Masonic Notes And Queries.

the Grand Lodgo and Chapter of England tho following points for their consideration , —aud requests , at their earliest convenience , a deliverance thereon : — " 1 . Whether these Grand Bodies are prepared to sanction the working of the Mark Masters Degree in England , either as a part of the Second or Fellow

Craft Degree ( as has been done by the Grand Lodge of Scotland ) , or as a separate Degree , as is the case in the lodges holding under the Sister Grand Lodges of Ireland , Canada , and America ; or " 2 . Whether these Grand Bodies are prepared to recognise the Body styling itself " The Grand Lodge

of Mark Masters of England , Wales , and the Colonies ancl Possessions -of tho British Crown , " as the lawful head of the Order of Mark Masonry in England . "In submitting the questions to the Grand Lodge and Chapter of England , the Supreme Chapter of

Scotland would express a hope that some arrangement may be made which will have the effect of bringing about a similarity of working in the two countries , which , from their close alliance , is much to bo desired ; and that in this way the proper place may be assigned to the Mark Masters Degree in the Degrees

of Masonry . " Signed , in name ancl by order of the Supreme Grand Eoyal Arch Chapter of Scotland , at Freemasons' Hall , ' Edinburgh , thislstdayof March . 1865 . A . D ancl 5869 A . L . '

, ( Signed ) "J . WHYTE MELVILLE , " Grand Z . ( Sigued ) "L . MACKERSEY , " G . S . E . " ]

THE CHEVALIER RAMSAY SAID TO HAVE ASCRIBED THE RESTORATION OE ICING CHARLES THE SECOND TO THE FREEMASONS . A brother writes that some years ago he read in the manuscript book , entitled my ' ' Denton Court Jottings , " a passage in which the Chevalier Eamsay is

said to have ascribed the restoration of King Charles the Second to tho Freemasons . The ensuing is a cop } r of the passage to which he alludes , and by his desire it is sent to the FREEMASONS MAGAZINE : — " G ., qui fit , en 1741 , connaissance , it Paris , avec Eamsay , et s ' entretint frequemmont avec lui , apprit de sa bouche ¦¦

beancoupcle details sur la Francmaconnerie . * * Enfin , G ., apprit encore que la restauration du trone royal d'Angleterre avait ete preparee par les Francmacons , auxquels appartenait le General Monk ; mais que Eamsay n ' avait pas voulu citer ce fait dans son " Ilistoire de la Francmaconnerie" ( ouvrage

probablement demeure inedit ) dans la craiato d ' exposer ses confreres au soupcon de s ' occuper habitnellement de politique . "—CHARLESPURTON COOPER . MASONIC CYPHERS . How may kinds of Masonic cyphers are there and

where , or by whom , are they used in the present day ? I haye one which has hitherto escaped all attempts at elucidation although it is made in the same kind of character , that is in the six spaced cross and the St . Andrew cross , usually presumed to be the key for interpretation . —STTJDENS . —[ It would be presumptuous to say there are any fixed number , but Ave have six varieties of those professing to be Craft

alphabets ; two Eoyal-Arch ; two of the Illumines ; four Eose Croix ; one of the twenty-fourth degree ; two of the thirtieth degree ; one of the thirty-second degree ; and one of the thirty-third degree . In addition we have that of the Bavarian high grades ; the French military order ; the Order of Knights Templar ; German high grades ; Dutch High grades ;

four of other grades not included in any rite ; and that of the alchemists . Then there are scores upon scores of secret cyphers— -based upon the divisions ¦ you refer to—scattered up ancl down in the books of the astrologers , Eosieruciaus , mystics , and antiquarians . The difficulty is not to find cyphers of the

kind , but to hit on thc right one to read by . We , ourselves , have been most sorely perplexed , —for how long we are ashamed to state , —by a series that absolutely gives the key and when it is applied from right to left , left to right , or even upside down , the inscription baffles us . We cannot get , out of three

hundred and thirty-eight characters , one single word we can recognise in any language we have the slig htest acquaintance with . You may say " Why don't you give it up , then ? " At first we were so inclined , but it grew upon us . Every now and then ive imagine we have it , sit down earnestly and work , —ancl real hard work it is for the brains , too , —but alas ! our

reward has not come yet . It is tantalizing , and has now assumed something of the definite shape of a difficulty we feel we must conquer . Unfortunately for us , few persons use these cyphers now . One brother who professes to know more than all the Freemasons who ever lived , do live , or will live , said

he could put us right , two years ago , so , having our doubts about his talents , we wrote him some six or eig ht letters in various Masonic cyphers , amongst them the commonly received Craft one , asking him how he got on with the interpretation of our stumbling block ? Not long since we got our answer

thus : " Ah ! I know you now ! here I've had several letters full of levels , squares , ancl perpendiculars , and all sorts of outlandish marks , ancl couldn't make out who they came from . Now its all clear ; I thought I knew the handwriting , and sure enough , now I ' ve seen you sign that , its yours . Why didn't you write

a letter that could be read at once without fidgetting about so that it made me uncomfortable . " The reply you may guess ; ancl as the brother is sure to see our answer to you he will know the reply also . If Avecan help you we shall be very happy to do so , butwith the experience gained—we don't promise to unravel your mystery . At any rate , if we cannot do it we shall not be ashamed to say so . ]

OLD SUMMONSES , BY-LAAVS , & C . For some time I have been making a collection of Summonses , By-laws , Impressions of Masonic Seals , and the thousand and one odds ancl ends of Masonic documents which many brethren regard as waste paper . I want to get as many of these together as I

can , and also the canvassing cards of candidates for the Masonic Charities , Grand Lodge , ancl Provincial Grand Lodge reports ; or , in fact , anything that bears on Freemasonry , English or foreign , Craft , Mark , Eoyal Arch , Templar , or high grades . Brethren having no use for , or setting no store b y , such papers , & c , would confer a favour by sending them to—MATTHEAV COOKE , 43 , Acton-street , W . C .