Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT

INSTITUTION . ( To the Editor of thc Freemason . ) SIR , —As a great many of the brethren may not have an opportunity of hearing of the cause of my

not being present at the festival of the above institution on Friday , I must beg , through the medium of }* our columns , to acquaint the brethren , and especially the Stewards , that a very recent and severe domestic affliction ( the death of a very near

relative ) is the cause of it , and to express my very deep regret , as I feel confident that I should be supported in a way that I should have much cause to be proud of . However , I have no doubt but that

some other brother—every one of whom , I know , are ready to assist in time of need—will be found to fill that important position much better than I could have done .

Begging the Stewards and brethren to accept this apology for my absence , I remain , dear Sir , Yours very fraternally ,

FRANCIS BURDETT . Prov . G . M . Midx ., Rep . G . L . Ire . at G . L . Eng Ancaster House , Richmond Hill , Feb . i , 1871 ,

QUALIFICATIONS OF VISITORS TO LODGES .

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —It was with great interest I perused the letter addressed to you about the qualifications of visitors to lodges in your last issue . I am a young M . from Germany , quite new in the Order , and almost ignorant in its rites and

workings . Immediately after my initiation I left for England , where I have twice entered a lodge during the last six months . Although I was admitted , yet 1 found thc trial too awful and intimidating to undergo a third time , since it was stated that the password they gave me at my reception into the

mysterious Craft was not thc same as that used in the English lodges , and only my certificate from the Grand Lodge of Berlin opened me the gates . To describe the moral effects this intelligence had on me would be displaced and far too difficult for me to express in your language . It may suffice to say

that after the second time I lacked the courage and desire to make a third attempt , and rather preferred to stand away—unknown , friendless , and disheartened—from those I was told to call my brethren . 1 have never seen any working , and was only three times in the halls ofthe brotherhood I scarcely

dnre to call mine . Thc first time was at my reception ; thc second , at the " Virtue" in Manchester , where 1 was only admitted at thc conclusion of the lodge ( being still in the first degree , as prescribed by German Masonic laws to remain one year in the first ); and the third time was at the "Integrity" in

the same town , when there was no working at allthe first time within 15 years , according to their own saying . Thus I cannot consider myself a worthy member of that great fellowship , and shall hardly get more enlightened , living in thc country and without any contact with Freemasons . The one living

with mc in the same village , and who recognized me a F . C , took no notice of it at all , and from this moment 1 . have given up all further attempts to approach English Masons and lodges , nnd await anxiously for the time of my return to my own country . Hut to utilize the time ancl to forward

myself a little in the rites and rules of the mysterious art , I should be very glad and thankful if you would be kind enough to indicate me the books fit for my self-instruction both in history and rites . I have seen a great many named in your paper , but

have since abstained from choosing at random , and hope you will know better what suits thc degree of my ignorance . I am , dear Sir and Brother , Yours fraternally , January 28 th , 1871 . J . B .

( To the J' ' . ' tor of The Freemason . ) SIR , —I have paused with interest the letter of so experienced a Mason as "F . B ., an old P . M . and P . G . M . " Very recently , when at Brighton , I desired to enter one of thc lodges there as a visitor . My

certificate was demanded , and handed in ; an officer of thc lodge , to whom I had been introduced a few days previously , came out ancl conversed with me j I admitted that , owing to ill-health and other causes , I had been very little in the way of Craft Masonry , although a M . M . of six years' standing . By his

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own admission , I satisfied my querist that I had been raised to the third degree ; he nevertheless declined the responsibility of passing me into the lodge—hence I was excluded . I hereby learnt one lesson : never again to obtrude myself into strange company without being properly introduced by a personal friend .

I am , Sir ancl Brother , Yours fraternally , 28 January , 1871 . A S . P . R . + 18 ° .

LODGE LA TOLERANCE , No . 538 . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR . SIR AND BROTHER , —Without derogating from what is properly due to othe > - brethren , permit to acknowledge the great pleasure I derived from reading the very able , manly , and business-like

address delivered by the worthy W . M . of Lodge No . 538 , as reported at page 54 of your columns . To me it seemed a model address in many respects —there was no nonsense about it . The manly way in which he acknowledged his desire to occupy the chair is highly commendable . I would also support

his idea that " no member should be installed as Master of a lodge until he had given proofs of his proficiency in all the duties appertaining to the office . " That such is not the rule is surely absurd . Yet it is a fact that there are lodges who would find great difficulty in producing even two W . M . ' s who

ever worked the three degrees ! How such can sit , night after night , in the chair , helplessly looking on whileothers are doing their work , I knownot ; or how they can feel while the response is being given to the question about the Master ' s duty when so placed , I

know not—only there seems to me to be a curious anomaly in the position . With well wishes for the prosperity of La Tolerance under its present management , I am , sincerely and fraternally yours , LEO .

LODGE ST . JOHN ( 1137 ) , NEW ZEALAND . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Since receiving your valuable paper it occurred to me to make my complaint through your columns , as the most likely mode of obtaining redress .

I was initiated , passed , ancl raised in thc above lodge some six years since , and have not yet received my certificate , although I have always paid whatever fees were due by me . I should wish you to explain , or at any rate let us understand , why we have been so neglected .

Does the Grand Lodge of England , under whom we work , under-valtie colonial Masons , or is it through some irregularity ? You will no doubt be able to inform us . Mine is not an individual case , as , with three or four exceptions out of a lodge of forty or fifty members , we are all without

certificates . Some short time since , several of the brethren left the colony and were obliged to depart without their certificates , and in one instance the brother was refused admittance into an American lodge because he was not in possession of his certificate and not very well up in thc work .

We have not been fortunate as a body , bcin ?; considerably in debt . Wc built a lodge or hall at a cost of ; £ 1 , 200 , and still owe , £ 500 . Besides , for about three years wc were ruled by a W . M . who , ambitious to keep everything in his own hands , could only do so by keeping us in ignorance , and

squandered the lodge funds in banquets and refreshments of an expensive description . I should wish to know if it is not the duty of thc Provincial Grand Lodge to keep an eye on the proceedings of country lodges , and occasionally send an officer to inspect them ?

We are now , and have been during the last two years , ruled by a W . M . who takes some interest in our advancement , and we hope to fill the chair from amongst the officers who are working for it . We have done away with refreshments and all but the

annual banquet on St . John's-day , fand have commenced a benevolent fund . Trusting that the next time you hear of our lodge it will be a more cheering account , I remain , & c ,

A BROTHER of Lod ^ e 1137 Timaru , New Zealand , 30 th November , 1871 .

THE ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE TESTIMONIAL .

( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —There is not a line in Hro . Boyd ' s letter but what I entirely agree with , ancl the suggestion he has thrown out will be adopted no doubt .

I can only say that the subject of a testimonial to Bro . Little was never suggested to me at any time ; but at a meeting of the Palestine Chapter in November last , I mentioned it to Bro . Kenning and a few friends , who immediately expressed a willingness to co-operate with me in getting up a sub-

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scription for that purpose , and I certainly thought that if a circular , such as has been sent out , was submitted to the numerous friends of " Bro . Little , it would induce many to subscribe , and at the same time many of influence in the Craft would suggest , as our Bro . Boyd has done , their views on the

subject . I will also , for the information of Bro . Boyd , the subscribers and their friends , intimate to them that Bro . Colonel Francis Burdett , the Prov . G . M . for Middlesex , had , in the kindest manner , undertaken to call a meeting of Bro . Little ' s Masonic friends

with a view to a committee being formed to carry out the object we had in view , and render the testimonial worthy of Bro . Little ' s acceptance ; but severe illness prevented such meeting being called , and as he is now happily restored to health , it will immediately be done .

I can assure you , and also Bro . Boyd , that the sole object Bro . Levander and myself had was a sincere desire to obtain all we could , leaving it to the committee , when formed , to decide what the testimonial should be . I had alreadv solicited several brethren to be on

the committee ( Bro . Boyd himself ) , and below will be seen a list of those who have expressed their willingness to be on that committee . All that has been done by myself and my colleague has been done with the purest intentions , and we shall be very happy to hand over to Bro . Boyd , if he

wishes , the large correspondence that we have received , and a faithful report of all that has been done in the matter . Assuring you , sir , that what we have done has been a pleasure ; and if Bro . Boyd and his friends will co-operate with us and the committee already named , we feel satisfied the

testimonial will be a suitable one , and such as all will be pleased to present to the worthy brother on whose behalf we have been working and are still ready to act . Permit me to add that , although Bro . Boyd

suggests it should have been left to older friends of Bro . Little , we have at least the satisfaction of knowing that , by the action we have taken in the matter , we have stirred up those older friends to exert themselves more than they have hitherto done , though the subject was mooted two or three

years ago . Yours fraternally , JOHN THOMAS MOSS , ( W . M . 169 , W . M . 1326 , S . W . 73 , S . O . 22 Mark , P . S . No . 1 , Premier Conclave , Red Cross , 18 ° , & c ) . 38 , Gracechurch-street , E . C .

LIST OF COMMITTEE . Bro . James Brett , Jewin-crescent , Cripplegate . Bro . John W . Barrett , Ramsfort-place , Ploughbridge , Rotherhithe . Bro . Edward Clark , 19 , Buckingham-street , Strand .

Bro . Charles Gosden , Masons' Hall , Basinghallstrcet , E . C . Bro . W . James Hughan , Truro , Cornwall . Bro . Angelo Lewis , 3 6 , Lincoln ' s-inn-fields . Bro . George Kenning , Upper Sydenham .

Bro . Rev . Charles J . Martyn , Long Melford Rectory , Suffolk . Bro . S . Rosenthal , 2 , Red Lion-square . Bro . Edwin Sillifant , 21 , Old Jewry . Bro . James Stevens , Clapham Common . Bro . James Weaver , 45 , Howland-strect ,

Fitzroysquare . Bro . William Robert Woodman , Vittoria Villa , Stoke Newington . Bro . T . Burdett Yeoman , 4 , Vine Cottages , De Beauvoir-square .

WINES AND SPIRITS ( Foreign ) on which Duty was paid in London by some of the principal Firms during thc year 1870 : — AVINES ( Forci C i ) . SPIRITS ( Foreign ) . c ' allons Gillons W . ami A . Gilbey .,. 781 , 623 W , and A . Gilbey .,. 316 , 946 F . W . C > sens 130 , 1-4 Twi s und Urownings . „ 255 , 251 Dingwll , l ' onala-d Co . 123 , 264 I . & W . Nicholson & Co . 199 . 703

R . Hooper and SJUS ... 117 , 116 D . Tavljr a d Sjns ... : 49 , 18 a C . Kiul ell and Co . ... 103 , 064 Trower and Lawson ... 131 821 Simon and Light- )* ... 00 , 167 Dingwall , Portal and Co . 114 , 169 Cunlifte and Co 88 , 240 ion J , Forbes and Co ... 103 , 468 J . Allnutt , jun .. and Co . 86 , 895 R . Hooper and Sons ... 97 , 869 Dent , Urwick and Co .,.. 86 , 004 -eager and Eva s ... 93 , 739 D . Tayl r a d Sons ... 73 , 618 Bishop and Sons ... 87 , 386 Brook ; and Oldham ... 71 , 8 95 R . I ' urnett and Co . ... 71 , 891

Fi idlaier and Co . ... 70 , 754 F . Wcb '> ... < * 3 . 437 Matihiessen an I Co . ... 70 , 517 Marsh II and Elvcy ... 61 , 019 Roberts in 11 os . ... 70 , 119 E . S . Pick an 1 Co . ... 58 , 624 Domccq and Co . ... 70 , 217 Uowerbank an 1 Sons ... 51265 Besides thc preceding there were upwards of 2 , 000 Firms who paid Duty on Wines and Spirits in less quantities than those above mentioned . — Wine Trade Rcvir . v , 15 th January , 1 S 71 .

BREAKFAST . — EPPS ' COCOA . — Grateful and Comforting . —Thc very agreeable character of this preparation has rendered it a general favourite . The Civil Sen'ice Gazette remarks : - " By a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which govern the operations of digestion and nutrition , and by a careful application ot the fine properties of wcll * selectcd cocoa , Mr . Epps has provided our breakfast tables with a delicately flavoured beverage which may save us many heavy doctors' bills . " Each packet is labelled— J AMES El-re AND Co ., Homoeopathic Chemists , London . Also , makers o Epps ' s Cacaoine , a very light , thia , evemnjj Uverage , —( Advt ]