Correspondence.

Correspondence .

. I We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents , but we wish in a spirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . ]

"WHO IS HE :- " To the Editor of the " Freem ison . " Dear Sir and Brother , In your issue of the 12 th inst . "An Admirer . of Princes" asks if any of your readers can enlighten him as to who Prince Mahomed Eusoof is , and if he

is the same Prince Eusoof Khan , M . D ., that the generality of Indian students here know to their cost . I should advise the "Admirer" and other brothers to "beware of Princes" until they know something more about them , than that they are Princes by their own dictum .

There has been a prevailing notion in England that all Indians , or at any rate a great miny of them that come over to England , are either Princes or Nabobs ; but it is high time that people should be undeceived on that score . Out of the 300 odd Indians in

England at the present time there are no more than five or six real live Princes , while the rest ot the socalled Princes are either Princes in their own imagination or in the imagination of their English friends . —I remain , yours fraternally ,

AN INDIAN , BUT NO PRINCE . London , March nth . To thc Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I have received a number of your last issue in which I read , in an anonymous letter signed " An

Admirer of Princes , " a mention of Doctor Eusoof ' s address as 55 , Cornwall-gardens . 1 beg to say that the mansion , 55 , Cornwall-gardens ( or ralher Cornwall Mansions ) is my private residence , and that I alone live there . Mr . Eusoof came to me as a Freemason , and asked me to visi : my hospital . 1 have often

received free Masonic visits , and always endeavour to obey the rules of the Craft , which prescribe the greatest kindness . I received live or six visits from that Indian brother , who described himself as the second son of the Khan of Kelat ( or Khelat ) . If any doubts are entertained on the subject , any interested

person might get reliab'e information through the Indian Office , and , if necessary , report it to the lodges in a confidential manner . 1 have been taught that if 1 cannot justify a brother Freemason I am to remain silent , and not join his accusers . Mr . Eusoof had asked me permission to have a few letters directed to my house whilst he would move about and be unsettled .

I suppose that by writing my address as his he has only intended to profit by the permission which I had granted him , and did not mean to imply that hc lived in 55 , Cornwall-gardens , S . W . I am very sorry that the error made should compel me to beg of you to kindl y publish my letter in the next issue of your paper .

I have not seen Mr : Eusuof for live months at least , and no letters have been sent for him for a considerable time , as it had proved inconvenient for me , and I had withdrawn the permission . This is all I know about Mr . Eusoof and I have only

rr . ct him live or six times in my life . He brought to me invitations from the London lodges , and believing him to be a Freemason , I have done my duty to him as I do it to the brethren who apply to me . —I am , sir , yours fraternally , L . S . D'ODIARDI . 55 , Cornwall-gardens , S . W . March 14 'h .

Jo thc Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I have every reison to believe that the distinguished personage alluded to by your correspondent " An Admirer of Princes " is the individiul who , a few years ago , under the name of William Robert Davis ,

M . D ., of Lodge No . 1422 , was exalted in the Royal Arch chapter of which I was then M . E . Z . The fact of his being at that time a prince in disguise will doubtless be considered , 1 sufficient excuse for his not having his purse about him , and as the chapter was not then aware of the honour that had been done it ,

and , as I was unfortunately the proposer of the candidate , I was compelled to pay his fee . I have not had the pleasure of meetingthe gentleman since , but as his "highness" has now dropped his incognito , and appeared in his proper colours , he will

I am sure , with proverbial princel y magnanimity , pardon me for reminding him that I am still open to receive the sum then disbursed on his account . —Yours fraternally , p */ _ ' March iCth .

ELECTION OF W . M . To the Editor of thc " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , May I propose a question which I cannot a lswer myself , otherwise would not ask r Doubtless to th ise who are learned in Craft lore , it is at their finger ' s end .

Correspondence.

I . E . —At the election of W . M ., should , or should not , the Secretary read in open lodge , prior to the ballot , the names of all and every brother of the lodge eligible to be elected to the office of W . M . ; failing reading or announcing such , is the election valid .

In a lodge where there are a large number of young members who know nothing of our laws , how can they vote other than by dictation , which destroys our cherished charter as being " free ?"—Yours faithfully , P . M .

HANTS AND ISLE OF WIGHT . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Will you allow me to state in your columns that I am not entitled to be credited with the large sum which appears against my name in the Stewards' list

of the late Benevolent Institution Festival V When this province subscribed 200 guineas , I promised that each Steward should have his share of this amount . By some misunderstanding in the office , it has all been placed on my list . It is not my fault ; but the original arrangement will be adhered to and the error corrected . —Yours fraternally , J . E . LE FEUVRE , D . P . G . M . March 14 th .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

g 97 6 ] AN AMERICAN MASONIC LIBRARY . Few indeed are the recipients of the Catalogue of the Masonic Library of General Samuel Lawrence , but those who have been favoured have not a finer modern volume detailing Masonic literature in their possession . The General has gathered his store together with a

princely hand , he has dispersed a knowledge of its contents with equal munificence . A famous brother wrote to me on its receipt , " Where on earth do these Americans pick up these line libraries V " M y knowledge of how our American brethren collect enables me to reply—they know no difficulty in the pursuit of what they want , they pursue until they get the desired

object , they set no limitation to their commission , hence they have pulled together the finest Masonic libraries the world wide . Fortunately for home collectors the booksellers of this country are unaware of the value of old Masonic books and MSS . ; few can appraise them at their true value , and ludicrous are the attempts to fix values . By way of illustration , I had

my Smith s Pocket Companion of 1735 off-jred to me lor five shillings ( worth as many guineas ) , while Dalcho ' s Orations was offered at two guineas ( worth ten shillings ) . I bought Cole ' s Constitutions , ist edition , with another batch of books for 18 shillings ( worth ten guineas ) , while Calcott ' s Disquisitions was offered at 35 shillings ( worth live shillings ) . American collectors

are as keen as the rest of their countrymen , they are fine hunters , they have displayed as much enthusiasm in the art of book hunting as in the rest of their pursuits , and consequently they have fine results ; the libraries of Lawrence , Carson , Drummond , Parvin , and Bower stand unrivalled , both on account of the wide range of their collections as for the completeness of their sets .

I would like to urge home collectors not to be mean in the ' r purchases , and never to let a chance pass them , providing it fairly lies within their reach , as scarce books are difficult to obtain . I am anxious that our books should not pass from us like George Fox ' s cottage —never more to return . Gen . Lawrence has the advantagcof having asaide-de-camp a well-informed and

courteous brother ( I hco . H . Emmons ) , whose fine appreciation of what was rare and valuable has helped in a great measure to bring together this unique collection . The catalogue is an octavo book ol imperial size , and contains 320 pages . Thc entries are classified by index under 32 headings ; prominence is given to each author ' s name by means ol bold type . 1 he great

advantage of a work like this is that it is easil y mastered ; there is no conlusion and no repetitiin . There is , however , a fell want—a preface . A history of how the collection was inaugurated and brought together , of the incidents in collecting , of some of the bargains , of its unique features , and ol its wants would have been highly appreciated , and would have thrown

in relief the mister-hand who guided its destinies . Bro . Hughan , too , sj well summarised the contents that I will not incur the odium of repetition , but will avail myself of the privilege of mentioning a few works individually . The great work of the library is the Constitutions of the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge , printed in Pniladelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1731

—the first work on Freemasonry published in America —a book unrivalled in rarity in the whole range of Masonic literature , selling lor as far as iSjoo when offered for sale . Then there is the Book ot Constitutions of 1738 of our own Grand Lodge ( the market value of which I do not care to nnmc as I w . inl a copy myseli ) , which is possibly the most valuable work on our side of the Atlantic . The Constitutions of

Freemasons , Dublin , 1730 , first edition for Ireland so rare that 1 have not yet seen a copy catalogued in a home library . One of the most interesting books in the collection is the Constitutions ol Massachusetts Grand Lodge , 1792 , with the autograph of George Washington . There are no less than 721 enumerations under ihe heading of 'Ahimon Ke-ons Constitutions and By-laws . " The sets of Cross' True Masonic Chart ,

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Templar ' s Chart , Preston ' s "Illustrations of Masonry " and Webb's " Freemasons' Monitor " are extraordinary and probably unrivalled b y any other collector . The rare 16 th edition of the Masonic Chart , given by Gowan ( 1 S 58 catalogue ) and doubted by Drumrnonrl { vide Hist . and Bib . Memo ., page in ) , is absent . As the undersigned possesses a copy , ' ns

existence need be no longer in question . The enormous number of 219 volumes of lodge , chapter and commandery histories are given . The threefourths of these are American , but they are none the less valuable on that account , as in an enormous number of instances much more attention has been bestowed on the History of American Institutions than

on our own . In rare Masonic works generally I find Life of Ashmole , 1717 ; Calcott ' s Disquisitions , Boston , iyy 2 ( very scarce ); Multa Paucis Ebrietatis Encomina , 172 * 1 ¦ Long Lives , 1722 ; Fame and Confession , 1652 ; P | a n Dealer , 1 730 ; Pine ' s Engraved Lists , 1737 and 1764 ( original ) ; Pocket Companions , 1730 and 1735 ; Way to Things by Words , 1766 , all of which reveal very

patient plodding to obtain , and each "find" has no doubt its own history . In Anti-Masonic works , Finch 1802 ; Freemasonry for the Ladies , 1791 ; 17 editions oi Jachin and Boaz ( overtopping Carson b y one ) Morgan ' s works ; Pritchard ' s Masonry Dissected , 7 editions ; Shibboleth , 1765 ; Slade ' s Freemason Examined , 1754 ; Three Distinct Knocks , 5

editions-Solomon in all his Glory , I 776 and 176 S . Many of these works will never again be found in this country . The works of Wm . Dodd , D . D . ( of famous or infamous memory ) , Thaddeus Harris , Godfrey Higgins , Hargravc Jennings . Lafayette , Lilly , Paine , Pike , Plot , Tom Taylor Toland , and Waite show a wide and liberal consideration to direct as well as contemporaneous subjects .

Ninety-nine pages are devoted to French , German , Spanish , Italian , and Latin works of the volume of which I wish someone more qualified than myseli would write at length . The remaining pages of this wonderful catalogue enumerate works on Architecture Civil War , Knig hthood , Benefit Associations , Medals

Catalogues , cScc . 100 much praise cannot be given to either the owner of thc library or compiler of thc catalogue for their praiseworthy and assiduous attention to Masonic literature , and I have no doubt I reflect the mind of every Mason when 1 say that 1 trust the collection may never be brought into acquaintance with an auctioneer ' s hammer . G . W . BAIN .

Reviews.

REVIEWS .

"WHERE SHALL I GET THE MOST FOR MY MONEY ?" This important question is answered in a most satisfactory manner by Mr . Joseph Allen , F . S . S ., of No . Ci , Halifax , in relation to the important subject of Life Insurance , and the pamphlet with that striking title is now in the iSth edition . Copies may be ordered through any

bookseller from the London agent , Ernest NUter , 38 , Paternoster-row , or direct from the author , Halifax , Yorkshire , price sixpence . The elaborate tables are quite startling in character , and the calculations yield very extraordinary results . So much is this the case that we communicated with Mr . Allen , so as to privately have the key to the numbers under which thc various offices are arranged .

So far as we can juige the figures are quite correct , ana are eloquent in their testimony , and conclusive as to their reply to the question . At a glance any one can see where most advantages can be had lor the annual premium paid . Of ourse , it does not follow that the society which offers thc greatest benefit is therefore the soundest financially , but tisuilly it will be found that liberal terms and ample means

are found in close company . 1 he bonuses added to ine original sums assured are important frctors in the calculilions , and these additions are naturally in proportion to the sound management and liberality of the companies . Some offices are mare favourable to young than to old lives , and others vice versa . An office may answer well for one purpose and not for another , and hence with so miny , '' i * to be attained , the value of such an expert is unquestionable . content

especially as th-re are no fees to pay . Mr . Allen is to accept ( he usual brokerage paid by the offices . Hc "J nj particular society to bolster up , and is fully c jmpelentW introduce would-be unsurcrs to any and all good oflices in the United Kingdom , lie favours our own Institutions , « " are glad to note , and has a keen eye to estimate expense-1 of managem : nt , and funds in hind in proportion W liabi' . ilies .

THE MASONIC GUIDE FOR THE COUNTY 0 ^ YORKSHIRE AND EBORACUM MASOV * - CALENDAR FOR tS-ja . This neat and exceedingly useful comp ilation ( smallest of the series issued in England , but •?' - *'¦ '„ , ) densed ) is in its iOlh year of publication , and is P rm y i vtc * circulated at the sole cost of the editor . Bro . T . B . > \* V ,..

head , of York , as heretofore . We still think it shuulii done at the charge of the two provinces in thc connly > ' ^ enlarged , so as to give the chiel officers , at least , of al j local Masonic bodies . IIV * * . ' Yorkshire has 75 , 0 ! l *» "j , IS 3 G 14 members , and Norlh and East 31 lodges a *^ " erI 1 . members , makingagrand totalof 10 G lodges and 573 ? ' 6 hers . Of Ruyal Arch Masonry there are in one prov' 1 * chanters and C 121 rnmnanions . and in the other 3 ^ * - , " . i , f »

and 1212 companions , or a total of 1 S 33 members 1 county . There arc * abo 21 Mark lodges in tkeW l ^ vinces , besides 11 Knights Templar preceptorics , 5 . ^ Croix chapters , 3 Red Cross conclaves , and one I' ° ' . j Grand Lodge of the Royal Order , so that Bro . Wny ^ $ has done wonders to give so much informition an these in this wee booklet .