Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor . resv > ndents . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications .

AN IMPOSTOR . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Will you kindly find room in your next issue for the following , for the information of the Craft . There is a person going about seeking assistance from the London Lodges . It is now eighteen months since I first met this individual , at the Temperance in the East Lodge of Instruction , No . 898 . He

then stated he was a member and P . M . of a New York Lodge , and was an architect and surveyor , carrying on a very extensive bnsiness , with his brother , in New York , and had come to England to consult the best Physician he could for his eyes , " being nearly blind . " Unfortunately , he was shipwrecked off the Lizard , and was picked np , and landed at Falmouth , where he was in Hospital some time .

after which the Lodge held there relieved him to the extent of £ 2 and paid his railway fare to Penzance . On arriving at Penzance the Lodge there gave him a similar amount , and the amount of his fare to London , but as he had not received a remittance of £ 200 from his brother , he wanted some help until this arrived . I need scarcely say relief was extended to him by tho members of 898 . I did not

hear of this man again until the 24 th September last , when he appeared at the regular meeting of Temperance in the East Lodge , and applied for relief as a late Sergeant of the First Royal Regiment , invalided home from Egypt , " through Blindness . " This Regiment having again been sent to the front , he could not bring his case before the Board of Benevolence , but by some means or other he had

obtained a printed note heading belonging to the Lodge named ( 316 ) , thanking him for forwarding his G . L . Certificate , and stating the Lodge wonld as soon as possible bring hiB case on . The Temperance in the East Lodge voted him one gninea , bnt previous to this being handed him one of our P . M . ' s discovered that he was the same party we had seen at the Lodge of Instruction , as stated above , and drew

my attention to the faot , when I , on finding this statement correct , immediately ordered him outside the door . I have since sent the paper left by this impostor to the Grand Seoretary , who informs me that he can trace no such person in Lodge No . 316 ; moreover , so far from the Regiment he names being in Egypt , it has not been , neither is it going to be , sent to

Egypt . . Well * Sir , this sooundel having been relieved by several Lodges with sums amounting to a gninea at a time , I think it qnite time he shonld be exposed , and the Craft informed , as widely as possible , of such nefarious proceedings . I could relate several other incidents conneoted with this individual but shonld be oooupying too muoh of yonr valuable spaoe . Thanking yon in anticipation , I remain , Yonrs fraternally , F . W . PULSPORD W . M . No . 898 .

OUR INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —The following Table shows how muoh each Province takes annually from the separate and collective Institutions . Now , taking the cost of the male annuitants at £ 40 ; female annnitants at £ 32 ; boys at £ 45 ; and girls at £ 32 per head ;

it will be seen how many of each class belong to the separate Provinces . To the aggregate amount of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , £ 12 , 732 , must be added a further sum of £ 460 for 23 widows who receive for a period of three years half their husband ' s annuities , but as they are so constantly altering in number I have not attempted to allot them .

R . M . B . I . Male . Female . Boys . Girls . Total . £ £ £ £ £ London .... 2120 2112 2340 2844 9416 Bedfordshire ... ... ... —Berks and Bucks ... ... — — 90 72 162 Bristol ... 40 — 90 36 166 Cambridgeshire ... ... —Channel Islands 120 64 90 — 274 Cheshire 240 128 225 180 773 Cornwall ... ... ... 120 160 — — 280 Cumberland and Westmoreland ... — 64 135 72 271 Derbyshire ... ... ... 40 — 45 — 85

Devonshire ... 360 320 135 252 1067 Dorsetshire ... ... ... 240 64 315 — 619 Durham 40 32 225 180 477 Essex 200 96 180 72 548 Gloucestershire ... ... — 64 135 144 343 Hants and Isle of Wight ... 160 192 225 468 1045 Herefordshire ... ...

—Hertfordshire ... .. — 32 90 72 194 Kent ... 360 224 270 468 1322 Lancashire East ... ... 400 320 405 324 1449 West 200 128 225 252 805 Leicestershire and Rutland ... — — 45 72 117 Lmoorasnire 160 128 225 216 729 Middlesex — — 180 144 324

Correspondence.

Monmouthshire ... ... 40 33 45 72 189 Norfolk ... 80 128 90 36 334 North Wales and Shropshire ... — 32 125 36 293 Norths and Hunts ... ... 160 64 90 36 350 Northumberland ... ... 160 32 135 36 363 Nottinghamshire ... ... — — — 36 36 Oxfordshire ... ... ... — 64 — — 64 Somersetshire ... ... 40 32 180 252 504 South Wales ( East ) ... ... — — 135 108 243 South Wales ( WeBt ) 40 — 135 72 247 Staffordshire — 64 90 72 226 Suffolk 160 224 90 180 654

Surry 40 — 180 — 220 Sussex ... ... ... 80 160 185 144 569 Warwickshire 40 64 315 216 635 Wiltshire — 96 90 252 438 Worcestershire ... ... — 64 135 72 271 Yorkshire ( N . and E . ) 320 — 480 180 980 „ ( W . ) 760 576 990 684 3010 Colonial and Foreign ... ... 160 92 315 256 823 Grand Total 6880 5852 9375 8608 30915

The next table is intended to show , at a glance , to what extent the respective Provinces are recipients of the benefits of the various Institutions , also to show those having oases to bring forward to what extent Provinces , or individual members of Provinces , might be able to lend or otherwise assist them with votes . I might say that , owing to the death of one of the successful girls at the last election , there will be another vacanoy deolared ; and three more vacancies

in the Boys School . Again , there is a boy whose time is up , bnt his position having been secured by purchase does not create a vaoanoy . As a matter of course , at this period of the year I cannot give the particulars of candidates for the Royal Masonio Benevolent Institution , but the last column of figures shows the aggregate number of old men , widowB , boys and girls from each Province .

q b ^_ „ pja "" a . a Ei-Names Of 00 ® ta . S rS A S -9 Provinces . |> s •£ _ . § 8 g g . g „ - ^ 3 ri ¦§ * g StH . is «*«•* . ? 8-3 . Js 73 o §» a ^ js •3 v o or 50 o 2 , 3 ® o m M &<•< ( U tfEHft 3 fe H

London 79 6 73 12 52 9 43 20 53 66 = 250 Berks and Buoks 2 — 2— 2 11 — = > 4 Bristol ... ... 1 — 1 — 2 — 2—1 — = 4 Cambridgeshire ... — — — — — — — — = — Channel Islands ... — — — — 2 13 2 = 7

Cheshire 5 — 5 — 5 — 5 1 6 4 = 20 Cornwall — — — — — — 3 5 = 8 Cumberland and Westmoreland ... 2 — 2— 3 — 3 1 — 2 = 7 Derbyshire ... — — — — 1 — 111 — = 2 Devonshire ... 7 — 7 1 3 — 349 10 = 29

Dorsetshire ... — — — — 7 2 5 1 6 2 = 15 Durham 5 — 51 5 1 4 1 1 1 = 12 Essex 2 — 2 — 4 — 4 — 5 3 = 14 Gloucestershire ... 4 — 4 — 8 — 3 1 — 2 = 9 Hants and Isle of

Wight 13 — 13 1 5 — 5 — 4 6 = 28 Herefordshire ... — — — — — — — — = — Hertfordshire ... 2 — 2 1 2 — 2 — — 1 = 5 Kent 13 1 12 2 6 1 5 1 9 7 = 35 Lancashire ( East ) 9 1 8 — 9 — 9 4 10 10 = 38

Lancashire ( West ) 7 16— 5 — 5 154 = 21 Leicestershire and Rutland ... 2-2— 1 — 1 — = 3 Lincolnshire ... 6 — 6— 5—5 3 4 4 = 19 Middlesex ... 4 — 4 1 4131 = 8 Monmouthshire ... 2 — 2 — 1 — 1 — 1 1 = 5 Norfolk 1 — 11 2 — 2 3 2 4 = 9 Norths and Hunts 1 — 1— 2 — 2— 4 2 = 9 Northumberland ... 1 — 13 3 — 324 1 = 9 Nottinghamshire ... 1 — 1 — — 1 — — = 1 Oxfordshire ... — — — — — — — 2 = 2 Somersetshire ... 7 2 5 1 4 — 4 2 1 1 = 13 Staffordshire ... 2 [— 2 2 2 — 2 1 — 2 = 6 Suffolk 5 — 5 — 2 — 2 — 4 7 = 18

Surrey _ _ _ . _ 4 13 2 1 — = 5 Sussex 4 — 4 — 4 — 4 1 2 5 = 15 Warwickshire ... 6 — 6 — 7 2 5 — 1 2 = 16 Wiltshire 7 — 7 — 2 — 2 — — 3 = 12 Worcestershire ... 2 — 2 — 3 — 3 — — 2 = 7 Yorkshire ( N . & E . ) 5 — 52 4 — 4—8 — = 17 Yorkshire ( W . ) ... 19 1 18 1 22 3 19 — 19 18 = 78

Wales , North and Salop 1 — 1 — 5 2 3 1 — 1 = 7 Wales , South Eastern Division ... 3 — 31 3211 — — = 6 Wales , South Western Division ... 2 — 2 — 31211 — = 6 Colonial 8 17 1 7 1 6 1 4 6 = 25

Trusting these tables will prove of some interest to yonr readers , I remain , yours fraternally , P . M . 1607 .