The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-12-06
Correspondence of the n. Y. Tribune.
Free Masonry I'm Turkey.
CONsTANTINOPLE. Oct. l;


The subject of Free Masonry has begun
to attract considerable attention in the East,
and lodges are being established here and at
Smyrna. l am informed that some forty
years ago French lodge existed at Con-
stantinople, which ceased through want OF
sufficient supporters, and that more recently
there was one in SMYRNA military lodge.
Now there are three at Smyrna, and one is
about to be opened here. At the outset, the
lodge of Smyrna was opened and worked
with warrant of the Grand Lodge of Ire
land, whose Master is the Duke of Leinster !;
the S. w the Earl of Donoughmore; j. G.
w., the Marquis of Conyngham, and the D.
G. NJ, George Hoye, Esq, as the Albany
Lodge No. 65. Seventeen Masons of good
standing and of rank in Masonry, constituted
themselves an Independent Grand Lodge of
Turkey, forming their Magma Charta, and
recognized by all the Grand Lodges of Eu-
rope. Subsequently 43 Masons resident in
Smyrna applied by petition to the Grand
Lodge Of Turkey for warrants to form three
lodges tributary to the Grand Lodge of Tul-
key, whose authority and superiority over
all lodges in Turkey, or hereafter to be
established. is acknowledged. The Grand
Lodge having met in Grand Chapter, after
mature delberation, and lapse of over two
months, granted the warrants, so that there
are now in Smyrna, legally and regularly
formed, consecrated and installed, three
lodges, called Iona No. /, Anatolia No. 2,
Byzantium No. 3, with ITO members in all,
and 81 others under proposition. No. /
works in English, No. 2 in Italian, and No. 3
in the French language. As some of the
members speak only the Greek ngue, they
also occasionally work in that language. The
Grand Lodge of Turkey is composed of these
three lodges, and when it meets all join in
it. The Deputy Grand Master IS Mr.. c. G.
Carer; the Grand Master of the Ionia is
Mr.. j. Langdon, an American the Byzan-
tium Lodge has for its Grand Master NJ.
Keiger, Frenchman of the Antolia | have
not yet heard the name of the G. Master.
] has been for some time past cOntempla-
ted to apply for warrant for lodge for
this place. There are a large number of Ma
sons here, some of whom are Mussulmans,
among whom are H. f. Fuad Pasha, the pre-
sent Minister of Foreign Affairs, and H. S.
Cabrali Effendi, the Chief Dragoman of the
Sublime Porte. 1t it believed that there
are other Mussulmans Masons, though do
not know their names. Mr.. j. P. Brown,
the Dragoman of the Amer: can Legation, a
Master Mason, is tbs mover of the lodge in
intended for Constantirople. / learn that
many Turkish gentlemen will apply for re-
ception so soon as the lodge is established.
| There has been for many years past, it is
said, Masonic Lodge at Belgrade on the
Danube, called 'Ali Kotch," composed OF
70 members, and the G. NJ. of which is named
Tzani Ismail Zcholah Mehemet Saadi. So
says late account of it which find in Cali.
gnani's Messenger of April 80, 1855, taken
from Trieste paper. l have made some
inquiry here about this lodge, and have been
able to procure 10 satisfactory account of it.
l am assured, however, that such lodge
does exist, nnder the name above mentioned
and this is all. l have not been able to
learn that Masonry exists at all among the
Turks or the Arabs. Badly informed Euro
pean writer's declare that it has existed
among the Arabs for great number of cen
turies-long before the Christian era but
no Turkish author, am told, mentions any.
thing of the kind, and the best read Turks
of this capital who ought to know it-some
of them of Arabian origin-assure me that il
is not so. The individuals mentioned above
as being Masons, became such in England
The Turks, in general, believe Masons to be
all atheists, though the higher classes are
convinced of the contrary.
am almost inclined to believe that the
so-cailed Masonic Lodge of cali Kotch" a,
Belgrade, is nothing more than Tekkieh
or convent of Dervishes of Persian origin
Its name is not Turkish. am led to this