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NOTICE .

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United Slates of America . THE I ' JIEE . MASON is delivered ftee in any part of the United States for 12 s . per annum , payable itr advance . 'Hie Freemason is published or . Saturday Mornimis in lime for Ihe cnrlv trains . The price of the Freemason is Twopence per week ; annual subscription , tos . ( payable in advance . ) ' All communications , letters , ike , lo be addressed to the Editor , tjS , Elect-street , E . C . tbe Editor will pay careful attention to alliMSS . entrusted to him , out cannot undertake to return them uulessaccompauied by postae ;*; stamps .

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NOTICE . All Communications , Advertisements , tsfc , in . tended for insertion in the Numter of the Jo / lowing Saturday , must reach the Office not later than 6 o ' clock on Wednesday evening .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

' 1 lie following communications stand over : — Repoits of Lodges 1178 , 13 81 ; Maik Lodge 129 -. Prov . G . Lodge , of N . and K . Yoik ' shite , l ' rov G . Lodge of Cumberland and Weumoieland .

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Second Edition , Now Ready , 1 / 6 . A MASONIC MUSICAL SERVICE . In the key of C . for A ., ' 1 ' ., T „ 11 . Opening and Closing Odes . Craft Ceremonies . Hoyal Arch Ceremony . Consecration Ceremony . Grace before and after Meat . COMPOSED UV DM . J . C . BAKER , NO . 241 . I . ON DOS . —Geo . Kenning , i 9 8 , Fleet-sheet j and 2 , 3 , and 4 , Little Britain . „ 11 . Spencer , 26 , Great Queen-street . I . iv Kit POOL . —Geo . Kenning , 2 , Mnr . umeiit-place . MAN-CHESTER . —K . Henry iV Co ., 59 , Deansgate . DUBLIN . —C . lledgelong , 2 ( 1 , Gr . 'iftoti-s , ticet GLASGOW . —Geo . Kenning , 145 , Argylc-strect . MADAME TUSSAUD'S EXHIBITION , BAKER STREET . Now added , PORTRAIT MODELS of the SHAH of PERSIA , Marshal MacMahon , M . Thiers , and the late Charles Dickens . The original autograph and testimonial wtitten and presented by the Shah to Messrs . Tussaud , | uly 3 , 187 . ) , is exhibited . Admission is . Children under ( en , Oil . Extra Rooms , ( id . Open from ten a . m . to ten p . m .

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TheFreemasonj SATURDAY , APRIL 18 , 1874 .

The Assembly At York.

THE ASSEMBLY AT YORK .

The report of the last great Masonic assembl y at York has a deep interest for every English Freemason ! F ' or not only does the name of Zetland carry

us back to some of the brightest annals of our English Order , but the associations which York preserves for all student Masons , and for our world-wide Craft , are alike most precious and

remaikable . With York is bound tip very clearly , for instance , the legendary records of our Order , the histories and constitution of the Craft guilds , and

at any rate for 350 years , York has been designated by name as the " Alma Mater " of English Freemasonry . Inferential evidence of a very clear and striking kind mi ght lead us not unwarrantably to trace this connection to the

The Assembly At York.

end of the fourteenth century , at any rate , as the " syte " of the oldest Masonic chronicles is undoubtedly York . With York is also bound up the famous legend

of Athelstan , and even of an earlier Edwin , and there seems no possible a priori reason why the great Assembly of Athelstan ' s time may not have taken place , as our records tell us it did ,

at York . That assembly was in all probability simply the annual assembly ' of the Craft guild of Masons , to legislate for the general and special interests of the sodality . Thanks to the Surtees

society and Canon Raine , we have fabric rolls of York Minster , and regulations of the chapter from 1360 , shewing , that , the Freemasons were a recognised body , and besides their customary

suit and service to the chapter to which they were bound by an oath of obligation , had evidently certain franchises and customs , and privileges of their own .

Indeed , beneath the cold and technical terms of a Monastic fabric roll , its simple statements , and its terse account of things and persons , the educated Freemason can clearly

discern that the " Le loge Latomorum , was governed by its own " Magister ' \ and " gardiani " and " Seniores " pretty much as at the present day . What the real "status" of the Freemason ' s

lodge at York Minster in the 14 th century was , as regards ourselves , it is not easy now to lay down or decide ; but if the Masonic token in Mr .

Brown ' s possession , still , we believe , at York , be a relic of the old Masonic guilds , that connection was far closer than some of us might be willing to believe .

The tradition of our order is , however , perfectly uniform as to the connection with York , and we see no reason to discredit it , or reject it . Drake , the learned historian , when he aided

in reviving the Grand Lodge at York , in the last century , clearly saw no difficulty in this claim of our English Freemasonry , and we owe to him

the true version , undoubtedly , of the Edwin legend . If doubts in later times have been cast on the tradition and on the so-called York Constitution

such doubts seem to resolve themselves into fair historical criticism on the alleged documents , and evidences themselves , and by no means , as it appears to us , affect the probability or truth of

the original legend , or of the connection of York , with FYeemasonry . Since the days of Athelstan no more distinguished Assembly of York Masons cveriwas

gathered together , than that which greeted our Grand Master and Bro . Lord Zetland , the new Provincial Grand Master , on Thursday last . We congratulate the members of the York

Lodge on the success which has attended their zealous efforts to do honour to their Masonic rulers and brethren , and greatly to be commended is the friendly concurrence of the

municipal authorities , and the sympathetic support of the excellent Dean , and the Clergy of the Cathedral body . The sermon preached by our Bro . Kemp was

a most eloquent one , and truly befitting the occasion , and we rejoice to think that like the " good Samaritan " of old , the members of our brotherhood sought to pour the wine and oil of

The Assembly At York.

love and relief , into the open wounds of our common humanity . Altogether , the proceedings reflect the greatest credit on those concerned in thera . proceedings

which cannot fail to have produced a very favourable impression , and to have raised our antient brotherhood in the good opinion of the loyal citizens of the metropolitan city . Indeed it

quite takes us back to olden days , to find all classes thus combining to promote the assembly of York Masons , and pleasant it is for all students of our archreeology and all lovers of

our Craft , to find history thus repeating itself , as the centuries leave us in turn , in the annals , and labours , and gatherings and

assemblies of our time-honoured , but we will add , beneficent Brotherhood . The collection at the end of the service amounted to a little over ^ 4 8 .

Weekly Summary.

WEEKLY SUMMARY .

Her Majesty is still at Osborne . The Prince and Princess of Wales spent last week at Sandringham the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh remained at Buckingham Palace . The Prince and Princess of Wales , accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge , the

Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , and the Maharajah Dhuleep Sing , left Sandringham on Wednesday morning , April 8 th , and proceeded to Ely for the purpose of inspecting the fine cathedral . The Royal party afterwards returned to Sandringham House .

The twenty-first birthday of Prince Leopold George Duncan Albert , youngest son of the Queen , was celebrated at Windsor yesterday with the customary honours paid to members of the Royal Family . The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh did

not , after all , go to Sandringham with the Prince and Princess of Wales , but stayed their Easter in London . On Sunday the Duke and Duchess were at the organ performance at the Albert Hall . The ball to be given by the Lord Mayor to the Duke and Duchess has been fixed for the

29 th inst . The Mansion House will be transformed for the occasion , being splendidly decorated and illuminated like the Imperial Palace at St . Petersburg on the night of the Duke and Duchess ' s marriage . The Floyal party will

have a reception , retiring , and supper-room reserved for them . Between 800 and 1 , 000 persons are invited . The Duke and Duchess are going to pay Freland a visit in August , when they will stay in Dublin with the Duke of Abercorn .

Ihe Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lome took possession last week of their new home at Dornden , near Tunbridge Wells . On Good Fnday the Marquis and Marchioness went to the service at St . Paul ' s , Rusthall , and next day the Duke of Argyll arrived on a visit .

On Sunday the Princess , with her husband and the Duke , wen } to Langton Church , and on Tuesday the Marquis and several of his visitors drove to Tunbridge Wells to see some athletic sports . Windsor Castle is full y occupied in preparing

for the Czar ' s coining visit , and the State Apartments are closed for the present , in order to be got ready for his Majesty . The Emperor will occupy the State Apartments overlooking the north terrace—almost identical with those inhabited by the ex-Emperor and Empress of the

French on their visit to Windsor in . 1854 . They include the Vandyke Room , or old ball room , the Lucharelli Room , or Queen ' s State Drawing Room , the Queen ' s Closet , the King ' s Closet , and the Council Chamber . The suite will be

lodged in the Audience and Presence Chambers , as well as part of the Round Tower . The Czar , his brother , the Grand Duke Constantine , and his third son , the Grand Duke Alexis , are expected at Berlin on the 3 rd prox . There is little other news at home , the business of Parliament has recommenced with this