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TO OUR READERS .

The FREEMASON is a 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 . Subscription , including postage : United America , India , lnelia , China , & c

Kingdom , the Continent , & c . Via Brinelisi . Twelve Months ios . 6 d . 12 s . od . 17 s . 4 d . Six „ 5 - 3 d . 6 s . 6 d . 8 s . 8 d . Three „ 2 s . 8 d . 3 s . 3 d . 4 s . 6 d , Subscriptions may be paid for in stamps , but Post Office Orders or Cheques are preferred , the former payable to

GEORGE KENNING , CHIEF OFFICE , LONDON , the latter crossed London and Joint Stock Bank .

Advertisements and other business communications should be addressed to the Publisher . Communications on literary subjects and books for review are to be forwarded to the Editor . Anonymous correspondence will be wholly disregarded , and the return of rejected MSS . cannot be guaranteed .

Further information will be supplied on application to lie Publisher , 198 , Fleet-street , London .

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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 rr . outh .

It IS very necessary for our readers to advise ns 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 .

ADVKRTISEMENTS to ensure insertion in current -week's issue should reach the Oflice , 198 , Fleet-street , by 12 o ' clock on Wednesdays .

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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 herefore scarcely be overrated .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

Perez . J . dc la C . The Frccmaion has been regularly sent you since the commencement of present year .

BOOKS & c , RECEIVED . " Medical Examiner ; " "Newspaper Press Directory ;" "Hull Packet ; " "IlNoto ; " " Broad Arrow ; " " Risorgimento ; " "Scottish Freemason ; " "The Pantiles Papers ;" "The Scottish Masonic Calendar ; " "The Freemasons ' Calendar andDircctory for the Province of Leicestershire and

Rutland , 1878 ; " "Masonic Advocate ; " " Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Brunswick ; " " The Australian Freemason ; " " The Canadian Craftsman ; " " Grand lodge Records ; Connecticut , Ninetieth Annual Report ;" " El Cinccl , ( Habana ) ; " " Night and Day ; " " La Voz dc Hiram ; " " Memfi Risorta ; " "Loomis' Musical and Masonic Journal . ' '

Births, Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . 6 d . for announcements , not exceed ir . g four lines , under this heading . ]

BIRTHS . BLAND . —On the 16 th inst ., the wife of F . M . Bland , of a daughter . JOHNSON . ™ On the 18 th inst ., at Hans-place , S . W ., the wife of C . J . Johnson , of a son . SMITH . — On the 14 th inst ., the wife of Dr . Alder Smith , of a son . WILLIAMS . —On the 14 th inst ., at Trcssillian-road , St . John ' s , S . E ., the wife of W . Williams , of a son .

DEATHS . Cox . —On the 1 7 th inst ., at Bedvvardinc , Upper Norwood , the llcv . John Cox , in his 7 6 th year . MooriE . —On the 1 Cth inst ., at Si . Jolin-slrcct-rcad , Frances daughter of the late T . Moore , Esij ., aged 3 6 . HICKMAN . —On the 15 th inst ., at Lee , Kent , William Reynolds Hickman , aged 57 years . Friends will kindly accept this intimation .

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The Freemason , S ATURDAY , F EBRUARY 23 , 1878 .

The Prince And Princess Of Wales And The Girls' School.

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES AND THE GIRLS ' SCHOOL .

We published m our last an announcement which came to us officially from the Secretary ' s office with reference to the opening of the new buildings of the Girls' School by their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales , an announcement which will afford unqualified

gratification to the subscribers to the School as well as to all English Freemasons . For all Masons , as patriotic Englishmen , as well as loyal members of our excellent fraternity , will be delighted to think that such a ceremonial will be graced by the presence of those august

personages , giving not only eclat and prestige to the school , but the deepest and most heartfelt gratification to all who are permitted to be present , It will , in fact , be an " Alba Dies , '' a never-to . be-forgotten " Landmark " in the annals of that admirable Institution . By the . terms of the

official announcement a djy in March is to be selected by his Royal Highness the Grand Master for the ceremony . Unless imperative and urgent requirements as regards the time at the disposal of our royal guests demanded that the ceremony should be fixed for March , we cannot ( we

honestly confess ) deem it the most seasonable or the most comfortable time for the gathering . All the subscribers of the Institution will wish to pay to the Prince of Wales , and that charming and exalted lad ) -, his Royal Consort , all that respect , all that honour which are their just due

from us all , and will desire , moreover , that everything should minister ahketo their personal convenience , and the gratification of an admiring and applauding assembly . We fear , from what we hear , that the matter has been arranged somewhat in a hurry , probably from inexperience and

without the fullest consideration of what the position of Royalty demands , on the one hand , or the exigencies of the Institution call for on the other . If the gathering be in March the number must necessarily be very limited indeed , and we are informed that it will be impossible ,

owing to the contracted space and short time for preparation , to invite life governors , or the annual subscribers , or the Stewards for the year . We venture to think that any such resolution ofthe Building Committee is a grave mistake , and may cause serious damage to some of the best interests of

the Institution . Had the gathering been a little later—say July—all the Life Governors and Annual Subscribers , as well as Patrons , Vice-Patrons , Vice-Presidents , and Grand Officers might have been entertained , together with their wives , and the Stewards of the Festival could

have aided the Building Committee as Stewards for the day . We might have such a " convocation " of Masons , and such a greeting for our Royal guests as , perhaps , will never occur again . It must be remembered that many exalted ladies are the wives of our brethren , and such an opportunity of enlisting some ofthe hig hest ladies

in the land , together with countless fair sisters , to surround the Royal couple with admiration and respect is not often given to us , and ought not to be thrown away on any consideration , for it is not a question of this or that committee , bnt it is the question of the welfare of the Girls' School . We have said all this very deferentially , because we are anxious for the future of our noble

Institution . It has been spending considerable sums lately , it requires increased expenditure , unless largely supported , it will have to have recourse to its funded property to supplement the receipts

of the festival . Therefore , we think it well to sound a humble note of warning . As regards the presence of our Royal Grand Master and his admirable Consort , whenever they appear they will receive the heartiest welcome which our

proverbially loyal Order is so glad , and so delighted to offer on all occasions to the members of that Royal Family given by a good Provi dence to preside over the destinies of a great people . We trust that the assembly will be a complete success but we should not be honest journalists or loyal Freemasons , we should lose

The Prince And Princess Of Wales And The Girls' School.

our own self respect , if we did not deprecate haste or incompleteness , and above all , shortsig htedness on the part of the Bu'lding Committee in a matter of so much interest to the Craft , and of so much present and future importance to the Girls' School .

The Last Festival Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

THE LAST FESTIVAL OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

One fact will strike all who look down the figures which , thanks to Bro . Terry ' s special courtesy and thoughtful attention , we were enabled to print last week for the information of our readers . It is this , that the Provincial Returns exceed the Metropolitan Returns by about

£ 300 . A correspondent calls attention to the fact that a large proportion of London Lodges have done nothing this year , and we trust that so regrettable a position may be improved at the next festival . The London Lodges seem to have sent up , £ 5907 ; the Provinces , £ 621 ? in

round numbers . In London the highest on the list are No . 5 $ 4 , Bro . J . S . Taylor , £ 260 ; No . 13 8 , 3 , Bro . Col . Clerke , £ 102 ; No . 1475 , Bro . H . Vickery , 5 ^ 192 No . 83 , Bro . C . A . Murton , stgiSS ; No . 1471 , Bro . D . Holdness , s £ i 6 $ ; No . 781 , Bro . William Hallett , £ 158 ios . ; No .

1686 , Bro . John M'Clench , £ 140 ; No . 144 1 , Bro . J . Cantle £ 133 ; Chapter 975 , Comp . John Newton , 66 i 2 o No . 73 , G . J . Grace , £ 116 ; No . No . 174 , C . J . Percival , 5 ^ 109 ; No . 228 , J Hill , g £ ioo . Among the ' Provinces , Hertfordshire leads the van with £ 633 ; and is closely

followed by West Yorkshire , with 66603 ; Cornwall sends up the goodly amount of sS ^ fo ; Lancashire , ( Western Division ) , appears with £ 330 ; the Chairman ' s own province remits £ 300 ; Kent , £ 2 " / o ; . Middlesex , £ 183 ; Cheshire , £ 172 ; Wiltshire , £ 164 . Berks , and Bucks .

£ 157 ; Staffordshire , £ 155 ; Derbyshire , £ 15 $ ) Dorsetshire , £ ' $ 0 ; Bristol , £ 134 ; Gloucester , £ 118 ; Devonshire , £ tto . Of the amounts under £ 100 , Suffolk is the highest with £ 92 , which is followed by Somersetshire , £ 8 $ , and Sussex with ^ 4 and here we pause . The

re-, sult is a very noble one , and is a fact of which Bro . Terry may well be proud . There is at first sight a falling off as between this year and the last , but it can easily be accounted for ; it is , in fact , the difference of about sixty Stewards . When last year it was announced that H . R . H .

Prince Leopold was to be the Chairman , it was to be his ! first public Masonic appearance in London , and feeling for him that deep interest which , in common with the nation , all loyal Masons always entertain for the Royal Family , the Craft rallied round him with a zeal and heartiness truly

commendable under all circumstances ; and though he was not able , unfortunately , to appear , the effect was the same . Bro . Terry ' s list headed all the charities last year , and we are inclined to think that when we see the total of 1878 he will not be very far from the first position again .

The Installation Engraving.

THE INSTALLATION ENGRAVING .

By this time , this remarkable work of art is in the hands of many brethren , has been inspected by more , and we feel sure that the only verdict passed upon it is , that of admiration and praise . Indeed , we think it impossible that it should be otherwise . We hardly know of any

similar production which so challenges , if we ma ) so say , the approval of the artist and the amateur , the expert and the non-expert . The grooping is very wonderful , the finish most striking , and the " tout ensemble" most effective . Bro . Harty deserves the sympathy and

commendation of all for having persevered so manfully , through difficulties many , and drawbacks great . Bro . Harty as is well known , has a good deal of the " old soldier " in him , and he has been identified with that great profession which difficulties cannot daunt , danger cannot alarm ,

and opposition does not hold back . " Onwards , Forwards , " lias been his motto , and he has at last achieved , in our opinion , a signal success , though we fear and fancy at no little cost to himself . Under these circum . stances we would press upon our readers the advisability of endeavouring to