Page 15 - Centennial Sketch of the History of the Lodge of Nine Muses No. 235. 1777 to 1877 UGLE

Lodge of the Nine Muses 1777-1877 15

to him, although he, as we infer, had at least granted the Lodge the use of them.
The Nine Muses, however, took a different view of the question of ownership,
and considered the candlesticks their own, and accordingly took occasion, when
their attention was called to this, as they thought, unwarrantable transfer of the
property of the Lodge to other hands, to repossess themselves of it. The Muses
have ever been jealous of their rights, and as it was by presuming to interfere with
their prerogative that the sirens lost their feathers, which the Muses afterwards
wore, so perhaps a somewhat similar cause contributed to assure to the Muses
these much-coveted Prince of Wales’s feathers. However this may be, at the next
meeting (March 25th, 1814) of the Lodge of the Nine Muses the following
Resolutions were adopted in reply to those quoted: ~

“That this Lodge do acknowledge the receipt of copies of certain Resolutions
12
of the Prince of Wales’ Lodge, dated the 3rd June, 1813, numbered 1, 2, and 3,
transmitted by their secretary on the 11th January, 1814, and presented to this
Lodge on the 25th February last.
“That as to the Resolution No. 1, the Lodge of the Nine Muses perceives with
satisfaction that the members of the Prince of Wales’ Lodge have relinquished any
claim to the candlesticks belonging to this Lodge; and that the remaining part of that
Resolution, relating to matters between the late Bro. Ruspini and the Prince of
Wales’ Lodge, does not require any observation.
“That as to so much of the second Resolution, whereby the Prince of Wales’
Lodge have expressed their ‘very great regret that this Lodge should not have
thought it expedient in the first instance to have offered a temperate and amicable
representation to them on the subject in dispute’, this Lodge cannot refrain from
the expression of their extreme surprise that the Prince of Wales’ Lodge should have
accepted of a valuable present of furniture bearing the marks and emblems and consequently
identified as the property of the Lodge of the Nine Muses, from an individual member
of that Lodge, under whatever pretence such a supposed present was made. And
more especially, that the said Lodge should have so far forgotten the ‘respect and
courtesy’ due to the Lodge as to omit the smallest inquiry whether the property so
identified COULD belong to the individual who offered it to them.

12 Reply of the Nine Muses to the Prime of Wales’ Lodge.