Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.

The New Year pieces breathe a healthy atmosp here ; and the remark of our author may be made on any New Year ' s Day : — « For now another year has faded from the rolls of Time ; Another year is buried in the grave of

ages ! Another year is number'd with the great old dead , And we are standing on the threshold of

anew one , A young , fresh year , with all its hidden future . " And when called upon to " part in pain from some we cherish , " as most of us have been forced to do , all of us who cherish

the comfortable doctrine of the immortality of the soul , will" trust to meet them once again In that bright land , where Time has ceased to be , And where Eternity has usher'd in The radiant hours of joy , and love , and rest . "

And every true Freemason will remember to do his duty to his fellow-men when he has it in his power : — " For life has still some work for us , Some duties yet to do , Some hearts to soothe , some hopes to cheer

Some labours kind and true ; Not idle , careless loiterers now , — Ours is the ' better part , ' To help on those who falter here , With true and loving heart . *****

So let the message of to-day Fall on our listening ears ; Let ' s look in loving heart to God 'Mid earthly doubts and fears ; -And whether long , or whether short , Life keeps for us its span , Let ' s seek in this all-glad New Year To help our Brother Man . "

these are true Masonic sentiments , enunciated with the beautiful simplicity of genuine poetry ; and if all who have been initiated into our glorious Craft , taught them by both precept and practice , like our gifted brother , what a different world this would soon become ! Passing over a few choice little poems , with such good English titles as " Never

Forgotten , " " Doubt , " and " Happiness , " we come to " The Picture . " Every reader of our glorious English bards will remember Oowper ' s touching verses on the receipt of his mother ' s picture out of Norfolk j aud Campbell's classic " Stanzas to

Painting , " and I am very sorry that want of sjiace will only allow me to quote one-third of our author ' s companion poem , for such it may be considered , to the above : —

" For that jucture in its truthfulness , As it hangs up there above , Tells of a heart all simple , Yet full of tender love ; And in its sacred sympathies , And in its mystic power , That picture throws a soft ' ning ray On every passing hour .

* * * * * Oh ! wondrous spell of painting ; Oh ! great and gracious art , Which oft , to us who linger here , Can'st the happiness impart Of feeling aud believing That those we love are near , — That the truest and the dearest

Are ever with us here . I could like to give many more extracts of beautiful passages that have pleased me . The quotations now given are all from the Slst to the 124 th pages , and the neatly jn-inted volume consists of 250

pages , all of which I have read with great pleasure— not merely waded through , as one has to do with some books . Our author ' s great strength is evidentl y in the pure sentiments and genuine pathos of his own soul . Many of the poems

must be read entire to be ajijireciated , as , to borrow an expression of Dr . Johnson ' s , " he that tries to recommend him by select quotations will succeed like the pedant in Hierocles , who , when he offered his house to salecarried a brick in his pocket as a

, specimen . " Nevertheless , I hope the " select quotations " I have given from the book under notice may induce some of my readers to possess themselves of the whole volume .

There are various places in England named Burton , the word being a contraction of " borough-town . " Thus we have the township of that name in Tarvin parish , near Tarporley , in Cheshire ; the