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TO ADVERTISERS . The FREEMASON has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising medium can therefore scarcely be overrated . ADVERTISEMENTS should reach thc Office , 198 , Fleetstreet , London , by 12 o ' clock on Wednesdays .

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NOTICE .

To prevent delay or miscarriage , it is particularly requested that ALL communications for the FREEMASON , may be addressed to the Office , 198 , Fleet-street , London .

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IMPORTANT NOTICE .

COLONIAL and FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS are informed that acknowledgments of remittances received are published in the first number of every month .

It is very necessary for our readers to advise us of all money orders they remit , more especially those from the United States of America and India ; otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them .

To Our Readers

TO OUR READERS

The FREEMASON is a sixteen-page weekly newspaper , price 2 d . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Annual subscription in the United Kingdom , Post free , 10 / 6 . P . O . O . ' s to be made payable at the chief office , London .

NEW POSTAL RATES . Owing to a reduction in thc Postal Rates , the publisher is now enabled to send the " Freemason" to the following parts abroad for One Year for Thirteen Shillings ( payable in

advance ) : —Africa , Australia , Bombay , Canada , Cape of Good Hope , Ceylon , China , Constantinople , Demerara , France , Germany , Gibraltar , Jamaica , Malta , Newfoundland , New South Wales , New Zealand , Suez , Trinidad , United States cf America , tec .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

Bro . CossTAin . E . —Declined with thanks . By a typographical ciror , " The Late King of Prussia " appeared in our last issue for " Frederick the Great , King of Prussia . " The following stand over : Reports of Lodges Perfect

Ashlar , 1178 ; Royal , 1143 ; New Cross , 1559 ; St . _ John ' s Lodge of Instruction , 67 , 5 ; De Grey and Ripon Lodge of Instruction , Liverpool , 133 6 . Panmure Chapter , 750 ; Era Maik Lodge , 176 ; Adams's Maik Lodge , 6 , Sheerncsson-Sca . Alpass Encampment , Liverpool .

Births ,Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

[ Tlie charge is 2 s . 6 d . for announcements , not exceed , ing four lines , under this beading . }

BIR'I HS . CONQUEST . —On the 1 2 th inst ., at Buckhurst-hill , Essex , thc wife of J . Conquest , of a son . COWAIID . —On the 13 th inst ., at Slafford-tcrracc , Kens ngton , thc wife of Cecil Coward , of a daughter . LYON . —On the 1 ith inst ., at Thc Firs , Horsham , the wife of Major F . L . II . Lyon , H . H . A ., of a daughter . WAKIIEN . —On the 3 rd inst ., at Finsbury Park , the wife of N . Warren , of a son .

MARRIAGES . BAII . EV— TUOWEI - . —On thc 13 th inst ., at St . Andrew's , Lambeth , Walter Bailey , of Winchester , to Elizabeth , daughter of he Rev . F . Tugwell . GORDON—REID . —On the 12 th inst ., at St . Paul ' s , Knightsbridge , Francis Frederick Gordon , son of the late Lord Francis Gordon , to Helen Augusta Mariana , daughter of the late R . H . B . Reid , Esq .

DEATHS . Bovs . —On the 10 th inst ., at King Hcnry ' s-road , Regent ' s Park , Thomas Boys , aged 82 . BUCKNAI . L . —On the nth inst ., at Gothic House , Twickenham , William Bucknall , Esq ., aged 93 . EVANS . —On the 10 th inst ., Jane , wife of H . Evans , of Gcrrard-streef , Soho , aged 32 .

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TheFreemason, SATURDAY , FEB . 17 , 1877 .

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

We congratulate the Craft , the Committee , and Bro . Terry on the most gratifying result of this , our first charitable gathering for 1877 . It was in every way worthy of the occasion , of the Order , and of our Masonic liberality . His Royal Highness Prince Leopold , the Provincial

Grand Master of Oxfordshire , had undertaken the duty of presiding at the annnal festival of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , held on Monclay evening , at Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen-street , and an exceedingly large gathering of the brethren i . i the Craft assembled to do

honour to the occasion , the assemblage being as large as that present when his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales presided four years ago . Much to the regret of all present , illness prevented Prince Leopold from attending , and the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot kindly officiated

in his stead . He was supported by Lord Lei gh , the Provincial Grand Master of Warwickshire ; Lord Methuen , Provincial Grand Master of Wilts ; the Rev . C . J . Martyn , Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Suffolk ; Bros . Colonel Creaton , Samuel Tomkins , Grand Treas . ; John Hervey ,

Grand Sec . ; Capt . Homfray , and a very numerous circle of our most distinguished brethren . The loyal toasts were given with the usual heartiness and loyalty , and onr noble brother , in proposing the toast of the evening , spoke of the benefits it conferred upon decayed Masons and

their widows , and said that , though he was not about to betray any Masonic secret , he could tell the brethren and the . adies present that the list cf subscriptions made a greater total than was ever made before , for in honour to Prince Leopold the brethren had subscribed a sum double

that on the occasion when His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales presided . Bro . Terry , the Secretary , then read the list of subscriptions , showing that London subscribed £ 6679 ; Devonshire , £$ 70 ; Kent , , £ 49 . 3 ; the Eastern Division of Lancashire , 76321 ; Middlesex , £ 330 ;

Oxfordshire , £ 270 ; Warwickshire , £ 467 ; the Western Division of Yorkshire , £ 559 ; Hong Kong , £$ 0 —in all making—London , £ 66- / 0 , and the Provinces , £ 517 / —a total of £ 12 , 656 . The' announcement was received with great cheering . Nothing detracted from the pleasures

of this most remarkable evening but the absence of our royal brother , which was the subject of universal sorrow , so much so that Lord Shrewsbury stated that it was the first occasion he had presided over any Masonic gathering with regret . We trust soon to hear that the august sufferer

is restored to better health , and the admirable fulfilment ofhis high duties . The arrangements were admirable , and reflect great credit on the Stewards , while the catering was most creditable to Bro . Dawkins . The great hall was

filled to overflowing , and the ladies , who dined separately , filled the galleries dnring the toasts . We have every reason to believe that our fair sisters were most fraternally provided for . Bro . Terry was in high favour with them , and deserves the congratulations and thanks of all the Craft .

The History Of French Freemasonry.

THE HISTORY OF FRENCH FREEMASONRY .

Our able contemporary the Builder , has recently given us a very interesting little article on the destruction of the Rue des Boucheries , in the improvements going on at Paris , and which is identified to a great extent with the alleged history of early French Freemasonry . We use

the word '' alleged because the Builder assumes a little too much the accuracy ofthe commonlyreceived French , historical tradition . We have been looking carefully into the subject lately , and feel strongly how much of doubt and

uncertainty still lingers over the "textus receptus " of the French Masonic annals . We know that our learned correspondent , Bro . W . J . Hughan , will confirm our view of the matter . The statement , as it appears in the Builder , is no doubt based on the " dicta " of several competent

The History Of French Freemasonry.

writers , but a good deal of obscurity hangs u pon it , and some recent discoveries , which Bro . Hughan has called attention to , as regards Freemasonry in Paris , seem to strengthen these doubts . He has given us some most interesting excerpta from early English newspapers , which

throw a new light on the history of French Freemasonry . By these extracts , it would seem that in 1734 and 1735 , meetings of English and French Freemasons had been held at Paris . We shall give two of the most important extracts in Masonic Notes and Queries next week . We

think it well , therefore , to put on paper what is actually known ofthe history of Freemasonry in Paris . In the first place we quite agree with Bro . Hughan , that the first historical constitution of a lodge at Paris is that referred to in Pine ' s list of 1734 , and held "au Louis d'Argent

dans la Rue des Boucheries , a Pans , anil which was warranted , according to his statement , in i 73 2 - In ' Constitutions of 1738 , Viscount Montague ( in 1732 ) is said to have granted a deputation for constituting a lodge at the Hotel de Bussy in Paris .

There are no other traces in our English records of this lodge or French lodges , except that we art told in 1738 that the Grand Lodge of France is mentioned in the minutes and Masonic intercommunication agreed upon , and two lodges in France were erased from our list . The French

writers seem to contend , as does the Builder , that in 1725 a lodge was founded at Paris by Lord Derwentwater ( Charles Radcliffe ) Chevalier Maskelyne , and Mr . Heguetty , called St . Thomas , at a restaurant kept by an Englishman of the name of Hure or Hurre , and that in 1726

this lodge received a constitution from the Grand Lodge of England , but of this statement no evidence exists , and owing to the political questions of the day , much doubt is thrown upon it , especially as to whether the English Grand Lodge would have given a

warrant to known Jacobites , and to a person who was not Lord Derwentwater , according to English law . But in 1732 ( not 1726 according lo French writers—we adhere to our own writers ) , a lodge seems to have been founded on a constitution granted by Grand Master Montague ,

also in the Rue des Boucheries , at the Louis d'Argent , and also called " St . Thomas , " which first met at an hotel , kept by a person called Breton , or Le Breton , in the Rue des Boucheries , and subsequently at the Hotel de Bussy , in the Rue de Bussy , kept by a person called

Landelle . This is the lodge which Kioss says was numbered 49 , and was erased in 1768 . A third lodge is stated to have been founded in 1729 , called " Arts St . Maguorite , " by an Englishman named Gaustand or Gauston , and a fourth lodge in 1732 , subsequently called " La

Loge d ' Aumont , " is declared to have been constituted at Landelle ' s , also in the Rue de Bussy . Whether there is any confusion or not in this account , and whether these four lodges are reduceable historically to two " deponent" is uot quite prepared to say , but thinks it just possible .

In Cole ' s List of Lodges , 1763 , 3 lodge is said to meet ( No . 49 ) , originally go , " a la Ville de Tenerre , Rue des Boucheries , " first Monday ( founded ) April 3 , 1732 . This would almost look as if the four lodges might be actually only two . The extracts published by Bro . W . ]•

Hughan seem to throw some little doubt on the very positive statements of the French Historians . We have seen that in 1768 a Grand Lodge of France was in existence , and in 17 * 62 j ' lodges are said to have existed in Paris , of which 23 had been founded since 17 < e . In

1737 , we are told by the St . Jantes s Evening Post , May 12 , quoted by Bro . W . J . Hug han , that the " Order of the Freemasons " has been " lately so much in vogue in Paris , there being great striving to be admitted , even at the expense of ten Louis d ' or . Eighteen or twenty persons

of distinction have lately been created Masons * amongst whom was the Marshal d ' Estrees , and three lodges are already established . " This is i - 1 : 737 . So early , too . as 1737 , the Free masons seen " to have been forbidden by the police to assemble '

and a certain Chapelot , keeper of a restaurant 3 ' la Rapee was fined 1000 liyres for having a meeting of Masons at his house in that year . Wc see then how many elements of doubt , and ho * many matters requiring careful consideration exist