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Article MASONIC ANECDOTE. Page 1 of 1
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Masonic Anecdote.
MASONIC ANECDOTE .
TO THE EDITOR OI- * THE FREEMASON ' S QUARTERLY REVIEW . Wonsuii'i-ui , MASTER AND BROTHER , —The following anecdote , of ihe truth of ivhich I was some time since assured by a very zealous and distinguished Brother in Devonshire , is an interesting proof amongst many others of the benevolent and amiable effects of Masonry on tlie heart ; and if you think this hasty sketch of my recollection of it worthy of a place in the Masonic QuarterlyI beg you will insert it in the next
, number . During the late war , a small coasting vessel trading between Plymouth and Hampshire , returning with a cargo to the former , was suddenly surprised in the evening by a French privateer , who had taken up her position under one of the bold promontories of the Devonshire coast . The crew of the English vessel , being composed of the captain and two or three persons , could make no resistance to a ship of war ,
and was taken possession of by the enemy . The French officer who performed that duty , in the course of his overhauling the cargo and papers of his prize , discovered a Master Mason ' s certificate from the Grand Lodge of England . He demanded of the English captain if he was the individual named in it ; and on receiving an answer in the affirmative , the Frenchman observed that , although he was not himself a Mason , this was a circumstance which he knew would very much interest his commander , and that he must therefore go aboard the French ' ship and inform him of it . Having done so , the French captain now
came aboard his prize , and having satisfied himself that his captive was entitled to his fraternal protection , proposed to him that , if he ivould give him his word as a man of honour and a Mason , that on his return to Plymouth he ivould use his best exertions to obtain the release of his ( the French captain ' s ) brother , who was then a prisoner of war in Mill prison , Plymouth , he ivould give him up his vessel and allow him to proceed on his voyage . The Englishmanhappy to be liberated on
, terms so truly Masonic , made the best of his way to Plymouth , in which harbour he in a few hours arrived with his cargo and crew . He immediately went ashore , and having assembled the Masters of the Lodges of that part communicated to them this extraordinary convention . One of the Masters , happening to be employed at that time by the government in the management and supply of thc French prison , lost no time in
communicating it to the head department in London , and by the next post received an order to complete with despatch and fidelity an exchange ivhich thc French Brother bail commenced with so much generosity and confidence . The French prisoner was shortly conveyed by a flag of truce to the shore of his native land . Such are the heads of this interesting event . Perhaps you may be able to elicit from some of your Devonshire readers further details , with which I may not be so particularlacquaintedbut being in town I
y ; have thought it my Masonic duty to introduce to the notice of the English Fraternity this noble conduct of their French Brother . I am , Sir and Brother , Faithfully and Fraternally yours , ROBERT LEIGU , Taunton . W . M . of the Lodge of Sincerity , No . 327 . VOL . Ii . ¦/
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Anecdote.
MASONIC ANECDOTE .
TO THE EDITOR OI- * THE FREEMASON ' S QUARTERLY REVIEW . Wonsuii'i-ui , MASTER AND BROTHER , —The following anecdote , of ihe truth of ivhich I was some time since assured by a very zealous and distinguished Brother in Devonshire , is an interesting proof amongst many others of the benevolent and amiable effects of Masonry on tlie heart ; and if you think this hasty sketch of my recollection of it worthy of a place in the Masonic QuarterlyI beg you will insert it in the next
, number . During the late war , a small coasting vessel trading between Plymouth and Hampshire , returning with a cargo to the former , was suddenly surprised in the evening by a French privateer , who had taken up her position under one of the bold promontories of the Devonshire coast . The crew of the English vessel , being composed of the captain and two or three persons , could make no resistance to a ship of war ,
and was taken possession of by the enemy . The French officer who performed that duty , in the course of his overhauling the cargo and papers of his prize , discovered a Master Mason ' s certificate from the Grand Lodge of England . He demanded of the English captain if he was the individual named in it ; and on receiving an answer in the affirmative , the Frenchman observed that , although he was not himself a Mason , this was a circumstance which he knew would very much interest his commander , and that he must therefore go aboard the French ' ship and inform him of it . Having done so , the French captain now
came aboard his prize , and having satisfied himself that his captive was entitled to his fraternal protection , proposed to him that , if he ivould give him his word as a man of honour and a Mason , that on his return to Plymouth he ivould use his best exertions to obtain the release of his ( the French captain ' s ) brother , who was then a prisoner of war in Mill prison , Plymouth , he ivould give him up his vessel and allow him to proceed on his voyage . The Englishmanhappy to be liberated on
, terms so truly Masonic , made the best of his way to Plymouth , in which harbour he in a few hours arrived with his cargo and crew . He immediately went ashore , and having assembled the Masters of the Lodges of that part communicated to them this extraordinary convention . One of the Masters , happening to be employed at that time by the government in the management and supply of thc French prison , lost no time in
communicating it to the head department in London , and by the next post received an order to complete with despatch and fidelity an exchange ivhich thc French Brother bail commenced with so much generosity and confidence . The French prisoner was shortly conveyed by a flag of truce to the shore of his native land . Such are the heads of this interesting event . Perhaps you may be able to elicit from some of your Devonshire readers further details , with which I may not be so particularlacquaintedbut being in town I
y ; have thought it my Masonic duty to introduce to the notice of the English Fraternity this noble conduct of their French Brother . I am , Sir and Brother , Faithfully and Fraternally yours , ROBERT LEIGU , Taunton . W . M . of the Lodge of Sincerity , No . 327 . VOL . Ii . ¦/