Masonic Notes And Queries.

ordeal , and afterAvards , on some occasion , the nature of which I cannot charge my memory Avith , he endeavoured to use the prestige of his membership in the furtherance of his schemes of universal dominion . Be this right or ii'rong I feel sure , from the attention paid by your correspondents to a similar inquiry in your Images , that I have only to ask , to ensure the solution of my query from some of the well read contributors to yonr columns . — IXQUIBEK .

MASTER OF THE VALLEY . AVhere can any account of this association , said to be Masonic , be found?—A . F . L . IXEDITF . D MASOXIC CUMOSITY . In the multiplicity of reprints of Masonic documents which have issued from the press during the last quarter of a century , the following curious single sheetin answer to Samuel Pritchard

, , printed at Dublin in 1725 , seems to have been overlooked , and may be worthy of preservation among the Masonic Notes of the Freemasons ' Magazine . It is entitled "The Free Masons Abdication , Being an Answer To a Scandalous Libel , entituled the Grand Mtjstery of the Free Masons , discover'd , " & c .

' Wherein 15 plainly prov'd the falsity of that Discovery , and how great an imposition it is on the Publick . " Invidid siculi 71011 invenere Ttjranni " Majus Tormentum . —HOR . " Sic Mums Ahenius esto " Nil conscirc tibi , nulld pallescere Culpa . —ib . " E Oeelo deseendit yvSOi treavroi' . —Jev . " Having read a Paper lately publish'd , which has strove to deceive

the AVorld by a pretended DiscoA-ery of the Manners and Custonies of the Free Masons at their Assemblies , Meetings , & c ., AA ' e of that Society thought it incumbent upon us to say something in Answer to it , not so much on account of the Paper itself , Avhich deserves nothing but Ridicule ( as AA'e shall sufficiently show ) to auy understanding Man ' s Consideration ; but to undeceive those who have suffer'd themselves to be impos'd on by such an intolerable Abuse . Not that Ave by this reflect on those Gentlemens' Judgementsfor they not knowing are the move

, liable to the Imposture ; tho' one ivou'd hardly suppose a secret that has never been m ' vulg'd since this Order first commeno'd , shou'd noiv be cxpos'd on such groundless , and I may say hardly credible , Reasons . Our Antagonist tells you it was found in the Custody of a Free Mason who died suddenly ; now Ave think that Excuse the most ridiculous in the AVorld ; for if AVe were so indiscreet as to Commit our Orders to the Care of each Person of our Society , AA'e cou'd not expect but it wou'd have been discover'd by many Mischances before tbis Time ; but AA ' e are

much more careful in things of such Importance , and never leave it in the Power of the Ai'isest Observer to diseoA-er the least hint of our Designs . _ Your Author ' s Fable AVe don ' t think it worth while to ansAver , since it so much reflects upon himself ; for he has made his Discovery scarce equal to the Solution of his iEuigma . If we shou'd attempt to ansiver him Paragraph by Paragraph , it wou'd spend more Time than AA ' e can at present ahW , since it is from first to last one continued Piece of Nousenec ; and cou'd ivith more Reason ( as did [ tho' upon a different Occasion ] an eminent Divine ) put a Mentiris

to fclicEnd of all his Affirmatives ; for it appears at first Vieiv more like a jargon of Contradictions , than a premeditated Composition . " The Free Masons have been alloiv'd to be the most ancient and honourable Society in tho AVorld , and both are and have been compos'd chiefly of the principal Nobility ; but 'tis the same thing with our Author ; the more excellent the subject , the Jest will pass the better ; and nothing can please so well as a Fool that has lost his Maimers ; but what cou'd be his desiis hard to be understood what exalted Ideas

gn , or he has conooiv'd of us to make him bestoiv such uncommon Terms of Art on us , Ave can't imagine . In our Health , that he has taken such extraordinary Pains to anatomize , he owns we are a very noble and ancient Fraternity , and makes ourselves allow it to be a ivonder-Mystei-y ; altho ' his Fable gave him the Lie no less than a Page before ; whether this be Ignorance or Impudence I leave the AVorld to Determine . "The Author has taken a great deal of pains to very little purpose ; and has been at 1

. greater deal of trouble to make himself Intelli gible , than an Antiquated Apothecary ; for the utmost of his Discovery leaves his Header iu a greater Dilemma than ever , and sufficiently shows hoiv much it wants an Interpreter . What could induce him to be so ridiculous as to "Write , or so imprudent to publish , is perhaps hard to be determined , if Hunger or Envy ivere not the chief Motives . Be that as it will , we believe that those ivho have got Mr . Informer ' s Instructions will be as much at a loss to discover a Freemason as if he had still concealed his directions

, and will , like himself , for ever remain in Ignorance . _ " AVhat Ave intend by this Discourse is not to honour our Author so far as to think him worth Contradiction , but to put his Readers in mind to consider their infallible Receipt a little more narrowly , and not be too confident in their belief of a Fable . Having , therefore , performed what we intended , we think it time to bid our Author adieu , and to take this Advice , either never to write , or to ivrite something nearer sense than Ins last . But as he in the beginning of his information introduces himself with a very handsome apropos Fable , we shah condescend so far iu HMtaaou of him , to conclude ivith another , and to tell him , "That a Fox

once having observed a large bunch of excellent Grapes hanging in a verv tempting Posture over his Head , strove , AA'ith the hazard of his neck , by a great many Leaps , Springs , and other Stratagems , to lead aivay captive this Bunch , that by its alluring colour and magnitude , had dar'd to provoke his Appetite ; but after many dangers escaped , difficulties overcome , a few Limbs disjointed , and other chances of Avar , having found it impossible to compass his desires , he began , by the instigation of his longing stomach , to curse and abuse ivhat he had spent so many hours and received so many bruises iu attempting to recover . Adieu . " J . A ., P . P ., D . D .

Literature.

Literature .

REVIEWS . Young America Abroad in Europe , Asia , and A uslralia . B y GEOBGE FRANCIS THAIS- , of Boston , Massachusetts , U . S . A . London : Sampson LOAV , Son , and Co ., 47 , Ludgate-hill . Tins work has attained a AVCII merited popularity in the United States and in Great Britain . The author is a regular go-a-head

American , a fast man , in the unobjectionable sense of that phrase . His views of political , commercial , and social progress are such as might be expected from a talented and enterprising American . His observing faculties , as a phrenologist would say , have been more developed than his reflective organs . He sees quickly , and judges rather too quickly , yet his judgments are seldom illiberal and never ungenerous . The intelligent reader must be often struck

AA'ith the clearness of Mr . Train's perception amidst scenes and circumstances entirely neiv to him . It is impossible for us always to concur in his opinions , but we very freely render homage to his abilities . His vieiA's of China and the Chinese , and especially of the rebels against the Tartar dynasty , are formed upon imperfect data . His denunciations of the vile coolie traffic are just , manly , and humane . He does not spare his oivn countrymen when they are

blameable , either in connection -with the coolie trade or any other of their misdeeds . He , however , relied too implicitly upon information afforded to him by American consuls and merchants , in describing the condition and commerce of the British " Straits

settlements ; " his error in this respect is especially exemplified . Some of his descriptive chapters are admirable , and occasionally rise to eloquence . It is instrnctive to peruse his critiques upon East Indian governors and officials ; their arrogance , hauteur , cxclusivencss , and contempt for the people they govern , are dejiicted well and truly . The faults of Mr . Train ' s style arc—an air of affected smartness , a sort of slap dash manner of treating important

and grave subjects , as if he desired credit for an off hand and bold manner of writing , and considered himself a very great authority . This has led to severe criticism in the Anglo-Indian reviews , although the licivspaper press of India , the Straits , and Hong Kong have passed a very favourable judgment upon onr author . He Avould do Avell in his next edition to omit or modify some of his notices of social life amongst Europeans and Americans in the

various places ivhich he visited . There are redundancies and inelegancies ivhich also demand a careful pruning of the next issue . Allowance ought to be made in these respects , as the chapters of his book first appeared in the New York Herald as letters from " our own correspondent . " It is necessary , however , iu order to gain for the book the reception which its many merits deserve , that the author should subject his present edition to a revision wliich rhetoric and good taste require at his hands . No Englishman can read Mr . Train ' s spirited aud genial book Avithout pleasure and instruction .

NOTES ON LITERATURE , SCIENCE , AND ART . Tin ; Germans in London intend to celebrate Schiller ' s centenary birthday . A committee for the purpose has been formed , Avhieh , AA' 6 understand , has entered into negotiations ivith the directors of the Crystal Palace . "The committee of the fete of Schiller , " says a communication from

Berlin , ' ¦ ' has just published the programme of what is to take place here . On November 9 , the eve of the fete , there Avill be a grand procession ivith illumination , and coronation of tho colossal statue of Schiller in one of the public squares ; on the 10 th a holiday in all the schools and colleges ; distribution of popular in-itings on tho life and works of the poet ; distribution of albumslithographs and other printsmedals

, , , statuettes , & c . ; extraordinary representations at all the theatres and other places of public amusement ; at night , a general illumination . On the llth , concerts and banquets in different districts of the city . " The Philosophic Institution of Edinburgh Avill commence its HOAV session . on the 4 th of November , ivhen Professor Aytoun Avill deliver an