These were men of the highest integrity, men of the soundest erudition, men of the literary republic-they were the Masons themselves. Let me cite the names of some of them, who, despising the greatest torment, and even death, upheld the honour and dignity of character of brave men. of citizens and of masons, and who have rendered themselves worthy of being remembered by history, and of being ranked among the heroes of that period.

Serrao, Bishop of Potenza, hanged; Admiral Carraciolo, competitor with Nelson, hanged; Battistessa, hanged badly and afterwards had his throat cut; General Schipani, hanged; General Mantonè, hanged; Granalé, from the ladder of the scaffold looking at the people, exhorts his friends to revenge the betrayed nation, and dies a hero; Conforti, a distinguished author, hanged; Fiano, Serio, and Velasco, hanged; Carafa, one of the Dukes of Andria, hanged; Pignotelli, and five others of the same name, hanged; Cirillo, the famous physician, condemned to death, had grace offered him for the services he had rendered the king and his family, but he refused it, saying, that only assassins needed grace; Colonna, Falconieri, Fiorentini, and Scotti, author of the nautical catechism, hanged; Russo, Ciaja, Baffi, and Neri, hanged; Luogoteta, the famous lawyer, Rotondo, Pagano, the famous poet, Defilippis, then minister of war, Albanese, General Federici, Bishop de Vico, Muscari, Prince of Tarella, Troise, Masso, and Mancini-all hanged. The Duke de la Torre, and five other Masons, were burned alive; and a great number of brave Masons, whom, for the sake of brevity, I will not name, with forty priests, and thirty magistrates, were all hanged.

I will now continue my relation; but allow me to give an explanation of the term "Holy faith." This lawless band of robbers signified by this expression, that the pillage and carnage were committed in the name and by the authority of the holy faith and this appellation was given them by their leader, the Cardinal Ruffo.

The French republican army was so small in the States of Naples, and especially in the town itself, that it scarcely sufficed as a garrison of one fort; and all the other forces which were opposed to the famous Cardinal, were composed of young people of the best families in the kingdom, and commanded by the choicest of the middle classes, and by nobles, almost all of them being Masons-viz., Mantoné, Federici, Schipani, and many others, who lost their lives in the most heroic manner on the scaffold, in defending their rights, those of their country and of their brethren.

The arrests continued, and the prisons of the capital and of the whole kingdom being filled, the new government was obliged to take measures for emptying them. As even the Ruffistes themselves were tired of so much slaughter, they took to the expedient of exiling a number of the prisoners; who were embarked in vessels of the government and transported to France. Imagine to yourselves an immense number of these martyrs, disembarked in France, which at this moment was preparing to defend herself from her enemies of the whole north of Europe, who threatened to invade her. Without means, without trade, these poor exiles were obliged to disperse themselves through the different provinces in order to procure employment, and not being able to obtain it, they had no other resource than to enlist, and were placed in the regiments which constituted part of the Italian army. This army, having crossed the Alps, and having afterwards obtained numerous victories over the allies, made themselves master of all Italy, and thus the Neapolitan exiles were restored to their country.

The dawn of liberty now appears; the patriots reunite; several lodges are established, and a great number of respectable persons of all ranks and professions are admitted to them; so that in 1811 Neapolitan Masonry had reached the highest degree of splendour. The Masons, however, worked according to the French rite, which was very different from the Scotch; and this difference separated them from the rest of the Masons of the universe, exactly at the moment when advantage might have been derived from Masonry by those initiated in it. In order to remove this inconvenience, the lights of several lodges of the kingdom assembled at different times, but, not agreeing unanimously, the Lodges of Josephine, the greatest part of which were composed of the officers of lancers of the guard of Prince Murat, then King of Naples, changed their rite, and adopted the Scotch one. The other lodges, convinced of the disadvantage of such schism, and being desirous of deriving the benefits which as military Masons they would enjoy from the uniformity of the signs of this extensive family, altered their rites also. The news of this change reached the ears of the king, who was their Grand Master; he was surprised at it, even vexed, and employed every means in his power to discover the cause. But, despot-like, having trodden under feet the laws of justice, freedom, and fraternity, he immediately_suspected that the Masons of the kingdom had established a correspondence with those of England, which he feared might be detrimental to his interests. He thought therefore of surprising them, and that this surprise might produce the desired effect, Murat, one evening in the year 1812, accompanied by General Dery, both dressed in all the pomp of their grand uniform, and covered with all their decorations, presented themselves at the door of the Lodge of Josephine, and demanded admission. After all usual precautions, having regard to the Grand Master of the kingdom, and in order to let him know that they did not fear him, he was admitted with all the ceremonies due to his masonic degree. They let him pass the sword arch, and when he was at the foot of the altar of the venerable, who was an old Polish officer belonging to the lancers of the guard, the same said to Murat, that he must know Masonry did not acknowledge all his profane decorations, and that when he came in different apparel, he would be received with great joy by all brethren, and with the honours due to his degree. Murat then retired, and returned in a few minutes in the dress of a civilian; he was then received with all the pomp and splendour due to his attributes; the venerable offered him the hammer, which he accepted for a few minutes; but not having been able to discover anything (as really nothing existed of that which he had suspected), for the lodge had rendered him the honours of their degrees in the new rite, which wounded his self-love, and he left the temple much more enraged than when he entered. His suspicions, instead of being removed, or at least diminished, increased; he declared himself their enemy, persecuted and suspended several of them, and others he dismissed from his guard under some pretext. The Masons, perceiving that the little of liberty which their country still enjoyed, would disappear by degrees, and not being able to struggle, on account of their weakness, against government, nor being willing to admit the populace to the lodges (though they were aware of the neces şity to make known to the people the rights of men as the only means to rally together all classes) established a society, called the Carbonari. This society is the legitimate daughter of Masonry, and has for its aim, love of our fellow-men, liberty through means of faith, hope, and charity,

VOL. VI.

F

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and comprehends in a few degrees all that are found in Masonry. Men of all classes made part of this society; the provinces were all Carbonarized and the Abruzzis constituted the greatest number. The government was aware of this, and military commissions were established in all the provinces to judge them. Many were condemned to death, a great number to the galleys, while others were obliged to expatriate themselves. In spite of all these persecutions, the efforts for the liberation of the country, and for the obtaining of a constitution, with laws more adapted to the enlightenment of the day, were continued. The government inveighed continually against the unfortunates who desired nothing but to be governed as men, for they were treated like slaves. All persecutions had no other effect than to make them more obstinate in their aim. Bands of them threw themselves into the country, preferring to die with the musket in hand to surrendering to the despot.

The year 1815 arrived. Napoleon was in France. An army of 40,000 Austrians was marching towards the frontiers of Naples. The king gathered an imposing army, and went to meet the invading forces. There can be no doubt but that had the Neapolitan soldiers fought, they would have destroyed their slavish opponents; it was not so, however; but they took advantage of the opportunity to break their galling chains, and without coming up to the enemy disbanded themselves, and Murat was in consequence obliged to embark and leave the kingdom.

The Austrians being once in possession of the States of Naples, and knowing that those who had allowed them to enter without a gun-shot, might as easily drive them away again, began to persecute the Carbonaris, and the Masons who were their source. Rigorous measures were taken, and the Masons were obliged to suspend their meetings. Some time elapsed in inactivity; but the taxes increased every day, and coersive means were employed to enforce them. These excesses of oppression, exasperated the unfortunate ones to such a degree that they again began to meet, and even penetrated into the quarters of the troops, a great number of whom they made Carbonari. Thus time passed away; the army of occupation retired; and with so much secrecy were the affairs of the Carbonari conducted, that the new government of the Bourbons were in utter ignorance of their meetings.

The month of May, 1820, arrived. A camp was established, where the troops had to practice their manœuvres; and as the king, Ferdinand I., attended it, the Carbonari wished to take advantage of this opportunity to strike for their rights; but some one among them, in order to ingratiate himself, discovered the conspiracy. The camp was broken up, and the regiments re-entered their quarters. The loss of this favourable opportunity served but to redouble the zeal of the Carbonari. Some general officers interfered, putting themselves at the head of the movement, and the revolution fairly commenced. They fixed for their meeting a place well suited for the defence, called Monteforte, in the province of Avellino. In the night of the 26th of June the regiment of Bourbon cavalry, with a part of the inhabitants of Nola, which was their garrison-town, left their quarters, and marched upon Monteforte, taking with them the troops which were in quarters on their route. The regiment of prince-cavalry followed the movement, and a great number of people of all ranks in the different neighbouring provinces assembled The government, hearing of this movement, commanded General Carascosa to pursue the rebels with one division. He attacked them, and a skirmish took place; but whilst the government was awaiting the tidings

of their destruction, the regiments of dragoons of Ferdinand, that of the queen, and a batallion of the royal regiment of Naples, left the capital at midnight of the 1st of July. At this intelligence the people surrounded the balcony of the royal palace, and demanded the constitution of Spain, to which the king, having heard of the disaffection of his troops, agreed. A courier was despatched to Monteforte, and a mass of 200,000 men, including the troops, entered triumphantly into the free and beautiful Parthenope.

It is impossible to describe the joy which the people evinced at these concessions. The town of Naples, every where illuminated, doubled its inhabitants on this day, and national feasts and rejoicings took place throughout the kingdom. The king swore to the constitution, and his eldest son was received among the Carbonari-but, alas, only to sell and to betray them. Austria was made acquainted with the revolution and its results, and immediately marched an army towards the frontier of the kingdom betrayed by its own sovereign; who, in order effectually to succeed in his treason, presented himself to his parliament and requested permission to meet the emperor, that he might, by informing him of his agreement with the new constitution, prevent his interference in the affairs of the state. On this specious pretext the parliament allowed him to depart; but instead of returning, the bearer of peace, it was discovered that he was coming at the head of the Austrian army. Troops were despatched to defend the frontiers; but the treason was too well framed. The chief generals had surrendered to the despot; an imposing army, concentrated in one point, being in want of the necessary supplies, was abandoned by its chiefs. Still some batallions of tirailleurs had began a murderous fire; but when they tore off the first cartridge of the second packet, they found wood instead of powder! They then fell back upon the army, and being convinced of their betrayal by the fictitious cartridges, they dispersed in small bands and went quietly to their homes. After such an event, the disastrous consequences of so sudden and dangerous a change were looked for by those who had interfered in politics. The chiefs of the corps, who had taken part in the proclamation of the constitution; then the officers, the subalterns, and a number of citizens of all classes were arrested. Those who were able to escape, expatriated themselves. Laws were passed to condemn the unfortunate prisoners; and all military men who were arrested were put under process, after having been deprived of every military honour. A tribunal, composed of individuals devoted to the cause of the king, was established ; and, after an imprisonment of seventeen months, all officers were condemned to death, and the subalterns to the galleys. The fear alone, that such a butchery of human beings might bring troubles on the country, prevented the execution of this bloody decree, and in consequence two only suffered the extreme penalty, and the others were sent, for the various terms of thirty, twenty-five, twenty, fifteen and five years, to the galleys. Those who could save themselves from the hands of this tribunal, exiled themselves for ever to the different parts of the globe. And these unfortunates, who thus wandered about, without the means of support, without direction or guidance, were the Masons.

This is their cruel destiny. Yet, after having wandered through all the various parts of the globe, exposed to every vicissitude and privation, they did at last find hospitality in England-the abode of true liberty; where man, of whatsoever nation he may be, can enjoy all its many privileges. There, happy John Bull, the worthy son of old Great

Britain, proud, generous, and hospitable, protects in his country other nations, the evidences of foreign barbarism and cruelty; and beneath his sheltering wings the remains of these unfortunates, the martyrs of liberty, sacrificed to the caprices of despotism though worthy of a better fate, find security and peace.

And the eye of providence has never lost sight of this nation of virtuous, brave, sympathising, industrious, benevolent, and generous men, who are the friends of the unfortunate and the protectors of the oppressed.

(To be continued.)

TO THE PROVINCIAL MEMBERS OF GRAND LODGE. BRETHREN, if ever "the hour of peril was near;" if ever our venerable, (and by all of you, I trust, venerated institution,) was threatened with fatal innovations, it is at this time. Those of the provincial brethren who look beyond the outward trappings of Masonry-who love that HOLY HANDMAID OF RELIGION and MOTHER OF CHARITY, not for the rank or clothing she may give them in an earthly lodge, but for those better feelings and sentiments of our nature which she so forcibly inculcates to those brethren the proceedings of Grand Lodge on the 1st instant have given a lesson, well calculated to call forth their serious attention and rouse them to exertion. The present state of masonic government, or rather mis-government, arises partly from the ignorance, too general in the provinces, of what takes place in Grand Lodge, and partly from the brethren leaving things to take their chance. The first of these causes might easily be removed by an extended circulation of the "Freemasons' Quarterly Review." I know that that publication has met with great opposition from certain parties; it has been stigmatized as an unauthorized publication, full of ex parte and garbled statements. Like every other work of man, it might be improved; but as a whole, it is a valuable work, well deserving of a greatly increased patronage. To counteract the supposed poison of this unauthorized periodical, a notable expedient has been resorted to. An authorized reporter attends, draws up a summary of the proceedings of Grand Lodge, and submits it to the inspection of the Most Worshipful Grand Master; it is then printed and circulated, cum privilegio. At the Quarterly Communication, in December last, the Most Worshipful Grand Master distinctly and emphatically expressed his wish that "the brethren should be put in possession of a correct and authorized report of the proceedings of Grand Lodge; he did not mean that every speech should be reported at length, as it would lead many of the brethren to make long speeches for the sake of seeing themselves in print. But what he intended to look over and authorize, was such a summary of the debates in Grand Lodge as was given of the debates in Parliament by the the 'Times' Newspaper." Now, brethren, mark the beautiful, the impartial, accordance of this declaration, with the authorized report of that very meeting. The Most Worshipful Grand Master moved a resolution, which was carried. Of the debate which took place on the motion, you have been favoured with the Most Worshipful Grand Master's address nearly verbatim, from begining to end. So far, so good; but look on the other side, and you are simply told, that brothers so and so, "expressed their dissent." But not one word of what they said-not a syllable of the powerful