Masonic Notes And Queries.

HILL , HELE , HEAL , HEALS . The AiliencEitm has had some correspondence on this . Erom the number for April 25 th , page 600 , we extract the following : — "Tour correspondent ' R . 'W . " is mistaken in supposing that 'healing' or ' hilling ' is obsolete in England . It is often heard in

the midland counties , and is used in the sense of a covering of any sort , clothes for the person , bedclothes , and such like . An old clergyman , whom I can recollect , and who iu addressing a country congregation was wont to use the language they best understoodwas one Sunday preaching against earl

, y and improvident marriages ; one of his sentences was , ' As soon as ye can ill and fill , ye marry ; ' that is , ' As soon as you have clothes and bread . ' ' 111 me up ' ( Give me more clothing ) is common enough in Yorkshire , and doubtless elsewhere in the north of England . ' Clemmed ' ( hungry ) and ' starved ' ( cold )

are also the only words used iu these senses by the peasantry of the north of England ; they would never understand that a ' starved ' person was in want of food , but would at once . take him to the fire . — A . H . G . "

PECUEIAE DISHES . In answer to " Inquiry , " I believe that at the banquets of the Lodge of Hope , No . 433 , Brightlingsea , Essex , a " dish of tea " is always served . I had frequently heard of the hospitality of the brethren of that lodge , hut had not an opportunity of enjoying

it till last summer , when , being at the sea side , I went to the installation of the present W . M ., Bro . Riches . A "dish of tea" was introduced after dinner , in accordance with the usual custom . Perhaps some brother ofthe Lodge of Hope would he pleased to state the origin of the practice . —C . CAENEGIE , P . M . No . 697 .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents RED CROSS KNIGHTS OE CONSTANTINE ,

TO THE EDITOR OP THE FREEJ . ASOXS' MAGAZINE AKB MASONIC MIBEOB . Dear Sir and Brother , —I have been waiting in vain to receive a reply from Bro . Hyde Clarke to my second batch of queries anent the abovementioned degree . Am I to conclude that his silence is to be taken as admission that this mi

an ghty chivalric Order is not recognised by any of the Masonic bodies in England or on the Continent , because it is rightly deemed to be , as he himself suggests , not Masonic ? I asked , like Goethe , for " more light " from our distinguished brother , because his name occurred to me as one of the few in the

prominent list of officers of this degree ( his title , I believe , being that of Very Illustrious Grand High Chancellor ) , and because in the Freemasons' Magazine ofthe 18 th May last there is a notice of "the anniversary assembly of this ancient and distinguished bod" under the head of Red

y , " Cross Knights and K . H . S ., " iu which our talented brother is puffed at great length as the oldest member now living ofthe Order ofthe Red > R Yet , Sir , when I ask Bro . Clarke for information about the degree he replies , " I cannot answer the

appeal of your correspondent , > J « , for I know nothing about any of the matters to which he refers , not having been present , nor a participator , nor being responsible for them . " He then kindly refers me to any book ou the Orders of Knighthood for the history of the Order ; but I will defy him or any other brother to show me a book on Knighthood which declares this degree to be Masonic ; and that is what I want .

Bro . Clarke makes a very valuable admission when he says that one cause for its being looked upon as a Masonic institution rests upon the fact of its title of Tied Cross , which , as we all know , is the name of a degree given in this country and in America in connection with the Knigbts Templars .

Another admission by the Very Illustrious Grand High Chancellor is worthy of note , that " the Order of the Red Cross of Constantino assumes very great antiquity , like several others , upon very queatiouablehistorical grounds . " On the whole , I think the Craft is to be

congratulated on this letter of Bro . Hyde Clarke's , which is about as damaging to the cause of the titular Red Cross Knights of Constantino as it must be satisfactory to the members of the real knightly orders-Turning to the letter of your correspondent , " No Cross , no Crown , " I find that ambitious aspirant to

literary honours complains of my bad taste in finding , fault with the Red Cross Herald , for dubbing the Lord Kenlis Right Honourable , inasmuch as it appears that the Secretary to the Girls' School had done the same . To this I cau only say that Bro ^ Patten is not supposed to be an adept in the jargon of Heraldry ; but the Grand Herald of the very illustrious , ancient , and most noble Order of Constantino

either is , or should be , conversant with what is known by the merest tyro in the art . Your correspondent says Bro . Little uever replied at all to the queries which were put to him in your pages by " It . H . " relative to his statements with regard to this degree ; hut if I remember right the

Master General of the Rosicrucian Society did deign to offer to communicate with the brother privately . " K . H . " wrote to your paper on the 4 th May ,. 1867 , as follows . — " Your offer to supply the private address of Bro . Little is very kindas is also his offer to answer

, my queries . The statements having been published in the Magazine , that is the proper place for the reply . " To that most pointed inquiry , however , Bro . Little made no rejoinder , I believe , and I am , therefore , right in saying , with a dash of that irony of which

your correspondent complains , that when addressed upon this subject , Bro . Little was " remarkably reticent and obscure in his replies . " Speaking of this Order of Red Cross Knights of Constantine , J said , and I repeat again , that as an Order of Knighthood , Mackay , in his " Lexicon of Masonry , " is silent as to the very existence of the Order .

On the page to which "No Cross , no Crown " refers , the degree alluded to in such very brief terms is not spoken of as a chivalric degree , not , as I conclude , because Bro . Mackay knew nothing of the degree , but because no doubt he looked upon it as spurious .