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NOTICE .

The Christmas double number of the Freemason ( price 4 d . ) consists of 32 pages , exclusive of wrapper , which is illustrated in the highest style of the art of wood engraving , and contains life-like nortraits of

H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , M . W . G . M . The Right Hon . Lord Carnarvon , M . W . Pro . G . M . The Right Hon . Lord Skelmersdale , R . W . Deputy G . M . The Right Hon . Lord Donoughmore , R . W . < . a w

The Hon . W . Warren Vernon , R . W . J . G . W . Samuel Tomkins , V . W . G . Treas . John Hervey , V . W . G . Sec .

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IMPORTANT NOTICE .

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To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

The Freemason is a sixteen-page weekly newspaper , price id . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Annual ¦ ubscription 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 the Postal Rates , thc publisher is now enabled to send the " Freemason " to the following uarts abroad for One Year for Thirteen Shillings fnavablc in

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Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

The following stand over : —Reports of Lodges : Vitruvian , 87 j York , 236 ; Alersey , 477 ; Napthali , 266 j St , John , 104 ; Panmure , 720 ; La Ccsarc ' e , 590 .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

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

BIR'I HS . Cox . —On the 13 th inst ., at The Grove , Blackheath , the wife of F . G . Cox , Esq ., of a daughter . HOOD . —On the 16 th inst ., the wife of J . K . J . Hood , of a daughter .

MARSHALL . —On the 19 th inst ., at Buckhurst-hill , Essex , Airs . J . N . Alarshall , jun ., of a son . RITCHIE . —On Oct . 24 th , at Dunedin , Otago , N . Z ., the wife of J . Al . Ritchie , of a son . WILI - . —On the 13 th inst ., at West Bromwich , the wife of the Rev . F . Willetf , of a daughter .

DEATHS . DOWNKB . —On the 15 th inst ., at 13 , Vicarage Park , Plumstead , Alargaret Emily , thc beloved daughter of Joseph Downer , Esq ., Royal Engineer Department , in her 16 th year . GREGORY . —On the nth inst ., suddenly , at Nice , Emily ,

daughter of thc late A . W . Gregory , Esq . Is-n - Rwic-K . —On the 15 th inst ., VValter , youngest son of the late John Inderwick , of Princes-street , Leicestersquare . NEWTON . —On the 13 th inst ., al The Limes , Hamptonhill , Henrietta , widow of the late R . D'Arcy Newton , aged 55 .

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , DEC . 23 , 1876 .

The Grand Lodge Of Rome.

THE GRAND LODGE OF ROME .

We call attention to Bro . J . C . Parkinson ' s interesting paper in another page , reprinted from the Masonic Magazine for January . We think that so far this is clear , whatever some of the opinions of individual members of the Grand Lodge of Rome may be , that bod y officially preserves everv usage and teaching consonant with

our English Masonic principles . We therefore are rejoiced to think that our able and esteemed Bro . T- C . Parkinson has so well represented alike the exact state of things at Rome in the Grand Lodge , and has given us so pleasant and agreeable an account of his proceedings and his reception . It will be perused with interest by all .

A Letter Of Frederick The Great.

A LETTER OF FREDERICK THE GREAT .

We have translated the following statement from the Monde Maconnique for December . We read in the Journal of Berlin , September 10 th , 1876 : —Here is a letter of Frederick the Great , still interesting to read to-day when " La Germania" thinks that it has a risht . without anv

respect of persons to fulminate its thunder against Freemasonry . In 1778 , the Lodge of Freemasons at Aix-Ia-Chapelle > , which had ceased its labours , was re-opened and installed at Wetzlar by the mother lodge . The Rev . Father Greinemann , Lecturer of the Cloister of

the Dominicans at Aix-la-Chapelle , and the Rev . Father Schuff , a Capucin preacher , excited the faithful in that cathedral ' city and the neighbourhood , against the Freemasons and the lodges . Disturbances arose in consequences among the population , and personal contentions of a serious

nature , even resulting in blood . When Frederick the Great heard of these fanatical manoeuvres , which menaced the public safety and the well-being ofthe people , he wrote to the agitators on the 7 th February , 1778 , the following letter : — " My Very Reverend Fathers ,

" Different reports confirmed by the public papers have told me with what zeal you are labouring to sharpen the sword of fanaticism against a peaceful , virtuous and honest set of people called Freemasons . As an old dignitary of that estimable Order , it is my duty

to struggle with all my power against the calumnies which outrage it , and seek to raise the mysterious veil which hides from you the Temple in which we have been brought up to all the virtues , in order to make it appear as the assembly of all the vices . What , my very honoured

Fathers ! do you wish to recall amongst us that age of ignorance and barbarism which has been for so long a time the reproach of the human intellect ? those times of fanaticism on which tho eye of reason cannot fix itself without shuddering ? those times when hypocrisy seated on the throne

of depotism , between superstition and folly , held the world in chains , and without any distinction burned as sorcerers all who knew how to read ? You give to the Freemasons not only the name of sorcerers , but you accuse them of being swindlers , perverted men and forerunners of

Antichrist , and exhort the people to exterminate this accursed race . Swindlers , my reverend fathers , do not devote themselves as we do to support thc poor and the orphans . Swindlers on the contrary pillage them , deprive them often of their share of their heritage and luxuriate in

the spoil , in the midst of ease and hypocrisy . Swindlers , in fact , lead people into ruin , abuse them and dupe them ; Freemasons enlighten them . A Freemason who retires from his lodge , where he has learnt the lesson of the good of humanity , cannot but be in his family a better husband and a better father . In calling them

the forerunners ofthe Anti-Christ all your efforts only lead to the destruction of the laws of the Almighty . The Freemasons , on the contrary , could not violate them without bringing do tvn the whole edifice , and how could such men be an accursed race who make all their glory to consist in spreading with indefatigable zeal all the virtues ? ( Signed ) FREDERICK .

The Monde Maconnique.

THE MONDE MACONNIQUE .

We give on another page an interesting translation from this ably edited periodical , and shall proceed shortly to call attention to some remarks of our Bro . Caubet , with reference to a recent speech of our most esteemed Grand Secretary , Bro . John Hervey , at the consecration of the Crichton Lodge .

An Old Roman Symbol Table.

AN OLD ROMAN SYMBOL TABLE .

We beg to call attention to an interesting translation from the Batthulle , edited by Bro . J . G . Findel , which has been made for us by a kind correspondent .

Lodge Of Benevolence.

LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE .

The monthly meeting of the Lodge of Benevolence was held on Wednesday evening in the Board room , Freemasons' Hall . Bro . John M . Clabon , President of the Board ; Bro . Joshua Nunn , Senior Vice President ; and Bro . James Brett , Junior Vice President , occupied

the three chairs . There were also present Bros . S . Rawson , Past District Grand Master , China ; H . Grissell , P . G . D ., Conrad C . Dumas , P . A . G . D . C . ; K . J . P . Dumas , P . G . D . ; N . Bradford , P . G . D . ; Joseph Smith , P . G . P . ; E . P . Albert , G . P .: Herbert Dicketts , P . G . S . ; John Hervey ,

G . Secretary ; W . J . Murlis , W . M . 16 + 2 ; W . Mann , P . M . 186 ; W . T . Howe , H . Bartlett , W H . Myers , Griffiths Smith , P . G . S . ; William Smith , ' P . G . S . ; W . Hollingsworth , W . R . Marsh , Samuel Poynter , F . Binckes , P . G . S . ; [ ohn Bineemann , H . G . Buss , A . A . Pendlebury ,

Charles Atkins , P . M . 27 ; H . "VV . Hemsworth , W . Stephens , H . Garrod , W . F . Koch , P . M . S 20 ; C . P . Cobham , I . P . M . g $ y ; Thos . Reill y ^ W . M . 1327 ; John Dyte , P-M . 22 ; George N . Phillips , W . M . 3 ; G . W . Speth , W . M . 183 ; D . Trusler , W . M . 720 ; H . Somerville Burney , W . M . 16 ( $ ; Thomas Williams , W . M . 1 * 107 ;

John Green , W . M . 27 ; S . W . Whitmarsh , W . M . 1150 ; James C . Chaplin , W . M . 18 ; George N . Watts , W . M . 194 ; George Edward Ross , W . M . 235 ; H . Massey ( Freemason ); Robert D . D . Adams , W . M . 222 ; Thomas James , W . M . 217 ; John Gibson , Dep . M . 259 ; Alfred Milner , W . M , 4 . 6 ; and C . F . Matier , P . M . 6 ± s-

Grants made at last Lodge of Benevolence to the amount of ^ 258 were first of all confirmed ; after which the brethren proceeded with the new cases , of which there were twenty oil thc list . Of

these , one was dismissed , and three were deferred . The remainder were relieved one with - £ 100 ; three sS ^ o ; three- _ * 2 o ; seven s £ io ; and two a _ . e j making in all £ 360 . The lodge was then closed .

Consecration Of The Earl Of Chester Mark Lodge, No. 196.

CONSECRATION OF THE EARL OF CHESTER MARK LODGE , No . 196 .

Bro . the Hon . Wilbraham Egerton , M . P ., the Prov . Grand Mark Master of this province , summoned the brethren together on Tuesday , the 12 th inst ., at the Masonic Chambers , Eastgate Row , Chester , to assist at the consecration of the Earl of Chester Mark Lodge , No . 196 , and

to instal Bro . Jas . Salmon as the first W . M . of the new lodge . There was a very large attendance , including upwards of thirty Provincial and Past Provincial Officers . Amongst these were Bros , the Hon . W . Egerton , M . P ., R . W . P . G . M . M . ; the Rev . C . W . Spencer Stanhope , V . W .

D . P . G . M . M . ; Capt . Jas . Watson , P . G . S . W . ; G . Higgins , P . G . J . W . ; the Rev . J . W . N . Tanner , P . G . Chap . ; J . Gibb Smith , P . P . G . J . W . ; R . Newhouse , P . G . Sec ; R . Gracie , P . G . J . O . ; Vauder Kiste , P . G . R . ; J . P . Piatt , P . P . G . S . W . ; Thomas H . Kirk , P . G . O . ; G .

Morgan , P . P . G . S . B .,- L . Ellis , P . P . J . D . ; J Pemberton , P . G . S . D . ; W . Matthews , P . G . S . B . ; R . Heathcott , P . G . I , of W . ; J . S . Mort , P . G . D . C ; E . G . Lowe , P . G . A . D . C ; W . L . Banks . P . G . S . B .: W . Alcock . P . G . I . G . ; Major

Piatt , P . P . G . J . D . ; T . Kent , P . G . S . ; and others . Before the lodge met a number of the brethren visited the cathedral , and inspected the various Masonic gifts . " donated " to the building , and they were on the whole well pleased , although