Have they been so unfortunate as to introduce among themselves a man of passion and resentment? how quickly have his unbridled feelings involved the lodge in turmoil and confusion? Is a man dishonest in his principles, and unjust in his dealings? he degrades the institution in the eyes of the world to his own level, and practices his dishonesty and injustice upon his unsuspecting brethren. Is he intemperate in his habits? the social and moderate refreshment which we allow, when the labours of the lodge are completed, he perverts to the injury of his constitution, the bad example of others, the disgust of all sober brethren, and the degradation of the craft. Is he a reviler of that holy religion on which we depend for all our sanctions in the lodge below, and our hopes of an entrance into the lodge above the skies? where then is your security for his faithfulness? and what will be said of the pretensions of a society of such men, to the character which ours boasts, of being founded on the corner stone of religion. My brethren, while we disclaim rank and fortune as criterions of admission to our mysteries, let us tyle our doors with the utmost sedulousness against unworthy candidates; and let us rather for the general good, offend a weak brother, whose mistaken partiality induces him to recommend such characters, than by a contrary course destroy the beauty of the lodge. A careful preservation of the funds of the lodge by avoiding unnecessary expenditure, and devoting them to the proper objects of the institution, a punctual discharge of the dues on the part of each member, so that the lodge may also be enabled to satisfy without delay the claims of the grand lodge, the keeping of fair and accurate Minutes of your transactions, and making regular semi-annual returns to the superior body, are duties of so obvious a nature, and have been in general so well attended to, that I barely men lion them. I trust, I shall not be considered as having reference to any lodge in particular, if I do not pass quite so lightly over another circumstance: I mean order and decorum in the lodge. How have I seen the beauty of our work sullied by a want of deference and respect to the presiding officers, by unguarded and heated expressions, by a restless change of place, by continual whispers, by needlessly going out of and returning into lodge, by unseasonable attendance, and by a want of reverence during the most awful and solemn rites! These faults are by no means universal amongst us; but they do exist; and I trust my respected friends who now hear me (while I assure them the picture in the extent portrayed is not intended for them) will ingenuously acknowledge and amend any particular feature that may apply. Permit me, without any knowledge of the practice of this lodge in particular, to mention as a matter of some concern, a usage which has prevailed of allowing refreshment in the adjoining room before the business of the evening has closed. The almost certain consequence of this is irregularity and disorder; and. I therefore confidently trust, that my affectionate but urgent request, for its total discontinuance, will not be taken in ill part by the brethren, nor their compliance be refused. The general good order, harmony and social enjoyment, that universally prevail during the proper and allotted season of refreshment, increase the delights of our association; and these indulgencies are, in my view, innocent and useful: but for the purpose of rendering this pleasing sweetener of our labours more truly Masonic, I recommend the opening on these ocсаsions of a table lodge, which it should be the duty of the master to close at an early and seasonable hour; and after which, no brother should be permitted to continue the repast. I fear instances have existed wherein the neglect of the recommendation now given has contributed to bring our society under evil imputations. God forbid that so fair a fabric as that of Masonry, should ever become the temple of intemperance and excess! as too far advanced to begin this work, I recommend it to the attention of the brethren, as a measure which may be matured so as to go into operation the ensuing autumn. I have trespassed thus long upon your patience, brethren, under a hope of being able to awaken your attention to some matters which I consider of importance. Should you differ from me on all or any of them, I can only say, that I have performed my conscientious duty in suggesting them for your consideration. It is your right to judge of them; and I pray the Supreme Grand Master to teach you and me to judge aright. After thus complying with a sense of duty by an undisguised exposure of my sentiments, in which I am happy to have the approbation and concurrence of all my worthy assistants in this visitation, I conclude with noticing an object of as great importance as can engage our attention. I allude to the more immediate work of the craft. In this there is not a sufficient uniformity among the different lodges, nor, on the part of some masters, a competent portion of correctness and skill. What is the occasion of this? Is it neglect and indolence on the part of those, whose exalted and responsible stations should excite them to every possible exertion to become bright and perfect examples to, and instructers of others? Not so. The truth is, one bad workman will make many; and an incorrect administra- | the Grand Architect of the Universe, tion of our solemnities, copied in succession by one master from another, affords no prospect of amendment; but, on the contrary, every step leads to still greater error and deterioration. There are few correct lecturers among us: there is then a want of the means of information. This is a radical evil; and how is it to be remedied ? I see, at present, no other mode than the establishment of a grand lecturing lodge, composed of the grand officers and officers, for the time being, of the several subordinate lodges. This would at least promise uniformity; and I hope that there would be found some individuals, whose superior talents in this important branch of Masonic science might be essentially serviceable to others. At all events, there would be a probability of concentrating in this body, and thence universally diffusing, all the Masonic light our several lodges possess. If the season should now be considered Before I sit down, let me congratulate you on the general prosperity of the craft, and particularly of that portion of it, which is more immediately under the jurisdiction of the grand lodge of Pennsylvania. Much harmony prevails among the brethren; many valuable accessions have been made of such as walk worthy of their vocation; and under the auspices of we have reason to hope, that the usefulness and respectability of our institution will continue to increase. May it advance in wisdom, strength, and beauty, till time itself shall merge into eternity! MASONIC PRECEPTS. From the German. Adore the Most High, by whose order every thing which exists had its origin, and by whose unremitting operations every thing is preserved. Every Free Mason, without any consideration to what religious denomination he belongs, where he is born, or what rank he holds, is thy brother, and has a claim upon thee for assistance, when he stands in need of it. Often unveil and examine thy heart, so that thou mayest discover its most secret dispositions; for the knowledge of one's self is the sum of all Masonic precepts. MASONIC HYMN. Supreme Grand Master! most sublime! O give the craft, from pole to pole, ELEGANT MASONIC SONG. IT THE R. W. REV. T. M. HARRIS. Tis almost high noon, And the Grand Master's call, That with joy our refreshment is blended. But ere we have done, Let us look at the Sun, And admire his meridian beauty; i Folgt mit Entzuken, Es leucht uns wieder, GEOGRAPHICAL. THE ISLAND OF MADEIRA. The climate of this island is stated, in a late English publication, to be excellent, being between the extremes of heat and cold; and a soil producing the fruits of the earth, with very little cultivation by the inhabitants, who are on, pomegranate, banannas, myrtle, cypress, cedar, &c., are numerous villas belonging to the native gentry, or to the British merchants, which, being quite white, add greatly to the beauty of the scene. Funchal is the emporium of the island; it contains about twenty thousand inhabitants, (the population of the whole island is one hundred thousand souls,) and is the residence of a governor, bishop, corrigidor, juiz da foro, and other public functionaries. It is a very irregular built town; the streets are generally narrow and crooked, having no foot-paths, and are badly paved; but it is quite the reverse of Lisbon, being extremely clean. The old houses are ill built; but they have lately much improved in architecture; for the modern buildings are generally handsome, and are invariably built with stone, plastered over and whitewashed: most of the houses of the gen represented to be very negligent. Be-try are stuccoed inside, many of them sides almost every kind of European vegetable, the most delicious fruits are very abundant. The hills are covered with very large chestnut and walnut trees; the former producing the finest fruit of its kind in the world, and forming one source of sustenance to the hardy peasantry. are very elegant, and they are for the most part, handsomely furnished in the English style. The residence of the governor is called the palace of Fort St. Lawrence; it is a large ancient building: a few years since, it was greatly improved by the addition of a new suit of apartments, which are elegant and commo The island is formed of one in-dious, built under the direction of an mense hill, or mountain, running from east to west, affording views beauti fully romantic, abounding with fine springs of the purest water in the universe; while verdure and fertility cover the most unpromising situations. Pico Ruivo is five thousand one hundred feet high. The city of Funchal is very delightfully situated at the foot of this lofty range of mountains, on the south side of the island; which forms a kind of amphitheatre, and has a beautiful appearance from the shipping as you approach it, the environs abounding with vineyards, generally in the most luxuriant state; and in the midst of the green foilage of the vine, orange, lem English gentleman. There are in Funchal several handsome churches, the altar pieces of which are highly ornamented with paintings, silver lamps, and railings, together with richly carved and gilt figures, &c. There are, on the island, about twelve hundred secular priests; governed by a dean and chapter, with a bishop at their head. Funchal towards the sea-side, is protected by a parapet wall, properly called the musketry parapet; the fortifications consist of a castle erected upon a steep rock, on the west side of the harbour, and is within a few yards of the shore; it is very ancient, and mounts nine guns of different calibre. || this rise in the price of wine has proThis fort returns the salute of the dif-duced an increase of income to the ferent vessels of war anchoring in the roads; and the castle serves for a state prison. There is one small vegetable and fruit market, but the cattle, beef and fish markets, are miserable. The prisons are ill constructed, badly governed, and insecure. They are altogether a disgrace to the island. All the towns and villages, of which there are several, are invariably situated on the sea coast. The country is too uneven for wheel carriages, except just in the town and its vicinity; the mode of travelling, therefore, is on horseback, or on mules, and in palanquins or hammocks. The native inhabitants of Madeira, are commonly of a middling stature, well limbed, and of a darker complex ion than the inhabitants of the colder climates of Europe, possessing a warmth of feeling with more volatile humour than is usual in the phlegmatit constitutions of people of more northern countries; they are courteOus in their dispositions, and are very polite in their manners among themselves, as well as towards strangers. The females display great taste in adorning their hair, the blackness of which corresponds with their dark expressive eyes, and gives them a very interesting appearance; they are almost universally distinguished for the whiteness of their teeth, the smallness of their feet, and their finely turned ancles. The convulsed state of Europe, for 50 many years, occasioned such an increased demand for the wines of Madeira, that they have, in consequence, advanced to nearly treble the price at which they were sold at the commencement of the French revolution. The cause is removed, but the effect is still continued, by the impolicy of the British merchants, who out-bid fath other in their purchases from the land proprietors and wine jobbers: landholders, and thus, (to use the lan- There is no imprisonment for debt, Many of the natives are possessed of a turn for poetry, and almost the whole of them are rhymesters. The islanders have a great taste for music, and are very graceful dan cers. The highest gratifications of the na- within twenty-four hours after their It is the custom to bury their dead open bier, to the place of interment, demise; they carry the body in an with the face and arms exposed to full view, attended by a concourse of priests and friars, chaunting a funeral dirge (that is, when the deceased leaves money to pay for it, otherwise, no penny, no pater-noster;) then fol low the friends of the departed, and a motley tribe of beggars bearing lighted torches, although it should be at mid-day. When the body is consigned to the grave, a quantity of lime and ! |