Original Correspondence.

Turcs , abondonncs en grond nombre , ont etc' recueillis , soignes sur le plateau meme par les chirurgiens de l'arme ' e adverse ; mais des blesse ' s Russcs , aucun de ccux qui ont eu le malheur de tomber en un endroit momentanement occupe' par les troupes Turqucs n ' est reste' vivant . De vingt is . trente malheureux ont etc decapites , plusieurs ampule ' s des pieds , des mains , des oreilles , du nez , des

parties sexuelles * , la poitrine taillade ' e i coups de yatagan , et leurs tetes porte ' es dans le camp Turc , oil les ont trouve ' es les soldats Russes aprcs [' occupation des ouvrages . Nous avons vu de nos yeux ces tetes coupe ' es , ces corps mutile ' s , quelques-uns te ' moignant par la contraction des muscles , la torsion des membres , les horribles tortures d'une mutilation pratique i vif . Nous avons vu un corps

de ' eapite et mutile encore etendu sur le brancard d ' ambu-Iance oil il avait etc place blesse ' , par les siens , et non loin de lii , les cadavres egaiement decapites des deux brancardiers portant au bras gauche le brassard de la croix rouge , " Nous en tenant strictemente a ce que nous avons vu , et laissanta ceux qui ont e ' te te ' moins du combat lui-m £ me

le soin de relever la violation des droits de la guerre qu ' auraient commise les Turcs , en arborant deux drapeaux parlementaires pour rouvrir presque aussitut le feu sur les troupes Russes au repos , nous soumettons au jugement du monde civilise' le coniraste que pre ' sentaient le

lendemam du combat , a quclques centaines de metres de distance , d'un cote ' , plus de cinquantc blesse ' s Musulmans soignes selon les pre ' eeptes de l'humanile par les me'decins de l'Armee Russe , de l ' autre , le monceau de tetes coupees , hideux trophe ' e des barbaries de la garnison re ' guliere Ottomane .

" C . B . BUACKENBUUY , Lieutenant-Colonel , Correspondant Militaire du Times . "DICK DE LONLAY , Correspondant Special du Monitcitr Universel et du Monde lllustre . " H HE LAMOTIIE , Correspondant du Tcmjss . "J . L . I'lii . i . ichii , Correspondant de la Jlrrslraciim

Esparnrla r j Americunrr . "Pour copie conforme " i [' original . Tirnova , Ic 15-27 Juillet , 1877 . " Le Directeur de la Chanccllcric Diplomatique , " NEI . IDOW , " [ Wc think it well , as this Utter appeals to us in a cosmopolitan character , so to say , to give currency to it in our pages . —It appeared in the Times of August 10 . —ED . ]

ATROCITIES . 7 " o lhe Editor if the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Allow me to venture , as a young Mason , to express some surprise that your paper should , in its last number , have referred to the atrocities committed by the Turks , and omitted all mention of the still more horrible

deeds perpetrated by the Russians , in the present war . The latter have been recounted in the Times and Daily 'Telegraph , and only one case , that of the Jewish maiden , who was so barbarously treated by nearly twenty Russian soldiers at Yeni Zaghra , would suffice to account for , if not ju 5 tify , any acts of retaliation on the Turkish side .

There is nothing Englifhmin hate more than hypocrisy , and for a Government like that of Russia , steeped in horrors from Poland to Circassia n to pretend to have undertaken the present war from motives cf charity is the greatest of hypocrisies . It is the old story of the kettle and the pot . Fraternally yours ,

R . II . BLADES . [ VVe publish this letter , though not wishing to encourage a controversy on a political subject . The Turkish atrocities are only too true , and a fearful scandal to humanity . — ED . ]

CHURCHWARDENS' RECEIPTS . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I send you an interesting item from the Churchwardens' Register of the parish of Dursley , Gloucestershire , taken from a work entitled " Chapters of Parochial History of Dursley and its Nei ghbourhood . " The Register begins in 15 ( 16 and ends in 1758 . In the accounts lor the

year 1707 , of money expended in the repairs of the church , ' occurs thc following item : " £ 2 Os . od . to the Free Mason for 23 day ' s work , about carving and seting up thc new bartlements on the Church . " Yours fraternally , I-I . S . ALPASS , P . G . Sec . W . D . Lane . [ We thank our correspondent , no doubt many similiar items may be found by the curious and industrious . —Ed . ]

THE INSTALLATION ENGRAVING . To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Let mc assure the brother who signs himself " Disappointed " that the engraver has been constantly at work upon the plate since the issue of the last proof , early in May last .

No one possibly can have more interest in bringing the work to a conclusion than myself , every month ' s delay adding to the great expense on my part , but materially adding to the value of the plate as a work of ait on the subscriber ' s part . The last and final proof is to be examined by me towards the end of this month , and if I find no further

alterations or additions are required , the plate will be undoubtedly in the hands of Messrs . jMcQucen , the printer . ' , by the first week in September , where everything has been ready for the last two months to at once proceed with the issue of the proofs . I lake this opportunity of assuring " Disappointed " and subscribers generally , that nothing that I could possibly

Original Correspondence.

devise has been left undone to hasten the execution of the work , but as the plate progressed , and portraits increased , so did thc time required to finish far exceed all our calculations . A very few weeks more patience is all that will be required from my friends and the Craft generally . I am , dear Sir and Brother , faithfully and fraternally yours , EDWD . J . HARTY .

[ We think the two following letters are so important in themselves , as having a general as well as a particular bearing , that we take them from the Masonic Record for / Feslcrn India for July for the information and consideration of our many readers . —ED . ]

VERY UNMASONIC CONDUCT . Dear Sir and Brother , — Through the medium of your valuable publicacation I shall take the opportunity of making a few remarks on the state of affairs as now existing in one of the lodges of this city , I mean Lodge No . 273 , in the hope that some good may come thereby .

The first point that requires to be noticed is the deplorable want of unity , and even of brotherly feeling , that is too evident in the relations of—not the members—but of the Past Masters among themselves . Of course such a state ot things will very easily tend to spread to the members , but , I am happy to say , there is nothing to complain of in this respect as regards the latter . The unmasonic

feeling existing amongst some of the Masters has shown itself occasionally in the relations between certain of the Masters and the brethren . I mean to say that someof the Past Masters , those to whom these remarks apply , have so little of the feeling of brotherly lo * e and regard that they do not think it necessary to exhibit such feeling in their dealings with certain of the members .

This bad feeling and disunion has , I am sorry to say , always been , more or less , the characteristic of the lodge under notice , but I sincerely hope that the time may come when such will not be the case . I hope those of thc Past Masters who arc to a great extent responsible for the state of things complained of will be induced to cultivate more fraternal feelings amongst themselves .

Another matter that requires to be pointed out is the disposition on the part of some of the Past Masters to fancy themselves absolute monarchs over the lodge . They seem to claim the right , at any rate they assume it , to dispose of every matter according to their own wishes , and irrespective of the wishes or feelings of the brethren . Of course there are some Pas : Masters in whom the brethren

place implicit reliance , but that does not entitle any one of them to assume undue powers and privileges . Not the least serious complaint I have to make against the lodge is the off-handed way in which the funds are handled . While not a rupee—beyond the stereotyped meagre donation , once a year , to some of the charitable institutions of this city—is devoted to charitable or Masonic

purposes , hundreds are wasted in presentations of costly jewels , watches , chains , tea services , paintings , addresses and Lord knows what more , to some of the Masters . The wonder is that these should be accepted by worshipful brethren who affect to perform their duties in the lodge out of purely Masonic feeling . Surely as . Masons they do not labour for any substantial or worldly remuneration .

Being placed in the Master's chair ought to be an allsufficient reward for any true Mason . Since of late it appears to have become an established custom for the Past Masters and other ex-officers to appropriate jewels to themselves . I was always under the impression that the bestowal of jewels and other gifts depended solely on the wishes of the brethren , and that in all such cases thc mattei

was left entirely to the votes of the brethren assembled in open lodge . At the present moment there are some three or four officers who have not only ordered jewels for themselves out of the funds of the lodge , but have been so kind to themselves as to increase the value of those jewels over that of previous years , and , what is more , have taken the precaution to secure the intrinsic value of the

jewels by having them made up in this country of " sovereign " gold . So this means business I It is certainly not Free Masonrv . The funds of the lodge some four years back amounted to something like Rs . 609 , at thc present moment there is something like a negative balance of Rs . 20 , ir . fact , though on paper it is something

different , and somewhat more couleur de rose . An exact statement of the receipts and expenditure since 187 . 3 will prove thc truth of what I say . For fear of taking up too much space I shall reserve what I have yet to say for another occasion . A MEMBER .

GRAND LODGE FOR ALL [ INDIA . Dear Bro . Bease , — In your magazine for June , I observe you have an article on a " Grand Lodge for all India , '' and am glad to observe that you discourage the idea . In my opinion it would never answer . In the first plac ; where would you have its head quarters ? Calcutta would

come forward and claim it , as the oldest of the District Grand Lodges , and Bombay would claim it for some other reason ; and Madras , Burmah , and the Punjab would be left out in the cold , having no reason to offer why the head quarters should be in their district . The only way in which it could work would be to have it at Calcutta , as the head quarters of the Viceroy . Let the District Grand Lodges remain as at present , but

subordinate to the Grand Lodge in Calcutta instead of in London ; but no single province would , I feel sure , agree to this . The case of the other colonies cannot be taken into account , as their population is quite different : here we are a fluctuating" body and one constantly changing , and thc rulings of a body in India would never carry the wei ght and strict obedience with which all rulings from England arc met . Where should we find a Bro , Alclntyre to explain our laws ? and where should

Original Correspondence.

we find a Bro . Hervey , so courteous and kind , read y at al times to reply to all letters , with a knowled ge almost eq » 1 to that of Bro . Mc Intyre ? No , believe me , it would nCy answer , and the sooner the brethren who are stirring tw ' question drop it , the better . Besides , we look with pride t * the constitution of our Grand lodge , with the Heir A pparent Grand Master

as our , and his two brothers as Grand Wardens And when we go home , we , who are Past Masters , take our seats in Freemasons' Hall , with a pride in what is going on , and visit the schools , and feel we are paying our mite towards these magnificent institutions ; now all these would be cut off and left in the cold , with nothing in the shape of a Grand Lodge to take a pride in , except a Calcutta assemblage of Masons , no better or no worse

than the present District Grand Lodge meetings there which to judge from its proceedings is in a worse condition than any of the District Grand Lodges on the Con . tinent of Hindoostan . Rulings from such a body , which would be final , would never be received without being questioned , and the result would be the falling off of Masonry , the withdrawal oi ] many good and faithful breth - ren , and the general collapse of the whole of Masonry in India .

I know a good many Masons in India , but I could not point to a single one whose opinion would carry that weight that the opinion of a Grand Master should do throughout India ; our District Grand Masters are good men and true , but still are liable to error , and , if so , there

is the appeal open to England . When the appeal comes up , only those who , like myself , have heard W . Bro . Mclntyre , can understand how ably he lays the case before the Grand Lodge of England , how thoroughly he is up to and at home in our ancient laws and landmarks .

So let the brethren who are urging this question take the advice of Punch to those about to marry , and " Don't . " It will never succeed , and , even if partially discussed , will soon be the cause of heart-burnings and disagreeables of all kinds . PAST MASTER .

Reviews.

Reviews .

" History of the Dunmow Flitch of Bacon , " by WM ANDREWS , F . R . H . S , Wm . Tegg and Co ., Pancraslanc , Cheapside . The history of the Dunmow Flitch is deeply interesting to all married couples , and is especially important for those who , like some dear married friends of ours , who , if they are not , ought to be candidates for thc savoury rashers .

We have known them long and well , and a more accommodating husband and a more obedient wife , we doubt exist on English or foreign soil . He never finds fault with her , and she never contradicts him . If all hymeneal arrangements resulted thus , whether temporary or perpetual , there would be fewer lone bachelors , fewer sighing old maids in this queer world of ours . And as we mean to

encourage them and all other conjugal couples to go in for the " flitch " , we have reviewed to-day Mr . Andrews' little book , which gives an historical , antiquarian , lucid . and we will add , affecting account , of an ancient usage , ofa very valuable premium for married consistency , and married courtesy . If any there be who wish to know all about the Dunmow Flitch , when it was first cut off the well fattened

bacon hog , why it was instituted at all , and how it can be obtained now , let them carefully study Mr . Andrews ' authoritative narrative , and the result will be greatly to their edification . Whether the existence of the Dunmow Flitch adds anything to the serenity and reality of

matrimonial concord and hymeneal comfort we may be inclined to doubt , as there are some husbands we know whom nothing can improve , and some wives who are beyond all control . Still , marriage is a wonderful institution and deserves encouragement , and demands commendation .

"The Blue Coat Boy , or School Life in Christ ' s Hospital , " By WILLIAM H . BLANCH . E . W . Allen , Ave Maria Lane . The author of this little work who is , we believe , a brother of our Order , appears at a time of sensational alarm and childish panic . There are other records , amusing and authentic , of Christ ' s Hospital , but this last

" little stranger " seems to commend itself to the attention of all who like to know something about a school concerning which so much has been unjustly and foolishlyadvanced . The bad tone of the letters which appeared with reference to the poor boy Gibbs , and " bully ing , " and the like , were absolutely discreditable to those who penned them , on account of their hypocrisy and

untruthfulness , their " suppressio veri , " and their " suggestia falsi . " Our readers may study Bro . Blanch ' s little work with advantage and profit to themselves , as they will find much that is new , amusing , important and p leasant in its pages . We hope that the general public , having recovered from their scare , which some silly writers , " Old Blues , " by the way , and under masters elsewhere , laboured to encourage and confirm , will believe that that great

institution , which is such a credit to the city and the country is administered , and always will be administered , alike for the welfare of the scholars , and the honour of education . In all earthly institutions ameliorations may be made as old time moves on , but we may all rest perfectly convinced that the present administration of the school is fully alive to their responsibility , for the improvement of the scholars and the credit of the school .

" L'Art * , Revue Hebdomadaire lllustre ; » A , Baltiere , Editeur , Paris , . This most interesting and important publication , which is now in its third year of existence , deserves the patronage of all lovers of artistic excellence . The engravings are alike marked by excellent taste , and effective ^ skill , and place before us the contemporary position of French . cn-