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To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

THE FREEMASON is published every Friday morning , price 3 d ., and contains the fullest and latest information relating to Freemasonry of every degree . Subscriptions , including Postage : — United States , United Kingdom . Canada , the Continent , India , China , Ceylon , the Colonies & c . Arabia , & c . 13 s . 6 d . 15 s . 6 d . 17 s . 6 d . Remittances may be made in Stamps , but I ' ost Office Orders of cheques are preferred , the former payable to G EORGE KEXXINO , Chief Office , London , the latter crossed London Joint Stock Bank .

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

BOOKS . & c , RECEIVED . " Hull and East Yorkshire Times , " "Allen ' s Indian Mail , " " Masonic World , " " Keystone , " "Masonic News" ( Montreal ) , "Liverpool Journal of Commerce , " " Boletin Official do Grande Oriente I . nsi ' tano Unido , " " Cassell ' s National Library , " "Jewish Chronicle , " •' Die Liauhiitte , " " Sunday Times" ( London ) , "The Victorian Freemason , " " Citizen , " " Masonic Journal " ( Victoria ) , "Herberton Advertiser , " "The Budget" ( Kingston , Jamaica ) , "Proceedings of the Grand Chapter of Canada , 1886 , - "Court Circular , " " El Gran Oriente De Espana , " and " English Illustrated Magazine . "

Original Correspondence.

Original Correspondence .

^ SreemaBW ^

SATURDAY , AUGUST 28 , 1886 .

tWe do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even approving of theopinionsexpressedby ourcorrespondents . butwewish in a spirit of fair play to all to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion , ] ^——

THE BRO . BINCKES' TESTIMONIAL . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I am very glad thissubject has been referred to in your correspondence columns , and that " T HE SECRETARY OK No . 1302 " has written in the manner he has . Like him I have watched the progress made at the annual Festivals

since Bro . Binckcs ' s appointment to the Secretaryship of the Boys' School , and , like him , I recognise that it is quite possible to object to a vote of money from the funds of that Institution towards the purposes of a testimonial , and yet be favourable to the testimonial itself . This , indeed , appears to have been the opinion expressed by the majority , if not by all , of the brethren who opposed the grant ot 100

guineas out of the School funds towards the Binckes Testimonial . They fully justified the scheme of a testimonial , but they did not consider it should be assisted out of money raised for other purposes . It is well this should be made known as widely as possible . Many will think the Quarterly Court , in rejecting the money grant , were

opposed to the idea of a testimonial , and as those in attendance at the meeting may be taken to have included several of the workers who take the deepest interest in all that relates to the Institution , people will run away with the idea that those who help most in the School work are against the testimonial . This , of course , is the very opposite of the truth , for it is just this class of hard workers who can best appreciate the tremendous labours

Original Correspondence.

of Bro . Binckes . The general body of the Craft , however , will only hear or read the broad fact that a certain resolution to vote a sum of money towards the Binckes' Testimonial was rejected at the July Quarterly Court of the Boys' School , and this , without explanation , is very likely to exercise a prejudicial influence . For this reason the letter from "THE SECRETARY OF NO . 1302 , " which you

published last week comes most opportunely . But my particular purpose in writing on the same subject is to endorse to the best of my ability your correspondent ' s testimony to the work of Bro . Binckes . I fancy the present generation of brethren have become so accustomed to the huge totals realised at all our annual Festivals that they accept the results almost as a matter of course—as

part of the routine work of the year . They notice only what happens , without reflecting on the different position in which things were before Bro . Binckes's time , when from £ 1500 to £ 2000 was considered a very handsome Festival Return , when the Boys' Institution had been only a few years in existence as a School , the Girls' School was very inferior to what it is now , and the Benevolent

Institution could scarcely be looked upon as a rival appellant to the Craft for their spare cash . To estimate fully the result of what Bro . Binckes has done , brethren should take all these matters into account , and also the fact that what he did for the Boys' School proved of very material assistance to the other Institutions , which likewise derived immense benefit from the infusion of new blood into the executive of

the Wood Green Institution . I say this with all the greater freedom , because neither Bro . Terry nor Bro . Hedges was in office till several years after Bro . Binckes ' s appointment as Secretary , and it cannot be said that in lauding the latter I am detracting from their merits . What they have done is the result of their own untiring zeal , and energy ,

and devotion ; but Bro . Binckes had exercised a beneficial influence on behalf of all our Charities by his labours for the Boys' School some years before Bro . Terry was appointed Secretary to the Benevolent Institution . This should not be lost sight of in connection with the Binckes ' testimonial . —Faithfully and fraternally , O .

ADDRESSES TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother ,

I was much surprised the other day to read in the Freemason , for August 14 th , that the Londonderry Lodge , No . 2039 , Sunderland , had sent an address direct to her Majesty , or at all events , not through the recognised channel , as the Home Secretary replied . Why should No .

2039 do this ? Why did not the W . M . send the address through the Prov . G . Secretary to the Grand Secretary for presentation ? I do not consider it at all in good form for private lodges , especially young ones , lo take upon themselves thus to act , and in part identify the Masonic Order

with sucn action , without the regular authorities being courteously noticed ; and especiall y when the Queen had desired such recognitions of her Majesty's 50 th year as our beloved ruler to be delayed . —Yours fraternally , CHISHOLM .

SHANKLIN MASONIC EXHIBITION . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , I wish to thank you for your kind remarks on our forthcoming Exhibition in Saturday ' s issue , and to assure you and your readers that I hope to issue the catalogues by Wednesday next . Considering that it will contain over

100 pages of closely printed matter , I have found it impossible to close it until now . Many brethren are writing to me from all parts of the country for particulars ; I beg to ask you to allow me to state that the Exhibition will be opened in Masonic clothing , at two o ' clock , on September qth , by our Provincial Grand

Master , the K . W . Bro . W . W . B . Beach , M . P ., and refer them to your advertisement columns . The exhibits will number 1460 , and I trust the Exhibition will be visited by many brethren from away , whom we cordially invite , and feel sure that they will not regret coming even long distances to be present at the opening . —I am , sir , yours fraternally ,

ALFRED GREENHAM , W . M . Chine Lodge , No . 1 SS 4 . ShanMin , Isle of Wight , August 25 th .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Masonic Notes and Queries .

670 ] FRENCH FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND . ( In re " Benjamin Plummer . " ) Bro . HugVian , in his very interesting letter on the abovenamed subject , mentions a "Benjamin Plummer" as having been the owner of the curious certificate described by him in last week ' s Freemason . As the name is rather an uncommon one , I have no doubt but this is the same

Benjamin Plummer who served the following offices in the " Athole " Grand Lodge , viz ., Grand Sword Bearer in 1804 , Junior Grand Warden , 1 S 05 , and Senior Grand Warden in 1 S 06 . He is mentioned in the Grand Lodge minutes as P . M . of No . 10 ( uow the Royal Athelstan Lodge , No . tg ) , in which lodge I find he was initiated in the year 1 708 . He declared off in December , iSo 5 , but re-joined in i 8 on , and

paid to December , 1818 . He is described in the register as a gentleman ; place of residence , Strand . He was presented with the gold medal which the "Athole" Grand Lodge , during the latter part of its existence , invariably voted to its past officers , as well as to many of the officers

of the foreign Grand Lodges with which it was in communication . * The following extract would seem to imply that he had some kind of business engagements which required his presence in the country : — " Crown and Anchor Tavern , Strand , 25 th April , 1 S 08 . " Grand Lodge Committee , consisting of the Present and

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Past Grand Officers , who were all summoned to present the medal voted by the Grand Lodge to our K . W . liro . Plummer , P . S . G . W ., in consequence of his avocation preventing his attendance at the last Grand Lodge , and , from the same reason , being obliged to leave London prior to the next meeting of the Gd . Lodge . "The Grand Committee liavinrr been convened in due

form , the K . W . Deputy Grand Master , after explaining the object of this meeting , and referred to the vote of the Grand Lodge 2 nd Sept . iast , as well as the relative duties of a Grand Warden , both in and out of office , presented the gold medal , provided agreeable to that vote , to the R . VV . Bro . Benjo . Plummer , Past Senr . Grnnd Warden , when the said Bro . Plummet made a suitable acknowledgment upon the occasion . " H . SADLER .

671 ] FRENCH FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND . I can add very little to Bro . Hughan ' s communication of last week that will be news to our learned brother , but others of your readers may perhaps be interested by a few further observations . Between 1740 and 1761 a rite gradually developed in France , entitled the Rite of Perfection , with 25 Degrees . This was carried out in 1761 by Stephen Morin to America , where it blossomed into -, ' , I ) ejrrce 5 .

Count De Grasse-Tilly was the son of the celebrated French Admiral De Grasse , a captain of horse , and a member of the 33 . Forced to leave the West Indies by the losses of his countrymen , he returned to France , and there introduced the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite , 33 , in 1 S 04 . This rite in a few months grew so powerful as tj seriously embarrass the Grand Orient , and a fusion was thereupon effected . But the terms of the pact were differently

understood by the contracting parties . De Grasse- ' ! illy , as Grand Commander , wished to rule Gtand Orient , and all lodge-, by virtue of his 33 ° , and Grand Orient did not see it . Prince Cambaceres , who was Grand Ma > tc : in France , kept the Masonic peace , however , and a sort of tacit understanding was entered into , whereby the Grand Orient ruled ami chartered bodies up to the iS ' , or R : se Croix , and De Grasse governed those beyond . None were , however .

formed for many years , and De Grasse , who was an officer of Grand Orient , confined himself to raising individual Masons to the 33 . Such was the position when he , circa 1 S 0910 , became a prisoner of war in England . It has always struck me as very curious that , although we thus had in ouc midst for nearly five years the most notorious Mason of the age , the introducer into Europe of a new rite , the man win almost succeeded in overthrowing the French Grand Oiient ,

yet the annals of our Grand Lodge and the records , as far as known , of our private lodges make no mention of his name ; and I have often wondered what he did with himself Masonically during the period . We now have the answer . He erected French lodges and chapters , claiming to hail from the Grand Orient of France , and to be subservient to it . As an officer of Grand Orient , he may have considered these proceedings regular ; but it is obvious these lodges

were never regularly warranted—the want of communication with France prevented this . That they were composed of prisoners on parole is evident . How otherwise should we find enough Frenchmen in Abergavenny or Wincanton , or Ashby-de-la-Zouch to form lodges ? The names of the lodges tell the same tale . "Sonsof Marsand Neptune , "i e ., soldiers and sailors , French , of course , " desired peace "¦ — the greatest wish of a prisoner . At the sain : time I cin

hardly believe that Lord Moira looked upon these lodges as an attempt to extend French Masonic jurisdiction in England ; and yet the certificate in question asserts a ; much . He probably looked upon them indulgently as informal meetings of French Masons whose hard fate had thrown them upon our shores , liro . Kelly ' s Rose Croix diploma is quite in order . The 15 , or Knightsuf lhe Fast , wasoneof the Degrees conferred by the Rose Croix Chaptci ,

18 . We then learn of three lodges and one chapter in England worked by French prisoner ? of war , and the question naturally arises , were there any more ? I ime may discover them . But it is curious that , with the exceplLn of Bro . Kelly , no historian , British or fi reign , has ever alluded to them , and that the archives of Grand Oiient contain no allusion thereto . One would imagine that on the return of the prisoners in 1 S 14-15 these lodges would

have been transferred to French soil and obtained a number and warrant . That they did no ! I account for in the following manner . They were prahaMy all more or less controlled by De Grassc-Tilly , and on his return tha A . and A . Scottish Rite , if , quarrelled with the Grand Orient and proceeded to erect Craft lodges of its own , thus directly attacking the older organisation . Under these circumstances it is scarcely probable that his doinus in

England were recorded in the books of Grand Orient or his lodges legitimised . De Grasse- 'I illy himself was unfortunate . In 1 S 1 G he had to leave Paris to avoid being arrested for debt . In 1 S 1 S his Supreme Council split into two bodies , one of which excommunicated him ; the command of the other he resigned on September 10 th in favour

of Count de Cayes . He then disappeared entirely , and of his subsequent life and death ' have been unable to glean the laintest particulars . Thus one of the most interesting exhibits at Shanklin will undoubtedly be the bona-liilu signature to a most remarkable document of a most remarkable man and Mason—the Count de Grasse-Tillyfounder of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Kile , - , f , in Europe . G . W . SPET 11 .

Masonic Picnic Of The Prince Arthur Lodge, No. 1570.

MASONIC PICNIC OF THE PRINCE ARTHUR LODGE , No . 1570 .

The first picnic in connection with the above lodge was held on Thursday , the 19 th inst ., the scene of the festivities being Clitheroe and neighbourhood . The part y left Tithebam-street Station at C . 40 , and reached Clitheroe in good time . There they assembled at the Swan and Royal Hotel ,

where a substantial repast was provided for them by liro . Lofthouse , and to which the company did ample justice . After dinner visits were paid to Stcnyhurst College , Mitton Church , Clitheroe Castle , and other places of interest in the neighbourhood . On their return to the hotel tea was partaken of , and the parti afterwards returned to

Liverpool , after a most enjoyable day ' s pleasure . The arrangements for the picnic were most successfully carried out by Bro . Thomas Senar , W . M . of the lodge , and gave the utmost satisfaction to all present . A word of praise should also be given for the admirable catering of Bro . Lofthouse , of the Swan and Royal , whose attention to the comfort of the visitors was all that could be desired ,