To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

The Freemason is a sixteen-page weekly newspaper , price 2 d . It is published every Friday morning , and contains the most important , interesting , and useful information relating to Freemasonry in every degree . Annual subscription in the United Kingdom , Post free , i o / -

NEW POSTAL RATES . Owing to a reduction in the Postal Rates , the publisher is now enabled to send the " Freemason" to the following parts abroad for One Year for Twelve Shillings ( payable in

advance ) : —Africa , Australia , Bombay , Canada , Cape of Good Hope , Ceylon , China , Constantinople , Demerara , France , Germany , Gibraltar , Jamaica , Malta , Newfoundland , New South Wales , New Zealand , Suez , Trinidad , United States of America .. Sc .

P . O . O . 's to be made payable at the chief ofHce , London . COLONIAL AND FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS are informed that acknowledgments of remittances received are published in the first number of every month . NOTICE . —It is very necessary for our friends to advise us of all money orders they remit , more especially those from the United States of America and India ; otherwise we cannot tell where to credit them .

To Advertisers.

TO ADVERTISERS .

The Freemason has a large circulation in all parts of the Globe , its advantages as an advertising medium can llverefore scarcely be overrated . For terms , position , & c , apply to GEORGE KENNING , 198 , Fleet-st .

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NOW READY . VOLUME 8 OF THE " FREEMASON , " from January to December , 1875 , bound in cloth , with richly embossed device on cover . Price 15 shillings . This volume forms a first class reference and chronology of the . leading events in Masonry during the past year . It may be had through any bookseller , or at the office , 198 , Fleet-st ., London . NOW READY . Reading Covers , to take 52 numbers of the " Freemason , " price 2 / 6 , may be had at the office , 198 , Fleetstreet .

Answers To Correspondents.

Answers to Correspondents .

All Communications , Advertisements , & c , intended for insertion in the Number of the fcKowing Saturday , must reach the Office not later thax 12 o ' clock on Wednesday morning .

The following stand over : — Royal Cumberland Chapter , 41 ; Caledonian Lodge , 489 , Constantinople ; Lodge of Israel , 1474 , Birmingham ; Obituary of Bro . W . B . Gates .

Will Bro . G . II . Algrctt , of II . M . S . Favourite , kindly < rird his private address to the editor of the Masonic Magazine , 198 , Meet-street , London , E . C .

Births, Marriages, And Deaths.

Births , Marriages , and Deaths .

[ The charge is 2 s . 6 d . for announcements , not exceeding four lines , under this heading . ]

BIRTHS . ANDERSON . —On the 15 th inst ., at Pclham lions - , Ventnor , the wife of T . C . Anderson , Esq ., of a daughter . AUSTIN . —On Feb . 14 , at Yco , Colac , Victoria , the wife of . 1 . K . Austin , of a daughter .

NAI ' . —On the 13 th inst , at Cannes , France , Lady Napier of Magdala , of a son . PLAYER . —On the 15 th inst ., at Grays , Essex , the wife of G . N . Player , of a son . STEVENS . —On the 1 ith inst ., at Landor-road , Clapham , the wife of VV . Stevens , Esq ., of a son .

MARRIAGES . CiiAMiiF . Hi . iN-Boi . iNGunoKH . —On the ( ith inst , at Clnist Church , Eton , George . Moore Chamberlin , Esq ., Norwich , to Emily Mary , daughter of a A . F . C . Bolingbroke , Esq . TAYLOR-RANDALL . —On the nth inst ., at St . Mary ' s , Stoke Newington , Arthur Norton Tajlor , M . R . C . S ., of Bovey , Tracey , Devon , to Emily Lloyd , daughter of A . M . Randall , M . R . C . S . DEATHS .

BENISOKIELI ) . —On the 18 th inst ., at Ware , Bro . John Beningfield , late of Broxbourne , Herts , in his 81 st year . Natal and Australian papers please copy . BRAITJIWAITE . —On the 20 th ult ., at Barbadoes , W . I , Charlotte Willoughby , wife of C . M . Braithwaite , Esq . LE . MAN . —On the 9 th inst ., James Leman , Esq ., of Chester-terrace , Regent's Park , in his 32 nd year . LONO . —On the 15 th inst ., at Hounslow , Ann , eldest ¦ laughter of the late Bro . James Long , and niece to Mr . Job idVisley , . ^ f Hounslow . Illinois papers pleafe copy .

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The Freemason , SATURDAY , APRIL 22 , 1876 .

Our Royal Grand Master's Return.

OUR ROYAL GRAND MASTER'S RETURN .

By the Baron Reiner ' s telegrams in the "Times" and "Telegraph" we learn that the Sera pis , with his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on board , accompanied by the Osborne and Raleigh , arrived at Gibraltar at ei ght o ' clock on the morning of the 15 th , and was received

with salutes from the forts and from her Majesty ' s shi p ' s Devastation aud Swiftsure and the Spanish frigate Vittoria . The Prince landed at noon . The Prince on landing was welcomed by the Acting-Governor and staff , the Royal Navy officers , the Colonial officials , & c . A guard of

honour was drawn up on the quay , and flowers were strewn in the path of His Royal Highness . A procession was then formed to Casematesquare . The line of route was beautifully decorated . Altogether the reception was enthusiastic , and a complete success . On arriving at

Casemate-square an address was presented on behalf of the inhabitants of Gibraltar , and a deputation from the friendly societies and other bodies joined the procession . At the Convent ( Government House ) His Royal Hi ghness held a levee , at which the Moorish Ambassador ,

specially sent by the Sultan of Morocco to congratulate His Royal Highness on his safe return to Europe , was presented to the Prince by Sir J . Drummond Hay , the British Minister at Tangiers , and afterwards the Spanish Governor of Algeziras , the foreign Consuls , the heads of

departments , and other officials were introduced b y the Acting-Governor . A grand banquet was given in the ball-room of the Convent ( Government House ) , by Major-Gen . Somerset , the Acting-Governor , in honour of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales . Covers were

laid for ninety-fsur . Among those invited to meet the Prince and the Duke of Connaught were the heads of the Departments , Sir John Drummond Hay , English Minister at Tangiers , Prince Louis of Battenburg , and the Protestant and Catholic Bishops of Gibraltar . The health

of the Prince of Wales having been drunk , His Royal Highness , in returning thanks ,, said that it gave him great pleasure to revisit Gibraltar after an interval of seventeen years . He thanked the community for the excessively kind reception he had met with , and which he was not likely to

forget . His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught , whose health was also drunk , said that it gave him great pleasure to behold the hearty and loyal reception accorded to his brother the Prince of Wales . The town and rock were splendidly illuminated ,

and the effect was very grand . The Prince and Duke drove round the town alone . They were enthusiastically cheered by the crowd which followed . The people were most orderly . The Prince of Wales laid the foundation-stone of the new 38-ton gun battery at the Head Mole on

April i / tn . There was no ceremony . His Royal Highness afterwards laid the foundationstone of a public market amid Masonic honours , the ceremony being witnessed by a great assemblage of people . His Royal Highness said he was glad to meet so many brethren of the

Craft . Great enthusiasm was displayed . There was a grand review of the troops in the afternoon , and the Prince gave a dinner afterwards on board the Serapis . The company included his Excellency the Governor , the heads of the administrative departments , the military Staff ,

Sir John Drummond Hay , the Bishops of Gibraltar and Antinoe , & c . ; altogether fifty-two guests . The Prince was to leave on Thursday in the Osborne , on his way to Seville and Madrid . He is expected to arrive at Lisbon on the 1 st . of May .

Grand Festival.

GRAND FESTIVAL .

A full report of tl C proceedings wil be given in the Freemason next week , with wl ich number a supplement will be givtn . „ z .. „ ^

Discontinue The "Freemason."

DISCONTINUE THE "FREEMASON . "

That our world is sometimes a dirty world , and that men arc sometimes marked by great littleness , paradoxical as the expresrion may seem , is a truth as undeniable as it is unwelcome . We note this untoward unreality of things and persons in every department of life ,

in the progress of troublous years , in the secrets of business , in the pursuit of wealth , in the " guingettes " of pleasure and society . Yes ! very often we have to open our eyes , and to open them widely , at the insincerity of the trusted , and the meanness and pettiness and even "

bassesse ' of the fawning and the foolish , of the sycophant and the social , of the " friend of our bosom , '' of the neighbour in " our street , " Perverse paradox of humanity ! strange law of earthly life ! which seems to throw around all we contend with , and all we mix with here , often its

own gloomy hue of unreality , of untruthfulness , of hollowness , of worthlessness . But do not let us become too serious or too didactic . People don ' t care for lectures , and are apt to deem moral essays dull reading , inasmuch as they do not suit the high spiced taste of the day for a

looser and for a less exacting morality . So we will take a lighter tone and make use of a more jocose strain , alike of thought and verbiage , more in harmony probably with the tone and temper , the tastes and tendencies of our excellent * 'ientele . We will content ourselves therefore with endorsing Mr . Weller ' s remark " that he never

know d such a state of things afore " as that which too often constitutes the way of the world , and marks both the professions and dealings of men . Some one has said that" we all have our troubles , " so we have , even publishers and editois , no less than some forlorn bachelor , some

obedient married man , some complaining wjfe , some desponding young woman , some youthful hero of the hour contemplating matrimony and misfortune all at the same moment . And though our troubles are small , and for the matter of that hardly worth notice , yet we have such a

confiding circle of subscribers and sympathizers , that we feel it to be both a pleasure aud a duty , " sub sigillo confessicnis" too , to impart to them our humble grievances and to claim their fraternal commiseration . There are some people and brethren , proh pudor , in

this world of ours who sometimes affect to think that they confer patronage or exhibit favour to publishers , and Masonic publishers " surtout , " by their liberal orders for some periodical of the day . 'And equally the reverse is true , that by withdrawing their support , or by

the magic word " discontinue , " they opine , or seem to do , that to the energetic publisher such an order is alike a " heavy blow and a great discouragement . " Now what we want to point out to-day is , that any such idea is a sciious delusion . All such

matters are details of business , not personal questions in any way , and our publisher for instance thinks little , and cares less , if even he were to receive twenty such missives daily , as he is utterly independent , alike of patronage or opposition , and entirely regardless of favour or

disfavour . The " Freemason " has always been conducted on business principles , and always will be , it courts no patronage , it cares for no depieciation , it offers its wares in the open market ot Masonic opinion , it supplies a good article at a very cheap price , and those who wish to buy it

and support it can do so , and those who don ' t , can—well!—leave it alone . Never at any time has any Masonic periodical been so supported and so cheered by so numerous and increasing a circle of subscribers and correspondents , and for every fraternal friend who savs or scribbles ott

"discontinue , " our publisher receives twenty fresh subscribers week by week . Now we say all this in the best spirit , and ( with the kindest and most brotherly feelings . The " Freempson" has always taken an independent couise in all things , and ( D . V . ) always means to do so , it

belongs to no party , it affects no clique , it is open to all , friendly to all , who in the interests of our common Order , seek its advice , or communicate to its pages . But we have thought it but fair to our publisher , who has made the paper what it is , and to its editorial management , inasmuch , as publisher and ^ editor are often