Correspondence.

corporating Masons , of instituting * a lodge of the free incorporated Masons of Glasgow . " Eegarding the above I wish to know ( supposing these words to have been used by Malcolm IV . in 1157 , which I know no reason to dispute ) if " E . Y . " still considers them to be " monstrous" andif soto give his reasons ?

, , , Eegarding the money , that can be talked of again , as it may prove to be a mistake of the translator . "E . X . " also says , "If this so-called Charter was produced before the Court of Session , the Lord Advocate would be usefully employed in prosecuting the forger if still alive . " Now as ' by "E . X . ' s " style of

writing he considers himself an authority on archaeology , & c , he ought to have remembered the warning of Cosmo Innis against judging from translations , and not have hinted so much as that the charter was not produced in the above court , but have asked au explanation before he used such strong expressions as he does .

In the book , "Architects ancl Builders of the Middle Ages , " by Bro . James Miller , P . M . of St . Mark's , No . 102 , page 19 , he says ( after alluding to the open question of the date ) , " There is no doubt of its being an authentic charter , and it was sustained as such in an action before the Court of Session in 1815 . "

I see in the mmute-book of the [ Incorporation at that date the following entry : — " Nov . 7 fch , 1815 . The clerk was authorised to write Mr , D . Fisher , the agent in Edinburgh for the Incorporation in the process with A . S penee to employ Mr , .. Cranstoun as counsel , and to correspond wifch Mr . Fisher relative to this processand the collector authorised to

, pay the expenses already incurred before the Town Council here . " The above is all the information I have got as yet regarding this Court of Session case , but the above is so far so good . "While the charter was in Edinburgh , it was examined by adepts and held as genuine—indeed that may be safelinferred

y before the Court would give any decision . But , be that as it may , the Charter , I understand , will immediately be placed in the hands of one of the best archaeologists we can get ; and I trust that as much as possible of it will be copied word for word , and

thereafter printed , which will be the fairest way to satisfy all , ancl each may then judge of the translation for himself . In "E . X . ' s" letter , on page 166 , I consider that he fairl y contradicts himself in the last paragraph . He says " he will suspend his judgment , " but adds " as to the bodily or partial forgeries in the

Latin parchment . " Upon what authority does " E . X . " even hint at any forgeries , partial or otherwise , being in the Latin parchment ? While be sensibly says he will suspend his judgment , yet ( although he has not seen the charter himself , and although other antiquarians have held it to be

genuine ) by some intuitive process unknown to common mortals he seems to feel that our old charter is bound to be either a bodily or partial forgery , and he fears much will follow in the wake of the chronicle of Ingulpb . Our charter commences word for word the same

as some other charters of Malcolm ' s ( IY . ) reign . It is 14 | inches deep by 12 inches broad , and contains 19-s- lines of writing , which reaches down about 9 inches . The writing running close up from side to side , there are no crosses in it , the names of the witnesses following on as part of the writing . The seal has hung from the centre by a tache about one inch

broad , whether of the same parchmeut of the charter or not I cannot sny . Where the date is given in our translation I could not say I saw neither letters or words which I could consider referred to ifc . The names I can say are for the most part correct ; but I do not consider that it is the equivalent for "Bishop

of Glasgow" that follows what looks like Andro Hamilton ; for after Hamilton comes two or three words , then "multi quinque , " * and then other seven or eight words to the end . I can say nothing further aboua the charter in the meantime , as that might heinterfering with the party who is to examine it

authoritatively ; but tbe charter being only an extra evidence of the priority of St . John ' s , during the . time it is undergoing examination , we have to make up and connect our other historical data more fully . Before parting with Bro . " E . X ., " I would respectfully hint that if he would deal a little less in the

knock him down afc all hazard style , and come out a little more with fair argument and giving his reasonsfor his opinions , ifc would be acting more fairly , and would be also more interesting to the readers of the Maga ~ ine , at same time giving more light .

It is now five weeks since Bro . Oneal Haye asserted at page 70 of the MAGAZINE , that " from proofs which he held in his hand" the Cannongate Kilwinning was entitled to rank above the Mary ' s Chapel and Melrose Sfc . John , I have since afc page 149 demonstrated that Bro . Haye must surely be wrong , and I even question , the existence of the Cannongate Kilwinning in the .

12 th century afc all ; yet Bro . Have has brought forward nothing as yet to explain what he said , which I consider he is fairly entitled to do in the MAGAZINE , having once made the assertion . In the MAGAZINE of April 20 th , 1867 , page 303 , Bro . D . Murray Lyon says " Than the Abbey of

Kilwinning no Scottish ecclesiastical building is more closely associated with the early history of Freemasonry . " Now I am not sure but that the Glasgow Cathedral can say more than that , for the Lodgo of Glasgow St . John built the cathedral . Its members assisted at its preservation at the lieforinationand

, the lodge used fco meet in the Crypt . A gallant feather I find has also been pufc into the St . John ' s cap lately , which I have no doubt troubled Bro . Lyon not a little when he wrote the paragraph in his article in the MAGAZINE of February Sth , at foot of page 102 . The feather I allude to being the following

paragraph in the 297 th page of " Scotland in the Middle Ages , " by Cosmo Innis , where after giving the names of a number of the Abbeys , & c , Kilwinning amongst the rest , the author says "This was the era of those enthusiastic fraternities or associations for church building which assisted in erecting most of the beautiful churches of Europe , and which undoubtedly bestowed that singular uniformity which