Cokbesponmince.

No . 528 . I know full well that I have incurred the bitter enmity ( this is their Masonry ) of many members of the Lodge of Honour for my uncompromising opposition to the un-Masonic custom of drawing a distinction between tradesmen and gentlemen . I pride myself upon following in the steps of our respected and esteemed P . M . Bro . Haseler , and of being instrumental in overthrowing one

of the greatest curses which ever befell Masonry in Bath . But for many years in our Lodge this distinction has been done away ^ for we hold that every man is a gentleman so long as he acts as one , and men are or ought to be judged by their actions , not by their trades or professions ; and if the possession of this feeling of caste , which would do honour to a Brahmin , is Dr . Falconer ' s public exposition of his feelings as a Mason , I can only say , in all * charity , I trust it may die with him .

The Prov . Grand Lodge minutes will show that I did propose that a committee should be appointed to inquire into the affairs of this Province , and that I included the names of the committee in that motion ; the Prov . G-. M . wished me to insert my own name , which I declined , because I was not a Master or P . M ., or a Provincial officer . A few more words , and I have done with Dr . Falconer . I would thus publicly ask him , why he , as W . M . of'No . 528 , in 1853 , allowed the Dep . Prov . G . M . to confer upon the S . W . of his Lodg-e , Bro . Allen , the collar of Prov . S . G . W ., and upon Bro . Adair , a newly-raised M . M ., the collar of Prov . S . G . D . ? Upon that occasion another M . M ., a member of No . 528 , of a few months'

standing , was made Registrar , and he himself J . G . W . If the custom of Grand Lodge , which ought to govern Prov . Grand Lodges , be followed , the office of Prov . G . Reg . can only be conferred upon a Master or P . M ., for in the event of any dispute , the Registrar ought to be able to consult with , and if needs be , advise the Prov . G . M . Surely , as a Master in the Craft , Dr . Falconer ought not to have sanctioned , at least in two instances , a violation of the constitutions ; and your readers can now understand why he evades the reiterated statements of " Justitia , " by saying that in this Brother ' s letters there is a certain approximation to truth !

With regard to Bro . C . W . Oliver , I would ask him why , if he objects so much to anonymous letters , he did not advise his friend " A . Z . " to sign his name ; and why , as he furnished information to this writer , he did not reply to Bro . Peach ' s letter , signed "J . W ., " challenging him to substantiate the grave charges he brought against me ? I fearlessly and truthfully assert , that your correspondent did leave the Royal Cumberland Lodge , because he was offered the collar of Dir . Cer ., and because

our present S . W . was placed before him , as he told me that he deserved this office , being better qualified to fill it than Bro . Bagshawe . Your correspondent has given several versions of the cause which induced him to tender his resignation ; all of which I could give , —but the true one , and the one on which he acted , was that stated above . I presume that Bro . Oliver , who implies that his qualifications are at least equal to those of our esteemed S . W ., ought not to be the

judge of his own abilities . Our W . M ., and the board of Past Masters , did not consider them . so . Now I am well aware ( and this I coolly write as the result of long observation ) that BrO . C . W . Oliver thinks very few equal to himself , though I never heard or saw him fulfil the duties of any office I ever asked him to take without making some egregious blunder , and marring my ceremony ; and I may , without being accused of vanity , assert that no one will deny that I am competent to give an opinion upon this matter .

Now , about the collar of Prov . CI . Reg ., which was offered to me in 1854 , and about which so much lias been written . What I said was , that as W . M . of No . 48 , I could not take that collar , because the year before I had refused the collar of J . G . W . —not being entitled to accept it ; and as one of our P . Ms , was told by the Dep . Prov . G . M ., that when I was-W . M . of No . 48 , I had , under the circumstances every right to expect the collar of Prov . S . G . W ., I did , and do maintain , that to offer me the collar of Registrar in open Lodge , when I told the Prov . G . M . before Lodge was opened , through his deputy , that I refused it , was to say the least of it , a gratuitous insult , and done to prevent my saying that the purple had never been offered to me ! VOL . II , 4 Jv