The Grand Lodge Of Ireland.

gcsted that it ought to be done , I should most willingly have conformed with the request . This is all , and thc last I shall have to say in print upon this subject , and in resigning my cause to to that sense of justice and Masonic principle which teacheth us to vender to every man bis just clue , I . most respectfull y beg that : uy brethren will give a charitable consideration to the many weaknesses to which poor humanity is subject . With the best

wishes for all my brethren , and a desire to wound , the feelings of none of them , 1 am , dear Sir , witli much respect , yours fraternally , Feb . m , LSliO . Ei . rsn . v ]) . Coma-., K . T ., ; V 2 ° .

A Brother In Distress.

A BROTHER IN DISTRESS .

TO TSI _ EDITOR OF THE FREFMASON * ,. ' JtiOAZtSB AND JtASOSIC MIRROR . JJI . AI . SIR AXD ISROTIIEI : , —As I am convinced you feel a great interest in me , I write to inform 3-011 of thc total failure , "' in a pecuniary sense , of my concert at * Exeter Hall , and now I am left in a far worse position than before . I beg most sincerely to thank yon for your very great and kind endeavours to induce my _ M _ asonic brethren to render me some-assistance ; butI can assure

, yon , the only response I have had from the AA ' orshipful Masters of nearly five hundred Lodges ( to whom I appealed by circular , and the whole of the London Lodges twice ) , is from the AV . AI . ot Lodge , No . 199 , AVeymouth , enclosing a Post Office Order for IO .-:. <> . / . for a reserved , seat ticket . I am , unfortunately , in a false position before the world , it being generall } - supposed I have a large income out of the brass instrument business belonging to

my son Henri- ; in fact , the public consider it is " Distin ancl Sons , " but such is not the case . AA'ith the exception of a weekl y alloivancc of one pound , I have nothing to depend on—having no provision from Government , though I have sen-cd tAventy-seven years under tbe Crown . My only reason for attempting the concert ivas to liquidate the debts of my concert at the Crystal Palace in 1858 amounting to nearl . £ 80 also with the hope of

, y ; obtaining a little for the future ; and not from any ostentatious feeling , as many might be led to suppose , as I am now totally incapacitated from exerting myself any longer in my profession through bodily infirmity ancl the loss of my front teeth . The hall was paid for throup-h a donation received from that

inestimable lad y Miss Burdett Coutts , for which she has my most heartfelt gratitude ; and having written to the King of Hanover , iiis majesty ( remembering me in the private band of King George the Pourth , of which I was a member for nine 3 'ears ) , witli Iiis ivell known benevolence , immediately commanded that his name should be added to the list of subscribers ( patrons ) , with a subscription of £ 10 . These two donations and some borrowed

money enabled me to meet a great part of the preliminary expenses . There were upwards of three hundred free tickets , including about one hundred and tivonty ( editors' tickets ) complimentary , principally to the reserved and 5 s . seats . The ivhole sum in the hall was ' about .. 40 : so that I shall lose nearly as much as I did at the Crystal Palace . AVithout my Masonic hrethrenor the public generally assist meI must ' to prison

, , go . 1 have ahvays been ready to give my gratuitous services , by coneerts or otherwise , on charitable occasions , iu several toivns in England , Scotland , and Ireland , at some of which large sums were realized . I clo not boast of this , but merel y allude " to it to show that 1 am not imbued with any leelings of . avarice , as tiie public may imagine me to he , from the false " position in which I am placed before it .

Trusting tbe Masonic bod y and thc public will believe what I have stated here arc facts— ' which I can vouch for upon oath if required—and that they will , after this , respond to my appeal , painful though it- be to me in proclaiming it to the world ; and that you will excuse the great trouble I am giving you , 1 remain , dear Sir ami Brother , with my most grateful thanks for your very great kindness to me , yours fraternal- )' , it . ' ha liter Terreuv , Neii-inr / lon , S . , 1 . 'I'iis'nx , Sj-. x ,

West Lancashire.

WEST LANCASHIRE .

TO Tim EDITOR OF TIIE PiiKUMASOIiS' - AIAC . AZIXE AKD MASONIC MIRROR . DKAI ; Sn ; AXD . BROTIIEI ; . — -At a meeting of St . John ' s Lodge . No . ' 171 , held at the Caledonian Hotel , Dulce-strcet , on the fourth ult ., and reported in your Magazine ofthe twenty-first , the following motion Avas submitted b y Bro . llcirbiiry , "That ' the Lodge be removed to the . Masonic Temple , Hope-street ; " whereupon an amendment was moved by Bro . Ellam , "That the Lodge remain at its present place of meeting ; " and Bro , Meluiighf , who

West Lancashire.

supported the amendment , is reported to have said "That those Lodges which had gone to the Temple had decreased , and fcAvcr initiations took place . " Had Bro . McKnight made himself acquainted with the real facts , he would not , I feel satisfied , have made the above statement , the publication of which , if allowed to go uncontradicted , may have a discouraging effect on those desirous of joining the

Order , but who have a strong objection to meeting at hotels ; as AA'ell as on those zealous and progressive brethren who have so ably and successfully exerted themselves in obtaining a Masonic hall totally unconnected with hotel or tavern , and which , so tar from proving detrimental to those Lodges now meeting there , has not only " conduced to increase the number of their members and initiationsbut has aided materially in removing those

un-, favourable impressions formerly entertained towards the Order 113-11011-Masons , who ivere too ready to consider Lodge meetings as an excuse for friendly " tai-ern reunions . " The Masonic Temple having heen open for business about sixteen months only , I append the number of members of , aud initiations in , those Lodges regularly meeting there , for the year 185 !) , together with the numbers for the previous year , during

which period their meetings were held at hotels : — 185 S , at Hotels . 1 Soil , at Alasonic Temple . Members . Initiations . Members . Initiations . Lodge . No . 245 ... 104 22 77 2 i > ., 294 ... 87 211 Ill 32 ., 310 ... 14 .. tin 140 1 ... 31 ., 30 S ... ( ii , ' 15 77 18

402 102 40 . _ 100 showing an aggregate gain in favour of 1 S 59 , of three members and four initiations . I also append tho number of members of , and initiations in , those Lodges still meeting at hotels for same period : — ISiiS . 1 Stiff .

Members , Initiations . Members . Initiations Lodge , No . So ... 20 4 SO ... 4 . .. 2 ( 1 : 5 ... 41 12 30 .. ,, Slit ... ( ill IS Sfi 22 ,. 071 ... 0 ( i ( 15 107 37 235 09 2 ci 3 fiS

showing an aggregate gain for . 1859 of eighteen members , but a loss of thirty-one initiations . These particulars , which have been extracted from the Grand Lodge returns will , I trust , be an ample refutation of Bro . McKnight ' s statement , and show that the aggregate number of initiations in those Lodges still clinging with such tenacity to hotel Lodge rooms have fallen off \ -ery much ( hiring the past

year , and none more so than in No . 971 ; whilst the Lodn-cs meeting at tbe Temple have , in tbe aggregate , increased botlf in members and initiations since their removal ; and amongst the initiates are many who ivould never have joined the Order , hacl the meetings continued to be held at hotels . ' I am , dear Sir and brother ; j-ours fraternally , Liverpool , -Ith February , IStiO . ' , JrM ,

SeiKXri- - ix A . A- . A- 10 c : vi'i . —Professor Mitchell , in bis lectures on astronomy , related a very remarkable tact . We said that he had not long since met , in the city of fit . Louis , Missouri , a man of great scientific attainments , ivho for forty years bad been engaged iu Pgyiit ' deciphering the hieroglyphics of the ancients . This gentleman had stated to hi 111 that he had lately unravelled the inscriptions the cotl ' in

upon ni' a mummy , now in the I ' . ritish Museum , and that by the aid of previous observations , he had diseoA-ered the key to all the astronomical knowledge of the Egyptians . The zodiac , with the exact positions of the planets , AA'as delineated on the coffin , and the . late to which they pointed was the autumnal equinox in the year 1722 . before Christ , or nearly thirty-six hundred years ago . Professor Mitchell employed his

assistants to ascertain the exact position of the heavenl y bodies belonging to our solar system on the equinox of that year ( 1722 B . C . ) , and sent him a correct diagram of them . Avithout having communicated his object in doing so . In compliance ivith this the calculations were made , and to his astonishment , on comparing the re : ult A .-ith the statement of his scientific friend already referred to , it . was found that , on the 7 th of October , 1722 n . c . the moon and planets had occupied the exact position in the heavens marked upon the cotliu in the British Museum .