Poetry.

But suppose all this unknown , And uncertainty alone , — With its may-be bread or stone , May-be smile , or may-be groan : Every kind of want to kill ; Many hungry mouths to fill ; Still , a shattered roof to hold ;

Backs to shield against the cold ; Nothing here and nothing there , Pockets empty , cupboards bare ; Excepting hopelessness , despair—Nothing , nothing anywhere ! Stronger than tlie purpose true , Stronger than desire to do—Wrong the right may over-reach , In the moral make a breach , Easy as tlie Wealthy preach !

Masonic Song.

MASONIC SONG .

BY C . McMniAisr . In days long past , when the world was young , And arts from the wants of man had sprung , "T was found those arts were far from true , Till plan'd and taught by a mystic few . Those few , we know by our sacred lore ,

Ennobled , enriched their sphere of yore ; Whose every act and work began , Based , was , on the Great Creator ' s plan . For level and plumb , compass and square , Masons , well know , make all look fair . Walk ye and mark ye but with them , and see The beauty that lays in Masonry .

In days now come , as the world grows old , What arts more prolific , lovely , or hold , Than those we teach in our mystery , And honour with such fidelity ? No craft can boast of a nobler aim Than merry Freemasons do loyally

claim—Who , be what their country , language , or creed , Are brothers in act , and brothers in deed . Then fill up a bumper , be't water or wine , Drink to all Masons in every clime . Be they on land , or be they on sea , Health to them , wealth to them , where ' er they be .

Hope.

HOPE .

BY WILLIAM BBADEIEID . 'The fondest hope is but a dream , A fairie dream ; a fitful gleam Of fancy when the heart is proud ; A ray of sunshine through a cloud , Veiling tho grey—the common grey

Of this our life of every day—Through which we are too prone to see A golden haze of harmony jAnd not the world that is , but one ive wish to he .

But hope should be a pioneer To keep the path of purpose clear ; A lure in labour , leading through A long and chequered avenue ; Restless yearning ' s fond embrace ; Perseverance' resting place ;

Day in night and light in day ;' And through our toil should ever stay As doth a well told tale upon a weary way .

Hope.

33 ut still 'tis all a fairie dream — 'Tis ours to be and Hope ' s to seem ; 'Tis our ' s to play the lover's part ; 'Tis Hope's to cheer the sinking heart . To dream and only dream , ah me ! Is but a thriftless ecstasy , — A fond conceit so lightly traced That with a touch 'tis all erased . —

A well inteutioned wish , an ill directed waste . The bee , the ant are lowly things , Yet e . rch its modest portion brings To swell the still increasing store , — The Maker wiil'd nor asked for more . Their industry and cheerful toil , At least , should move a man , the soil To till—or human mind or sod—Else we may find him sleeping , nod , While humbler things erect a monument to God .

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COUKT . —Her Majesty has delayed her departure from the Highlands until next week . Prince Alfred is paying a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton , in Scotland . The Prince and Princess of Wales have left Denmark , and are now in Hanover , en route for England . GEXEHAX HOITB NEWS . —Tho mortality in the metropolis

still continues high . The number of people that died in the course of last week was 1 , 333 , which is 11-7 in excess of the ten years' corrected average . Scarlatina seems to be the most fatal disease of that class , and as it might be expected , its ravages were chiefly among children . The births for the week were 1 , 031 . , or about 90 above the ten years' average .

Mr . Pnrdy's weekly report exhibits another increase of pauperism iu the twenty-eight cotton manufacturing unions . Twenty of that number relieved 4 , 300 more paupers than in the second week of the present month ; the other eight decreased by 330 , thus leaving a net addition in the whole district

of 3 , 970 . The unions which have more markedly increased are Ashtou-under-Lyne , GOO ; Blackburn , 830 ; Burnley , 350 ; Bury , 430 ; Haslingden , 310 ; and Oldham , 310 . The total number now on the union relief list is 101 , 630 , which is more

than a third of the maximum number at Christmas , 1862 . The Guardians last week distributed £ 6 , 071 , as out-door relief . This is au increase of £ 253 on the expenditure of the previous week . Had the latter sum been equally divided among the new claimants upon the rate ( 3 , 070 ) it would have yielded Is . 3 | c _ . per head . There are now 27 , 31-8 adult able-bodied paupers on the

Guardians' books . At the meeting of the Central Executive Belief Committee , Mr . Parnall reported a further increase of 5 , 055 in the number of persons receiving parochial relief in the twenty-seven unions included in his report . The average percentage of pauperism on the population of these unions on the loth inst . was 5-0 ; in the corresponding week of 1 S 61 it was 2-2 ;

and in the same week of 1863 it was 6 ' 6 . Some statements were madeaboutthemannerin which the money borrowed from thePuhlic Works Act was being expended iu Manchester , and it was resolved " that the attention of the Corporation be called to the preamble and intention of the Public Works Act , with the expression of a desire from the Committee tbat the Corporation

will use every exertion to secure the fulfilment of the obvious intention of the Legislature , that factory opeiatives otherwise unemployed should as far as possible be set on such works . " A circular has been issued from the Public Works Office

in Manchester , urgently recommending local authorities to proceed with the works for the execution of which money has been borrowed under the Public Works Act in such a manner