Notes On Literature Science And Art.

pathetic , scornful , and affirmative . It lays down the laws and commandments . It is positive , legislative , and authoritative . This is the temper of our author everywhere , and this was the Puritanical temper in its innermost expression . " A project is in contemplation for establishing a national gallery of pictures commemorative of the achievements of the ^ British army aud navy . A recent volume , entitled Lyrics ami Idylls , hy Gerda Pay , contains the following : —

"THE LOVE-CHARM . " Framed within the dusky doorway , Musing , fair and motionless , Lulled beneath the summer glory Into blissful consciousness , —

" As thou standest—not a zephyr Lifts thy soft hair's shadowy fold , But the suniight ripples ever Like a river running gold . "At thine innocent heart reclining Cooes a wood-dove mourning lowly , And its changeful plumage shining

Varies with the sunlight slowly . " Passion-flowers , all richly wreathing , Purple shades about thee throwing , And thy sweetly measured breathing , Lightly stirs thy garments flowing . " To my daily labours hieing ,

Pause I at that garden ' s bound , — All without the dust is flying , All within is holy ground 1 " All without is care and striving , Toilsome labour's grinding wheel , Gaining , losing , failing , thriving , Pausing not to think or feel .

" But in Eden's iirimal garden Lies that lovely cottage nest ; And , of tranquil joy the warden , ' •' .::::. Shines the dove upon thy breast . " Broad white lily-flowers leaning , Planted by that gentle hand ,

Take near thee a mystic meaning , Symbols of a better land . " Seek who will the noisy revel , Pleasure's flower , or passion ' s fret , Say the world be sad ancl evil , — Angels haunt its pathways yet ! " Lust who may for earthly potage ,

Higher flies my soul s endeavour , By that vine-embowered cottage Where the wood-doves murmur ever . " Say not 'tis an earth-born vision Fills my soul , and fires mine eyes , — Trees that bear such fruit elysian Draw their nurture from the skies .

" I will wait and work on blindly , Trusting in the Powers Above , In her nature pure ancl kindly , In the greatness of my love . " For I seek to win ancl wear her , Guard her life from harm and pain ,

'Till her sister angels bear her To her native Heaven again 1 " There is a good old adage that " Time and tide will wait for no man , " but rarely do we meet with a better illustration of this than in the following anecdote , related in a volume of Reminiscences of a , Scottish Gentlemanlatelpublished : — "There were two shi

, y ps hound to Barbadoes similarly at anchor at the magazines , and quite ready for sea , waiting for a fair wind . One commanded by an unmarried , dashing , dare-devil sailor ; the other hy a steady , cautious , ancl excellent seaman , but a married man . The former Slept on board his ship , the latter at his home in Liverpool , depending , if a change of wind occurred , to be called up by the

Notes On Literature Science And Art.

coxswain of his boat ' s crew . Unfortunately , the coxswain , though he he had no wife to love , loved a glass of grog too well : the consequence was , he slept in ( as the sailors say ) , and when he awoke , and hurried to muster the boat ' s crew , it was dead lowwater , and the boat lay high ancl dry on the beach . The captain , on at length reaching his ship , was , as may be well believed , furious , particularly when he discovered the other ship had taken immediate advantage of the sliht slant of easterly wind at the

g height of the tide , which had enabled her to get through the narrow channel between the sandbanks of Hoylake and theLeasoes on the main , and get away to sea , whilst the tide having turned , and low water intervened , and the wind having returned to its old quarter north-west , rendered the moving of the other ship from her anchors utterly impossible ; but misfortune did not cease here , for the wind continued in the same quarter without any change for

the long period of eight weeks , so there , at her anchorings , hung the unfortunate detained vessel , whilst her former consort , who had got to sea ancl made a quick passage , hacl reached Barbadoes , discharged her outward cargo , taken in her fresh cargo , and returned and found the unlucky victim of his coxswain's love of grog positively still at anchor , waiting for a fair wind . Now these are facts , and not the mere ' spinning of a yarn , ' and may he attested by some resident as old as I am in Liverpool . " A new novel , entitled A Hero m Spite of Hhmlf , by Capt . Mayne Reid , is nearly ready for publication .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expresseSibij Corresponilenl s , PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF NORFOLK . TO THE EDITOB 01 ? THE EEEEaiASOlfS MAGAZINE AIiT ) MASONIC MIHKOn . SIR , —In justice to truth , may I request the the insertion of the following notice of the letter of a Harwich Masou . I am , sir , yours obediently , THE EDITOR OE THE NORWICH MERCURY . August 16 th , 1861 .

THE LATE MASONIC DINNER . A person signing himself " A Norwich Mason , " has sent a notice of our remarks on the Freemasons' dinner to the FREEMASONS ' MAGAZINE . In those remarks he throws a doubt on the truth of our statement , that on application to the Provincial Grand Master , that gentleman stated he saw no objection to the the admission of the reporter , although not a Mason . A plain

statement will show that his imputation is not only false in this respect , but in many others . In the first place , having received a note from a subordinate officer , stating that he did not think a reporter would be admitted , we asked the Provincial Grand Treasurer , an old Mason , and his reply was , that he could not see any objection , but would ask the Provincial Grand Master . He did see the Provincial Grand Master the evening previous , ancl called at our officestating that he had seen that gentlemanwho saw no

objec-, , tion to the presence of the reporter , though nofc a Mason . What was the cause of Mr . Bond CVohell ' s silence when our reporter was refused admission by Mr . Leedes Fox it is not for us even to conjecture . We cannot undertake to account for the Grand Master giving an opinion ono day , and allowing that opinion to be

contravened the next by his inferior officer . The fact is , as we have stated it , ancl " A Norwich Freemason's" imputed untruth to us recoils upon his own head . Ifc is he , and not us , who has stated that which is false . Next , it is not true that our reporter was introduced in the North Walsham Meeting by a Mason who is in our establishment . He was requested to attend by a gentleman living- near North Walshamand was not introducedas this truthful Mason says

, , very , by one of our establishment . So much tor assertion number two . Thirdly , it is not true that we obtained our information of what passed from a Mason in our establishment . AVe were told by other persons , and not by him , ancl so disgraceful , as men and as gentlemen , was the conduct of certain parties ( we could give particulars ) , that it was the common talk of the city the next day . Fourthl . —Our reporter : —

y says " I did not ask for admission to the North Walsham meeting , nor did I then , or subsequently , assert that I would never again apply for admission to a Masonic meeting . At the North Walsham banquet some very strong remarks were directed by a Suffolk Mason , against the admission of a person who was not a Mason to the dinner , and as he must known that I was the only non-Mason