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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 , ineresting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Subscription , in eluding postage : United America , India , India , China , Sec Kingdom , the Continent , & c . Via Brindisi . Twelve Months 10 s . 6 d . 12 s . od . 17 s . 4 d . Sir „ 5 s . 3 d . 6 s . 6 d . 8 s . 8 d . Three ' „ 2 s . 8 d . 3 s . 3 d . 4 s . fid . Subscriptions may be paid for in stamps , but Post Office Orelers or Cheques are preferred , thc former payable to GEORGE KENNING , CHIEF OFFICE , LONDON , the latter crossed London 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 £ uaranteed . Further information will be supplied on application to he Publisher , it } 8 , Fleet-street , London .

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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 therefore scarcely be overrated . ADVERTISEMENTS to ensure insertion io current -week ' s issue should reach the Office , 198 , Fleet-street , by 12 o ' clock on "Wednesdays . SCALE OF CHARGES FOR ADVERTISEMENTS . Whole of back page £ 12 12 o Half , „ ... ... 6 10 o Inside pages ... ... ... ... 7 7 ° Half of ditto ... ... ... ... ... 400 Quarter c ' itto ... ... ... ... 2 10 o Whole column ... ... ... 2100 Half „ ... ... ... ... 1 10 o Quarter „ 100 Per inch 040 These prices are for single insertions . A liberal reduction is made for a scries of 13 , 26 , and t 2 insertions . Further particulars may be obtained of Ihe Publisher , 198 , Fleet-street , London .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

W . W . —Lord Carnarvon served the office of W . M . of the Westminster and Keystone Lodge , No . io , two successive years , 1857 and 18 5 8 . ANCIENT . —On March 13 th , 1869 . A CITY BBOTHEB . —Yes , both Sheriffs are members of

the Order . C . J . SAXHY . —Cemmunication too hand too late for insertion this week . ERRATUM . —In the ' report of thc Abercorn Lodge last week BIO . Shury Mars-hall was inccrrctly described as Bro . Henry Maishall .

BOOKS , & c , RECEIVED . " Our Red Coats and Blue Jackets , Naval and Military , History , from 1793 to 18 79 ; " " Keystone ; " "Hebrew Leader ; " " Masonic Newspaper ; " " Monthly Record of thc Protestant Evangelical Mission and Electoral Union ;" " Bolctin Official del Grande Orient de Espana j" " Hull Packet ; " "Citizen ; " "Hornet ; " "Touchstone ; " "West

London Express ; " " Risorgimentoj" " Bundes Presse ; " ••Corner Stone : " "Bangalore Spectator ; " " Masonic Record ; " " Der Triangel ; " " Royal Cornwall Gazette ; " "Southport Visiter ; " " Western Morning News ; " "Western Daily Mercury ; " " Bauhutte ; " New York Dispatch-, " " Canadian Craftsman ; " " Loomis ' s Musical and Masonic Journal ; " " Life Boat . "

Births , Marriages And Deaths.

Births , Marriages and Deaths .

BIRTHS . MEYER . —On the 22 nd inst ,, at Hampton-wick , the wife of Johannes Meyer , of a son . "WATERLOW . —On the 22 nd inst ., at Beaufront , Oakleighpark , the wife of George S . Waterlow , of a son .

MABRI 4 GK . WILSON—GARDINER . —On the 2 ist inst ., at Barnstable , by the Rev . A . MacDonald , William Alexander Wilson , of Lamb's Conduit-street , to Gertrude Alice , daughter of P . Gardiner , of Barnstable .

DEATHS . BURNHILI . —On the : *; th inst ., at Swansea , John Edward Burnhill , aged 33 years . NEALLS . —On the 10 th inst ., John Nealds , of Guildford , age 35 years . BAI . I .. —On the 21 st inst ., at Rolls , Essex , Elizabeth , wife

of Edward A . Ball , aged 5 8 years . DOCWRA . —On the 21 st inst ., Elizabeth , wife of Thomas Docwra , e . f Balls Pond . roael . HUBANI ) . — On tfe 13 th inst ., Captain George Huband , of 39 , Upper Mount-street , Dublin . J OHNSTONE— . On the 21 st inst ., at Hoolcy House , Cculsdon , James Johnstone , Proprietor of thc Standard newspaper .

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THEFREEMASON, SATURDAY , OCTOBER a 6 , 1878 .

An Explanation.

AN EXPLANATION .

It seems , though we can scarcely believe it , that a Communique which appeared in our last impression with regard to the " Rite Ecossais " at Paris , has been hastily supposed by some very worthy individuals to refer to or reflect on the Grand Council ofthe A . and A . S . Rite , at Golden

square . Though we do not seek in any way to diminish our own responsibility by the appearance ofthe Communique , we beg to remark here for correctness sake , that a Communique is not a leader , and a leader is not a Communique . There is an essential difference between them , though

for the admission of a Communique the Editor is , of course , equally responsible as for a leader . We do not ourselves profess to understand by what perversity of misconstruction , or by what ingenuity of misrepresentation any such assertion could be actually made , or any such idea

seriously entertained . We cannot suppose that such hasty and inaccurate complaints could have been chivalrously raised by any to injure a brother behind his back ! We can only put them down to the strange but certain fact , that very few persons or Masons take the trouble to read

carefully over , and that fewer still are apparently able to understand the " Queen ' s English , " even in the carefully edited pages of the Freemason . We cannot profess to realize otherwise what in the present instance amounts to a complete hallucination . The Freemason has never in any

way attacked the Grand Council of the A . and A . Rite in England , not even by implication , much less by direct statement . On the contrary , it has on numberless occasions , and in countless ways , in words which still exist , expressed its good feeling towards the distinguished members

of the Ancient and Accepted Rite in this country . All the remarks to which exception has ' been taken , as we said before , by a marvellous inattention to , and misconception of the English language , referred , and referred alone , to the Kite Ecossais at Paris . If we are to understand

the allegation and arguments alluded to literally , all such animadversions which are made in respect of the " Rite Ecossais " at Paris , reflect equally on the authorities of Golden-square . 1 his is a statement and assertion which come upon us with great surprise , and for which , we confess ,

we are totally unprepared . Remembering all that has taken place in Paris and elsewhere , calling to mind the discussions when the illfated congress at Geneva gave rise to , and to the one fact , above all , that the Rite Ecossais at Paris , claims to establish a Craft lodge , as in the

Mauritius lately , we fancy that many of the leading members ofthe English A . and A . Rite will be as astounded to hear such a view of the matter as we are . For we again repeat , by no use , except a perverted one , of text and context , can the remarks we thought it our duty to make be

in the remotest degree supposed to refer to the A . and A . Rite in England , and we utterly and openly repudiate any such theory or any such explanation of our humble words . We wrote as we did write from an honest sense of duty and necessity . We fancy that we understand

the position of affairs abroad better than some who would constitute themselves our critics , and nothing but our position as honest journalists , responsible to the great body of our readers , would have induced us even to refer to a subject so distasteful in itself to us . and which has nothing

to do , in our opinion , with Freemasonry proper . We beg , therefore , to say this , once for all , in conclusion . The Freemason aspires to be an honest , impartial , and wellinformed jorrnal of Freemasonry all the world over , and as such it intends , whether ' it

pleases or displeases others , to pursue the " even tenour of its way , " regardless of misrepresentation , and heedless of intimidation or misconception . Its words are plain , honest English words ; what they mean they say , and what they say they mean . It has always been entirely self-sustained , and seeks strenuously to " maintain that cha-

An Explanation.

racter , " without which it might indeed sink , into becoming the organ of a clique or the mouth piece of a faction , but would lose its own peculiar and unchanging characteristic of absolute and tinbought INDEPENDENCE . It is not intended for this or that grade , for this or that coterie , but is published for , and dedicated to , THE ENTIRE CRAFT .

The Voting At The Girls' And Boys' Schools Elections.

THE VOTING AT THE GIRLS' AND BOYS' SCHOOLS ELECTIONS .

Some of the figures and facts connected with the last elections for the Girls' and Boys' Schools are so striking , and in more than one sense , so peculiar , that we think it well to call the attention of our readers to them carefully and concisely . As regards the Girls' School there were

29 candidates and four vacancies to be filled up . Of these 29 , 21 were provincial and 8 were London cases . Of the candidates one had come up six times , 2 four , a twice , and 24 were first applications . Of the 4 successful candidates two had come up four times , and two were first

applications . The 4 successful candidates polled in all the large amount , bringing forward the number of votes in April , of 11 , 456 votes . The 25 unsuccessful candidates polled in all 10 , 094 : The highest candidate , Meta Brasier , polled 4741 , the lowest , Elizabeth Minnie Parker , 22 , and one candidate

polled a cypher . Ethel Stone was supported by some warm friends and the London Masonic Charity Association , and polled also the high number of 2794 . Meta Brasier was supported very warmly by the London brethren , and we are glad to record her return , though really a Kentish

case . Thus , three provincial candidates were returned as against one London case , though , as we said before , a large proportion of the votes polled for Meta Brasier came from London . We are now left with 23 cases to deal with in April , which will probably be augumented in the

interim , if we may judge by former elections . The first two unsuccessful candidates are , certainly , safe in April , and the next halfdozen , according to normal experience , but just now nothing is certain or sure . In respect of the Boys' School it had a long list of

sixty-one candidates originally , but on the polling day of fifty-nine , with thirteen vacancies . Of these fifty-nine candidates , two had made seven applications , five five , four four , seven three , twenty-one two , and twenty-six appeared for the first time . Of these fourteen were London

cases simply , one Essex and London , one South Wales and London , and the remaining'forty-three provincial cases . Of the thirteen successful candidates , two had come forward seven times , six had come forward twice , and five were among the new cases . Of the thirteen successful can * didates ten were carried by the provinces , and three were London cases . West Yorkshire

secured White and Keighley , polling 3412 votes for the two ; East Lancashire secured Roberts , polling 1667 votes ; Essex returned two , Day and Coverdale , polling 3729 for the two , though it is fair to say that the main support of Miles Coverdale came from London voters . Durham polled

2373 votes for Gardner , placing him at the top of the poll 5 and Monmouthshire secured the election of Browning with 1593 votes , Warwickshire succeeded with Hall , polling 153 1 votes , and Cheshire returned Rossiter with 1373 votes . The London candidates returned were Reece ,

Simmons , and Balcombe , with an aggregate of 4659 votes . At first sight it mi ght seem after deducting 4659 from 21 , 941 , the gross amount of votes polled for the successful candidates , that the provincial voting represented 17 , 282 as against 4 6 59 , but then it is certain , as a fact , that

London votes entered largely into all the numbers polled by provincial candidates . Coverdale ' s case was warmly supported by London brethren , though properly , as we said before , a provincial case . Balcombe had very large support from friends , owing to the peculiar distressing

circumstances ofthe case- hence his success . Owing to thc heavy polling Watkins , the second candidate of the Association , was 9 8 votes behind the last successful candidate , and for him the Association polled , in one way or another , nearly 1000 votes . We confess that we feel