When I would paint thee, as thou art,
  Then all thou wert comes o’er my heart,—­
  The graceful child, in beauty’s dawn,
  Within the nursery’s shade withdrawn,
  Or peeping out,—­like a young moon
  Upon a world ’twill brighten soon. 
  Then next, in girlhood’s blushing hour,
  As from thy own loved Abbey-tower
  I’ve seen thee look, all radiant, down,
  With smiles that to the hoary frown
  Of centuries round thee lent a ray,
  Chacing ev’n Age’s gloom away;—­
  Or, in the world’s resplendent throng,
  As I have mark’d thee glide along,
  Among the crowds of fair and great
  A spirit, pure and separate,
  To which even Admiration’s eye
  Was fearful to approach too nigh;—­
  A creature, circled by a spell
  Within which nothing wrong could dwell,
  And fresh and clear as from the source,
  Holding through life her limpid course,
  Like Arethusa through the sea,
  Stealing in fountain purity.

  Now, too, another change of light! 
  As noble bride, still meekly bright,
  Thou bring’st thy Lord a dower above
  All earthly price, pure woman’s love;
  And show’st what lustre Rank receives,
  When with his proud Corinthian leaves
  Her rose, too, high-bred Beauty weaves. 
  Wonder not if, where all’s so fair,
  To choose were more than bard can dare;
  Wonder not if, while every scene
  I’ve watch’d thee through so bright hath been,
  Th’ enamour’d Muse should, in her quest
  Of beauty, know not where to rest,
  But, dazzled, at thy feet thus fall,
  Hailing thee beautiful in all!

Metropolitan.

* * * * *

PROGRESS OF CRIME.

(From a paper in Fraser’s Magazine, entitled the Schoolmaster in Newgate—­evidently from the hand of a shrewd observer, and the result of considerable experience and laborious investigation.)

By a reference to the Old Bailey session calendar, it will be seen that about 3,000 prisoners are annually committed to Newgate, making little short of 400 each session, of which there are eight in a year.  Out of the gross number, about 350 are discharged by proclamation.  Of these nothing can be said, as they must be considered innocent of the crimes with which they were charged, there not being prima facie evidence to send them on their trials.  There remain 2,550 who are tried, with the progressive increase of 4-7ths annually.  Some persons have supposed this accumulation of offenders bears a regular proportion to the progress of population.  As well may they assert that the demand for thieves in society regulates the supply, as in other markets of merchandise.  The cause is in the maladministration of the laws—­the sending out so many old offenders every session to teach and draw in the more juvenile and less experienced hands—­with