of which Brother Mordecai Gist of Maryland was
chairman and Brother Otho Williams of Delaware, secretary.[84]

=FAC-SIMILE OF FINAL LETTER FROM BOSTON, ENDING THE ATTEMPT TO MAKE
GEN. WASHINGTON GENERAL GRAND MASTER.=

This Committee issued the celebrated address:

"To the RIGHT WORSHIPFUL, The Grand Masters of the several Lodges
in the Respective United States of America.

"UNION----FORCE----LOVE."

This address was signed by representatives of no less than seven states,
viz.: Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts
Bay, New York and Delaware; in addition to those of the American Union
Lodge, Artillery, St. John's Regimental Lodge and the Staff of the
American Army.

It was further ordered that the foregoing address with an exact copy of
these proceedings signed by the President and Secretary, be sent to the
respective Provincial Grand Masters in the United States.[85]

It was not until the middle of October that a reply was received from
the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts to the circular letter sent out by the
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and then only in response to a letter
written by our Grand Secretary, Rev. Brother Dr. William Smith.

This matter led to more or less correspondence between the Grand Lodges
of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and was in abeyance, until January,
1781, when the following letter was received from Joseph Webb, Grand
Master of Massachusetts.[86]

"BOSTON, Jany 17, 1781.

"_Revd Sir and
"Respected Brother_

"Last Friday Evening the Grand Lodge met, agreeable to adjournment
and after a long debate on the subject, whether it was expedient at
present to elect a Grand Master General for the United States, it
passed in the negative.

"Inclosed I transmit you the vote from the G. Sec'y.

"Yr Affecte Brother
"& Hble Servt
"Jos: WEBB.

"Rev Dr Smith
"Philadelphia."

The belief that WASHINGTON was the Grand Master of the United States was
widespread, and, as our late Bro. James M. Lamberton said in his address
before mentioned,[87] notwithstanding the fact that the project to
elevate General WASHINGTON fell through, "that the action of the Army
Lodges and of our Grand Lodge got abroad, is shown by translations of
two letters from a Lodge at Cape Francois,[88] on the island of San
Domingo, directed to General WASHINGTON as Grand Master of all Americ