagation, and we rejoice in the assurance that he is now resting in holy hope and peace in paradise, and will, at the day of final judgment, receive through the merits of Christ, the reward of all his labors.

Resolved, That this tribute of respect to his memory, with an expression of our unfeigned condolence, be conveyed to his family, and a copy for remembrance be placed on our Records.

A true copy from the Records.

Attest,

Jos. T. GREENE, Rec.

Died at sea, June 13, 1847, lon. 80 deg. E. and lat. 33 deg. S., Capt. ELIJAH C. WOODMAN, formerly of Montville, Me., aged 49 years. He had been concerned in the rebellion in Canada, and transported to Van Dieman's Land. He was subsequently pardoned, and obtained permission to return. His friends could not reach him with remittances of money, and while he was struggling to procure a sum sufficient to pay his passage home and was waiting for an opportunity, he was attacked with a severe illness and finally became entirely blind. In this extremity, he was assisted by a band of Brother Masons, who, ever true to their principles, were ready then to assist a needy and distressed Brother. By their care and assistance, his wants were provided for, his sight was restored, and he so far recovered his health as to be able to embark for America on the second day of March. In happier days he had united with the Masonic Fraternity, and had attained to the Royal Arch degree; and when in distress, a stranger" in a foreign land, his Brethren of "the mystic tie" "took him in" and "ministered to him" in his necessities. In a letter to his family, dated March 1, 1847, he writes as follows:-"I expect to go on shipboard today for home. I must now close my letter. My Brother Masons clothed and supported me a year before I came to the hospital, and have furnished me with necessaries since I came here. I have also received money raised by the Lodge. All have been very kind to me. I am weil clothed. They have furnished me with bed and bedding, a summer and a winter suit, and will furnish me with clothes and other things needful for my voyage home. I hope father and mother are still alive."

6:

Died, in Pepperell, Mass., Jan. 6th, 1848, Br. SAMUEL SMITH, aged 64 years, a worthy member of St. Paul's Lodge, Groton. Br. Smith had seen a great deal of trial in this world. A number of times he had been burned out, but never cast down. He was an enterprising man, and a distinguished soldier of the Westford and Littleton Rifle Company, in the years of 1814, '15, &c. Soon do the moments of our being wing away the brief season of life. The ashes of a worthy Brother Mason will rest in the narrow house, till the Grand Master shall order the archangel to proclaim that "time shall be no longer.” L. S. BANCROft.

MASONIC CHIT CHAT.

that the matter in hand demands an an

swer.

We take pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of an interesting pamphlet, containing the "proceedings had at the re-instating of Burlington Chapter," at Burlington, Vt. The chief point of interest is the communication from Comp. Haswell, giving a concise history of the Chapter and of R. A. Masonry in the State, during the era of antimasonry.

THE JEWEL TO COMP. DEAN.-Our readers are all aware that at the last triennial communication of the General Grand Chapter, a resolution was adopted, authorizing a committee to present to Rev. Comp. DEAN, a gold medal or jewel, in token of the appreciation in which his services were held by that body. The resolution, we believe, as originally offered, named the sum of fifty dollars as the amount to be appropriated for this purpose; but before it was adopted, an amendment was offered fixing the sum at one hundred dollars. This was, however, subsequently withdrawn, and a motion to strike out the original sum of fifty dollars, prevailed ject of establishing a Masonic school, to be

by a unanimous vote; thus leaving the whole matter in the hands of the committee. But in the official printed minutes of the proceedings, the sum of fifty dollars is retained. This, we are authorized to say, is one of those vexatious errors which will sometimes occur in defiance of our best endeavors to avoid them. We noticed it at the time of publishing the resolution, but presuming it most probable that our own recollection was at fault, did not feel at liberty to make the correction, without authority.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.-We occasionally receive complaints, (mostly from business correspondents,) that orders for books and other matters, forwarded to this office, (especially if through a third person,) have not received attention. Now, we wish all our correspondents distinctly to understand, that their orders, requests and inquiries, of whatever nature, are invariably and promptly attended to, or noticed in some form or other; either by letter, or through the Magazine, as the case may require; and whenever this is not done, then they may be assured that their communications have not been received. Some of our agents are not quite particular enough in forwarding requests left with them, and letters by mail frequently miscarry. We shall esteem it a particular favor if our correspondents will promptly give us notice whenever they fail to receive an answer, either by letter or through the ensuing number of the Magazine-presuming, of course,

Our Brethren in North Carolina are, we understand, pushing with energy the pro

under the control of the Grand Lodge of that State. We trust their efforts will be attended with success.

The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of this Commonwealth, has recently granted a Dispensation for a Lodge at San Francisco, California; and has received a petition for another at Honolulu, Sandwich Islands.

Brethren who have purchased the 1st and desire the 2d vol. of the LANDMARKS, by Br. Oliver, are requested to send their orders forthwith, or the volumes on hand will be otherwise disposed of.

The Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter of this Commonwealth, hold regular quarterly communications at the Masonic Temple, in this city, the present month. See advertisement.

Our correspondent at Aberdeen, Miss., is informed that we have no particular knowledge of the person referred to.

A ship of 450 tons, called the " MASONIc," was launched at Richmond, Me., a few months since.

We call attention to the advertisement of Hoon & Sargent, and of T. Owsten, on the covers, the latter of whom will furnish excellent accommodations to such of our Brethren as may visit Pittsburg.