customed to approach your royal person, except upon events connected with the domestic felicity of your illustrious house, yet we trust we will be pardoned by your Majesty for thus expressing our congratulations on the late naval victory, glorious almost beyond all former example. Actuated as we are, by an honest pride in the reflection that the signal success on this occasion was obtained through divine aid, under the auspices of one to whom our native country had the credit of giving birth, we are ready, in common with your Majesty's other loyal subjects, to stand or fall in the support of our liberties, our laws, and our religion; and conclude with breathing a hope in the true spirit of masonry, that peace may soon be restored to these realms on a solid and permanent basis, honourable to your Majesty, and to the nation. "SIGNED in name, and by appointment, and in presence of the Brethren, within the Grand Lodge, this 30th Day of November 1797, being the Anniversary of the Festival of St. Andrew." LXIII. GRAND ELECTION, Nov. 30, 1798. Sir James Stirling, Bart. Lord Prov. of Edin. Grand-Master. J. Trotter, Esq. of Morton-Hall, Senior Grand-Warden. William Guthrie, Esq. Grand-Secretary. IN consequence of the celebrated victory over the French fleet by Admiral Nelson, an address was presented to his Majesty by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Ar a meeting of the Grand Lodge, on the 5th of August 1799, it was stated from the chair, that by an act passed in the last session of Parliament, cap. 79, entitled, "An Act for the more "effectual suppression of societies established for "seditious and treasonable purposes," &c. it was, inter alia, declared illegal for any body of men to require an oath, test, or declaration from their members, not authorised by law; but that an express exception was contained therein, in favour of Free Masons, under certain provisions, of the following tenor. "AND whereas certain societies have been long "accustomed to be holden in this kingdom, under "the denomination of Lodges of Free Masons, "the meetings whereof have been, in a great measure, directed to charitable purposes, be it "therefore enacted, That nothing in this act "shall extend to the meetings of any such socie 66 ty or lodge, which shall, before the passing of "this act, have been usually holden under the "said denomination, and in conformity to the "rules prevailing among the said societies of "Free Masons. "PROVIDED always, that this exemption shall "not extend to any such society, unless two of "the members composing the same shall certify 66 66 66 upon oath (which oath any justice of the peace or other magistrate is hereby empowered to administer), that such society or lodge has, before "the passing of this act, been usually held under "the denomination of a Lodge of Free Masons, "and in conformity to the rules prevailing among "the societies or lodges of Free Masons in this "kingdom: which certificate, duly attested by "the magistrate before whom the same shall be sworn, and subscribed by the person so certifying, shall, within two calendar months after the passing of this act, be deposited with the clerk. "of the peace for the county, stewartry, riding, division, shire, or place, where such society or lodge hath been usually held: Provided also, 66 66 66 "That "That this exemption shall not extend to any "such society or lodge, unless the name or deno"mination thereof, and the usual place or places, " and the time or times of its meetings, and the "names or descriptions of all and every the mem"bers thereof, be registered with such clerks of "the peace, as aforesaid, within two months after "the passing of this act; and also on or before "the 25th day of March in every succeeding 66 year. 66 "AND be it enacted, That the clerk of the peace, or the person acting in his behalf, in any "such county, stewartry, riding, division, shire, "or place, is hereby authorised and required to "receive such certificate, and make such registry "as aforesaid, and to enrol the same among the "records of such county, stewartry, riding, divi 66 sion, shire, or place, and to lay the same, once "in every year, before the general session of the 66 66 justices for such county, stewartry, riding, division, shire, or place; and that it shall and may be lawful for the said justices, or for the major part of them, at any of their general sessions, "if they shall so think fit, upon complaint made · "to them upon oath, by any one or more credi"ble persons, that the continuance of the meet 66 66 ings of any such lodge or society is likely to be injurious to the public peace and good order, "to direct that the meetings of any such society "or lodge, within such county, stewartry, riding, division, 66 66 division, shire, or place, shall from thenceforth "be discontinued; and any such meetings held, notwithstanding such order of discontinuance, "and before the same shall by the like authority "be revoked, shall be deemed an unlawful com"bination and confederacy, under the provisions "of this act." WHICH enactments the Grand Lodge having taken into their most serious consideration, they unanimously agreed, that it was their province, as the head of the masonic body in Scotland, from whom all regular lodges hold by charter, their right of meeting, to take effectual steps for enforcing observance of the law before reciteda law, which, as bearing honourable testimony to the purity of their order, and thus silencing the daring breath of calumny, must be truly flattering to the brethren at large. THEY do, therefore, in the first place, most strenuously recommend the instant attention of the whole lodges of Scotland to the foregoing legislative regulations; by which it will be observed, that two essential requisites are necessary for entitling the Free Masons of Scotland to hold in future their usual meetings. Ist, That two of the members of each lodge shall certify upon oath, before any justice of the peace, or other magistrate, that "The lodge has, |