Correspondence.

unmarried sisters of Brother Master Masons , " amounts to upwards of 70 , 000 dollars ( £ 14 , 000 ) . These amounts represent the invested funds , and do not include in any way tho aid rendered by the individual Lodges , several of which are in a most healthy condition , and dispense their charities iu a most princely manuer .

( c ) To cite another instance out of many I could mention , let mo notice tho " Louisiana Relief Lodge , No . 1 , New Orleans . I leavo out the Charity Fund of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana entirely , and simply refer to a Lodge chartered for tho purpose—uniquo aud most Masonic—of " taking from the hands of its constituent Lodges the labour of investigating necessarily appertaining to all applications for charity , from worthy Master Masons , their widows or orphans ,

hailing from other jurisdictions , to afford prompt relief to worthy cases of suffering and destitution—to see the sick properly cared for—to give decent interment to those Avho die in our midst—in short to properly distribute this charity with Masonic circumspection , through one thoroughly organized channel , and to detect , register , and expose impostors and the unworthy . " In eighteen years the following relief has been granted by the above body ;—

Dollars . £ Brethren of other United States Jurisdictions 25 , 507 5 , 100 Widows and Orphans do . do . 6 , 756 1 , 351 Brethren of Foreign Jurisdictions 6 , 308

Widows and Orphans do . 2 , 117 8 , 125 l , 68 o Tombs , Funerals , & c . & o . for the above 9 , 783 1 , 956 Brethren of Louisiana 1 , 125 Widows and Orphans do . 862 1 , 987 397 General Expenses 2 , 640 528

55 , 098 11 , 017 Thus over £ 11 , 000 AA'ere devoted to the charitable objects for which tho Relief Lodgo was founded in eighteen years . The period includes that of tho civil war , and for the last nine years the contributions have been purely voluntary . It should also be mentioned a goodly proportion of the amount distributed to the Brethren

hailing from other jurisdictions in the United States have been refunded , but after all needful deductions , Ave find that the Lodges in NeAV Orleans ( city ) , who support tho Relief Lodge , have voted for that purpose in the period named the sum of 16 , 000 dollars , or £ 3 , 200 , and from that amount Brethren from the Grand Lodge of England Avho have been worthy of aid havo been relieved to the

extent of 653 dollars *; Ireland 709 dollars ; and Scotland 909 dollars ; a much larger sum than the Grand Lodge has , through its Fund of Benevolence , given to all the nnfortnnate American Brethren petitioning for relief in the same period ! Need I say more than leave the matter in your hands to be set right ? Fraternally yours , AVIT - UAJI JAMES HUUHAN . Truro , 13 th February 1875 . P . S . —In No . 1 of the Masonic Magazine ( George Kenning , London ) I have given a sketch of tho " Relief Lodge , " New Orleans .

The Lifeboat Endowment.

THE LIFEBOAT ENDOWMENT .

To the Editor of THE FREMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —In reply to a letter published in your columns of the 13 th inst ., signed " Lets Bonac , " I have to remark that the amount mentioned in P . M . Gotthcil's letter in yours of the 16 th January Avas duly acknowledged in tho Freemason , therefore I did not reply to the remarks of " W . M . " upon the subject .

I thank " Lets Bonac " for his kind consideration of my health , and beg to state that it is not my intention of retiring from a movement of which I am the pioneer , at tho same time I shall be happy to meet any number of brethren Avith tho view of organising a committee to carry out the movement , and shall be glad to deposit the amount I hold for the endowment of the " Freemasons' Lifeboat , " into the hands of an appointed Treasurer , conditionally that

all monies received for tho purpose be deposited in the London aud Westminster Bank , in the names of the Presidont , Treasurer , and Hon . Secretary , and the receipts of same to be produced by the Treasurer at each meeting . I suggested this at the first meeting of the Lifeboat Committee , Avhich Avas carried out by Yours fraternally , SOLOMON DAVIS .

[ We have receiA-ed a second letter from Bro . Davis , but as it refers to a private matter between him and another member of the Craft , wo must ask him kindly to excuse us publishing it . —ED . FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . ]

Old London Taverns Associated With Masonry.

OLD LONDON TAVERNS ASSOCIATED WITH MASONRY .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DKAU SIR AND BROTHER , —It may not be uninteresting to some of the brethren to learn that , in addition to those Taverns mentioned iu the article on above , in your issue of the 13 th inst ., there is another " King's Arms " intimately associated w-ifcli our Brotherhood , as Avill be seen by the following advertisement , Avhich appeared iu

the Times , dated October 3 rd 1798 ( the year the Boys Institution Avas established ) . " Masonic Charity for Cloathing aud Educatiug the Sons of Indigent Freemasons , according to the old Institutions . " A general meeting of the subscribers to this Institution Avill be

held at the 'King ' s Arms , ' Green Bank , Wapping , on Friday next , the 5 th day of October inst ., at 6 o'clock in the evening , in order to receive twelve children into this Charity . " ( Signed , ) J . Montcfiore , Attorney at Law , Secretary . " " Sampson ' s Garden , October 1 st 1798 . " As you mention the " King ' s Arms " at which Grand Lodgo met

Old London Taverns Associated With Masonry.

in 1721 as being situated perltaps in Bow Street , may I suggest that it ' might possibly have been the one mentioned in above advertisement . I remain , Dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , J . H . THOR-V . BOAV , E . 18 th February 1875 .

The Drama.

THE DRAMA .

Lady Audley ' s Secret—A Midsummer Night's Dream —She Stoops to Conquer—The Maid's Tragedy-More . Revivals—Mrs . Howard Paul and Mr . Walter Pelham . BURLESQUE and melodrama may bo said to stand at the opposite poles of tho Drama , aud it is very seldom that they come to bo united in the same programme . This , hoAvcver , has been

accomplished by the enterprising management of the GT . OISK THEATRE . Lady Audleifs Secret , a melodrama of melodramas , and Blue Beard , surely the most extravagant of burlesques , are now being performed nightly at this theatre , Avith tho success Avhich invariably attends tho performances of Miss Thompson ' s company . Most people are acquainted with Miss Braddon ' s thrilling story , and not a few old

playgoers will remember tho first production of Mr . Robert ' s play at the St . James ' s Theatre , when Miss Herbert played tho rule of Lady Audley , and Miss Ada Dyas made her first great hit in tho character of Phcebe Marks . The title rule is one susceptible of powerful treatment by an artiste capable of comprehending and pourtraying alike the mo 3 t ungovernable passion

and tho lightest of light comedy . it is such a part as Mrs . Charles Matthews would have loved to play , and Miss Herbert Avas one of tho few other actresses who could render full justice to its varied shades . Miss Louisa Mooro , who has , in the present revival , been selected to play the heroine , has hardly tho physique for the character . In the lighter moods sho is excellent , but her tragic

passages are wanting in intensity . Her return to the stage is very welcome just now , for we have very few actresses on the stage who can ponrtray the playful side of comedy Avith ease and grace . Mr . Lionel Brough is cast for the part of Marks , and ho contrives to throw into it a considerable amount of rugged humour . Phoebe Marks is played by Miss Kathleen Irwin , who displays in this impersonation

an amount of dramatic poAver which those Avho have seen her only in comedy or burlesque Avould hardly credit her with possessing . It is a thousand pities that on tho English stage there arc no means of achieving anything like popularity without passing through a degrading apprenticeship of burlesque . Mrs . Bancroft , Miss Cavendish , Miss Foote aud Miss Robertson havo all had

to take their turn in this inane order of comedy , and doubtless there aro many ladies at tho present time playing shortskirted parts in burlesques that are eminently capriblo of sustaining characters of serious interest , if only tho opportunity be afforded them . Tho other characters in the piece do not call for much com - ment . Sir Michael Audley is played very fairly by Mr . Granger ,

Mr . Ireland appears as Robert Audley , and Mr . H . R . Teesdalo sustains the character of Georgo Talboys . The Merry Wives of Windsor at the GAIE'I'V has now given place to -1 Midsummer Night ' s Bream . Mr . Phelps appears , of course , in his old part of Bottom the weaver . Not a few of tho admirers of Mr . Phelps look upon this as his best part , and it is certainly one in

which he has never been approached by any other actor of his time . Mr . J . P . Harley , who played the character in the Charles Kcan revival at the PRINCESS ' S AA'as unanimously pronounced inferior to Mr . Phelps , and scarcely any other actor of the present generation has attempted the rule . The other parts aro fairly sustained , and the performance generally is creditable to the management . At the . HoLHOiiN AAti'HiTnEATitE Mr . HolliiiL'shead has ventured to

produce The Maid s Tragedy , of Beaumont and Fletcher . Mr . Ryder sustains the character of Amintor , and Mr . Pennington that of Melantins , but some other of the parts are not so well filled . It is gratifying , hoAvever , to find at the present day a manager bold enough to rely on Beaumont and Fletcher for the chief attraction of a theatrical performance .

At the Opera-Comique , too , another of Mr . Uollingshead ' s A'entures , we have to notice a change in the programme . She Stoops to Conquer , is now the chief item of the bill of fare . Miss Robertson appears to excellent advantage in the part of Miss Hardcastle , tho comedy of every scene being rendered with admirable humour and effect . Mr . Kendal plays Young Mar / low , Mr . Maclean Old Hardcastle , and Mr . Alfred Nelson Hasfcinu-s , whilst the charar-ter of Tony Lnnir > Hp

is essayed by Mr . Arthur Cecil , with only a moderate uegruo oi success . The performance , as a whole , is an exceedingly pleasant oue , and may be cordially commended to the frequenters of theatres . Rebecca , has been revive . ! at Drury Lane , to supplement the pantomime , aud The New Magdalen is being played at CHAKINU CROSS , Where are our dramatic authors , that so many stock pieces should have to be revived r

On Monday eveuiug last the celebrated Mrs . Howard Paul , aided by Brother W . F . Taunton , AVIIO has , for professional purposes , assumed the name of Waiter Pelham , gave un entertainment at the Com Exchange , Coventry . Nearly two thousand persons wero present , and hundreds wont aAvay because they could not find room , ilrs . Paul's powers of voice , song and imitation woie deservedly

received with raptures of applause , fhoy were grand , impressive and entertaining . Mr . Walter Pelham ' s powers Oi mimicry wore received and acknowledged by the audience with great enthusiasm . It has bceu said that a prophet has no honour in his own country—Mi-. W . F . Taunton cannot say so , for no man could have experienced a more hearty and genial reception from his fellow townsmen ,