Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for tlie opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters ¦ must bear the name anl address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , Imt as a guarantee of good faith .

THE PEOVINCES AND THE CHAEITIES .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AUD BROTHER , —Observing that considerable attention is given in yonr columns to tho snbjecfc of Masonio Charities , especially with reference to fcho contributions of fche Provinces , I send , as a supplement to your own statistics , tables showing the relative amount of support awarded by the several Provinces to the Boys' and Girls '

Schools np to the end of tho year 1880 . I have now prepared these tables for the last two or three years , feeling convinced that it affords tho fairest available means of arriving afc thafc knowledge . Tho four columns following tho name of tho Province show : 1 , the number of Lodges in the Province ; 2 , the number of Lifo Votes possessed by individuals , Lodges , & o ., within

the Province ; 3 , the average number of votes per Lodge which those figures give ; and 4 , the number of children from the Province at present in tho School . The numbers immediately after the name of fche Province refer to the position lasfc year in tho tables published in the Freemason , of 1 st and 8 th May . The Provinces aro placed in order of merit , those

equal being so numbered . Fractions of * are estimated as a * . I have taken no account of annual subscriptions , these vary so much from year to year as to be useless for my purpose . The first table gives fcho result for the Girls' School , the second for the Boys ' , and the third the two combined , by which a fairer average is obtained as somo Provinces support one Charity almost to the exclusion of the other .

I am unable to include the Benevolent Institution , which retains tho objectionable practice of inserting all subscribers in one alphabetical list . Your own statistics , published on the 12 th instant , may give some idea of what tho result might have been . The tables have been prepared with great care , and I believe are accurate . I shall , however , bo pleased to acknowledge and correct any mistakes that may be pointed ont . Yours fraternally , 24 fch March 1881 . A PAST MASTER .

Lodges Votes Giving an Ghild-Ho . Province in in average per ron in Province Province Lodgo of School

GIELS' SCHOOL .

1 Yorkshire , West ( 1 ) - - 66 1775 27 19 2 Gloucestershire ( 2 ) - - 14 334 24 3 3 Oxfordshire ( 5 ) - - 9 210 23 * 0 4 Sussex ( 3 ) - - - 24 565 22 $ 2 5 Kent ( 4 ) - - - 45 835 18 * 8 6 Staffordshire ( 7 ) - - 23 420 18 * 5

7 Bristol ( 16 ) .- - 8 141 17 $ 1 8 Worcestershire ( 20 ) - - 11 184 16 f 1 9 Wilts ( 8 ) - - - 10 151 15 * 5 10 Monmouthshire ( 14 ) 8 119 15 2 11 Lincolnshire ( 13 ) - - 20 287 14 * 8 12 Somerset ( 12 ) - - 22 310 14 * 7

13 S . Wales ( East ) ( 9 ) - - 15 211 14 * 1 14 Surrey ( 11 ) - - - 22 307 14 2 15 Berks and Bucks ( 15 ) - 18 242 13 } 2 16 Warwickshire ( 6 ) - - 30 403 13 * 7 17 Dorset ( 22 ) - - - 13 150 11 $ 0 18 Hants and Isle of Wight ( 17 ) . 35 394 11 * 10

19 Durham ( 15 ) - - - 26 287 11 4 20 Herts ( 10 ) - - - 14 149 lOf 1 21 Essex- ( 24 ) - - - 19 199 101 2 22 Norths and Hunts ( 19 ) - 9 84 9 * 1 23 Leicester and Eutland ( 27 ) - 10 91 9 * 1 24 Hereford ( 23 ) - - - 4 34 8 * 0

25 S . Wales ( West ) ( 21 ) - 9 75 8 J- 2 26 Suffolk ( 26 ) - - 20 167 8 } 6 27 Cheshire ( 28 ) - - - 36 271 7 $ 3 28 Norfolk ( 30 ) - - - 16 117 7 } 2 29 Middlesex ( 25 ) - - 31 215 7 4 30 Lancashire ( East ) ( 29 ) - 91 621 7 9 31 Notts ( 31 ) . -- 13 88 7 2

32 Cumberland and Westmoreland ( 36 ) - 19 110 6 1 33 N . Wales and Salop ( 33 ) - 26 144 5 $ 0 34 Yorkshire ( N . and E . ) ( 32 ) - 27 138 5 * 4 35 Cornwall ( 34 ) - - 28 143 5 * 1 36 Devon ( 35 ) - - 50 224 4 } 6 37 Lancashire ( West ) ( 37 ) - 81 356 4 * 4

38 Northumberland ( 38 ) - - 20 85 4 * 0 39 Cambridgeshire ( 40 ) 4 17 4 * 1 40 Beds ( 39 ) ... 5 19 4 0 41 Derbyshire ( 42 ) - - 19 65 3 * 0 42 Channel Islands ( 41 ) - 12 26 2 * 0 43 Isle of Man ( 43 ) - - 3 0 0 0 Total • 985 10 , 763 11 13 T

Boys' School.

BOYS' SCHOOL .

Lodges Votes Giving an Child . No . Province in in average per renin Province Province Lodge of Schools

1 Dorset ( 1 ) - . . 13 573 44 * 8 2 Yorkshire West ( 2 ) - - 66 2633 40 20 3 Gloucestershire ( 3 ) - 14 541 38 § 3 4 Warwickshire ( 4 ) - - 30 974 32 * 6 5 Kent ( 6 ) - - - 45 1180 26 * 7 6 Sussex ( 7 ) . . 24 597 25 4

7 Worcestershire ( 5 ) - - 11 263 24 2 8 Hants and Isle of Wi ght ( 7 ) - 35 803 23 \ 9 S . Wales ( East ) ( 10 ) . 15 342 23 5 10 Staffordshire ( 11 ) . . 23 519 22 } 4 11 Leicester and Eutland ( 15 ) - 10 215 21 * 1

12 Oxfordshire ( 12 ) 9 193 21 * 1 13 Lancashire East ( 13 ) - 91 1940 21 * 15 14 Northumberland ( 18 ) - 20 524 21 * 3 15 Surrey ( 9 ) - - - 22 457 21 3

16 Wilts ( 14 ) . . . 10 203 20 * l 17 Durham ( 16 ) . - 26 516 20 6 18 Somerset ( 8 ) . . . 22 428 19 * 5 19 Lincolnshire ( 19 ) . . 20 371 18 J 6 20 Essex ( 23 ) . . -19 350 18 * 2

21 Bristol ( 20 ) ... 8 139 17 * 2 „„ (" Norths and Hunts ( 22 ) - 9 143 16 3 M { S . Wales ( West ) ( 23 ) - 9 143 16 3 24 Middlesex ( 24 ) - - 31 438 14 § 1

25 Derbyshir e ( 26 ) - - 19 249 13 * 3 26 Berks and Bucks ( 20 ) - 18 328 12 f 2 27 Cumberla nd and Westmoreland ( 26 ) . . . 19 237 12 * 4 28 Cheshire ( 30 ) - - 36 448 12 * 5

29 Yorkshire N . and E . ( 25 ) - 27 313 11 J 3 30 Herts ( 34 ) - - - 14 158 11 * 0 31 Suffolk ( 29 ) - - - 20 218 11 1 32 Monmouthshire ( 31 ) - 8 87 11 4 33 Norfolk ( 36 ) - - 16 172 10 $ 3

34 Lancashire West ( 39 ) - 81 850 10 * 2 35 N . Wales and Salop ( 33 ) - 26 259 10 6 36 Hereford ( 37 ) . - 4 39 9 J 0 37 Notts ( 32 ) . - - 13 103 8 0 38 Devon ( 35 ) . . . 50 338 7 5 39 Beds ( 38 ) ... 5 31 6 * 0

40 Cambridgeshire ( 41 ) - 4 22 5 * 1 41 Cornwall ( 40 ) - - 28 149 5 * 0 42 Channel Islands ( 42 ) - 12 54 4 * 0 43 Isle of Man ( 43 ) 3 0 0 0 Total - - 985 18 , 540 18 | 151

Boys' And Girls' Schools United.

BOYS' AND GIRLS' SCHOOLS UNITED .

1 Yorkshire , West ( 1 ) - - 66 4408 67 39 2 Gloucestershire ( 2 ) - - 14 875 62 * 6 3 Dorset ( 3 ) - - 13 723 55 | 8 4 Sussex ( 7 ) - - 24 1162 48 * 6 5 Warwickshire ( 4 ) - - 30 1377 46 18 „ fKenfc ( 5 ) - - - 45 2015 45 15

" t Oxfordshire ( 6 ) 9 403 45 1 8 Staffordshire ( 10 ) - - 23 939 41 9 9 Worcestershire ( 14 ) - - 11 447 40 $ 3 10 S . Wales ( East ) ( 11 ) - 15 553 37 6 11 Wilts ( 12 ) - - - 10 354 35 * 6 12 Bristol ( 18 ) - - - 8 280 35 3

13 Surrey ( 9 ) - - - 22 764 34 * o 14 Hants and Isle of Wight ( 13 ) - 35 1197 34 * 11 15 Somerset ( 8 ) - - - 22 738 33 J 12 16 Lincolnshire ( 16 ) - - 20 658 33 14 17 Berks and Bucks ( 17 ) - - 18 570 31 | 4

18 Durham ( 15 ) - - 26 803 31 10 19 Leicester and Eutland ( 19 ) - 10 306 30 $ 2 20 Northumberland ( 23 ) - - 20 609 30 * 3 21 Essex ( 22 ) - - - 19 549 29 4 22 Lancashire ( East ) ( 20 ) - 91 2561 28 * 24 23 Monmouth shiro ( 26 ) - - 8 206 25 $ 6

24 Norths and Hunts ( 21 ) - 9 227 25 * 4 25 S . Wales ( West ) ( 27 ) - 9 218 24 * 5 26 Herts ( 24 ) - - - 14 307 22 1 27 Middlesex ( 25 ) - - 31 653 21 * 5 28 Cheshire ( 29 ) - - 36 719 20 8 29 Suffolk ( 28 ) - - - 20 385 19 * 7

30 Cumberland and Westmoreland ( 31 ) - - - 19 347 18 * 5 31 Hereford ( 32 ) ... 4 73 18 £ 0 32 Norfolk ( 36 ) - - - 16 289 18 J 5 33 Derbyshire ( 34 ) - - 19 314 16 £ 3

34 Yorkshire ( N . and E . ) ( 30 ) - 27 451 16 * 7 35 N . Wales and Salop ( 35 ) - 26 403 15 * 6 36 Lancashire ( West ) ( 39 ) - 81 1206 15 6 37 Notts ( 33 ) - - - 13 191 14 $ 2 38 Devon ( 37 ) - - - 50 562 11 * 11

39 Cornwall ( 38 ) - - 28 292 10 * 1 40 Beds ( 40 ) ... 5 50 10 0 41 Cambridgeshire ( 41 ) 4 39 9 $ 2 42 Channel Islands ( 42 ) - - 12 80 6 * 0 43 Isle of Man ( 43 ) - - 3 0 0 0

Total - - 985 29 . 303 21 288