e he soon
fomented discord and trouble.

Schneider was soon driven out of Frederick Town, but returned again in
1794, when he renewed the trouble in the Church, which ended in a
schism. The matter finally got into the Civil Court, and on February 15,
1800 the case was decided against him, which ended his activity in
Frederick Town; soon after which he left for parts unknown.[67]

Snyder, who was not a native of this country, evidently labored under
the impression that WASHINGTON was a Grand Master General, who presided
over all of the English (or Symbolic) Masonic Lodges in the United
States. Snyder evidently used the term "English" Lodges, to distinguish
them from the Masonic bodies working in the so-called higher (Scotch)
degrees, as are now known as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

How important WASHINGTON considered this correspondence is shown by his
precaution in taking a press copy of both of his letters to Snyder, who
he was led to believe was the regular pastor of the German Reformed
Congregation at Fredericktown. These are now in the Library of Congress.
It will be noted that in all of his other Masonic correspondence, copies
were made in his regular letter books by his clerks, of both address and
reply. Brother WASHINGTON evidently surmised that this letter from
Snyder was nothing more or less than a scheme to entrap him. It was not
until a month had elapsed, and then only after due consideration, that
the following reply was sent to Fredericktown, viz.:

"MOUNT VERNON, 25th Sept. 1798.

"_Sir_,

"Many apologies are
"due to you, for my not acknowledging
"the receipt of your obliging favour of
for
"the 22d ult, and ^ not thanking you, at
"an earlier period for the Book you
"had the goodness to send me.

"I have heard much of the ne-
"farious & dangerous plan, & doctrines
"of the Illuminati, but never saw the
"Book until you were pleased to send
"it to me. The same causes which
"have prevented my acknowledging the
"receipt of your letter, have prevented
"my reading the Book, hitherto, name-
"ly, the multiplicity of matters which
me
"pressed upon before, & the debilitated
"state in which I was left after a se
"vere fever had been removed, and
"which allows me to add little more now,
"than thanks for your kind wishes and
"favourable sen