Correspondence.

Lindley Murray ancl Cobhett . AVe at once deny that slig ht differences of opinion between brethren should be brought before the Board of General Purposes , and we claim the rig ht—a right we shall always exercise Avhilst we conduct tho Magazine—of standing between the brethren and that Board ; so that , where our A'oice can be heard , AVC may as far as possible diminish thc

number of complaints for the Board to adjudicate upon . AVe never asked—nor does the laAV require us to ask—the sanction of tiie M . TV . G-. M . " to lay clown the law on questions of either Masonic etiquette or jurisprudence , " for were . Ave to do so we should at once abrogate our rights as public journalists ; rather than clo whicli we would close our publication at once and retire from

Masonry . Our brother says , "The sanction , as I understand , of the M . AA - . Grand Master , as to your Magazine , only extends to that part of it as contains the report of tbe Grand Lodge proceedings ; and that even that must , before publication by you , be submitted and the report appiwed by the Grand Registrar . " -Now we distinctly assert that if this is all our brother understands , ho

can scarcely have read the letter of the Grand Secretary authorizing publication ; as it is therein stated , with regard to the publication of " certain Lodges and Chapters , " the M . AV . Grand Master "has been pleased to consent to such publication , provided the Grand Registrar , on examination of the transcript , saw no objection , " and "I am requested hythe Grand Registrar to inform

you that , on examination , he finds nothing in the transcript unfit , in his opinion , for publication ; and that lie sees no objection to such publication , assuming that the statements are substantiall y correct , and that no Lodge or Chapter Avhose proceedings are noticed , objects to the publication thereof . On those points the . reqionsib ' dity rests ivith yon " . Our correspondent ivill here

see that taking the responsibility of the correctness of the reports upon ourscli'es—for which we are prepared any day to answer to the Grand Master or Grand Lodge—we are at liberty to publish the reports of prh-ate Lodges and Chapters . AA e freely admit , that as regards the publication of Grand Lodge reports , it was at first laid down that they should be subject to the approval of the

Grand Registrar , so far as seeing that nothing opposed to our secrets ivas published ; but this was never acted upon , lor within the same month permission , in consequence of the distance of his printing office from town , was given to a contemporary , published at Bath , to publish the proceedings of Grand Lodge , " on the responsibility of the publisher" —and the same privilege AA'as

therefore at once accorded to us , AVe never submit our reports to Grand Lodge , ivell knowing that a departure from impartiality Avould call doivn upon our heads thc ivithdrawal of the privilege of the publishing of reports —• which wc should obey by at once closing the Magazine , leaving it to the brethren themselves to determine how long they ivould be left without an organ in thc press to represent their opinions . AVe deny that any Grand Officer has any right to claim am '

position at the banquet table of a Lodge other than that AA'hich the members choose to give him ; though by custom , lie has in the Lodge , where he is always placed immediately to the ri ght of the Master—but even for this there is no authority that wc can find in the Book of Constitutions . AVe are aware that in many Lodges , even at the banquet table , Grand Officers are placed next to the

AV . M ., Avhile in others the initiates are so seated ; and it ivas an axiom when wc entered the Craft , upwards of tiventy years since , that Masons always occupied the seats of honour , i . e ., next to the Master once in the course of their lives—the clay of their initiation . Be that as it may , AVC must be allowed still to hold that it is a want of taste on thc part of a visitor , however

exalted his rank , to quarrel with the arrangements of a Lod ge of which he is , as all known Masons are sure to be , an honoured guest . AVe have little more to observe than that no brother can more deeply appreciate the honourable , straightforivard and trul y Alasonic character of thc brother whose zeal for the honour of the Craft—and we know it was nothing else—has led to the correspondence upon which we arc now commenting . Nothing could he further from our wish than to give so worthy a

Correspondence.

brother the slightest pain ; and in recommending him , in future , Avhen he sees anything of which lie does not approve ( as he necessarily often will ) to call attention to it after thc ceremony is closed , rather than interrupt its performance—we feel assured he will think none thc worse of us because we have dared to speak openly and freely of one whom wc believe AVC have the honour of

reckoning amongst our dearest friends . At the same time Ave assure him and "A Past Grand Officer" that no consideration AA-ill alloAV us to abdicate our right of answering the questions which may he put before us by correspondents , the more especially when they come from such admirable Masons as Ave know the authors of the tivo letters AVC published last Aveek to be .

AVith regard to the assertion that "A Past Grand Officer" can "point out errors in" our "laying down of Masonic law , beyond those in" our " last number , " AVC shall be content to wait until he does so before we attempt to justify our opinions , assuring him that , no exertion is ever wanting on our part to obtain the opinions of the most distinguished members of the Craft , on any point upon which we feel the slightest difficulty ,

helore we attempt to "lay down the law , " and if we haA'O sometimes differed with constituted authorities it is no fault of ours . AVe shall IIOAV leave the subject , not to be reopened unless it be in our OAVU justification , or the brother against whom the letters are said to have been directed should himself Avish to offer any explanation . AVe liai-c given each side of the question as laid before

us , and need only again express our conviction that , however indiscreetly the Past Grand Deacon may have acted , he was onl y guided by an earnest desire of serving the best interests of Masonry ancl promoting the welfare of tiie Craft ; whilst on thc other hand , the brethren who took exception to his objections being equally zealous Masons , though not of such long standing ,

naturally felt jealous at their arrangements being interfered with by a visitor to their Lodge . Both parties acted with the best intentions , and wc are sure that both Avill be read y to agree with us that no good can como of prolonging a discussion which , if persevered in , must result in personalities ; at all events it shall not do so in the pages of the Freemasons' Maqazine . —En . " ]

The Grand Lodge Of Ireland.

THE GRAND LODGE OF IRELAND .

TO THE EDITOR OP TIIE I'ltEEMASOXS' MAIJAZINE ASD MASONIC MIRROR . DEAIC Sn ; ATSi . BuoTiu-n :, —In your last issue ( Feb . 4 th ) , I noticed with inexpressible pain and surprise a letter from my much respected and intelligent brother , John 11 . Goddard , Representative from the Prov . Grand Lodge of Portugal at the Grand Lodge of Ireland , relative to a partial report I made of the proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ireland , in December ,

1859 . I do not think the columns of any public journal a fitting place for brother Masons to discuss their personal ( inferences , and shall therefore confine myself to a brief explanation . I frankly acknowledge the three errors set forth in Bro . Goddard ' s communication ; but they were errors of the hand aud head and not of the heart . First : I arrived in Dublin but twenty-four hours prior to the Grand Lodge meeting . I wrote a hurried

report , as has been my custom during my entire tour through this country , before I ivas aware of the existing Grand Lodge laiv ; but subsequently went to the Deputy Grand Master and apologized for the oversight , which apology the Deputy Grand Master was kind enough to admit in justice to myself at the inauguration of the Dublin Lodge of Instruction on the second Thursday in January 1860 . Secondl : Being desirous of

ren-, y dering honour where honour is due , t mentioned the names of those brethren who ivere distinguished hy a seat on the dais , including my worthy Bro . Goddard , at the same time acknowled ging the very handsome manner in which it had pleased the Depnty Grand Master to present me to his brethren . In this T mi ' , fortunately made myself misunderstood , and the sentence , as Bro . Goddard says , reads as if he and I were presented together .

Thirdly : AVriting , as I did , in great haste , it is quite likely I did not make my letters distinct when spelling Bro . Decriii g ' s name . Thc compositor supposed the e c to be a v , accordingly the name reads "During" —evidentl y a typographical error , anil Pro . Goddard might as well be arrai gned for the omission of the letter /' , in our respected Bro .. AVahmsley's name . I was among the first to notice the errors , but did not deem them of sufficient importance to require correction , although , had any brother sugf '