Masonic Notes And Queries.

much spoken of ; hence it was included among the symbols of Ereemasonry , which , in 1717 , underwent a complete revision . —M . 0 . THE TEACINO- BOAED . In his account of Mr . Suieaton ' s erection of the Eddystone lig hthouse , Mr . Smiles says' ( page 36 , note ) in

" Mr . Smeaton had considerable difficulty finding a room with a floor sufficiently large on which to fit all the moulds together in the order in which they were to be permanently fixed . The engineer applied to the mayor of Plymouth for the use of the Guildhall for the purpose , but he was refused on the pretence that the chalk-lines would spoil the floor . He was also refused the use of . the assembly-rooms for some Eimilar reason . "—M . 0 .

MAEKED , SQTJAEED , AND NUMBERED . Mr . Smeaton seems to have followed a plan that Freemasons know something of . Mr . Smiles ( page 38 ) tells us : " The manner in which the stones were prepared in the yard , arranged in courses , and brought off in the vessels , so that they could be landed in their proper order and fixed in their proper places

, was simple and effective . When the separate pieces of whicli a course was to consist were hewn , they ivere all brought together in the work-yard , fitted upon the platform in the exact sites they were to occupy in the building , and so marked and numbered that they could readily be restored to their proper

relative positions . So much preliminary care having been taken , no difficulty or confusion occurred in the use of the materials , whilst the progress of the building was also greatly accelerated . " The foregoing needs no comment . —M . 0 .

PEOEESSOE E 0 BIS 0 N . Professor Robison wrote a well-known book against Freemasons and the Illuminati . It is desirable we should learn all we can of our detractors , as well as our eulogists , and here are some items , from Smiles ' s Life of John Rennie ( vol . ii . of Lives of TEngineers ) , which speak of Professor Eobison . " Iu 1793 he had

, the advantage of much close personal intercourse with his old friend the professor , who paid him a visit at his house in London for the express purpose of conferring . with him upon mechanical subjects . In the letter announcing the object of his visit , Dr . Robison candidly avowed that it was in order ' that he might

extract as much information from him as possible . ' The doctor had undertaken to prepare the articles on ' Mechanics' for the " Eneyclopcedia Britannica , and he believed he should be enabled to impart an additional value to his writings by throwing upon them the light of Rennie ' s strong practical judgment . He

proposed to take a lodging in the immediate neighbourhood of Rennie ' s house , then iu the Great Surrey-road , and to board with him during the day ; but Rennie would not listen to this proposal , and insisted ou being the professor ' s entertainer during the period of his visit . " Mr . Smiles then goes on to tell

us that one of the doctor ' s points was to discuss the theory of the equilibrium of arches , but this is better omitted here ; and only quoting the close , we find — "when the doctor returned to his Edinburgh labours , he carried with him the cordial affection and respect of the engineer , who continued to keep up a correspondence with him until the close of his life . " Mr . Smiles says in a footnote ( page 172 ) , "Dr

Robison was the first contributor to the Mncyelopcedia who was really a man of science , and whose articles were above the rank of mere compilations . He sought information from all quarters—searched the works of foreign writers , and consulted men of practical eminence , such as Rennie , to whom he could

obtain access , and extraordinary value was thus imparted to his articles . " With such a character for talent , no doubt Robison was really a very dangerous foe to Ereemasonry at the time in which he wrote ; but as his book has really done little or no harm to the Order—although

occasionally quoted , even now , by adverse critics—it is quite as well to know something of the individual who was once so popular an authority against us . — M . C .

TELFOED ' S MAEK . In the life of Telford we read ( page 301)— "His apprenticeship over , Telford went on working as a journeyman at Langholm , his wages at the time being only eighteen-pence a day . What was called the New Town was then in course of erection , and there are houses still pointed out in it , the walls of which Telford helped to put together .

t In the town are three arched door heads of a more ornamental character than the rest , of Telford ' s hewing ; for he was already beginning to set up his pretensions as a Craftsman , and took pride in pointing to the superior handiwork which proceeded from his chisel . About the same time the

bridge connecting the Old with the New Town was built across the Esk at Langholm , and upon that structure he was also employed . Many of the stones in it were hewn by his hand , and on several of the blocks forming the land-breast his tool mark is still to be seen . " —M . 0 .

TEIIEOED ' S DODGE PITTING . S . Telford , having completed his work on Somerset House , was foreman of the Masons at Portsmouth ; and in a letter dated Portsmouth Dockyard , Feb . 1 , 1786 , Mr . Smiles says : — " At the same time he states that he is taking great delight in Ereemasonry , ancl is about to

have a lodge-room at the George Inn fitted up after his plans and under his direction . " What do the Portsmouth lodges know about this ? May it be reasonably hoped that some member will communicate the particulars , either from report or the lodge minutes ? We know absolutely nothing of the eminent men who have been members of the Craft , and our ignorance on such matters does not redound to our credit . — M . 0 .

THE THISTLE AND E 0 SE . An old Mason talks always about the thistle and rose , what does he mean ?—C . J . —[ He alludes to the old lectures , in which it was said , when alluding to a certain portion of the ceremony— " the Star and Garter , the Thistle or Rose , or any other Order whatever under the sun . " ]

" G . B . OE D . " AND CHAUCEll ' S CRAFT KNOWLEDGE . [ " G . 13 . of D . " is an enigma . At page 469 of the last volume of this MAGAZINE , we stated that the allegory of " Patient Grizel" was to be found in Chaucer ' s Canterbury Tales , under the name of " The Gierke ' s Tale . " Now , what other man on earth but " G . B . of D . " would read Dekker ' s play of Patient Grissell , and then complain that he cannot find a