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TO OUR READERS . Xhe F REEMASON is published every Friday morning , price 3 d ., and contains the fullest and latest information relating to Freemasonry of every degree . Subscriptions , including Postage : — United States , United Kingdom . Canada , the Continent , India , China , Ceylon the Colonies , & c . Arabia , & c . 13 s . 6 d . 15 s . 6 d . 17 s . 6 d . Remittances may be made in Stamps , but Post Office Orders or Cheques are preferred the former payable to GEORGE KHNNIKI ; , Chief Office , London , he latter crossed London Joint Stock Bank .

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PARTRIDGE & COOPER , "THE" STATIONERS , 191 & 192 , FLEET STREET , LONDON , Would invite attention to their LARGE AND WELL - SELECTED STOCK OF GENERAL & FANCY STATIONERY , Suitable for presents , such as Inkstands , Stationery , Cabinets , Ladies' and Gentlemen ' s Dressing Bags , Travelling and Brief Bags , Sic . * , all of which are enumerated in their New Illustrated Catalogue , sent free on application .

To Correspondents.

To Correspondents .

OUR PORTRAIT GALLERY OF WORSHIPFUL MASTERS . In future numbers of the Freemason we purpose g iving a series of portraits of Worshipful Masters who have been recently installed . Recognising the fact that no greater honour can be bestowed on a brother than to be elected the Master of his lodge , we

desire to do our part towards creating a permanent record of such event in his Masonic history by placing his portrait before our readers . We shall be pleased to furnish Secretaries of lodges and others who may take an interest in our project whatever information may be desired as to our proposed method of procedure .

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SATURDAY , AUGUST 26 , 1893 . ?

Masonic Notes.

Masonic Notes .

The greatest credit is due to our Cornish brethren for having organised and successfully maintained the Masonic Charity Association , which was started some eight years ago , and which during the period of its existence has been instrumental in raising some , 6 * 2300 for the Central Masonic Charities . Of this no less

than 225 guineas was allotted during the past year , namely , 190 guineas to the Boys' School ; 15 guineas to the Girls' School ; and 15 guineas to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . Bro . Gilbert B .

" earce , whose name appears so frequently and so creditabl y in our Festival Stewards' lists , is the Hon . Secretary of this Association , and is to be congratulated on the good work that is being done under his auspices .

» » * VVe must also congratulate Bro . Charles Truscott on the able report he was in a position to submit of his Management during the past year of the votes for the great Masonic Charitable Institutions which the

Province of Cornwall possesses . Cornwall , it seems , has 4086 votes , of which 994 are for the Girls' School , 910 'or the Boys' School , and the rest for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution . At the election in October , ' 8 92 , Bro . Truscott , with the help of borrowed votes , * as able to carry the election of the chosen candidate , and in April and May he succeeded in clearing off

about three-fourths . of the Province ' s indebtedness , " ¦ 'bile the October votes will suffice to pay off what re'nains . Bro . Truscott , however , has resigned his ° "'ce of Manager and has been succeeded by Bro . "• P . Edyvean . He was not allowed to retire without ''wiving the vote of thanks to which he was so - ' -y entitled .

# # # There was ample justification for the remarks in " * ch Comp . F . A . Philbrick , Q . C , Grand Supcrinten-^ t , indulged at the recent annual convocation of the r ovinci , il Grand Chapter of Essex . There are 11- out of , e 33 lodges in the Province having chapters attached

0 | bem , while , during the past year , the . number of sub-. 'hing members has increased from 218 to 280 , giving avera ge of 25 members per . chapter . It is evident ° m these facts that Royal Arch Masonry enjoys a *? measure of prosperity in this Province , and we st its fortunes will remain at least as prosperous as ey arc at the present time .

Masonic Notes.

It is stated in the reports of the District Boards of Benevolence and General Purposes , which were presented at the Quarterly Communication of the District Grand Lodge of Queensland , which was held at the Freemasons' Hall , Brisbane , on the 7 th June ' , that the funds of both Boards are locked up by reason of the

suspension of the Commercial Bank of Sydney . The amount in the case of the Fund of Benevolence is over ^ " 992 , and in that of the Fund of General Purposes over . £ 10 7 8 . But though this will cause temporary inconvenience , no fears are entertained that there will be any ultimate loss .

At the same communication it was unanimously agreed to appeal to the United Grand Lodge of England for assistance on behalf of those brethren who had suffered by the disastrous floods of February last . The matter was brought to the notice of District

Grand Lodge by the District Grand Secretary , and when he had stated that it was proposed to make a further appeal to District Grand Lodge—which had already contributed . £ 100—Bro . Midson , a member of the Masonic Flood Relief Fund stated that the amount

contributed by the lodges and brethren was £ 682 , including the . £ 100 referred to already from District Grand Lodge , £ 50 from the District Grand Lodge ( S . C ) , , £ 100 from the Provincial Grand Lodge ( I . C ) . and £ 50 from the Grand Lodge of Ireland .

* * * Bro . Gee , the Honorary Secretary of the Fund , supplemented this information by stating that so far 90 cases had been relieved with . 6522 , and that of the balance remaining , . £ 79 was locked up , and there

was £ 81 in hand to meet the urgent demands of brethren who had lost their all by the floods . It was under these circumstances , and considering that the District Fund had rendered such valuable and expeditious aid , that it was resolved , on the motion of Bro . J . D .

Reeve , P . D . S . G . W ., seconded by Bro . A . W . Field , D . S . G . W ., to appeal for further help to the Grand Lodge of England ; and we feel sure that , as our Queensland brethren have suffered such severe losses , the appeal will receive the most earnest consideration from our Grand Lodge .

There appears to have been great' enthusiasm displayed at the installation meeting of the Himalayan Brotherhood Lodge , No . 459 , Simla , on the 20 th June , when Bro . Elkington was installed W . M . in succession to Bro . Maj .-Gen . Sir E . H . E . Collen , Bros . Sir H . M . Durand and Maj .-Gen . A . Walker being among

the guests . Covers were laid for about 60 , and some excellent speeches , especially those of the incoming and outgoing Worshipful Masters , were delivered during the proceedings , while the intervals were devoted to music contributed in famous style by Capt . Colomb and Bros . West and Wigley .

VVe have no doubt the question—Who is the oldest Mason ?—is one that will be continually cropping up as long as the world ; lives , and we readily concede that it is an interesting one . Everyone likes to hear of the man who has outlived his contemporaries by a

dozen or a score of years , or who has been connected with the public service or some prominent society for a period which nearly approaches to or exceeds the allotted span of life . A short time since the Masonic Chronicle , of Columbus , Ohio , reported , the death of a

veteran Craftsman who had been a Mason 77 years ; while in its July number it publishes a letter from Bro . Arthur C . Phillips , 32 , to the effect that his grandfather , Col . B . F . Eastman , of Portland , Maine , who is " still a very lively inhabitant of this mundane

sphere , and has attained the ripe age of 93 years , was made 72 years ago . This does not carry us quite so far back as our Bro . the Rev . J . Warren Hayes , Bart ., Past G . Chap ., who was initiated in 1819 , and

has thus been a member of . the Craft for 74 years , but there is no very great difference between them , and we trust both these veterans may be spared tor many years to occupy the positions of " oldest Mason" in England and the United States respectively .

# # # ThcSist annual meeting of the Supreme Council 33 ° Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States , will be

held in the Masonic ' Hall , Chicago , on the lyth September and following days . Thc head . quarters of Bro . Henry L . Palmer , 33 " , M . P . Sovereign Grand Commander and the Committee of the Supreme Council will be established at the Grand Pacific Hotel .

* * ' * Months ago , when the World ' s Fair at Chicago was still in embryo , wc . heard much of a Masonic Congress

Masonic Notes.

which was to be held in Chicago some time during the Show , and various suggestions were offered by correspondents of our American contemporaries as to what should be the programme of business at the meeting . For a long period we heard nothing more of thc scheme , but , according to the Masonic Advocate , the proposed Congress was opened on Monday , thc

14 th instant , under the temporary presidency of the Grand Master of Illinois , and it was specially arranged that any proposition for the establishment of a General Grand Lodge , or kindred body , for the whole of the United States should be " promptly ruled out of order by the chair . " * * *

Owing to a clerical error which we greatly regret , the date for the installation of Bro . the Right Hon . * \ V . L . Jackson , M . P ., as Prov . Grand Master of West Yorkshire , was announced . id our last week ' s issue as Tuesday , the 26 th September . The true date is Wednesday , the 27 th of that month .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

Masonic Notes and Queries .

1038 ] MASONIC CERTIFICATES . Bro . Hughan ' s kind reference to my last work deserves grateful recognition on my part , and I sincerely appreciate the good feeling which must have prompted it . Masonic certificates will come to be more prized in the future , furnishing , as they

necessarily do , indisputable documentary evidence of which the Craft has always preserved tar too little in the past . It is almost miraculous that any classification has been possible after being so long neglected ; however , " all's well that ends well , " and I do not regret the time and trouble bestowed on it . By the early

adoption of a system of exchanging duplicates and scarce books , the expense has been very small , many of my most valuable certificates having been gifts in recognition of my enthusiasm . A few brethren , and notably my dear friend Newton , of Bolton , have shown considerable interest and faith in the result for years ; and it is to such I am mainly indebted for it . To my

revered friend , Bro . Hughan , the book is dedicated ; and I owe the possession of several certificates to him , one of which I prize more than any in my collection . The list has been fairly started with about 50 subscribers , and these being nearly all well-known " stars " in the Masonic firmament , I hope shortly to find the " lesser-lights- ' - 'shining out amongst them in sufficient numbers to commence printing .

J . RAMSDEN RILEY . 1039 ] THE "OLD CHARGES . " My esteemed friend , Bro . Peck ' s announcement ( No . 1037 ) w '" be hailed with satisfaction wherever it is read , and I can well imagine the pleasure hc felt in making it on behalf of his province . There can be

little difference of opinion as to the value , authenticity , or even the wide-spread interest centred in the York "Old Charges ; " and I am not surprised that the Province of North and East Yorkshire ( which numbers amongst its members many of the " brightest" and best of Masons and men ) should at last undertake the responsibility of their publication . The reflected light

from the York " Charges" having been the means , indirectly , of leading to the discovery of many others , it must be highly satisfactory to the Craft that a duty so important has been assumed by a ' body . preeminently qualified to faithfully carry it out . It is a guarantee , I hope , that will make the undertaking an unqualified success in every way .

J . RAMSDEN RILEY . 1040 ) A REMARKABLE MEDAL . Bro . W . T . R . Marvin , thc well-known and esteemed author of " Medals of the Masonic Fraternity " ( who is continuing that able work in a supplement , printed . 'in portions , quarterly ) , of Boston , U . S . A ., wrote me-to

make enquiries about three medals in the British Museum . 1 . Duke of Sussex . Reverse , hands on triangle ; struck in 1813 . This may be Masonic , but 1 have not seen it , the report being indefinite . Will some brother kindly see

this piece , and give his opinion thereon , " as well as a complete description r 2 . This medal is by Kirk ol 1775 , of which two only were known before , in bronze . One I have long had , and the other is owned by my friend and Bro . Major Irwin , of Bristol . It is Marvin's DCCLXX ., and has the arms of the "Ancient" Grarid Lodge on . the

obverse . This reverse bears the following inscription around a laurel wreath * . " in testimony of his eminent services lo Ike Craft" and within the same : " To thc Rt . Worshipful Edward Hurry , D . D ., Grd . Chaplain , 5 S 0 S . " I have been of the opinion , from the first sight of iny

impression , that it was intended as a trial piece for presentation , but have never succeeded in tracing one until now . This of Dr . Barry's is of gold , and unique . 3 . One of the Freemasons' Hall medals , in silver , struck 1780 , and was presented " To Alex . McKowl ;" Marvin's CCCXXIV . The discovery of No . 2 is of special importance and interest . W . 1 . HUGHAN .