FREEMASONRY IN NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9153, 7 September 1888, Page 6

FREEMASONRY IN NEW ZEALAND.

The following interesting letters appear in [ the New Zealand Masonic Journal for the present mouth, and are valuable contributions to the early history of Freemasonry in this colony. The first is from P.M. Brother G. H. Rowley (secretary of Lodge I Ara, Auckland;, and the second Is from j W.M. Brother J. S. Welsh (Phoenix Lodge, j Akaroa) :— " Dear .Sir and Brother,On the third ! page of your issue of Ist July, I notice ! there is some hesitation as to which is the j oldest Masonic lodge existing in New Zea- j land. I have very great pleasure in Inform- j ing you that a dispensation was granted and signed in November, 1%43, by the j Australian Social Lodge of Sydney, and j farther, that we have an old minute book j which proves that a meeting of Masons { was held on the 9th February, 1%43, to 1 take into consideration what time it would j be convenient to open a lodge under the dispensation then received, Brother Frede- j ric* Whitaker in the chair; and by the j same Minute Book will prove that Lodge j Ara, No. '.'Ass, 1.C., has been regularly con- J vened from that date, consequently the ; lodge was first held and made Masons the j latter part of February, 1 >54.''; and I can ! assure you that from that date to IHo'J the j records of the lodge contain names of j brethren who have assisted in a great j measure to build up this colony, and who i are mentioned in the various histories of ! .New Zealand.—l m, &c., George H. Powi.ey, P.M., Secretary." "In the year 1842, Mons. Le Lievro acted as Tyler on board the Com de Paris, then lying in Port Levy, Banks Peninsula; the captain and some of his officers were Freemasons, and the captains of four other vessels that, were lying in Lyttelton harbour, met on board the above vessel, and initiated three persons belonging to some of the vessels. A lodge was formed in Akaroa in 1846, by two of the members of the French corvette Le Rhine, Dr. La Perotier, and the master-at-arms; they initiated four. This lodge existed for about three months, and was formed in the absence of Commander Berard, who, on his return, closed it as being un masonic. As far as I can gather, there was no charter in existence for forming a lodge, and I think it is very doubtful, owing to the state of affairs between the Grand Orient and many of the French Grand Lodges in 1841, that a charter would have carried much weight with it, and I can only come to the conclusion that whatever may have been done, from the little information to hand, that all the proceedings were irregular and unmasonic.— S. Welch, W.M. Phoenix Lodge.'' ______________