Egyptians.

He goes to a friend , one who ho feel : will be true . Hi unfolds to him a plan by which he can be put on the road to prosperity again . All he needs is a little help—not much—his friend is abundantly able to give it without

inconvenience . Ten to one—no , a hundred to one—the friend and brother will say no , and say it , too , in such a way as to destroy the feeling of hope that was beginning to spring up in his heart . He only wanted a little straw ,

but the Egyptian bade him rmke bricks without it . If perchance he struggled on , and with a stout heart aud by herculean efforts overcomes the obstacles , and is agaiu prosperous , the Egyptian who turned away from him will

meet him with a smilo , strike him familiarly on the back , and say , "Brave boy ! good fellow ! " and will be glad to cultivate his acquaintance , and to introduce him as " my

friend . " If , however , for the want of the straw , he fails to succeed , the coldest blast from the North Pole would nol equal the frig id scorn of the same Egyptian friend .

When men are in the clouds of adversity they need tho cheerful welcome , the fraternal grasp more than when basking in the sunshine of prosperity . Don't be an Egyptian task-master , but practise the teachings of

relig ion and Masonry . Feel for a brother in a practical way . If he be naked , clothe him . If he be hungry , feed him . If he be discouraged , greet him with a smile , and a

hearty , friendly grip . If he asks for bread do not give him a stone . If he is struggling with a hard task , do not "take away the straw . "—Jacques , in Neiv York Dispatch .

"Masonic Records" And Brother Norton.

" MASONIC RECORDS" AND BROTHER NORTON .

BY BKOTHEK JNO . LANE .

WITHOUT desiring to force my opinions ou any brother , I fail to discover in Bro . Norton ' s article in the FREEMASON ' CHKONICLE of 26 th inst . any reason whatever for abandoning the position I have taken

respecting No . 79 . On the contrary , further investigations , made since my letter of 15 th February last , have corroborated and strengthened those views , and the further light thrown on this subject by my recent researches ( as

recorded in the Freemason of 19 th March ) will , I think , prove conclusively , to every unprejudiced mind , that the list heretofore known as " 1730-32 " is not of 1730 at all , but was undoubtedly compiled late in 1731 , and received

additions to it , from time to time , down to the end of 1732 . To put this as emphatically as possible , without imitating the style adopted by Bro . Norton , I unhesitatingly affirm , from actual , careful , and critical

investigation and examination of the original minute books , & c ., that "No . 79 of the Castle at Highgate" was " not removed in 1731 or 1732 to St . Martiu ' s-lane , " as Brother

Norton says he "believes , " aud that there is not the slightest trace whatever of the existence of any No . 79 as a London Lodge until towards the end of the year 1732 .

In my "Masonic Records" I did not state that there were "three seventy-niners , " but indicated onl y two with that number . In my letter , however , of 15 th February last I intimated that " this Lodge [ Castle at Hio-h ^ ate

fell into abeyance or lapsed , aud was revived or a new Lodge constituted early in 1735 . " Consequently , Brother Norton , in failing to note the alternative , has gone wide of the mark ; and whilst ou the one hand it is quite possible

that the same Lodge was removed from lli ghgafce to St . Martin ' s Lane , it is , on the other hand , very questionable , inasmuch as there is no record whatever of tho Lod ^ e

in the Lists of 1733 and 1734 , where one , naturally and reasonabl y , would expect to find it mentioned , if it was in existence during that period .

On what evidence , or with what " reason , " Bro . Norton bases his " belief " that " No . 79 of the Castle at Hi ghgate removed in 1731 or 1732 to St . Martin ' s Lane , and that from 1731 to 1740 the Hi ghgate Lodge was the only 79

that figured on the English Grand Lodge Register , " I should very much like to know . Certainl y his " belief" is altogether inconsistent with and antagonistic to the actual facts recorded , for in the Grand Lodge Minute Books , under

date 21 st November 1732 , the Lodge afc the "Castle in High gate " appears for the first time and is never mentioned again— except in the 1731-2 List—the number 79 reappearing 24 th February 1735 at the " Anjjel and Orovvii m Little St . Martin ' s Lane . " I know of no reliable

"Masonic Records" And Brother Norton.

authorities other than those I have referred to ; if Bro . Nortou has hotter and more trustworthy sources of information , he may reasonably be asked to produce them . It might then be seen whether , as a Masonic writer , I have ,

or have not , "jumped" at " wrong conclusions , but at present I respectfully decline tho questionable- honour of being designated a " Masonic jumper , " and having no end to gain or party to serve , but seeking for Truth only , I am

content to let what 1 have written he fairly and honestly tested so that the Truth may win the day . As a step towards that desirable end , I venture to ask Bro . Norton to reconsider his references to Bro . Piue , as

" the very first of all Lodge List compilers , " and " who ( he says ) engraved all the Lodgo Lists from 1723 . " It is , I think , a well ascertained fact that the first List known ,

viz ., that of 1723 , * was the work of Eman Bowen , Engraver , in Aldersgate Street ; Bro . Pine not appearing , so far as we know , as an Engraver of Lodgo Lists , until 1725 .

Royal Naval Lodge Of Independence.

ROYAL NAVAL LODGE OF INDEPENDENCE .

BY BKO . JACOB NORTON . BRO . DAVID PULSIFER , the Boston antiquary , has got hold of a pamphlet , printed in London in 1795 ,

which seems worth describing , for I certainly never saw it noted or alluded to in any Masonic publication . It may , therefore , be something new even to most of the

members of the above-named Lodge . The size of the pamphlet is near G § by 4 inches , and the following is on its title page : —

"A list of the members belonging to the Royal Naval Lodge of Independence [ Number 57 ] of the most ancient and honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons , constituted in the year 1738 , held at their private room near Red Lion-street , Wapping , A . D . 1795—A . L . 5795 . "

At the bottom of the page is written " London , and no printer ' s name is given . On consulting Bro . Lane ' s " Masonic Records " I find that tho said Lodge was

constituted 27 th January 1739 , which in those days was called 1738 . Of course , like other Lodges , its number underwent several changes . Its first number was 179 , it was afterwards successively changed to ICG , 100 , 77 , Gl , 57 , 79 , 70 , and last to 59 . Its locations were also repeatedly changed ,

the Lodge successively met at Chequers , in Charing Cross , Crown and Anchor , Seven Dials , & c . In 1791 it met near Wapping Old Stairs , and in 1795 at a private room near

Red Lion-street , Wapping . But not only its numbers and locations were changed , its name was also changed . Thus up to 17 G 8 the Lodge was nameless . In the said year it assumed the name of " Lodo-e of Relief and Truth . " In

1771 , when the Lodge removed to Wapping , it called itself "Royal Navy Lodge . " In 1793 it changed to " Royal Naval Lodge . " When the additional word Independence was tacked on to it I do not know , I must here only add that since 1865 the said Lodge has met at Freemasons' Hall .

I must now return to the little pamphlet . It has nominally , including the title , 25 pages , but in realit y there were two stubs sewn in after page 6 , which count for four pages , and one stub was left at the end . To the

stub following page 6 , a leaf subsequently printed , with names , initiated I presume after 1795 , was pasted on . The last stub also had a leaf pasted on , which is page 25 , but pages 9 and 10 are still represented by a stub .

The third page is headed with the words " Quarterly Members , " which is followed merely by a line . Under the said line comes in capital letters " Present Officers of the Lodge ; " the name of every Officer is printed in capital

letters , and every one of the Officers resided in Wapping . These consisted of the Master , Senior and Junior Wardens , Treasurer , Secretary , and two Stewards . Next comes a list ofthe " Past Officers , " consisting of ei ght names , four of whom resided in Wapping , or near to it , the other four woro scattered over both sides of the Thames .

Page 5 is headed with the words " Linnd Members , " the names are printed in italics , and the residence of each member is given Ou pages 5 and G there are twenty-five names ; on the next page , which was pasted on to one of the stubs , ten other names are added , thus making a total