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To ADVERTISERS . THE Circulation of THE FREEMASON being now at the rate oineady Half-a-milliou per annum , it offers peculiar facilities to all who advertise . It is well known that the Fraternity of Freemasons is a large and constantly increasing body , mainly composed of the influential and educated classes of society ; and as The Freemason is now the accepted organ ofthe Brotherhood in the United Kingdom , and also enjoys an extensive sale in the colonies and foreign parts , its advantages as an advertising medium can scarcely be overrated . For terms apply to GEORGE KENNING , 2 , 3 , & 4 , LITTLE BRITAIN , LONDON , E . C .

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NOTICE , The Subscription to THE FREEMASON is now los . per annum , post-free , payable in advance . Vol . I ., bound in cloth 4 s . 6 d . Vol . II ., ditto 7 s . 6 d . Vol . III ., ditto 15 s . od . Reading Cases to hold 52 numbers ... 2 s . fid .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

—«—BIRTHS . OVER . —On the 26 th ult ., at Albion-grove , Barnsbury , the wife of Bro . J . Dyer , Lodge 22 , of Northamptonstreet , Essex-road , Islington , of a son . KENNING . —On the 29 th ult ., at Upper Sydenham , the wife of Bro . George Kenning , of a daughter .

MARRIAGE . DE TABLEY—BARRY . —On the 26 th ultimo , at Compton Verney , Warwickshire , by the Rev . Henry Knightley , the Right Hon . Lord De Tabley , Prov . Grand Master for Cheshire , to Elizabeth , widow of the late James Hugh Smith Barry , Esq ., of Marbury Hall , Cheshire , and Fota Island , county Cork .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

AU communications for THE FREEMASON should be 'vritten legibly n one . side of the paper only , and , if intended for insertion in the current number , must be received not later than 10 o ' clock a . m . on Thursdays , unless in very special cases . The name and address of every writer must be sent to us in confidence . BRO . CARPENTER . —We acknowledge the receipt of your two letters as to the errors in your communication on the meaning of the word "Cowan" ( in No . 98 ) , and will cause enquiries to be made and an errata to be inserted .

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 4 , 1871 .

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THE FREEMASON is published on Saturday Mornings iu time for the early trains . The price of THE FHKEMASON is Twopence per week ; annual s » b * cription , 10 s . ( payable in advance ) . Al ! communications , letters , & c , to be addressed to the EDITOR 2 , 3 , and ' , Little liritain , E . C . ' The Editor will pay careful attention to all MSS . entrusted to him but cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by nostaee stamps . ¦ 1 t >

Knights Errant.

KNIGHTS ERRANT .

AT the present time , when the tramp of countless hosts reverberates throughout Europe , and when the sword decides the fate of nations , it is refreshing to turn our

gaze upon another band of soldiers , who although fierce in guise , and accoutred in warlike fashion , have no intention to slaughter or destroy . Otherwise , it might

be somewhat startling to announce to our readers that old England is about to be invaded by a phalanx of armed men from

the West , and that our peaceful cities and quiet haunts will soon be overrun by a disciplined body of American Republicans . There can , we think , be no stronger proof

Knights Errant.

of the hold which Freemasonry has secured in the minds of our Transatlantic cousins than the fact that a Commandery of American Knights Templar , fully equipped ,

is about to visit Europe , and to parade in military costume through our British streets . Familiarity with such demonstrations in their own country has , doubtless , caused

our Templar friends to imagine that the spectacle will be equally appreciated in England ; but we must beg to undeceive them . It is rarely indeed , we can assure

them , that Masonic processions of any kind take place here in public , and so far as London is concerned , the apparition of an aproned Mason outside the door of his

lodge-house would lead most people to the conclusion that he had escaped from Bedlam . We have an idea in this country that the symbols , as well as the secrets of

the Order , should be , as much as possible , guarded religiously from the prying eyes of the profane ; and unless at a ball , or in a shop-window , our squares and compasses

and triangles are seldom or never displayed . There was a time , no doubt , when even the Grand Lodge of England , clad in gorgeous array , rode in many-horsed

coaches through the City for the popular delectation ; but wc also read of the virtuous fit of repentance which ensuedhow our respected forefathers resolved to

eschew the pomps and vanities of chariots , and to forego for ever the glories of jewels and splendid attire in the presence of the fun-loving multitude . Nor has the wisdom

of their resolve ever been seriously questioned , albeit some of the young and foolish amongst us would peradventure essay to walk through St . Paul's Churchyard or

along Fleet-street in the hooded cloaks of the Templars , or the glittering collars of the Rose Croix , in playful emulation of the Lord Mayor ' s Show , when that interesting

exhibition was at its best . It will be remembered by many of our readers that even at the ceremonial of laying the foundation-stone of the new Masonic

buildings in Great Queen-street , great hoardings were erected by order of the Building Committee , so that none but Masons could obtain so much as a furtive glimpse of the

proceedings . They manage these things differently in America , where the officers of lodges , chapters , and commanderies are frequently installed in the presence of ladies , and

foundation as well as cape stones of Masonic edifices are often laid amidst thc cheers of thousands of the popular world . Practices like these beget confidence in the

minds of our Transatlantic brethren , and must tend to lessen our astonishment when we hear of thc Knight-Templar excursion to Europe . These worthy brethren identify

their trip with chivalric Masonry , and are proud of their regalia , of their drill , and of their Order in general . In warning them that such displays arc unknown here ,

wc arc simply desirous of keeping them out of the reach of unthinking ridicule , which , because a thing is novel , at once declares it ludicrous . In the United States actual

Knights Errant.

encampments of Templars in the fields for weeks together are by no means uncommon ; and many of the Knights are really capable of performing difficult military

evolutions . Here the Order ofthe Temple celebrates its mysteries and commemorates the martial past within closed doors , and its proclivities are rather towards the good cheer of the Freemasons' or the London

taverns than otherwise . But in both lands we are satisfied that the good old chivalric spirit still exists , although in the one it may be more demonstrative than in the

other . Of one thing we can assure our brother Knights , and that is , that we wish them a very pleasant pilgrimage . The route they have chosen is one calculated to stir their hearts with memories of those

tales of love and war which haunt the relics of a by-gone age . From the lovely Cove of Cork—otherwise Queenstown — to the more romantic Lakes of Killarney , thence

to Dublin , and from Dublin to the farfamed Derry , with a pause at the Giant ' s Causeway , and so on from Belfast to Glasgow . Glancing at the Western Isles , with

the wondrous caves of Iona and Staffa , and after a rapid survey of the Highland lakes , our travellers will find their way to London —doing Edinburgh , Newcastle , and York

en route . Away , then , across the North Sea to the mouth of the Scheldt , and on to quaint old Antwerp . Brussels the gay . and Waterloo the solemn , will then be visited ,

after which the Knights will seek the sweet odours of Cologne , and give the Rhine steamers a turn up to Mayence , passing through Bonn , Coblentz , and Bingen . Of

course , if the war be over , and the Templar garb be carefully stowed away at thc bottom of their portmanteaus , the pilgrims will domicile at Metz , and view the various

other strongholds of once imperial France . From the mountains of Switzerland they will drink inspirations of patriotism , and a sojourn in rejuvenated Italy will fill them

with hope for the future of that sunny land . Milan , Venice , Florence , Rome , and Naples —all will tempt their wandering feet to stay : and the attractions of Vesuvius ,

Pompeii , and Herculaneum will not be overlooked . Back again ¦ * ' / - ? Genoa , Turin , and across the Alps to Switzerland , on to Paris thoughtless Paris no longer—to linger amid

traces of the ruin and ravage of war until time warns them to return to England , and visit the halls of Oxford and thc shrine of Shakespeare at Stratford-on-Avon , for few

Americans indeed finish their European tour without going to view thc birth place and the grave of the world ' s great poet . This is a brief outline of the excursion

which is mapped out for our American brethren , and we trust they will enjoy it heartily ; but wc would also counsel them very seriously to lay aside the panoply of

war during their sojourn in thc old world and to ignore thc martial exercises to which they may have been accustomed

Of one thing wc may be certain , that , as Masons and as Templars , they will be received by our lodges and encampments