STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT.

AUCKLAND, SATUKDAY, AUGUST 6, 1881

BRIER-ROSE.

BY HJALMAB HJORTH BOYESEN.

Said Brier-Rose's mother to the naughty Brier- Rose: " What wUI become of you, my child, the Lord Almighty knows. You will not scrub the kettle3..and you will not touch tho broom; You never sit a minute still at spinning-wheel or loom." Thus grumbled in tho morning, and grumbled late at eve, The good-wife as she bustled with pot and tray and sieve; But Brier-Rose she laughed, and sho cooked her dainty head : " Why, I shall marry, Mother dear," full merrily she said. *' you marry, saucy Brier-Rose! The man he is not found To marry such a worthless wench, these seven leagues around." But Brier-Rose she laughed, and she trilled a merry lay: "Perhaps he'll como, my mother dear, from eight leagues away." The good wife with a " humph " and a sigh, for sook the battle. And flung her pots and pails about with much vindictive rattle; m " 0 Lord, what sin did 1 commit in youthful days and wild. That thou hast punished me in age with such a wayward child f Up stole the girl on tiptoe, so that none her step could hear, . __,_._ And laughing pressed an airy kiss behind the good wife's ear. And she, as e'er relenting, sighed: " Oh, Heaven only knows Whatever -will become of you, my naughty Brier-Rose!" Tho sun was high and summer sounds were teeming in the air. The clank of scythes, tho cricket's whir, and swelling wood-notes rare, From field and copse and meadow; and through ' the open door Sweet, fragrant whiffs of new-mown hay the idle breezes bore. Then Brier-Rose grew pensive, like a bird of thoughtful mien. Whose little life has problems among the branches green. She heard the river brawling where the tide was swift and strong. She heard the summer singing its strange, allur ing song. And out she skipped the meadows o'er and gazed into the sky, Her heart o'erbrimmed with gladness, she scarce herself knew why. And to a merry tune sho hummed, " Oh, Heaven only knows . Whatever will become of the naughty Brier- Rose!" Whene'er a thrifty matron this idle maid espied, She shook her head in warning, and scarce her wrath could hide; For girls were made for housewives, for spmn ing-wheel and loom, And not to drink the sunshine and wild-flowers sweet perfume. And oft the maidens cried, when the Brier-Ro3e went by, "You cannot knit a stocking, and you cannot make a pie." • . But Brier-Rose, as was her wont, she cocked her curly head : „....,_ " But I can sing a pretty song," full merrily sho said. And oft the young lads shouted, when they saw the maid at play: ■ . "Ho, good-for-nothing Brier-Rose,how do you do to-day?" ••_",__ Then she shook her tiny fist; to her cheeks the colour flew: , " However much you coax me. 111 never dance with you." n. Thu3 flew the years light-winged over Brier- Rose's head, Till she was twenty summers old and yet remained unwed. And all the parish wondered: ''The Lord Almighty knows , Whatever will become of that naughty-Brier* Rose!" And while they wondered came the Spring a-dancing o'er the hills: Her breath was warmer than of yore, and all tho mountain rills, With their tinkling and their rippling and their rushing tilled the air, And the misty sounds of water forth-welling everywhere. And in tho valley's depth, like a lusty beast of The river leaped and roared aloud and tossed its mane of spray; Then hushed again its voice to a softly plashing croon, ■„•_,_ As dark it rolled beneath the sun, and white beneath the moon. It was a merry sight to see the lumber as it whirled ■ '•■''■_ Adown tho tawny eddies that hissed and seethed and swirled, Now shooting through the rapids, and, with a reeling swing, .•";'_ Into the foam-crests diving like an animated thing. But in the narrows of the rocks, where o'er a steep incline ■ •• ._ The waters plunged and wreathed in foam the dark boughs of the pine. The lads kept watch with shout and song, and sent each straggling beam A-spinning down the rapids, lest it should lock the stream. in. And yet—methinks I hear it now—wild voices in the night, A rush of feet, a dog's harsh bark, a torch s flaring light, .. \ . ..; And wandering gusts of dampness, and round us far and nigh, A throbbinpr boom of water like a pulse-beat in the sky. The dawn just pierced tho pallid east with spears of gold and red, As wo, with boat-hooks in our hands, towards the narrows sped. And terror smote us : for we heard the mighty tree-tops sway. And thunder, us of chariots, and hissing showers of spray. '. "j '.-',, "Now, lads," the sheriff shouted, "you are strong, like Norway's rock : A hundred crowns I give to Mm who breaks tho lumber lock! For if another hour go by, the angry waters spoil Our homes will be, and fields, and our weary years of toil." . We looked each at the other; each hoped his neighbour would Bravo death and danger for his home, as valiant Norsemen should. But at our feet the brawling tide expanded like a lake, And whirling beams came shooting on, and made the firm rock quake. "Two hundred crowns!" the sheriff cried, and breathless stood the crowd. "Two hundred crowns, my bonny lads!" in anxious tones and loud. But not a man came forward, and no one spoke, or stirred, And nothing save .the thunder of the cataract was heard." But as with trembling hands and with fainting hearts we stood, We spied a little curly head emerging from the wood. We heard a little snatch of a merry little song, And saw the dainty Brier-Rose come dancing through the throng. An angry murmur rose from the people 'round about. "Fling her into the river!" we heard the matrons shout. " Chase her away, the silly thing: for God him self scarce knows Why ever he created that worthless Brier- Rose." Sweet Brier-Rose, she heard their cries; a little pensive smile Across her fair face flitted that might a stone beguile: ; ■ . :! - . And then she gave her pretty head a roguish little cock:

" Hand me a boat-hook, lads," sho said; " I think I'll break the lock." Derisive shouts of laughter broke from throats of young and old: " Ho! good-for-nothing Brier-Rose, your tonguo was ever bold." And mockingly, a boathook into her hands was flung, When, lo! into the river's midst with daring leaps she sprung! We saw her.dimly through a mist of dense and blinding spray; From beam to beam she skipped, like a water- Hprite at play. And now and then faint gleams we caught of colour through the mist: A crimson waist, a golden head, a little dainty wrist. In terror pressed the people to tho margin of the hill, A hundred breaths were bated, a hundred hearts stood still. For. hark! from out the rapids came a strange and creaking sound, And then a crash of thunder which shook tho very ground. The waters hurled the lumber mass down o'er We heard a muffled rumbling and a rolling in the deep; We saw a tiny form which the torrent swiftly bore And flutg into the wild abyss, where it was seen no more. Ah, little naughty Brier-Rose, thou could3t not weave nor spin; Yet thou couldst do a nobler deed than all thy mocking kin: For thou hast courage c'en to die, and by thy death to save A thousand farms and lives from the fury of tho wave. And yet the adage lives, in the valley of thy birth, . . When wayward children spend their days in heedless play and mirth, , . Oft mother say, half smiling, half sighing, "Heaven knows . Whatever will become of the naughty Brier- Rose I" —St. Nicholas.

AUNT NANCY'S MIND ON THE SUBJECT

And this is the now New Testament, And 'tis come in the sweet o' the year, When the fields are shining in cloth of gold, And tho birds are singing so clear; And over and into the grand old text Reverent and thoughtful men, Through many a summer and winter past. Have been peering with book and pen, Till they'vo straightened the moods and tenses out, And dropped each obsolete phrase, And softened the strong, old-fashioned words To our daintier modem ways; Collated the ancient manuscripts, Particle, verb, and line. And faithfully done their very best To improve tho book divine. I haven't a doubt they have done it well, But it is not clear to me That wo needed the trouble it was to them On either side of the sea. ..'-'-.-, I cannot help it, a thought that comes— You know I am old and plain- But it seems like touching the ark of God, And the touch to my heart is pain. For ten years past, and for five times ten At the back of that, my dear, I've made and mended and toiled and saved, With my Bible ever near. Sometimes it was only a verse at morn That lifted me up from care, Like the springing wings of a Bwcet-voiced lark Cleaving the golden air; And sometimes on Sunday afternoons 'Twas a chapter rich and long, That came to my heart in its weary hour With the lift of a triumph song. I studied the precious words, my dear, When a child at my mother's knee. And I tell you the Bible I've always had Is a good enough book for me. I may be stubborn and out of date, But my hair is white as snow, And I love the things I learned to lovo In the beautiful long ago. I cannot be changing at my time; 'Twould bo losing a part of myself. You may lay the new Now Testament Away on tho upper shelf. I cling to the ono my good man read In our fireside prayers at night ; To the one my little children lisped Ere they faded out of my sight. I shall gather my dear ones close again Where the many mansions be, And till then the Bible I've always had Is a good enough book for mo. —Harper's Bazar.

DECORATION DAY.

Dead! What is "dead?" DOO3 any creaturo think These men who gain a furlough from the grave And then report to Time, need aid to brave Tho long and lonely silences of dust ? Ah, no. They did not bankrupt Time, but lent A dignity to dying when they went; Willed to the world a now heroic age, And gave to us in frank; free, soldier trust A frontispiece for Fame's unfinished page I By some new name, here, there, and every where, The soul of courage breathes the living nir. One noble deed may bless the race, and when, As myriads now asleep, men die for men, And Liberty and God, the deed inspires And kindles and exults like prairie Arcs. —From B. F. Whilticr's Decoration Poem, in Cleveland Herald. c-— Longfellow wrote tho following :— Ah! what would the world be to us If the children were no more ? We should dread the desert behind us Worse than tho dark before. . They are better than all the ballads That ever were sung or said; For they aro living poems, And all the rest are dead.

The Alarm in Ireland.

HORRIBLE MURDER OF A FARMER. A farmer, named Peter Dempsey, has been shot at Holly Park, within three miles of Athenry, County Gahvay. It appears that Dempsey was proceeding, accompanied by two of his children of such tender years that they asked the people who came up after the occur rence whether they should proceed on to chapel or not. Dempsey died almost immediately. The scene of the murder was a bye-path close to the rise of Holly Park, the residence of Mr. Blake, J.P., the time about half-past 11 on Sunday morning, and the victim a man who has incurred odium by taking a farm from which another was evicted. At the inquest, Mr. Blake deposed that at the hour mentioned he heard two shots in rapid succession near the rear of his yard. His coachman was with him, and they both went immediately to the place whence the shots proceeded and found Dempsey lying on the ground. His two children were standing over the body, trying to raise him to a sitting position. Witness, and the coachman placed the man's back against the wall. Life was not then extinct. Witness spoke to him, but he was not able to reply. Witness saw nobody near the place at the time, but looking a little later he saw two men about 200 yards away. The children asked if they should go on to mass, and he desired the clergyman who had come up in the meantime to take them away. Witness re turned to the house to tell his father, but came back immediately, and two men named Haniffey and Uniacke then joined him. Life was then extinct. Witness could not identify the two men he had first seen. Medical evidence was given that death was caused by gun-shot wounds, and the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown.

LADIES' COLUMN.

AT THE DRAWINGROOM.

MR. LABOUCHERE TAKES NOTES AT DUCKING HAM PALACE.—DESCRIBES THE DRESSES, AND PEEPS INTO THE CARRIAGES. The show of beauty at the drawingrooms, especially on Thursday, was remarkable (says the London "Truth ), but certain married ladies were considered to bear off the palm. The animadversion of the Queen on the extreme lowness of the dresses worn last year has borne fruit, as there was hardly one during the week to which any objection could have been taken. A fashion has lately sprang up of ladies coming to the Palace with gloves of every sort of colour. Of this the Queen: strongly dissaproves, and it is expected that a hint will be given that only white gloves are to be worn in future.. Most of the carriages were fearfully shabby. There were not more than half a dozen that would have been con sidered eligible for a progress to the Palace thirty years ago. There was a thoroughly slovenly appearance about horses, carriages, and servants in the majority of cases. The Queen refused to receive a peeress who became a widow not very long ago, and who has since contracted a second marriage. It is amusing to watch the different demeanour of the ladies who wait for such long hours in their carriages on the Mall. Some are, or artfully appear to be, utterly unconscious of the. gaze of the crowd j others almost court it; while a few are distressingly self-conscious. Various are the devices for whiling away the time. In one brougham I observed a lady and gentleman playing cards. In another a young girl was threading beads. In several the perusal of a novel was going on. In a few fact, in news paper form, was preferred to fiction. In one brougham were two lovely girls and a still beautiful mother. Each held an enormous bouquet of such flowers as stephanotis. gar denia, and yellow rosebuds, the whole framed and shaded with maidenhair. The coachman and footman had bunches of similar flowers in their coats, and even the carriage lamp had its complement of blossoms. One of the debu tantes carried a large and tasteful bouquet of ox-eye daisies and maidenhair. Another bouquet, of daisies only, was less successful; and a third, a signal failure, was a limp group of forget-me-nots. A bouquet' of pansies, dark and yellow, with yellow roses and maidenhair, was one of the loveliest I saw. One young girl carried a flower fan instead of a bouquet. The frame was covered with moss on either side, and in this were fastened ox-eye daisies and wood anemones. I observed a dress on which lilac sunflowers were displayed. Is this meant to be an improvement on nature? The British rough delights in puffing; rank tobacco smoke in at the carriage windows, and is by no means reluctant to cast rude remarks in the same direction. At the same time one cau but wonder that the ladies who have to face such a battery of glances do not wear some kind of veiling drapery over the arms and shoulders which the exigencies of Court dress display so freely. Only in two instances had this been done on Thursday last, and one of these was in the case of the two Indian ladies presented to Her Majesty,

EFFECTS OF TIGHT LACING.

The evil of tight lacing was shown at an, inquest held by Dr. Thomas, coroner for Central Middlesex, at Kilburn, upon the body of Mrs Amelia Jury, cause of death, stated that upon making a aged 48.: Dr. Hill, in his evidence as to the post mortem examination he found that the stomach was contracted in the middle by a firm band, narrowing it to one-eighth of its usual size, so there were virtually two stomachsi and this contraction was on, a level with a deep indentation on the liver, corresponding to where the stays were tightly bound round. The liver itself was flattened out, and was driven down very deep into the pelvis also, and there was no doubt that this was also pro duced by tight lacing.—The Coroner said that he some time ago held an inquest where it was shown that the liver had been very seriously injured through tight lacing, and perhaps these cases would act as a caution against the prac tice now adopted.

Rational Dress for Ration al Women. The "Standard" considers that some ex periments in the way of rational dress may well be tried when we have each contentedly watched in the space of an ordinary life at least twenty experiments in dress, founded apparently on the theory that the human form properly terminates either in a belt or .a fish tail, or that the general outline of the female figure should resemble that of a wasp. Petti coats, sometimes multiplied and flounced till scarce a young Oxford athlete could walk under the weight which drags the limbs of a fragile woman, or else "tied back," so that, as Lady Harberton describes it, " they so fasten the legs that they oblige everyone to take short, stumbling steps"; such are the miserable habiliments of our wives . and daughters. When it is added to all this wretchedness that the cost of. the . foolish and ugly garments, perpetually needing change and restoration from dust and mud, is enormous, enough reason has certainly been given why almost any proposal for reform should be heard with respectful attention, and debated on its merits, without the usual idle sneers so often directed against the efforts of "\yomen to dress cheaply arid sensibly, rather than against all the follies and extravagances of fashion. ;

The Best Marriages. — Young people marry their opposite? in temperament and general character, and such marriages are generally good ones. They do it instinctively. The young man does not say, "My black eyes require to be wed with blue, and my. over vehemence requires to be a little modified with dullness and reverse." When these opposites come together to be wed they do not know it, but each thinks the-other just like himself. Old people never marry their opposites; they marry their similars, and from calculation. Each of these two arrangements is very proper. In their long journey these opposites will fall out by the way a great many times, and charm the other back again, and by and by they will be agreed as to the place they will go to, and the road they will go by, and both become reconciled. The man will be nobler and larger for being associated with so much humanity unlike himself, and she will be a nobler woman for having manhood beside her that seeks to correct her deficiencies and supply her with what she lacks, if the diversity be not. too great, and if there be real generosity and love in their hearts to begin with. The old bride groom, having a much shorter journey to make, must associate himself with one like himself. A perfect and complete marriage is, perhaps, as rare as perfect personal beauty. Men and women are married fractionally, now a small fraction, then a large fraction. , Very few are married totally, and they only after some forty

or fifty years of gradual approach and experi ment. Such a large and sweet fruit is a com plete marriage that it needs a very long sum mer to ripen in and then a long, winter to mel low and saason. ■ ■

The Chinese and their Habits.

(Written for the "Star.")

Whoever has—either in Australia, America-/ or in the Celestial Empire—had an opportunity1 of forming an accurate estimate of the eharac ter, economy, arid morals of Chinamen will,, while accrediting them yrilh characteristics cal culated to imbue the mind of a casual observer' favourable towards them, acknowledge that &■ closer acquaintance ; discloses others which> render them very undesirab'e acquaintances outside of their own country. . . A Chiniman is a productive, non-consump- tive animal. He is industrious, ingenious,. imitative, and sober. There his good qualities end. His bad ones are not so easily summed up ; some of them are indescribably, horrible. "A Chinaman will live where an European would starve." So much the better for the European, but there is no gainsaying, the state ment, for a Chinaman can exist on rice, and grow fat if he can get pigs' offals to eat with it.

Our acquaintance with John Chinaman has been pretty extensive. We knew him on goldfieids and in cities ; we have traded with him, and come oft" square through knowing enough of his language to be able to drop down to.his little game. The habitations of the Chinese on the goldfieids of Australia are con structed, as a rule, of saplings, rags, packing case linings, and kerosine tins ; they are dark,. reeking dens, redolent of the most offensive smells imaginable. To each of the hovels— which are packed close together—is attached a pigstye, also composed of a heterogeneous com bination of saplings, tin and rags ; in fact, the piggeries are- but additions to the dwelliegs of the almond-eyed Celestial, five or six of whom will herd together in one of these squalid, pes tilential abodes,. the dimensions of which are rarely more than twelve feet square. John Chinaman is a great lover of pork, which he preserves for an indefinite period by, cutting in long narrow strips, which are spitted on a long skewer, dipped in oil, and hung in the air to dry. Apart from the utter disregard of all sanitary laws evinced by the Chinese, they are objectionable on the score of morality. They have no wives, and as their lust is great their passions are pandered to by procuresses, who inveigle young,girls into their houses, drug them, and leave them to the tender mercies of their Chinese employers. In this manner hundreds of girls, some mere children, are annually debased to the lowest level of degra dation. The.Chinese quarter in Melbourne is situated in Little Bourke street. Anyone can go through it who cares to do so; but they will not see much if they do, for they cannot penetrate into the interior—the purlieus, the terra incognita, the almost inaccessible places, known only to, the initiated. We, however, had occasion to write a series of articles for the Melbourne press, and, in order to gain information, availed ourselves of the services of Detectives Considine and Braton and of plain clothes Constables O'Mara and Hayes, and accompanied by them visited the veriest Alsatia that ever afforded an asylum to rogues, vagabonds, and harlots. Romeo Lane, Tuliet Terrace, Bilking Square, Allen's Lane, and the Celestial elysium we duly visited in their company. Not in one night; our inves tigation occupied a week, but the time was well spent. We have a vivid recollection of the sights we saw, and the smells we smelt are still fresh,: or rather we should say foul, in our. nostrils. We commenced our investiga tions after dark each night and continued them until early morning. We entered uninvited the houses, the cook shops, the opium shops, the lottery shops, and the " fan tan " gambling houses. We saw John Chinaman in all his glory and in all his abject hapless misery and degradation; we saw European women half nude lying crosswise on beds, in a state of coma : from opium smoking, with their heads resting on pillows, cheek-by-jowl with inani mate Chinamen. ■'■ : ••*'

In some of the houses yellow-skinned elfish little objects were crawling about the floor, and presented as unwholesome and sickening a picture of infantile misery as could be imagined. TKe lottery shops are very profitable concerns. Numerous agents are employed to sell the tickets, and the shops are frequented by Euro pean youths and girls, who squander their earn ings in purchasing tickets, for once infected with the gambling mania they soon cease-to think about anything but the number of marks on their tickets. •

Chinamen think more of the dead than of the living. When one of their countrymen is ill they say, "he sick, he no good," and leave him to shift for himself; but they pay peri odical visits to the cemetery, and have quite a picnic among the graves in honour of the de pnrted. Nothing comes amiss to a Chinaman. He will collect old jam and kerosene tins and extract the solder from them. But his specialty is gardening, 'and it is almost incredible how much he will make a small plot of land pro duce. Melbourne is in a great measure depen dent upon "John" for its supply of fresh vegetables. "John," when once he adopts a trade, soon secures a virtual monopoly, for he can produce cheaply and undersell all other competitors, but he "plenty savee" when to raise the prices, and Chinese cheap labour would cease when once European labour was driven out of the market. Let those who love John live with him. We like him not, and are of opinion that the smaller the percentage we have of him 'in the country the better; and little as we relish him, should relish his mon grel Mongolian progeny still less.

A Prisoner Pleading for Death.

At the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, Lord Young presiding, James Grant, aged 26, was charged with having on February 4 last shot several persons in Edinburgh and Leith.— Lord Young explained to the prisoner that under the Act in question the assault with which he was charged was a capital crime.— After evidence the jury found him guilty.— Lord Young, in passing sentence, said he shrank from making a lad of 26 a slave in a penal prison for life, but the term which he would give must be a long one—namely, 14 years' penal servitude. On hearing the sentence the prisoner folded his arms and said, " I wish you would bring it in capital punishment, as I intended to kill, and I don't wish to live. "— The Judge said that wiser people than the prisoner did not think it was at all well with the wicked when their miserable life was ended. —The circumstances under which the prisoner was arrested were very peculiar. He and another man were seen loitering about the Leith Custom-house on the night of February 3, and when taken into custody both drew revolvers, firing at and wounding three constables. When on the point of being captured prisoner's com panion blew his own brains out.



CHEAP BOOT AND SHOE WAREHOUSE, 12, Victoria-street, Auckland.—W. Holds worth. IF'you -want Cheap, Stylish Millinery, Ladies' Underclothing, and Fanoy Drapery of the best quality, go to Mns. Perrow, 284, Upper Queen-street. PRINTING.— Go to tho Star for Cheap Print ing. Largest and best assortment of type * in New Zealand. GEORGE WM. WHICKOMB, Baker, etc., Ponsonby Road. GEORGE HAZZAEL, Wholesale and Retail Fruiterer, Upper Symonds-street. MADAME le GRIFFON, Milliner and Dress Maker, Upper Queen-street. S T E V E N S 0 N , • Fashionable Tailor, Foot of Grey Street, Auckland.^ A well - selected Stock of Tweeds, Fancy Coatings, etc. Style and Fit Guaranteed, Give nic a Trial! M c X E 0 W N, , Baker, Confectioned, and Biscuit Baker, SHIPPING GROCER, ETC., Imperial Bakery, Queen Street Wharf. Town and Country Orders promptly attended to. ' ' mThE STAR BAKE KY. JAMES FERGUSON, Comer of Durham and Chapel Streets, Bread and Small Goods Baker. 3_T Orders promptly attended to. ~W. GARN IE E, , Manufacturing Jeweller, DEALER IN CURIOS, Albert Street (near Star Hotel), Auckland. All kinds of Curios—Ornamental Kauri Gum, Wholesale and Retail; Shells of every descrip tion mounted at moderate charges. An Early Trial is Respectfully Solicited Repairs of every description. ',-.-■■ On Parle Fran.ais. - SERVICE . (Near Mr. Lanibourn's) KARANGAHAPE ROAD, In thanking the Wholesale Houses, Manufac turers, and Dressmakers for the patronage ho has received in Frilliiigs and Kiltings, wishes to inform them that he now makea Fancy Boxes, Orders for which will be promptly attended to. TJ : O N E S , . Watchmaker and Jeweller, KARANGAHAPE ROAD (Nest door to Mr. McPhcrson's). Watches, Clocks, and Jewellery neatly repaired QYMONDS STREET MEAT DEPOT. ENOCH WOOD, Family Butcher. Meat delivered at Mount Albert, Epsom, Mount Eden, Carlton Grove, Lower Symonds Street, Newton, and Eden Terrace. First-class quality; reasonable prices. Cash customers liberally treated. Inspection Invited. HR A F T ON, . Basket & Perambulator Maker, Junction of Queen and Grey Streets. Large Stock op Fancy Baskets always on Hand. Discount to Wholesale Dealers. I 1 "" ZEALAND I A. • (ORIGINAL). There's a land that is-washed by the Southern main, Remote from all other lands lying; A land of high mountains and w ide fertile plain, Thro' its forests the sea breeze is sighing. A land -where there's room on its rich virgin soil, ■ That is watered by brooks ever flowing: A land where the husbandman reaps for his toil ' A harvest of crops ever growing. A land of safe havens, a land of mild clime, A land of grand prospects before it; A land in the wilderness of nature sublime, A land where its people adore it. A land where the winds bring the health of the sea, And ships to its harbours approaching; A land where the union jack waves o'er the free,'"' All safe from invaders' encroaching. The future looms bright in that beautiful land, Like Britain by ocean protected; Already the cable's encircling wire-band With Britain is daily connected. Then, hail to Zealandia! whore, lash'd by the wave, The beetling crags loom high and hoary; The health of its sea breeze can strengthen the brave, And urge them to triumphs and glory. IN THE OLD CHURCH TOWER. IN the old church tower Hangs the bell; . And above it on the vane. In the sunshine and the rain. Cut in gold St. Peter stands With the keys in his two hands, And all Is well. In the old church tower Hangs the bell; You can hear its great heart beat, Ah 1 so loud, and mild, and sweet, As the parson says his prayer Over happy lovers there, While all is well! In the old church tower Hangs the bell, Deep and solemn. Hark! again, Ah 1 what passion and what pain! With her hands upon her breast, Some poor boul has gone to rest Where all is well! In the old church tower -~-. Hangs the bell— A quaint friend that seems to know All our joys, and all our woe; It is glad when we are wed, :■■■' It is sad when we are dead, i' u . And all is well. > •---.. ' ''- ■'■'■ ••'•' ' — IT. B, Aldricht