the want of genuine rituals continued to be felt; and by acknowledging the authenticity of this Cologne document an unknown Grand Master as superior would have to be acknowledged, and the High Degrees would of necessity have to be accepted, because supported by historical tradition."

The Grand Master of the Netherlands, Prince Frederick, had copies of these documents made, sent the Latin text with a Dutch translation to all the Netherlandic Lodges in 1818, and had likewise the documents closely investigated by competent judges, who immediately raised doubts as to their genuineness. Notwithstanding this, some of the Lodges in the Netherlands believed in them. The first German translation appeared in Br. Heldmann's "The Three Most Ancient Memorials of the German Freemason-Fraternity" (Aarau, 1819). In Germany, Stieglitz, Prof. Heeren at Göttingen, Krause, and Mossdorf (Lenning's Encycl.) immediately pronounced sentence against them, which was confirmed by more recent investigation. 1

Immediately upon the separation of the South in 1830, a cause of strife arose between the Belgian and Netherlandic Lodges, which in 1837 was happily adjusted.

In 1847, several brethren in Amsterdam, Br. M. S. Polak at their head, being discontented with the state of Masonic affairs then prevailing, and penetrated with the conviction that reforms should be set on foot, requested of the Grand Lodge of the Netherlands the grant of a constitution to establish a new Lodge under the name Post Nubila Lux, which however was not accorded them. They continued to work as an isolated Lodge.

On the 25th of November 1866 the fiftieth Masonic anniversary of the Grand Master, Prince Frederick, was celebrated by the Grand Lodge with great splendour. To commemorate the event, the Grand Master presented to

1 See Appendix upon the Charter of Cologne and the proofs of its being spurious.

the Grand Lodge his rich collection of Masonic works, manuscripts, &c., formerly the property of Br. Kloss, deceased. A Provincial Grand Lodge of South Africa was instituted at Cape Town. In 1867 the Grand Master has appointed Br. Van Lennep as Deputy Grand Master, in place of Br. Van Rappard, deceased. After the death of the former Br. Noordziek (in 1869) was appointed Deputy Grand Master. The Grand Master, it is believed, intends to resign his office and to become Protector.

The Grand Lodge of the Netherlands, which in 1863 numbered 50 Lodges, 38 in the mother country and the rest in the colonies, tolerates the High degrees, without actually advancing them. The greater number of the Lodges work in the St. John's degrees, or at most in the reformed High degrees of Prince Frederick. Besides the Grand Master, there are the following deputy Grand Masters (a) for the symbolic degrees, (b) for the higher ones, (c) for the Master's degree, (d) for the East and West portion of the East Indies belonging to the Netherlands, (e) for the portion of the West Indies belonging to the Netherlands.

III. DENMARK.

In 1792, the Landgrave Charles of Hesse, Danish Field Marshal and Governor of Schleswig-Holstein, under the Government, undertook the conduct of the Lodges with the title of Grand Master, and through him Freemasonry in Denmark was formally and officially recognised by an order in council from King Christian VII. on Nov. 2 of that year. The sole restriction it contained was, that only such Lodges could be regarded as regular and under Government protection which acknowledged the Landgrave as their superior.

Under the Grand Mastership of the prince, the system of the "Knights of Benevolence" was introduced, which

was included in the Wilhelmsbad Convention.1 From written reports we learn that the Lodge "Zorobabel zum Nordstern" in Copenhagen was opened May 30, 1785 under the new system of working introduced by Captain Moth. This continued to be used till the year 1855. The highly esteemed Masonic author, Bishop Münter, who is especially celebrated for his history of the Order of Knights Templars, belonged to the Lodge just mentioned above.

Besides the actual business of the Lodges, the Society of the Chain, a sort of Adoptive Freemasonry, which arose in Denmark between the years 1780 and 1790, claimed very much of the time and strength of the Fraternity, for this benevolent institution maintained almost single-handed the Asylum for the Blind in Copenhagen.

The Landgrave Charles of Hesse erected two high degrees in 1819, under the name of a Scotch Lodge "Charles, of the Lion", and a Directory, presided over by the well-known lord high-chamberlain von Hauk.

After the death of the Landgrave, the Crown Prince, subsequently King Christian VIII., assumed the Protectorship of the Danish Lodges, and manifested such genuine love for the Brotherhood as will render him for ever memorable. In 1848, he died and left the Protectorship in the hands of the King, who, when Crown Prince, had been initiated in the Lodge "Maria of the Three Hearts" in Odensee, and in 1841 had joined the Lodge "Zorobabel". To his zeal for Freemasonry in Denmark the Fraternity owe their present prosperity in that country. He likewise introduced the Zinnendorf (Swedish) Rite (its solemn inauguration took place Jan. 6, 1855), and promoted the union of the two Copenhagen Lodges into one, under the name of "Zorobabel and Frederick of the Crowned Hope". The second division of the system, the

1 See Altenb. Zeitschrift f. Freimaurerei. 1823. Page 435. Also "Die Bauhütte", 1859, page 341.

See C. Otto in the "Bauhütte", L. c.

St. Andrew's Lodge, was erected two years later in Helsingör and Copenhagen, and the third division, the Chapter, in Nov. 1864, in the castle of Fredericksborg. The Danish Grand Lodge (of the 8th province) was formed at the same period,

In the Chapter, which up to the present time only works in the 7th and 8th degrees, the King himself was Grand Master; in the St. Andrew's Lodge "Cubus Friderici Septimi", the Police director, Br. Brästrup; in the St. John's Lodge, Br. Charles Otto, M. D.

The Grand Lodge of Denmark, which since the death of King Frederick VII. has been presided over by Br. Brästrup, numbers four St. John's Lodges, which are in Copenhagen, Aalborg, Helsingör and Odensee.

IV. SWEDEN.

When Duke Charles of Südermanland, born Oct. 7, 1748, died Feb. 5, 1818, was Grand Master, the rage for secret alliances became so much the fashion, fostered by the Duke's love for secrets and mysteries, that the Brethren suffered considerably under the influence of these misty appearances. Nothwithstanding the light pretended to be diffused by the so-called high degrees of the Swedish system, the Vicarius Salomonis does not seem to have attained any very satisfactory knowledge from it; for if he had, he would not certainly have lent such a willing ear to swindlers like Björnram and Boheman. The former had made a dupe of Gustavus III., who permitted Björnram to introduce his magic art'. Count Oxenstjerna expressed his opinion of him, in the Swedish Grand Lodge, in the following manner: "He seldom attended our meetings, he remained alone in his silent abode, where unnoticed he employed himself in the study of his secret

1 See more minute particulars in "Latomia", Vol. VII, page 180, &c.

art, and very rarely did he confide even to his intimate friends the result of his investigations, agitating as he did questions beyond the sphere of natural philosophy and soaring into the regions of the occult sciences."

Charles Ad. Boheman, born in 1770, at Jönköping, had come over to Germany in 1790, as private secretary to a traveller, and only returned thence to take possession of a large inheritance in his native country, Denmark, where he lived in great splendour, and performed many charitable deeds. The Duke Charles of Südermanland, who longed to hear secrets relating to the higher degrees, honoured him with his confidence. Consequently Boheman came to Stockholm in 1802, where he had the title of Court Secretary bestowed on him, and initiated the Duke and many statesmen of distinction into his secret society. It was thought the young King would be entangled in his net, and such a result would most assuredly have exercised a pernicious influence upon him, and have been a general misfortune to the country. Boheman was therefore imprisoned in 1803, and his papers were seized, nominally, for his having interfered in political affairs. Being banished his country, he wandered back to Germany. In 1812, we hear of him endeavouring to found a Lodge in Pyrmont, but after this nothing certain is known about him. In an official document, published in 1803, it is stated he confessed that partly from self-interested motives, and partly from a love of power, he had become an impostor.

In honour of the marriage of King Gustavus VI., who in 1793 had been made a Mason, the Grand Lodge of the country gave a feast to the poor.

A more important event, and one which proved a great matter of rejoicing, was that in 1799 a union was brought about between the Grand Lodges of Sweden and

1 See "Latomia", Vol. VII, page 184 and "Allgemeines Handbuch der Freimaurerei", Volume I, page 117.