Poetry.

Poetry .

CASTLES IST THE AIR . By T . J . SWAIN . Sad ones who traverse life's broad road of sorrow , Whose crosses and trials are heavy to bear , Oft at times a respite from their misery borrow In the glorious castles they build in the air . They beholdwhilst thus seated in solitude dreaming :

, , The fulfilment of wishes their minds held most dear , And life ' s purest joys by Hope ' s silver lamp gleaming Before their elysian fancies appear . They imagine themselves to be once more partaking Of innocent pleasures with those they love best , And tho' their fond day-dream must have its sad waking , It soothes the tried spirit ancl lulls it to rest .

Thus they rise from their musings refresh'd and assisted In encount'ring their troublesome burden of care ; The . most desolate beings that ever existed Have found solace in castles they built in the air . For a visit to fairy land softens affliction , Relieves the full heart when 'tis bursting with woe , And acts like tbe charm of a friend ' s kind prediction

Iu light ' ning our sorrow whilst suffering below . Then let us with thankfulness bless the Almighty Who sends us such visions to mitigate pain , And illumines the future before us more brightly With a foretaste of happiness dawning again .

Meetings Of The Scientific And Learned Societies For The Week Ending January 20th , 1866.

MEETINGS OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND LEARNED SOCIETIES FOR THE WEEK ENDING JANUARY 20 TH , 1866 .

Tuesday , 16 th . —INSTITUTION or CIVIL ENGINEERS , at S . Wednesday , 17 th . —SOCVETY or AIMS . — " On Automatic-Telegraphy . " By Alexander Bain , Esq . Thursday , 18 th .- —CHEMICAL SOCIETY .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COUBT . —Their Serene Highnesses Prince and Princess Hermann , of Hohenlohe , arrived at Osborne on Saturday last on a visit to her Majesty , ancl were met at Trinity Pier , East Cowes , by his Royal Highness Prince Arthur , attended by Major Elphinstone . Her Majesty , their Royal Highnesses Princess Helena , Princess Louise , and Prince Arthur attended Divine service at Osborne , on Sunday last , which was performed by the

Rev . G . Prothevo . Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice attended the service at Whippingham Church . The Queen has honoured Miss Durant with sittings for the medallion of her Majesty , to be placed in Wolsey ' s Chapel . Prince Arthur , attended by Major Elphinstone , returned on Wednesday to the Ranger's House , Greenwich Park .

GENERAL HOME NEWS . —The Registrar General has been able to add Sheffield and Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the other towns that send him in weekly returns of their bills of mortality , so that the return comprises 13 large towns , containing a population of more than six millions of souls . The mortality over these towns is at the rate of 30 in the thousand .

Edinburghjjis lowest in the scale , and London next , their proportion being 25 and 26 . Liverpool tliis week is quite frightful ; its rate of mortality is 45 , or 20 beyond Edinburgh , and 15 beyond the average rate . Even the next highest in the scale , the newly added town of Newcastle , drops 9 below it . The total number of deaths was 3 , 940 , of which 1 , 520 took place in London , being 65 below the estimated rate for the metropolis ,

and less by S 3 than in the previous week . The births in all the towns amounted to 6 , 353 , of whom 2 , 252 belong to London . This was nearly 200 beyond the London birth average . A meeting of the Middlesex magistrates was held on the 4 th inst . in reference to the cattle plague . The chairman introduced the subject , and advocated the closing of the Metropolitan Cattle

Market for a time . It seems that the Lord Mayor and City authorities have the power of closing the market by order ; but the Middlesex magistrates can effect tbe same object in another way . They can order that no cattle shall he driven from one part of the country to another , provided that in being removed the cattle travel on or cross a turnpike road . The

chairman of the magistrates and others of the court were in favour of adopting this course , and thus virtually closing the market by not allowing cattle to be driven there . An amendment was , however , moved to this suggestion , and that amendment was carried . It provides for further consideration of the matter . Patrick Welsh , who was sentenced to death

for murder at the last Leeds assizes , has had that sentence commuted to one of penal servitude for life . The two men , Farrell and Butler , who were charged a few days ago with endeavouring to induce a soldier to desert and join the Fenian conspiracy wore brought up again at the Thames Police Court , on the Sth inst . Some further evidence was forthcoming , from

which it would seem that part of the military clothes found in Farrell ' s house belonged to soldiers who had deserted from their regiments . It is said the police have information to show that the prisoners have been engaged for some time in inducing soldiers to desert . Both men were remanded . At the West * minster Police-court , Mr . Selfe gave his decision as to the application for a summons calling on Sir Charles Fox to answer a charge of perjury in regard to bis evidence iu the case of Clare

ii . the Queen . Mr . Selfe reviewed the statements that had been made to induce him to grant the summons , and decided that they were not sufficient to warrant him in issuing the summons . The Board of Trade inquiry into tlie collision in the Channel between the Samphire and the Fanny Buck was brought to a close on Saturday last . Captain Bennett handed in a statement

in his defence , and counsel addressed tho court . After an hour's deliberation the Mayor o ( Dover announced the decision of the court . It was that Captain Bennett was hlameable for having driven the Samphire at so high a rate of speed on such a dark and foggy night ; but this blame was lessened by the further expression of opinion that the Post Office ancl

passengers make the great speed essential . In the end , Captain Bennett had his certificate handed back to him . The official report of the court will not be published for several days . Eli Sykes , the young man who was convicted at the late Leeds assizes of the murder of a young woman and her mother at Dewsbury , is dead . Some days ago , since his

conviction , he threw himself over the railing of a staircase in Arinley Gaol ancl injured himself fearfully . From the effects of these injuries he died . Another of the Fenians has been tried , convicted , and sentenced . Charles ICickham was one of the men captured at the same time that Stephens was taken . He is very deaf , and the trial was rather a tedious affair . He has

heen sentenced to fourteen years' penal servitude . The tenant farmers appear to be taking active measures to obtain a mitigation of the evils inflicted upon chem by the game laws . One of their number in Norfolk has suggested that a memorial should be presented to the Prince of Wales , asking him to use his influence to obtain a lessening of the injury done by

excessive game preserving . The memorial he suggests appears to be a fairly out-spoken document . The tenant farmers , however , will have slight chance of obtaining relief until they