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lation some mouldy old act which holds the sword of the law threatening over our heads ? Indeed it is with difficulty that we can bring our minds to such a supposition in a country where the rights of every man seem to be respected ; where the government seems to allow citizens to form commercial , philanthropic , political , and religions societies , without interfering with them . Yet , we cannot believe that you accuse our society of being illegal for the

mere purpose of frightening us . or to dissuade any person desirous of joining us from so doing . No ; we truly believe that it has been your intention to give us a brotherly warning , and wc are disposed to accept the benefit of it . If we have infringed the English law , it is for want of knowing it . Well then , achieve your work . You have kindly warned us , do more ; toll us the means of freeing ourselves from the illegal position in which ive stand . We have

used in this letter the word excommunication , to characterize the penalty with which you threaten the English brothers that may visit our Lodges , this really smells strongly of the Inquisition , and indeed you go beyond the holy society ; for , you denounce us as heretics without having taken the trouble of inquiring into our doctrines , and 3-011 issue an interdiction against all Masons that may be visiting us in order to judge of our merits by themselves .:

You must acknowledge that this is contrary to the spirit of Masonry . England has left far behind her the days of Henry the VIII ., and those of the bloody Mary . The spirit of tolerance and free examination exists in all her institutions , and we cannot believe that amongst the great bodies of this country , Masonry alone has refused to follow the steps of progress . Wc remain , Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , By order ofthe Respectable Grand Lodge , BT . DKSQDKSXF . S

London , July oOth , 1859 . The General Secretary . [ 1 ' n inserting the above letter , we do so with a view of taking leave of the subject , as ive have no wish to bring into notoriet 3 ' the so-callecl Grand Lodge of Philadclphcs or Order of Memphis . We deny that it has ever been legally established in England , or that 3113- persons connected with it can he recognized as Masons in

any part of the ivorld where the supreme bodies are in communion with England . With regard to the application of the word " secret" to this society , ive hold all societies to be so who take an obligation from their members to keep anj'thing secret from the rest ofthe world—and this ive presume the Philadclphcs do . As regards "illegality , " we recently gave those clauses of the Acts

of Parliament which exempt Freemasons' Lodges from the penalties attached to belonging to secret societies ; but that exemption could not be held in an } - court of law to refer to any body of men meeting together and calling themselves Freemasons , but only to those established in connexion with the Grand Lodges of England , Irelandor Scotland . It is a principle of Masonic law that there

, can be but one supreme head in an } ' country ; and however our members may connect themselves with the Mark degree , Ancient and Accepted Rite , Knights Templar , & c , so far as Craft Masonry is concerned all acknowledge the undivided jurisdiction of the

Grand Lodge ; and no persons can be admitted to the more advanced degrees who have not been regularly made Masons in a Craft Lod ge . We admit that other societies aro so far secret as to require obligations from their members , such as the Odd Fellows , Eoresters , and others , but they have been established for purely benevolent objects , and each Lodge is , or ought to be , registered

under the Friendly Societies' Acts , and their by-laws approved b y Mr . Tidd Pratt ; without which precaution they have no security for their funds , nor legal remedy against a fraudulent officer . Our correspondent asks how the members ofthe Grand Lodge of fhiladel phes are to become legal . We reply , by dissolving their present society , and seeking admission into Masonry through the

portals of an English Lodge , when , if they are found worth y , and wish to do so , tliey may , after having taken the necessaiy steps in the Order , apply for a warrant to open a Lodge for themselves . And here we may inform them , if they are not aware of it , there is alread y one French Lodge ; La Tolerance , holding under the constitution of the Grand Lodof land—the Grand Lod

ge Eng ge ¦»< w numbering on its roll , after allowing- for the withdrawal of me Canadian , something like one thousand Lodges . As regards the penalt y with which we have threatened English brethren if they visit this Lod ge of Philadclphcs , we have done no more than

remind them ofthe tenour of their obligation ; and we repeat , that such a visit would subject them to severe censure , if not absolute exclusion from the Order . Moreover , beyond his various obligations , cveiy candidate for the Master ' s chair ( and there are comparatively few Masons who do not at some time or another aspire to that dignity ) , must solemnly declare previously to

installation , "to respect genuine and true brethren , and to discountenance impostors and all dissenters from the original plan of Freemasonry ; " " to pay homage to the Grand Master for the time being , and to his officers when dull- installed , and strict !} - to conform to every edict ofthe Grand Lodge ; " and that "no new Lodge can be formed without permission of the Grand Master or his

Deputy , and that no countenance ought , to be git-en to any irregular Lodge , or to any person initiated therein "—and how any Mason iu the face of such a declaration ( which is as patent to every member in the Lodge , ancl equally binding upon him as upon the Master ) , can visit or in any way sanction the-meetings of the Philadel-. phes , we are at a loss to imagine . If they do so , it is only , ire

repeat it , at the risk of exclusion from the Order . "We do not know what may be the regular fees of the Philadelphcs—if they have any regular-scale—but we do know that parties professing to belong to them are touting about pubiichouses and offering to initiate persons into Masonry for sums varying from £ 1 down to 10 . ? ., and perhaps lower . In conclusion , we warn all true and

genuine brethren to be cautious how they havo any communication with members of this illegal body ; and Masons throughout the world , that the } - have no legal status as Masons , and that their certificates can only be recognized hy any of the various Masonic bodies either in Europe or America in connexion with England , as so much waste paper , neither entitling their holders to acknowledgment , or relief should they require it . —ED . ]

CALENDAR FOR 1 SG 0 . TO THE EDITOR OE THE FREEMASONS * MA . O-A 7 . IKE AN 11 MASONIC MIIVROR . DK .-U ; SII ; , —Who prepares "The Calendar" ? To whom should applications be addressed leading to its improvement ? Those to whom this reference is of use know its defects , and would be glad to find that the attention of its conductors had been seriously directed towards its completion .

Tn 1 S 5 S , j-our correspondents , " One Who , " & c , ( videNo . 42 , p . 711 ) , Bro . E . S . Cossens , and "B . L . " ( vide No . 40 , p . 9 : 11 ) , suggested some very pertinent improvements ; and you , approving such suggestions , remarked " there would not lie time ( 25 th October , ISfiS ) , to obtain the information for the forthcoming Calendar , " & c . Doubtless the Calendar conductors read such correspondence

, and lry consequence could not now plead want of time , short notice , or any other excuse , for not adopting all the suggestions , ivhich 3-011 know could be obtained 113-them on a proper application to the Grand Secretaiy ' s Oflice , with the sanction of the Most Worshipful Grand Alaster . His Lordship is too orthodox to object to any proposition ivhich bears evidence of benefit to the Craft ; and if the suggestions made by your former

correspondents ivere adopted , I am confident the Calendar , so improved , would meet with an extended sale , and be thankfully acknowledged . It would then be useful and required b } - ever } - officer in the different Lodges in Great Britain and Ireland , the Colonies , and other possessions far and far away . Yours truly , August 1 C , 1 S 59 . R . " 13 . X . [ There is a Calendar Committee of the Board of General Purposes . —En . ]

THE CALENDAR . TO THE EDITOR OP THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MinitOR . DEAH SIR AND BBOTIIF . II , —It certainly appears to me very remarkable that the publishers or compilers of the Freemason ' s ' Calendar and Pocket Book should from year to year profess to ive to the public "A Complete List of all the Regular Lod

g ges and Royal Arch Chapters , with their places and times of meetiii" -, corrected from the books ofthe United Grand Lod ge , & c , " when in point of fact many Lodges and Chapters so' published have not had an existence for a number of years this is calculated to lead