England, and mutual representatives were appointed. This was in consequence of a letter from the former sent through the Swedish Ambassador, Baron Silverhjelm, dated Jan. 24, 1798, to express to the English Grand Lodge the "sincere esteem" of their northern sister.

In 1809 the Duke of Südermanland had succeeded to the throne under the title of Charles XIII., king of Sweden, and in 1811 he delivered over to his adopted son and successor, Charles John (Bernadotte) the hammer of office. He at the same time founded the Order of Charles XIII., May 27, for the purpose, as it is stated in the deed1 of constitution, of doing honour to those virtues which are not prescribed by law, and which are seldom offered to the notice of the public. The statutes exacted that this Order, the distinctive characteristics of which were to be worn openly, should only be communicated to Freemasons; and therefore it formed the highest degree of Swedish Freemasonry. The reigning King was always to be the Master of the Order, and besides the princes of the Royal House, the Order could only consist of 27 secular and three ecclesiastical members. It is scarcely necessary to observe that this Order was bestowed as a mark of Royal favour, but had no trace of the spirit of Freemasonry in it. Charles XIII. remained an active and zealous member of the Order, and in some one or other of the degrees always took the lead.

Sweden has in modern times kept herself so strictly secluded from the rest of the Masonic world that the Masonic periodicals of Germany have not been for several decenniums in a position to communicate any thing concerning the Lodges there; we must therefore confine ourselves to a few unimportant particulars.

1 See the statutes in the Altenb. Journal for Freemasons. Vol. I. Part. I. 1812. Page 127, &c.

2 Concerning the decorations worn and the initiation of Knights, see "Latomia" Vol. VII. Page 190 and 191.

Findel History of FM.

36

In 1818, Prince Oscar (who ascended the throne in 1844), was made Grand Master in the Swedish Grand Lodge. During his administration, the reunion of this Lodge with that of the Grand Lodge of Germany at Berlin took place, as has been already mentioned. In 1859, after the death of Oscar I., the present King Charles XV. succeeded his father in the office of Grand Master.

Under the Grand Lodge of Sweden, whose present Grand Master is the hereditary Prince Oscar Frederick, are three Provincial Lodges, two Stuart Loges, seven St. Andrew Lodges, and twelve St. John's Lodges.

V. POLAND.

The Grand Lodge just established had soon a very sad loss to deplore, viz, the death of their Grand Master, Andrew Mocranowski. Nov. 26, 1784, a funeral Lodge was arranged, on which occasion his portrait, which was a present from Stanislaus Augustus, was exhibited.1 Count Felix Potocki was installed Grand Master in his place, Feb. 2, 1785, which dignity was confirmed to him in the following year,' though he took no active part in the work of the Lodges. While he was in office, a representative was sent to the Convention of the Philalethes in Paris, and the establishment of Lodges of Adoption was agreed upon; the Sovereign Master, the superior power in the Interior Grand Orient of the high degrees, separated itself Feb. 19, 1785, from the symbolic and Provincial Lodges; and two Lodges (at Dubno and Cracow) were constituted, and connected themselves more intimately with the Grand Lodges of Naples, England, and France. When in 1788 the re-elected Grand Master F. Potocki resigned his office, Prince Casimir Sapieha, at that time marshal of the Lithuanian Confederation, was chosen in

1 Lenning, Encylc., III. Page 110.

his stead. But the imperial diet prevented him from sharing actively in the work of the Lodges. Other zealous brethren were likewise hindered from maintaining the Order, and the members of various Lodges were very dejected at the melancholy occurrences in their native land in 1792, and their zeal in the good cause began to abate. The Lodges were dissolved in 1794, when Poland was divided between the three great Powers. From this time forward Freemasonry was principally disseminated in the Prussian portion of Poland, and several Daughter Lodges were there founded by the three Grand Lodges of Berlin. In 1807, when the newly organized Dukedom of Warsaw was again placed under the dominion of Saxony, the aspect of Masonry likewise suffered an alteration. Several new Lodges were constituted by the Grand Orient de France; March 22, 1810, the Provincial Lodge of "Catharine of the Northstar", and subsequently also the Grand Orient of Poland, were solemnly re-opened by the last Deputy Grand Master, Lewis Gutakowski. In the following year, Jan. 30, 1811, he was elected Grand Master, which office he filled but a short time, as he died in December. To him succeeded in 1812 Stanislaus K. Potocki, as Grand Master. Unfortunately political events caused Masonic operations to be again suspended; and on Jan. 30, 1813, a resolution was passed that all Lodges, including the Grand Lodge itself, were to be regarded as closed until further information should be transmitted.

The Grand Orient of Poland resumed her operations March 11, 1814, and March 12, a solemn Funeral Lodge was arranged in honour of Prince J. Poniatowsky, who was drowned at Leipzig when fighting for his Fatherland. Subsequent to this, nothing worth communicating has occurred, unless we except the founding of new Lodges, and the commencement of a brotherly correspondence with the Russian Grand Lodge "Asträa" in 1816. When, in 1822, a decree of the Emperor Alexander strictly prohibited all secret societies, the Brethren in Poland, though deeply

grieved, yet submissively closed their Lodges, which since then have remained constantly shut.

VI. RUSSIA.

In Russia at this period, and even later, all possible rites were practised -- the Swedish, the Strict Observance, the Melesino, and the so-styled Ancient English. At the head of the Lodges of the Swedish Rite was Prince Gagarin: in the English Provincial Lodge Prince Yelaguin was Grand Master.

A few years before 17901, the prospects of Freemasonry in this country assumed a very dismal appearance. Besides the divisions and intricacies in the interior of the Lodges, and the absence of all unity, there were apprehensions of disturbances from without, which threatened the interruption of all active operations. The events in France, and the many adverse controversial writings at that time published upon Freemasonry, attracted the attention of the Empress Catharine II., and she considered it advisable to make known to those around her that she did not approve of Masonic meetings. Upon this, though no express prohibition emanated from her, the Lodges were closed, but with the privity of the police an administrative power was appointed, as it was hoped all the time that the ill-will manifested would be of no long duration. The Lodge "Apollo" in St. Petersburg worked on in silence till 1797, and after this date united her members twice a year at the feast of St. John, and at the celebration of the day of their erection. The Lodge "of charitableness" (afterwards called "the Crowned Pelican") likewise arranged meetings among her members, without working regularly.

1 We have confined ourselves to the information contained in the "History of Freemasonry in Russia", in a pamphlet, by Br. A. F. Polick, Chairman of the Lodge "zu den drei Sternen" in Rostock, and Lenning's Encycl. "Russia". See also "Latomia". Vol. 13. Page 150, &c.

When Paul I. mounted the throne, the brethren cherished the hope that the Fraternity would be permitted to continue to work again as heretofore, for during his travels he had given unmistakable proofs of his favourable inclination to their Order. He had especially, through the Marshal von Medem, signified his approbation of the Lodges in Courland. Indeed, in Moscow, after his coronation, he had arranged a meeting of the most eminent Masons, at which he was himself present, and wherein the question as to the expediency of reopening the Lodges was agitated. Many and various were the opinions stated. The Russian Brethren were in favour of the movement, but the Provincial Deputy, W. von UngernSternberg, and a few other brethren, remembering former events, opposed it. This latter opinion prevailed, and the Emperor therefore determined that for the present the Lodges should remain closed, until more favourable circumstances should warrant their being opened by the above-named brother. The Emperor added: "Only write to me quite in a brotherly way, and without any ceremony", and then he embraced each one separately, and gave him the customary shake of the hand.

But for a motion in favour of the revival of Freemasonry there did not seem any hope, for, contrary to all expectation, a prohibition was issued against the Fraternity, and that without any adequate cause, as there was not any Lodge in active working order.

Reinbeck explains1 this riddle by saying, that the Emperor was won over by Count Lithar to the Maltese and their Order, and that he was induced to issue the prohibition that he might the more readily check the progress of Freemasonry. But Polick is of a different opinion, and thinks this is doubtful, and that it is very easy to explain the reason of the prohibition, if we

1 Reinbeck, "Flüchtige Bemerkungen auf einer Reise nach Moskau im J. 1805."