Scotland.

g ifts for the use of the chapter ; one was , a pair of stones from Comp . Haliday , and the other was a splendid copy of the Book of the Law . That book contained the inspired songs of David , and it was a present from their own David , their worthy young friend , and Scribe E . Comp .

Wheeler moved the thanks of the chapter to those two worthy companions for their valuable presents . The bible was a very handsome one , and if they onl y paid attention to the precepts it contained , the gift mig ht be said to be invaluable . The other present was of great importance to a

young Mark lodge , as without those stones the lodge could not work , and he trusted that the candidates to be obligated on the one would . mark well tlie lessons it contained , and also leave their mark , not onl y on those stones , but on the living stones of the True Temple . The motion

was carried unanimously . In conformity with the laws of the Supreme Chapter of Scotland , though the chapter has been so recentl y consecrated , they had to elect fresh officers . The following were unanimously nominated to fill the respective chairs : —Comps . David Bell , ist

Principal Z . , •James McLeish , H . ; George McCallum , J . ; David Reid , Scribe E . ; G . Hern , N . ; G . Charlton , T . ; F . Halliday , 1 st Soj . ; J . Annand , 2 nd Soj . ; J . Appleyard , 3 rd Soj . ; and John Hughes , Janitor . Comps . G . W . Wheeler and J . Rotherham were appointed as Auditors .

The 23 rd was named for the installation of the officers , and from the enthusiastic way in which each of them have worked in the Craft lodge , there is every prospect of this , ( be youngest chapter in the , province , soon showing good work .

GL \ SGO \ V . —St . Mungo Encampment . —The annual meeting of this body was held on Monday , the 15 th ' inst ., Sir Knt . R . Bell , M . N . C , presiding . The election was proceeded with , but as all the nominations had been unanimous , it was merely formal . Captain Shanks , P . E . C .

of the Royal Veteran Encampment ( E . C ) , now a member of this encampment , then assumed the chair , and in a very impressive maimer installed Sir Knt . R . Bell as Commander for the ensuing year . A special vote of thanks was ordered to be recorded for the excellent manner

in which the ceremonies were conducted , as Captain Shanks had to leave by train . The newly -reinstalled Commander installed and invested as his officers : —Sir Knts . J . Tweed as his Deputy ; J . G . Speirs as G . C . ; Rev . J . C . Steward , Prelate ; G . W . Wheeler , Recorder ;

F . Bates . Treas . ; M . Clanachin ami G . McAhster , Captains ; F . Barclay , Seneschal ; S . Scott , Marshal ; J . Barclay , Hospitaller ; J . McLeish , Warder ; W . J . Shoe , Sword Bearer ; J . Bendall , 1 st Aidc-dc-Camp ; aud J . MeDade , Sentinel . The committee on the new place of meeting reported , and obtained leave to sit again .

THE ROYAL LIJIRARV AT W INDSOR CASTLIJ . —The Royal Library and Print Room at Windsor Castle are being made fireproof , as an additional safeguard against casualties ; the collections of books , manuscripts , and engravings

in these departments of the Castle being almost priceless . Mr . Andrew Carnegie , of New York , has intimated his willingness to g ive the handsome sum of five thousand pounds for the erection of public baths in Dumfermline , of which city he is a native .

The ( Hole is informed that Mr . Gladstone intends to bring in a budget early next session , abolishing the Income Tax , and then to appeal to the country .

Tlie study of literature nourishes youth , entertains old age , adorns prosperity , solaces adversity , is delig htful at home , unobtrusive abroad , deserts us not by day nor by nig ht , in journeying nor retirement . — C ' vern .

U ' iui ; -Qt'ii . 'ii : i ) Soi . ni ) lianrs , whicli s : ttc 50 pei LI ( . in wear , may be bad from liuigess , H ) S , Oxiiud-M'Cii . W ; Speak , 13 , liroadwnv , l . udgntc-Viiil 1 liltimlrll , dd , I' . ' - •street , City ; Lewis , 201 ) , I . i \ ci |> "i-l-rn .-id , >• ' . ; and rl-rw . , 1 . N . H . —Vour regular biotin . 'ikci cut procure soles ic n !; . --•luiiteil in c \ ciy size from ti . e Wiic Quilted Compimy , Limited ; or lime Lis own le . -itlicr (| uilted by loiuaiilir :: same to the Company ' s works , Leicester . —AIHT .

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

THE UNITED ORDERS AND THE ANGLICAN LANGUE OF ST . JOHN .

To the Editor of the Freemaspn . Dear Sir and Brother , — When Bro . Lupus talks about my mendacious statements , we may conclude that he and his genuine Order have been hardly hit . Bro . Lupus is very indignant because I , and

others , are incredulous as to the legitimacy of his true Order of St . John , but I am very sorry I cannot withdraw those statements , simply because what I said in The Freemason was perfectly true , however unpalatable to the re-loubtrible champion of the English Protestants , who call

themselves Knights of St . J ohn . When Bro . Lupus talks of mendacious statements , and yet asserts that the titular Anglican Langue" is not in alliance with the so-called Sacred Council in Rome , on the pole ground of reli g ious difference , " and further that I am "in

no manner warranted in making the statement that the Roman Council repudiates the claim of the so-called Anglican Langue , " I cm onl y say , lu ijuoqtte to his polite insinuation , and point to the proofs I have already given in your columns as to the grounds upon which I basetl my

assertions . Bro . Lupus may effect to ignore the so-called —as he is p leased to term—the Sacred Council ; but it won ' t do .

He cannot get over the fact that the Masoiiic Knig hts of Malta have been in existence for over 100 years , at all events ; that tney have worn the black mantle for that'period ; and that whilst the Sacred Council , the sole legitimate head of

the Order , refuses to recognise them , we , the Masonic Knig hts , have quite as good a claim to the title of Knig hts of St . John as they . When Bro . Lupus , in speaking of Alalia , says , " whence Bro . Holmes would have us believe

came the very ancient and absurd ritual which 1 believe was never yet used iu the Island , and was manufactured in the manner made known to you readers some time since , " I should be sorry to throw doubts on his statements , as he does upon mine , without very good reason , but if

he desire it 1 will undertake to give him privately the name of the brother—a Provincial Grand Commander—who brought the Malta degree . from Alalia , and <> r another brother who received the degree under the same ritual in Malta which my sapient Bro . Lupus allects to believe was

never used there . M y learned brother make the bold assertion " that the Protestant Langue of England , of the Order of St . John , is a legitimate branch of the grand old Fraternity of the Baptist ; " ( in my innocence I had imagined that

St . John the Almoner and not St . John the Baptist , was the patron of the Order , and Porter , Mackey , Taaii ' e and others share my opinion , but no doubt they are all wrong , and Lupus ri ght ;) " a fact , " he adds "which all the waitings of Pro . Holmes and all the easrer anxieties of his friends

will not alter . " This is all very well in its way , but assertion is not proof . As to the anxieties of my . friends aneiit the existence or non-existence of the Anglican Langue , 1 need only remark that they and I are

alike profoundly mdilierent as tothe matter . An inconsiderable and unimportant body like the band of English gentlemen , who flatter themselves that they are jireti . r chevaliers sans jii'iir el sans repraclir , are quite welcome to dub themselves any name they please , hut no act of

Parliament , nor even the startling assertions ol Lupus , will make us believe in them . Bro . Lupus by his gratuitous attack on the Masonic Knig hts of Milta , justly provoked the ntoit as to his own pet order , and he and his friends are alone to blame for a discussion which

however much they may flatter themselves has told in their favour , will in the opinion ol most sensible and independent readers , Inve assumed quite a difietvnt coiuph xiou .

Of course it must lie very galling to ambitious .-:,- } di . ' . anl kni g hts , after being solemnly put to tlie proof as to their noble desci nt , ( mis' would like to know where sonic of them get it . ) and after paving , we fear , rather considerable fees for the honour , such as it is , to find oiii . tha ' : after

Original Correspondence.

all they are , in the eyes of a good many people , only sham knights after all . I say it must be very galling , very galling indeed , but what then ? We are not to blame in the matter . If these gentlemen keep their kni g hthood to themselves , and do deeds of charity and all that sort of

thing , we can sympathise with them and admire their beneficent services , but when they allow neat little paragraphs ( shall we say puffs ?) to be inserted in the daily papers , announcing their proceedings , and get some of their number to attack the Masonic Kni g hts of Malta , who were

m existence in England 50 years before they were , it behoves ail good men and true , who have the honour to belong to the United Orders , to repudiate their claims and ridicule their pretensions . When the Sacred Council and the Catholic Kni g hts , of St . John recognise the

Protestant Cavaliers , we are ready to do so too , and not before , liy the way what do the Duke of Norfolk , and Lord Beaumont , think of these claims . Can it be possible that some of the Masonic Kni g hts were received into the Anglican Langue

on the understanding that they should do their best to crush out the Masonic Order of St . John ? I shtiuld be sony to suggest such a thing , but real !)' , recent events would make us fear so , and if this be the case , would one wrongfully accuse the knights of perfidious conduct ?

Aly Masonic Inends should look to it . But no J " Brutus aud Cassius aie honourable men , So are they all—all honourable men . " I have the greatest possible respect for Col , M'l . cod Moore , and his opinion as to the Ord . i

of St . John is valuable , but still it is his opinion , and is not binding upon others who have probably gone into ( he question as deeply as he . from Mackey ' s Lexicon , I gather that according to a tradition of the Rosa Croix 37 , 000 of the descendants of the Masons , who , at the

destruction ol Jerusalem , by 1 itus , had fled to Scotland , being desirous of uniting in the wars of the Crusades , obtained permission of the Scottish Monarch , aud , on their arrival in Palestine , performed so man } ' deeds of valour as to attract the admiration of Knights of St . John of

Jerusalem , who , as a token of their esteem , requested to be initiated into the Masonic Order , whence arose the connexion of that body with the Freemasons . I merely give this tradition for what it is worth , hut it is certain that some of the Knig hts of Malta did become Freemasons about

the middle of last century , and Findel , as I have said elsewhere , admits the fact , and writes thus . * "In 1743 , Thovy Udls us the Masons in Lyons , under the name of " Pel it Elu , " invented the degree Kndosch , whicli represents the revenge of the Templars . The Order of Knights Templar had been abolished in 1 . 31 J ,

and to that epoch , they were obliged to have recourse , when , after ihe banishment of several Kni g hts from Alalia in 1 740 , because they were Freemasons , it was not longer possible to keep up a connection with the Order of St . John , or Kni g hts of Malta , then in the plenitude of their power , under the sovereignty of the Pol ' . ' . "

It would thus appear that , prior to 1740 , many of the Knights of St . John were Freemasons and that at that period the Masonic body had some connection with the Sovereign Order . J hope Lupus is satisfied . EMKA HOLMi : s .

Spiritualism.

SPIRITUALISM .

Ti the Editor of the Freemason . Dear Sir and Brother , — 'I'he clear and candid definition of Spiritualismgncii hy Bro . Cup , literal page Ooo ( ¦> .. it : '' The occasional ami livquent 111 . mil . .-. onion of

the presence amongst us of disemb i . fied spir . ts , who make their presence known in various v , .. )' s , s- 'iinclini ' s by mining or otherwise acting i . pnn material objects , sometimes hy an li ' bl .- voces , sometimes bv making e ' . i ¦•part of I ' te ' . u elves

visible , and almost always b , givi'ig intelligent answers , sometimes correct and soin tunes otherwise , to question . ; askid , or communicating facts , sometimes aluv . d y l-. n ¦> MI an-l sometimes unknown lo the person coniiriinie . itcd with ) , "