Correspondence.

JACHIN AND BOAZ . To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In yonr issue of 10 th July , I proved from internal evidence that the pamphlet named " Jachin aud Boaz " was not printed before 1757 at least . In yonr next issue , July 17 th , " K . T . L . " was pleased to criticise my remarks . First , he pointed

to an error of mine abont the date of Bro . Carson s pamphlet , which was printed in 1762 and not in 1760 as stated in my letter . Second , he boasts of having " had a great deal to do with books—old and modern , " and therefore pronounces the copy of J . and B . in the Boston Masonio Temple incomplete ; because , says he ( quoting from

my letter of 10 th July ) " The pages of tho first leaf are marked , ( iii ) and ( iv ) , " and the first question an expert wonld ask wonld be , where aro i and ii ? for it is just thoso two pages that might havo been looked for to supply tho missing link of tho evidence . " Third , ho argues somo other might-have-beens . And fourth , Bro . K . T . L . coolly requests

me to produce positive evidence that the said pamphlet J . and B . was not printed before 1757-In reply , I beg to state that Bro . Carson informed me , two years ago , that Oliver ' s date of the origin of J . and B ., viz . 1750 , was wrong , that 1762 was the proper date of it . But when writing my letter of

10 th July my aim was not to establish tho year when J . and B . was first printed , bnt merely to show that it was nofc printed before 1757 . I discovered tho mistake of " 1760 " the day after I mailed my letter , but 1 did nofc deem it of sufficient importance to tho case in point to write another letter by next mail .

Secondly , it was not uncommon in the last century for publishers to begin the numbering of tho pages with [ iii]— " Solomon in all his Glory , " ( a pamphlet of the last century ) also begins with No . [ iii ] , and so does Nicoll ' s edition of J . and B . of 1793 ( printed in St . Paul ' s Cburcbyard ) begin with No . f Iii" ] - There is no donbfc thafc the

leaf on which the title-page was printed waa meant to represent pages i and ii . Let mo , therefore , assure him that the pamphlet J . and B . in the Boston Temple is perfect and complete . Third , above all other Masonic writers , Dr . Oliver was undoubtedly the most unreliable , or at least very few writers could equal him in

making misstatements . And as Oliver is the only witness as to the dato in question being 1750 , it is nofc necessary for me to furnish evidence that tbe pamphlet in question was not printed before 1762 , but my opponent ought to substantiate by internal or external evidence the doubtful testimony of Dr . Oliver . The question ,

therefore , I ask is , did K . T . L . ever see a copy of " Jachin and Boaz " printed between 1750 and January 1762 ? Does bo know any reliable person who has seen such a copy ? or can he find tho pamphlet " J . and B . " alluded to in any magazine , newspaper , or other publication printed before 1762 ? If ho cannot do either of these things

I advise him "to geb it up . " And now for additional facts . P . G . M . Bro . Nickerson , of Boston , received this week a letter from Bro . Carson , in which Bro . C . reiterates thafc Oliver , Maokey and Co . ' s date of 1750 is wrong . And thafc " Jachin and Boaz" appeared in the list of new lioolcs iu the

Gentleman ' s Magazine of 1762 . As I had no time to go to the library to hunt up the question , I got my old , trusty , and well-beloved Bro . David Pulsifer to do it for me . Bro . Pnlsifer is an old book hunter , an old book and manuscript collector , an antiquary , and book worm . Almost everybody in Boston knows Bro . Pulsifer , and respects him , bnt ifc is needless to say more , for hore is his autograph letter : —

Boston , 29 th July 1880 . Jacob Norton , Esq . Dear Sir and Brother , —Agreeably to yonr reqnosfc , I havo examined the Gentleman ' s Magazine from 1750 to 1762 inclusive , and find the following books relating to Freemasonry noticed as having been published at the time mentioned . —

1754 . P 98 : — "The Pocket Companion and History of Freemasonry . " 3 s . Scott . 1757 . P 483 : — " The Light and Truth of Masonry explained by T . Dunckerley . " 6 d . Davey and Law . 1759 . P 84 : — "The Secrets of Freemasonry , by a Distinguished Brother . " Gd . Scott .

1760 . P 95 : — " A Key to Freemasonry . " Baird . 1762 . P 243 : — " Ja . hin and Boaz ; or , The Secrets of Freemasonry Disclosed . " Nicoll . 1762 . P 243 [ the same page as above ] : — " A Freemason's Answer to tho above . "

_ Tho above extracts arc selected from the lists of new books noticed m the respective months in which they wero published . Fraternally yours , DAVID PUISIFER .

Wc see now—First , that ' - Jachin and Boaz" was not noticed in the Gentleman ' s Magazine before 1762 ; and , secondly , as soon as the pamphlet appeared a reply thereto was immediately published . I know that Bro . " K . T . L . " might even now suggest another list of might-have-beens . But these sort of arguments are useless ; for every fallacy can be defended with similar quibbles . Instead , theretore

, of arguing that it might have been , Bro . " K . T . L . " should go to work , and examine tho magazines , newspapers , and othor publications Printed between 1750 and 1760 and 1762 ; and if he should find tho pamphlet , " Jachin and Boaz , " noticed during thafc period , then he will DO acknowled ged conqueror . But as long as ho has nofc done that , I Jiave good reason to believe that Bro . Carson is right , and Dr . Oliver and Co . were , and are , wrong . Respectfully and fraternally yours ,

n JACOB NORTON . -Boston , U . S ., 30 th July 1880 . A - PENDIX . —Bro . Pnlaifor was formerly clerk in the Court Hoiiae

Correspondence.

in Salem , and this discussion of " Jachin and Boaz" reminded him of a hwsnifc in which "Jachin and Boaz" was brought into the court evidence . Tho highly interesting facts Bro . P . gleaned froua the court record afc Salem , and communicated to mo in the above letter . I , however , for obvious reasons , thought proper to offer it for publication as au Appendix to his letter . So here ifc is : —

In the year 1806 , two persons , in Salem , in the Connty of Essex , Massachusetts , opened a Lodge and undertook to initiate candidates , and did in fact , in their manner and form , initiate a number who wero desirous of being Freemasons , but when some of these newly initiated brethren met witb a member of tho Essex Lodge , at Salem , they wore not recognised as Masons , and at last one of thera brought

an action against the two instructors to recover the money he bad paid for his initiation . Tho action was entered in the Court of Common Pleas , was tried by jury , before tbe Honourable Timothy Pickering , —tho same Colonel Timothy Pickering who withstood Col . Leslie at the North Bridge in Salem , when he came to take away munitions of war in tho early part of 1775 . At tho trial the Courfc

Houso was crowded , for it was believed thafc there wonld be a fall disclosure of Freemasonry . Officers and Members of Essex Lodgo were present as witnesses . They asked -whether the knowledge on the subject of Masonry , as communicated by tho Plaintiff was Masonry ? They answered thafc ifc was nofc Masonry . Well , will you toll us what is Masonry ? Colonel Pickering had been too long accustomed to warfare to seo tho citadel of Freemasonry

attacked in this way and he " stand looking on . " They say it is not Masonry , and they are not obliged to tell what is Masonry . Judgment was entered for tho Plaintiff , to which exceptions wero alleged by tho Defendants , which wero signed and sealed by Col . Pickering , and all further proceedings in that case in tho Court woro stayed . The Defendants , appealed to the Supremo Judicial Court , but tho appeal was not entered . In this case is filed fcho copy of "Jachin and Boaz " jnst mentioned .

THE MARRIAGE OP LADY VICTORIA EDGCUMBE .

We arc requested to publish the following , which appeared in a recent number of the Western Morning News : —

SIR , —I observe in your paper of to-day a very interesting accounfc of the marriage of tbe daughter of our popular and beloved Provincial Grand Master , bnt I fail to seo amongst the list of presents any offering from tho Freemasons of Cornwall . May I venture to suggest to the powers thafc bo thai ; somo of ns

would gladly avail ourselves of an opportunity to show onr goodwill towards a very distinguished man and a Mason , nofc to mention his accomplished and amiable daughter , and I feel sure every Lodge and Chapter in the Province of Cornwall would gladly vote a sum sufficient to purchase a wedding cadeau , worthy of the Order and of the acceptance of Lady Victoria .

Yonr obedient servant , EMRA HOLMES P . P . G . R . and P . P . G . D . C . Suffolk , 4 th August 1880 .

Tho vagaries of life in tho wild West of America have nofc been exhausted by Bret Harte and his congeners . There is still to be fonud there the raw material for a whole library of sensational dramas . But tho shooting of editors , the scalping of caravans of pioneers , Lynch law , and marriages on horseback are not the only strango pictures which diversify existence in these rude regions . Away in the capital

of far Nevada a ceremony took place the other day which would bear transfer to tho boards of Drury Lane—that is , since Drnry Lane has parted company with the traditions of the legitimate drama . It was the burial of a Chinaman , who had been a Mason as tho Order exists in the Celestial Empire . A very noisy , discordant , native brass band led the procession , made up of Mongolians wearing badges and other

insignia of the fraternity , followed by the hearse and a large covered waggon , in which were seated a number of feminine Chinese musicians . Their instruments consisted of fiddles , drums , guitars , cymbals , gongs , and each made as much racket as possible , without the least regard to harmony . The din -was well-nigh deafening , and may have been intended to prove the actual death of the man in the hearse . If he had

been in any ordinary trance he would certainly have revived in selfdefence , as it is impossible to imagine that any sentient thing could remain unconscious of snch a clamour . Behind the Chinese musicians came a van loaded with roast pig and other delicacies , edible and potable , to be left afc tho grave for the benefit of the deceased . Strips of paper , pierced in three places with crescent-shaped holes , in rows

of five , were strewed by thousands along the route—the custom nnder snch circumstances—and the queer procession attracted a great deal of attention from the curious Nevadans . The next time a Chinese Mason is buried , the natives intend either to pnt cotton in their ears or to steal the roast pig as some compensation for their auricular torture . —Evening Standard .

A Good Example . —At tho last meeting of the Lodge of Otago , the W . M ., Bro . Jno . A . D . Adams , set a good example by patting questions from the lectures to the officers and brethren during the preparation of the candidate . The adoption df that course certainly took the majority of thoso present by surprise , bnt also afforded mnch

satisfaction , and the W . M . ' s of other Lodges wonld do well to follow tbe good example thus set them . We may also remark that the Deacons of this Lodge also set a good example by speaking out ; distinctly when performing their duties , so that what ; is being said at the S . W . and J . W . chairs can bo hoard at any part of the Lodge-room . —The New Zealand Freemason ,