MORGAN.

THE fate of William Morgan has long been a matter of doubt in the minds of many people. We give below an article from the Mirror and Keystone which throws some light upon this subject. There is, however, some slight mistake in names. The vessel in which the person believed to be Morgan, sailed from this country to Smyrna, was the Brig Minerva, which was owned by Ezra Weston,* of Duxbury, Massachusetts. The captain's name was Martin Waterman. We knew him from our early childhood, and think he is still living.

A few years ago, when the Editor of this Magazine was in Smyrna, he received from American residents there an account of the individual alluded to by the Mirror and Keystone, and whom every one believed to be William Morgan. We were not, at that period, a Mason, and did not take any pains to investigate the matter:

Bro.

"[In last week's Mirror and Keystone,' we promised to give our readers some information obtained by Bro. A. G. Goodall, in relation to William Morgan, the supposed abducted, which we stated, corroborated what we published some years ago, in every essential particular. Goodall is a devoted and intelligent Freemason. He is an officer in Montgomery Lodge No. 19, a gentleman of high respectability and of undoubted veracity, whose statements can be relied upon as being true in every particular. He is a member of the American Bank Note Company,' which house, as Bank Note engravers, has a wide reputation, and is well known in this country and Europe.

"Before giving the statement of Bro. Goodall, we will present our readers with an extract from the Masonic Mirror and Keystone,' of January 17, 1855, from which it will be seen that the information obtained by Bro. Goodall, agrees with that communicated to us by Bro. Bloom, nearly five years ago. We make no comments but present the facts to our readers.]

"The truth is, William Morgan was never abducted, much less assassinated. Now, dear reader, do not start at the Mirror' making such an unqualified and positive assertion, denying the statement that was reiterated and sworn to in the most solemn manner, and by those who were considered of unimpeachable integrity. But we do make the assertion without any qualification, having proof, living proof, of the most undoubted character before us. A gentleman of high scientific

The Grandfather of the Editor of THE ASHLAR.

attainmnnts, who has travelled much, resided in the East for many years, was made a Mason on the same evening and at the same time with Alexander of Russia and Prince Joseph Ponietowsky, (who was killed in the battle of Leipsic,) in the city of Paris, during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, in Amitie Lodge, on the 7th of September, 1805. Our informant is named Joseph Alexander Bloom. He is now in the seventieth year of his age, in the full vigor of his intellect, and a gentleman of more than ordinary information. This Brother informs us that he resided for some time in the city of Smyrna; that in 1831, he became acquainted with an American gentleman who professed the Mahomedan faith, who went by the name of Mustapha, and was engaged at that time in teaching the English and French languages; the latter of which he understood but imperfectly.

"That this man was no other than William Morgan, who with his own lips communicated the fact to Bro. Bloom, with many circumstances which our informant has, since his arrival in this country, found to be true. If any other evidence was needed, it is confirmed in Bro. B.'s mind in the most conclusive manner by seeing the portrait of the supposed abducted William Morgan, published with his exposition, (so called) of the secrets of Freemasonry. This picture is a striking likeness of his acquaintance of Smyrna. Brother Bloom states that he could not help retaining in his recollection the features of Morgan, as they dined at the same house and he had frequent conversations with him. This house was a public place of entertainment, and was kept by one Salvo. It is situated on the bay, and it was near this place where Mr. Costa was taken. Bro. Bloom further states that Morgan left this country in the ship Mervine, which sailed from Boston to Smyrna, and belonged to the firm of Lagdon & Co. The captain's name of the 'Mervine' was Welch ; this was all told by Morgan to Bro. B. We think our readers can place the utmost confidence in what has been stated above. It is uttered by a Brother who has reached his three score and ten, vouches for every word that has been written. Let the absurd and inconsistent slanders which have been raised in relation to the forcible abduction of Morgan, be forever silent. To the Masonic Institution it can make very little difference whether the falsehood so widely circulated gained much or little credence. It is our purpose, as it always has been, to live down all that may be said of us adverse to Honor and Virtue.' 66 BRO. GOODALL'S STATEMENT.

and

"Bro. Goodall, while in Constantinople, had several interviews with two persons, now living in that city, who informed him that they were

personally acquainted with Morgan,' one of whom was a pupil of Morgan who taught him English and French. The confession Morgan made to this person, leaves no doubt of his being the veritable Morgan, the supposed abducted; who, while the hue and cry of his having been killed and cast into the Niagara, was in full blast, he, Morgan, was quietly luxuriating in a quiet dreamy life among the Turks. He confessed that he sailed direct from the United States to Smyrna, where he adopted the Turkish dress, and the name of Mustapha, and applied himself to acquiring a knowledge of the Turkish and French languages. He is well known in Smyrna by the name of Mustapha, and as a teacher of the English and French languages. He was very reserved in his manner and conversation, and no clue could be obtained to his history, except that he was obliged to leave the United States, but for what purpose, none ever knew, only those to whom he made the statement, that he was the Morgan who occasioned so much excitement throughout the United States among the members of the Masonic Order. The last seen or known of him was five or six years ago, when he was still in Smyrna, had quit teaching, and was living in habits, manners and costume as a Turk."

HAMBURGH AND COLORED MASONS.

Extract from a Report of the New York Committee on Foreign Correspondence.

IMPERIOUS circumstances require, at the hands of your Committee, a notice of the very singular movements of this body. It will be remembered that the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh, has two subordinates in this city, which were chartered by that body several years ago. The Grand Lodge of New York, by its Grand Master, in a very respectful and fraternal communication, explained to that body our constitutional rules, prohibiting the organization of Lodges in this jurisdiction, by any other Grand Lodge whatever, and fraternally requested the withdrawal or revocation of these charters. To this communication a reply was made by Hamburgh, that they had a right to issue these charters, and they should persist in their continuance. New York then, after remonstrating against the act, as an unwarranted invasion of our jurisdictional rights, and opposed to the policy of the Grand Lodges in the United States generally, declared the Hamburgh subordinates irregular and clandestine, and forbade all Masonic intercourse with the members of those bodies, and suspended all intercourse with the parent body in Europe, and its

constituents. This action was seconded by our sister Grand Lodges throughout the Union, and resolutions were adopted by some of them of greater stringency, if possible, than had been adopted by the Grand Lodge of New York; so that now no Hamburgh Mason can obtain admission to a regular Lodge in this country. This course was demanded by the necessities of the case. All other means had been exhausted to persuade that body to withdraw its charter, without avail. To have tamely submitted to this violation of our territorial rights, would have destroyed the Sovereignty of the Grand Lodges in their respective jurisdictions, spread dissension, conflict and turmoil among the members of the Fraternity, and would have ultimately dissolved the Grand Lodges. The Grand Lodge of Hamburgh, seeming to be conscious of the great wrong they are inflicting upon the Fraternity, not only of New York, but of the United States, have adopted a system of reprisals, in retaliation of her supposed grievances, that is unheard of in the history of Masonry. We have received, through the Grand Secretary, from our able, faithful, and indefatigable representative, near the Grand Lodge of Saxony, at Dresden, the R. W. Bro. Von Meusch, several communications detailing these facts, and giving an account of his own doings in the premises.

The first is a report of the transactions of the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh, for the 6th of May, 1858, which reads as follows, viz:

The Grand Lodge of Hamburgh, beg leave to submit to the consideration of those sister Grand Lodges in Europe, more intimately connected with a matter of general importance, requesting them to report their opinion what action in relation thereto, might be necessary to be taken, and which at the same time might be calculated to meet the approbation of a majority of them. There exists in some of the States of North America, besides the Lodges at Hayti, many independent Lodges of colored people, (negroes, mulattoes, &c.,) as, for instance, in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland, &c. They are united under Grand Lodges under the jurisdiction of a National Grand Lodge of America. We know little of them, because they are declared by the North American Grand Lodges as clandestine Lodges, and all Masonic intercourse is strictly forbidden. Their origin is unknown. The African Lodge at Boston, insists upon having obtained its charter from the Grand Lodge of England; this is, however, doubtful. According to an assertion of some of our German brethren, who have, free from prejudice, visited negro Lodges in New York, they could find nothing tending to prevent them from pronouncing these Lodges just and perfect. In North America, however, in the land of boasted liberty, a negro or mulatto, in short, any person in whose veins a single drop of colored blood runs-be he

twice as righteous, honest, well educated, talented and scientific, is considered an outcast, and all intercourse with such person is regarded as a disgrace. The prejudice against colored people, even in those States not counted as slave States, and where none but free negoes live, as for instance, in the State of New York, is of such nature, that no white person would sit down with a negro at the same table, or travel with one in the same stage. That even our American brethren are not free from this prejudice, is a fact well known and deeply to be regretted. In the transactions of the Grand Lodge of New York, (Williard.) for 1855, the question whether colored persons could be admitted as Masons, was regarded as a monstrous proposition, and unworthy of discussion.

At the Masonic Convention, in Paris, in 1855, Bro. Cummings, representative of Washington, insinuated that the European Lodges, in consideration of the condition in America, might be induced not to admit negroes; this insinuation was, however, rejected. Under these prejudicial circumstances on the part of the North American Grand Lodges, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that colored Lodges and Grand Lodges never will be recognized by them. But are the Grand Lodges of Europe, where such prejudices are unknown, thereby bound to deny the legitimacy of a great number of otherwise just and lawful Lodges, and to refuse their brethren admittance into our Lodges because they are of a darker color? The fact that a Grand Lodge of a negro State-that of Hayti, with its Subordinates-has been recognized by most of the European Grand Lodges, as a legal Grand Lodge, and that its representative at the Masonic Convention at Paris had been accredited, and furthermore and in particular, the fact that this Grand Lodge is enumerated as such on the list of Prussian Grand Lodges, is sufficient proof that such a prejudice has no existence in European Grand Lodges. The Grand Lodge of another negro State, that of the Republic of Liberia, in Africa, although too young yet and too little known, may, in the course of time, rely upon being recognized by the European Grand Lodges as well as that of Hayti. As to the Grand Lodges and their Subordinates of colored people, the North American Grand Lodges might appeal to a monopoly, according to which only one Grand Lodge can legally exist in one and the same State; and no Lodge can legally exist in such State without the sanction of the Grand Lodge thereof. This monopoly has been created by common consent, and is not founded, as, for instance, in Prussia, on a demand of the government. The Grand Lodge of Hamburgh, in consequence of having been regardless of this monopoly, as far as it concerns German Lodges, came in conflict with them. On this ground the right of discussing the propriety of such monopoly might the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh be denied; but here it must be premised that this action of the Grand Lodge of Hamburgh has only reference to such Lodges, which, if they had been disposed to join the Grand Lodge of the State, would, undoubtedly, have been rejected by the same on the supposition that the members of such Lodges were unfit for reception. When American Lodges, in respect to a general prejudice prevailing there, deem it proper to reject colored persons; when they refuse members of colored Lodges admit