Correspondence.

¦ ' " " „ . kes as Secretary , has done in behalf of the llro- 1 ? ,. ' now consistently , and with honour , Sc ' nd and condemn them without benefit of clergy , ( urn { h , ' happened since his last testimonial was Nothing „ ' esented to him at the Crystal palace—not a publicly r er testimonial , but one organised by a li ° lt ! a " t " of which the Earl of Lathom , Dep . G . Master C -T '" hnd was President—except the proposed inquiry ot , , ' ' of the boy Motion , which led to scenes of '" "I H ' ^ o-raceful violence at sundry Courtsand Committee s , Vws ' last year . and is the C ! l , lse of tne present rl feelin " - which is to be found exhibited by some 1 en towards Bro . Binckes . But I cannot believe \ I this solitary incident , even if it were possible to ffi •the blame for its occurrence to Bro . Binckes , will f ( lowed , by men of honour and repute , to weigh ' -f HIP services which he has rendered and they . iCi Urisi . Ul ^ / ,. have recognised so recently . r th'uik you for your courtesy in allotting so much of : Ur valuable space to my letters , and remain , faithfully W fraternally ,

The Ceremony Of Installation.

THE CEREMONY OF INSTALLATION .

To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , Bro . Sadler , in his " Notes on the Ceremony of Installation , " has given a large amount of evidence as to the "use" adopted by the " Board of Installation" in 1827 . On so important a point it is desirable

to have as much testimony as possible , especially as every succeeding year adds to the difficulty of tracing directly the practice of brethren taught by that Board . On page 23 of Bro . Sadler's book is a list of those who signed the attendance sheet at its different meetings . Observing among these the name of Bro . C . Geary ,

who was subsequently for many years the recognised authority in my native Province of Hereford , it occurred to . me that there were probably still P . M . ' s in Hereford who were installed by him , and could give their recollections of his ritual . I am glad to learn on .. nniiirv that three survive , one of whom , the present

Prov . G . Secretary , was installed by him in 1 S 7 8 , the last ceremony he ever took . Bro . Earle has kindly given me the testimony of himself and the other two P . M . ' s that Bro . Geary used no ceremony whatever , beyond the declaration in use at the Lodge of Emulation . The recollection of these three brethren is very distinct ,

varying only as to the verbal question whether the word " open " was used . Two of them believe that it was not . I was myself installed by a brother , now deceased , who prided himself upon his adherence in the ceremonies " as Geary used to do them . " Bro . Geary himself was a purist even to words and

letters in ritual , and allowed no variations to pass unchallenged . His practice is , therefore , good evidence us to the form laid down by the " Board of Installation . " ! shall be obliged if you will allow me , through your columns , to add this additional " note" to those which have been so carefully and industriously collected by Bro . Sadler . —Yours fraternally , J . BODENHAM . 3 " ! July .

The Poet Burns.

THE POET BURNS .

To the Editor of the Freemason , Dear Sir and Brother , With reference to the letter of the author of the History of the Canongate Kilwinning Lodge , No . 2 ( S . C . ) , which appeared in the Freemason of the 1 st

June , I have to express my regret that , if he thinks that more could be said in support of the statement that Burns held the office of its Poet Laureate , he should not have mentioned the facts to which he refers . ' however , feel assured that nothing more of impor-¦ ance can be said .

' knew of Allan Cunningham's statement in his Life ° ' Burns to which Bro . Mackenzie refers ; and to enable your readers to judge of the value of that state"l e , | t as supporting Bro . Mackenzie ' s assertion , I here imote

itv' , •:. dinDUr gh had still another class of genteel con'vulists , to whom the Poet was attracted by principles ' ell as b y pleasure ; these were the relics of that T . "" merous body , the Jacobites , who still loved to "wish the feelings of birth or education rather than of hist T ^ ' toasted the name of s t " . when the Uir f race ' renounced his pretensions to a , "'" ' * the sake of peace and the cross . Young met I ^ * "g h names were among them , annually Whirl " *! , , Pretender ' s . birthday , and sang songs in uW White Rose of Jacobitism flourished ; toasted

Hnic ? uncln g adherence to the main line of the uf . ? and the Stuart , and listened to the strains < n uri 1 l r " . eate 0 I the day , who prophesied 'he rilf dlsmissal of the intrusive Hanoverian , by line . B ^ might 0 I the rig hteous and disinherited ivho ' su f H ttlS ' ^ ° descended from a northern race , more " ' Was sus P ected of having drawn the clay-Marisrh I 74 S , v h ° loved the bl ' ood of the

Keith-, iiiarche l un r whose banners his ancestors had senti \ . readi } y united himself to a . band in whose Was rece / 0 - ' tlCal and social > he was a sriarer - He WiLS con / Wltl 1 acclamation , the dignity of Laureate w hich L erred u P ° n him , and his inauguration ode , in Grahams ! : ? called the names and the deeds of the u ' : is aimK , „ Erskines , the Boyds , and the Gordons , n 'aucled for its fire , as well as for its sentiments . "

The Poet Burns.

There is nothing in the above statement which warrants Bro . Mackenzie ' s contention . Cunningham does not say that the Jacobites met in the lodge room of the Canongate Kilwinning Lodge , and Bro . Mackenzie does not give his authority for saying that they did so . The Jacobites of Scotland cannot be identified with the

Freemasons of Scotland , nor with the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning . They were a political , and not a Masonic bodv ; and the leading members of the lodge , at the period in question , were connected politically , not with the Jacobite , but with the Whig party , and some were leaders of the Whigs in Scotland . Besides , according

to the above extract , the Jacobites met annually only , not monthly , or more frequently , as was the custom of the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning . Bro . Mackenzie , in support of his contention , further states that Bro . Anthony O'Neal Hay , in 186 3 , held the office of Poet Laureate of the lodge , and had stated

that the office was instituted to do honour to Robert Burns . " But Bro ! Hay was a very young man in 1863 . He only joined the Craft in 1859 . He possessed some Masonic literary tastes ; but he had no personal knowledge of the matter in question , and he does not give any authority for his statement . It is thus valueless .

Bro . Mackenzie reflects on me referring to Marshall s work as an authority against him . But I have done so because he adopted that work as giving an authentic narrative of the occurrence ( History , p . 122 ) , and as one whose statements " could not be impugned " ( History , p . 119 ) . Besides , Marshall's work was published

under the direct authority of the lodge deliberatel y g iven . ( History , p . 122 ) . Bro . Mackenzie thus repudiates Bro . Marshall as an authority ! On what other authority does he now rely to instruct his contention ? He states ( 1 ) that his chapter on " Burns is based on the lodge minutes . " In

this I have already shown that he is mistaken , for there are no such minutes narrating the election and inauguration of Burns as Poet Laureate of the lodge , and Bro . Mackenzie himself admits that the lodge minutes are silent on the subject until 1815 , and there is nothing in them until then countenancing

the assertion that Burns held the office . ( 2 ) Bro . Mackenzie next states that Bro . William Petrie , who was joint Ty ler of Grand Lodge , rSi l-i 8 r 8 , and assistant Grand Tyler , 1838-1845 , and Janitor of the Supreme Royal Arch Chapter , and Tyler of the Lodge No . 1 , at his death , which occurred prior to November , 184 s ,

" bore oral testimony to the fact of the inauguration , as having been present on the occasion . " But on what authority does Bro . Mackenzie make that assertion ? I know of none , except a statement in his own hibtory ( page 122 ) where it is stated that Petrie had said he was " present at the inauguration of Burns as Poet

Laureate , and" the historian ' s informant "had heard from his ( Petrie ' s ) lips many interesting reminiscences of the Poet , and of events which had occurred in the lodge when there in company with him ; " and it is added that Bro . William Campbell , " who was for many years a member of Canongate Kilwinning , " . . " had

similar recollections of Burns 1 " Now , if the statement as to Bro . Petrie be tested by the accuracy of the writer ' s statement as to Campbell , it is manifestly incorrect , for I showed in my last letter that Cam pbell was a boy in'his eleventh year in 1787 , and could not have been admitted into the lodge , and could not have had

any such similar recollections of the Poet . Then again , Petrie was not a member of the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning , at least he is not recorded in Grand Lodge books as such ; and I have already shown that Burns could have only attended the Lodge Canongate Kilwinning on two , certainly not more than three , occasions .

Marshall himself limits his account of Burns' attendance at the lodge to the winter session of 1786—178 7 , and the March meeting was the last of that session . From my own researches I am satisfied Burns attended one meeting only—the February meeting—of the lodge in 1787 . The minutes bear no record of his attendance

on any other occasion . But it is immaterial whether Petrie made the statement referred to or not , for the facts and circumstances already detailed in this controversy show it to be untrue . If Burns attended the lodge so seldom , and if Petrie was not a member of it , he had no opportunity to form " interesting

reminiscences" of the Poet , and of " events " connected with him occurring within it . His statement is not corroborated in any way . His name is not mentioned in any of the Burns' literature , and , so far as I can discover , he had no intercourse with the Poet , and , above all , no such occurrence is recorded in the lodge ' s

minutes , nor is there reference to such an event in other quarters , in which it would , had it happened , unquestionably have appeared . The matter , too , would not have rested on the " oral testimony " of a single individual , especially one of Petrie ' s social and Masonic status , had it had an existence . —Yours fraternally , WILLIAM OFFICER , P . G . D . of Scotland .

Political Freemasons.

POLITICAL FREEMASONS .

To the Editor of the Freemason , Dear Sir and Brother , One great boast of the Craft has always been the right of visiting . I have heard objection raised on

the ground of a feeling which is supposed , I trust wrongly—I have never found it—to exist in many London lodges , that it is not good form to visit without an invitation , to lodges confined to a particular profession , or particular body of men , as it is thought that lodges of this class would be more inclined to resent the

Political Freemasons.

"intrusion" of an uninvited brother . But a political lodge ! I trust , that the brethren when holding their informal meeting , will recognise the fact that however innocent their intentions , they will be putting a grave stumbling-block in the way of weaker brethren should they persist in their intention of asking for a charter .

Some short time back the brethren of a lodge I know , wished to move to more commodious quarters . A club and assembly rooms were being built in the town by a company , under the auspices-of a political party , and suggestions were made that a lodge room should be built with a separate entrance on a part of the company ' s premises . Almost every member of the lodge

belonged to that party , and , 1 believe , most were shareholders in the company , but the idea was held absolutely impossible , on the ground that , " as Masons , we must not even in name appear to be mixed up with any political association . " I most fraternally venture to hope that wiser counsels may prevail , and the application will not be made .

—Yours fraternally , "MASONRY NON POLITICAL " 30 th June .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Masonic Notes and Queries .

E—assac ¦ ' ' 11 ^ —Baaas ^^ Mgaaww ^ 843 ] CURIOUS SILVER JEWEL .

In the Catalogue of the Masonic Exhibition , Shanklin ( 1886 ) , will be found the following description of Exhibit 1358 , belonging to Bro . J . S . Cumberland's remarkable collection : " Curious silver jewel , consisting of compasses , resting on a square ( once used by a W . M . ) , and above is a ' Sailor ' s Knife , ' opened across the former working tool . "

This jewel has always been a mystery , until a few weeks since , when , looking through Bro . George Kenning ' s very striking catalogue of " Banners , Clothing , and Medals for all Societies , " I at once detected the same design in the series of illustrations representing the " Ancient Order of Free Gardeners , " so that the

instrument is doubtless a pruning knife , and the article is described as an emblem of that society , so does not belong to the Freemasons . Other societies also have adopted some of our symbols , so that a little caution will sometimes be necessary in estimating the uses of certain jewels . Under the " Odd Fellows "

are not a few that would pass as Masonic , especially the level for Past G . P . ' s , the Treasurer ' s and the Secretary ' s jewels . Then the apron of the " Free Gardeners " is almost the same in shape as the lodges use under the Scottish Grand Lodge , and one of the

handsome banners of the " Loyal Orange Association , " g iven in the work aforesaid , has the " five-pointed star " enclosing the letter G prominently depicted on a keystone to an arch , resting on two pillars , and the ark also is a conspicuous figure .

W . J . HUGHAN . 844 ] IRISH MASONRY IN THE LAST CENTURY .

From the " Limerick Directory , " 1769 . Masters and Wardens of the different lodges of Freemasons , Deputy Grand Lodge , meet the second Tuesday in February , May , August , and November , at five o ' clock in the evening , at the house of Richard Dillore , near the Market House .

Rev . Dan . Widenham , Master . Tames Clanchy , M-D . ) ,,, , Richard Dillon , ) Wardens . James O'DonnelJ , Treasurer . Edmond Casey , Secretary .

Lodge . Meeting . Master . Wardens . Treas . Sec . Chap . No . i ) . 34 th every George William Joseph "John Rev . G . month at Davis . Hartney . Johns . Crone . Roche . King ' sHd . Samuel Tavern . Johns . No . ij . 1 st Monday every John Jas . Annmontli at Stephens , strong ,

House ot Joseph A . Frasier Kean . in Barrack Street . No . 36 . 1 st Wed- Timothy lulimuul nesday in Ryan . Vokes , T . every mtli . Harrison , at House

ot George Bell 011 Baal ' s Bridge . N 0 . 116 . 1 st Thurs- William Jeremiah day in Martin . Hayes , every mth . William at house of Wallace .

Richard Dillon nr . the Market House . No . 236 . 1 st Tues- Thomas l . ukc day i n Rouse . Tyrrell , every mth . Patrick at House Glynn , of William

Hull near the Parade N 0 . 371 . 1 st Tues- Philip J . Ryan , day in Bennis . Humphry every mth . Holland , at house of Richard Dillon nr . Market I louse .