Correspondence.

Rent from Lodges and Chapters £ 273 „ for Kitchens 333 London Subscriptions to Coffee-room .... 500 Country „ „ .... 250 £ 1 , 323

as against £ 1000 now received , leaving a larger margin for reduction in the charges , or for errors in my calculation of the success which would attend the proposed alteration—whilst it must be borne in mind that I have not taken credit for the amounts which will be saved to Grand Lodge in consequence of the cessation of the payments they have now to make for the use of the hall and committee-rooms when required , or for the increased

accommodation which we shall be enabled to give to our officers and charities by concentrating them under one roof belonging to the Freemasons themselves . Neither have I dealt with our other 2 > roperty , but have confined myself to that portion alluded to in the Report of the Board of General Purposes—the Hall , the present Tavern , and the Grand Secretary ' s offices . I am aware that the members of various Lodges at a distauce mil give us little or no support to our coffee-room , but I have only averaged them at

one member each . At the same time , to Lodges at a distance of more than —say 80 or 100 miles from London , I would give the opportunity of enfranchising the whole of then- members to the use of the coffee-room , when in town , for one annual payment—say to Lodges of not more than twenty members , £ 2 2 s . per annum , and beyond that number , £ 3 3 s . But these are matters of detail for settlement hereafter , and are only thrown out as suggestions for the consideration of the Brethren , and to elicit the opinions of others . To the fourth questiou : — " If it should be found desirable hereafter

that an annual subscription ( which would necessarily be of very small amount ) should be required to entitle Brethren to the use of separate reading and refreshment rooms , what support would it probably receive from your Lodge or the members thereof ? " I must of course leave to the various Lodges to frame their own auswers , though I believe I have indicated above sufficient to assist them in doing so : and I have now therefore onl y to go to the last question— "If it can be shown that a considerable outlay for the

purpose of giving increased accommodation to the Craft , and at the same time very much extending the tavern would be productive of an adequate return , would such a proceeding be expedient and desirable ? "—and here I must be allowed to give a decided answer that we should have nothingwhatever to do with any general tavern scheme , but leave the trade open to those Brethren of the Craft and other members of society to whom it more legitimately belongs . Moreover , in the face of the fact that our

present tavern has proved so unprofitable to the tenants that within the hist four years we have had to reduce the rent from £ 1 , 100 to £ 800 a year , or something like forty per cent ., it does appear to me somewhat monstrous to suppose that by incurring some £ 20 , 000 or £ 30 , 000 expenditure for a larger tavern we shall ever be enabled to reap an adequate return for our outlay . I shall now close for the present , feeling that I have already occupied too large a portion of yonr spacebut willwith your permissionreturn to the

, , , subject when I have elicited the opinions of other of your numerous correspondents . I remain , Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , UNIT . London . Jan . Villi , 1859 .