Sensation Incident In Freemasonry.

cheer , both boats crews at the same moment were clambering either side of the fated craft ; the struggle was sharp and severe—Lieut . P . had two pistol balls through the collar of his coat each side of the neck , and his face blackened by poAvder ; he gained the deck , and was in the act of cutting down the captain , an American , when he made the M . M . sign of distress , and cried out "lam your

prisoner . " Lieut . P ., being a brother of the mystic tie , sh eathed his SAVord and spared bis victim ; then taking possession of the slaver , with five hundred slaves on board , permitted the reckless American to keep his sword and have as much liberty as he liked . The prize . wastaken to Sierra Leone and condemned—the captain was tried for his life in making armed resistance , and by the

energetic appeal of Lieut . P . in conjunction with others of the Masonic fraternity , turned the sentence of death passed upon the inhuman fellow into one of a term of imprisonment , thus in a two-fold manner saving the life of a fellow-creature , and illustrating in a noble manner the glorious principles of our Order when thoroughly acted upon . —l , r . F . W . Pritchard ( E . W . M . 102 ) , Incidents and Anecdotes of Freemasonry .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

Fht Editor it not responsible for the opinion ) expressed by Correspondents . FEEEMASONS' COMPETITION . 10 IHE EDITOE OF TUB EBEEltASOXS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIBKOlt . DEAII SIR AUD BROTHER , —I do not profess to be a stickler for the strict recognition of official claims , especiallwhen they are likelto be prejudicial to an

y y excep tional and particular object , but I certainly was startled at the paragraph in tbe Builder of last week , accompanied by a letter of the chairman of the Permanent Building Committee , announcing that in the resolutions passed by Grand Lodge , conferring powers on that Committee , authority was given to supersede the G . Supt . of Works , in his official capacity as set forth in the Booh of

Constitutions , or I certainly never should have voted for such an unmasonic and invidious proceeding , nor do I for one moment believe that it was ever contemplated that a gentleman of high repute iu his profession , such as our G . Supt . of Works , should be placed in a position not only derogatory to his official dignity , but positively reflecting on his professional capabilities . I for one always felt that the Grand Lodge bad agnarantee for the success -of our proposed Masonic building , in the suggestions and

guidance of an architect of his ability , for without meaning anything disrespectful to the Building Committee , I should imagine that they themselves do not pretend to be judges of an architectural design in all its integrity , neither can I expect that solely and unadvised ( which they say they have been ) that they should have escaped falling into error ; indeed their instructions for competition prove how

very desirable it would have been for them to have called in professional aid , and this is incontrovertably proved by the suggestions which they have sent out , in which , if adopted , there will be found , amongst other mistakes , the startling one of the existence of a main party wall , actually in the very centre of tho proposed new building , leaving a blank in the middle of the front elevation

where the most uninitiated in architectural desi gn would naturally suppose the principal entrance should be . Without therefore having the resolution to refer to , I most certainly cannot understand the interpretation given to it , and published by the Chairman of the Committee in your number of last week . I amSir obedientl

, , yours y , _ A MEMBEE OF GEAND LODGE . Oxford , March 16 , 1863 . [ The proper time for the G . Supt . of Works to advise the Committee will , in our opinion , be Avhen the various designs are received . —ED . ]

DE . KNIFE , & c . TO THE JSMTOB OF THE EBEEITASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIBBOB . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I must ask to be permitted to reply shortly in your present number , to the very long letter of Bro . MattheAV Cooke in the last Magazine . 1 st . As to the more personal matter introduced at the close of his letter 210 it is quite true that

. , page , early last year , or in the year before , I visited the Globe Lodge , of which he is the Secretary , and asked him among other conversation , some questions concerning a document which has been called the Charter of Cologne . Not very long before this , Bro . Matthew Cooke had edited a most interesting work , The History and Articles of Masonry , and I naturalllooked to him as somewhat of an authority

y on the subject in which I was then myself working , Masonic Archaeology . A brother of my own lodge had shown to me a copy of this so called charter , which he had picked up , I believe , in Denmark , and which professed to have amongst others , the great name of Philip Melancthon attached to it . Having considerable doubts myself as to its genuinenes

and authenticity , I not unnaturally took the opportunity of asking Bro . Matthew Cooke , whom I then met for the first time , if he knew anything confirmatory of the Charter . As I understood him to reply at the time , there was a copy of it in MS . in the British Museum with the seals attached .

I left London the next day , and had no further opportunity of searching myself in the British Museum for this confirmatory proof , but so impressed was I with this supposed evidence , that when the brother who had originally shown me the document was about to visit London , I strongly recommended him to call on an official at the British Museum , and , using my name , request his help in the search . I gave him at the same time the authority of Bro . Matthew Cooke , for the existence of such a document .

which authority I subsequently certainly gave to the official himself , and so the matter rested . Bro . Matthew Cooke has , however , himself quite lately assured me , a day or two after he penned his letter of the 9 th , that I musthave entirely misunderstood him ; thathe never said anything about a MS . in tbe British Museum , or about seals attached , but that he did allude to a printed copy in

the British Museum , with the signatures attached . How I could have made such a mistake I cannot pretend to explain , as a printed book with copied signatures , would have been to me less than satisfactory evidencebut after Bro . Matthew Cooke's recent statement to me , and his remarks in the Magazine , I can only express my belief that I misunderstood his meaning and

misinterpreted his words , while I assure him of my sincere regret for any error of mine , though most unintentional , which has given him the slightest annoyance , 2 nd . With regard to Aubrey . I fully admit , from the authorities Bro . Matthew Cooke has adduced , one of which I have myself recently perused in the British Museumthat Aubrey at any rate was not the author of

, the preface to the History of Berkshire . I will not now go into the reasons which led me at one time to think it more than probable that Aubrey wrote that preface , since till a few days back , I had not had a convenient opportunity of perusing Wood ' s Alhenai , or the catalogue of the Ashmolean MSS ., which seems to be decisive on the subject .

3 rd . In respect of my reference to Dr . Knipe ' s letter , the simple explanation of the whole matter is , that I gave in Notes and Queries , by a most unintentional mistake , a wrong reference altogether . Bro . Matthew Cooke has made so much of a little matter that I must , in self defence , enter into a full explanation of the circumstances under which the error on my part took place . I had jotted doAvn hastily , a year or more ago , a reference to Ashmole ' s History of Berkshire , aud also to