These chapters assumed a right to organize and control symbolic or blue lodges, and this assumption had been a fertile source of controversy between them and the Grand Lodge. By the latter body they had never been recognized, but the lodges under their direction had often been declared irregular, and their members expelled. They now, however, demanded a recognition, and proposed, if their request was complied with, to bestow the government of the "hauts grades" upon the same person who was at the head of the Grand Lodge. The compromise was made, the recognition was decreed, and the Duke of Chartres was elected Grand Master of all the councils, chapters, and Scotch Lodges of France.

But peace was not yet restored. The party who had been expelled, moved by a spirit of revenge for the disgrace formerly inflicted on them, succeeded in obtaining the appointment of a committee which was empowered to prepare a new constitution. All the lodges of Paris and the provinces were requested to appoint deputies, who were to form a convention to take the new constitution into consideration. This convention, or, as they called it, national assembly, met at Paris, in December, 1771. The Duke of Luxemburg presided, and on the 24th of that month, the ancient Grand Lodge of France was declared extinct, and in its place another substituted, with the title of Grand Orient de France.

Notwithstanding the declaration of extinction by the national assembly, the Grand Lodge continued to meet and to exercise its functions. Thus the fraternity of France continued to be harrassed, by the bitter contentions of these rival bodies, until the commencement of the revolution compelled both the Grand Orient and the Grand Lodge to suspend their labours.

On the restoration of civil order, both bodies resumed their operations, but the Grand Lodge had been weakened by the death of many of the perpetual Masters, who had originally been attached to it; and a better spirit arising, the Grand Lodge was,

by a solemn and mutual declaration, united to the Grand Orient on the 28th of June, 1799.

Dissensions, however, continued to arise between the Grand Orient and the different chapters of the higher degrees. Several of those bodies had at various periods given in their adhesion to the Grand Orient, and again violated the compact of peace. Finally, the Grand Orient perceiving that the pretensions of the Scotch rite Masons would be a perpetual source of disorder, decreed on the 16th of September, 1805, that the Supreme Council of the 33d degree should thenceforth become an independent body, with the power to confer warrants of constitution for all the degrees superior to the 18th, or Rose Croix; while the chapters of that and the inferior degrees were placed under the exclusive control of the Grand Orient.

But a further detail of the dissensions which obscured masonry in France, would be painful as well as tedious. They were renewed in 1821, by the reorganization of the Supreme Council, which had been dormant since 1815. But in 1842 an advance towards a reconciliation was made by the Supreme Council, which has at length been met by the Grand Orient. The friendship was consummated in 1842, and peace now reigns, at last, among

the Masons of France.

Germany. The first German lodge was established at Cologne, in 1716, but it died almost as soon as it was born. Seventeen years afterward, (in 1733,) according to Preston, a charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of England, to eleven German Masons in Hamburg. In 1738, another lodge was established in Brunswick, under the authority of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. This lodge, which was called "The Three Gloves," united with the lodges of "The Three White Eagles," and "The Three Swans," to organize, in 1741, a Grand Lodge, the first established in Germany. This Grand Lodge still exists, and has under its jurisdiction eighty-eight subordinate lodges. There is

Illustrations, p. 183, ed. 1804.

another Grand Lodge at Brunswick, which was established in 1768, by the Grand Lodge of England, and which is considered as the metropolitan Grand Lodge of Germany. It has under its jurisdiction fifty-three subordinate lodges.

Prussia. The Royal York Grand Lodge of Prussia is situated at Berlin. It was established as a subordinate lodge, in 1752. In 1765 it initiated the Duke of York, and then assumed the name of "Royal York in Friendship." It had under its jurisdiction, in 1840, twenty-seven lodges. The "Grand Lodge of the Three Globes" was founded in 1740, and has under its jurisdiction one hundred and seventy-seven lodges. There are now three Grand Lodges in Prussia, the "Three Globes," the "Royal York," and the "National," which was founded, in 1770, by a warrant from the Grand Lodge of England; every lodge in Prussia derives its warrant from one of these Grand Lodges.

Saxony. The first lodge in Saxony was the Three White Eagles, which was formed in 1738 at Dresden. In 1741 another was formed at Leipsig, and a third in the following year at Altenburg. The Grand Lodge of Saxony was establised in 1812. It has adopted the system of Ancient Craft, or St. John's masonry, for its rite, and under this all its subordinates, except two, profess to work.

Belgium. In 1721, the Grand Lodge of England constituted. the lodge of "Perfect Union," at Mons, and in 1730, another at Ghent. The former was afterward erected into a Grand Lodge. The present Grand Orient of Belgium has its seat at Brussels.

Holland. The first lodge established in Holland, was at the Hague in 1731, under the warrant of the Grand Lodge of England. It was, however, only a lodge of emergency, having been called to initiate the Duke of Tuscany, afterward Francis the First, Emperor of Germany. After the ceremony had been performed by the Earl of Chesterfield, the lodge was closed. The first regular lodge was established at the same place in 1734, which five years after took the name of "Mother Lodge." In 1735, a lodge was opened at Amsterdam. The National Grand Lodge was esta

blished on the 18th December, 1757, and now has about seventy lodges under its register.

Denmark. The Grand Lodge of Denmark was instituted in 1743. It derived its existence from the Grand Lodge of Scotland. It is situated at Copenhagen. Masonry in this country is in a flourishing condition; it is recognized by the state, and the reigning king is Grand Master.

Sweden. In no country has the progress of masonry been more prosperous than in Sweden. It arose there in 1754, under the charter of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The seat of the Grand Lodge is at Stockholm, and the king is at the head of the craft.

Russia. An English lodge was constituted at St. Petersburg, in 1740, under a warrant from the Grand Lodge of England, and masonry soon afterwards began to increase with great rapidity throughout the empire. In 1772, the Grand Lodge of England. established a Provincial Grand Mastership, and lodges were constituted successively at Moscow, Riga, Jassy, and in various parts of Courtland. The order was patronized by the throne, and, of course, by the nobility. But, unfortunately, politics began to poison, with its pollutions, the pure atmosphere of masonry, and the order rapidly declined. Lodges are, however, still privately held in various parts of the empire.

Poland. In 1739, Freemasonry was suppressed in this kingdom by an edict of King Augustus II. In 1781, however, it was revived under the auspices of the Grand Orient of France; who, upon the application of three lodges at Warsaw, established lodges at Wilna, Dubno, Posen, Grodno, and Warsaw. These united in 1784, to form a Grand Orient, whose seat is at the last named city. Masonry in Poland is now in a flourishing condition.

Bohemia. Freemasonry was instituted in Bohemia, in 1749, by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. In 1776 it was highly prosperous, and continued so until the commencement of the French, revolution, when it was suppressed by the Austrian government. Its present condition I have no means of ascertaining.

Switzerland. In 1737, the Grand Lodge of England granted a patent to Sir George Hamilton, by authority of which he instituted a Provincial Grand Lodge at Geneva. Two years afterwards the same body bestowed a warrant of constitution on a lodge situated at Lausanne. Masonry continued to flourish in Switzerland until 1745, when it was prohibited by an edict of the Council of Berne. From this attack, however, it recovered in 1764. The lodges resumed their labours, and a Grand Lodge was organized at Geneva. But Switzerland, like France, has been sorely visited with masonic dissensions. At one time there existed not less than three conflicting masonic authorities in the republic. Peace has, however, been restored, and the National Grand Lodge of Switzerland, seated at Berne, now exercises sole masonic jurisdiction, under the name of Alpina. The Book of Constitutions is similar to that of England. The Grand Lodge Alpina recognizes only the three degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry.

Italy. The enmity of the Roman church towards Freemasonry, has ever kept the latter institution in a depressed state in Italy. A lodge existed at Florence, as early as 1733, established by Lord Charles Sackville, the son of the Duke of Dorset, and lodges still are to be found at Leghorn, Turin, Genoa, and the other principal cities, but their meetings are held with great secrecy.

Spain. The first lodge established in Spain was in 1726, at Gilbraltar. Another was constituted the year following, at Madrid. A third was formed at Andalusia, in 1731. The persecutions of the priests and government were always obstacles to the successful propagation of masonry in this kingdom. Lodges, however, still exist and work in various parts of Spain, but their meetings are in private.

Portugal. What has been said of Freemasonry in Italy and Spain, is equally applicable to Portugal. Though lodges were established as early as 1727, they always were, and continue to be, holden with great secrecy. One, however, of the influences of the French invasion, was the dissemination of Freemasonry