POETRY.

THE SAY-LANDLORDS.

(BY ONE OF THEIR DIBCONTINTED TININTS. AN APOLOGUE.) THERE once was an island,—no needs to say where,

1Twas surrounded with wather, as many more are,—

But, not like the " Green One," 'twas barren and bare.

One half of it rock, and the other half sand, And belted with black reefs all round like a band,— Its lots had gone shape in the lettin' o' land.

With mild skies above, and a very soft sate, But one thing was wanted to make it complete,— The devil a thing grew upon it to ate.

Not a pratie or turnip, corn, cabbage, or clover ; The whole of its surface a hawk might heck over, Nor a mouthful of food or of forage discover.

Not a tree nor a bush would he see, leaf or bark, And as for grass-land, he might make the remark, That there wasn't material for soddin' a lark. No powney grazed there, donkey, cow, sheep, or goat ; If you wanted a baste, there was nothin' to quote But one dog that sat yowlin' beside a wrecked boat.

Nor were the conveyances all one might wish,—• Rotten baskets, and creels, and a broken-down kish, For carrying the only commodity,—fish.

For fish was the staple of this beauteous island ; The say gave it vittals refused by its dry land, And cockles and wilks fed the folk on its high land.

There was fish on the strand, there was fish in the street ; " Hoo's fish ?" was the way your acquaintance to greet, The eraturs knew nothin' of bread or flesh meat.

There was fish on the boord, there was fish o'er the bed; You had snuffed fishy smells from the carcases bred Miles ofF,—if you hadn't a cowld in your head.

No returns agricultural here I presint, But hope this of-fish-al report will contint,— " It was fish kept the tinints, and fish paid the riot."

" The tinnints !" " the rint !" Why, the man must be crazy, To talk of such things, where there wasn't a daisy I Say-landlords ! and runt for salt wather,—be asy I Well, laugh if you like ; I'll not stand on the wordin', But with wather for land, and the herrins for herdin', The MOM on both iliments bore a like burden.

On the one, as the other, were growlers and groaners, Under grantees from antediluvian donors,—

People elsewhere called land, but in this place, say-owners.

'Twas the wather these claimed, howsomedever they won it, To sell, let, or bequatbe, and agreeably shun. it, For, in fact, they were slow to set fut or eye on it.

They spint not a sixpence on boat or on nettin' ; They lint not a hand in the rowin' and sweatin'; But as to the fishes,—they tuk 'cm an' ott 'em.

The cod, and the turbot, the sole, and the plaice, The whitin' and mackerel,—'twas all the one ease ; All dues to his Honour, my Lord, or his Grace.

While as to the low chaps who furnished the freights, Why, had it been whales that were caught in their nets, Their share would have still been the sprats and the skates.

I forgit. At odd times, upon payin' their gales, In the bad fishin' saisous, they'd git back the scales ; Aye, maybe come home wid the heads and the tails !

The remainder, iv coorse, by the " owners " was taken, For the salt wather,--wasn't it all of their makin' P And the tides, what are tides 'gainst their ropein' and stakein' P But a time is at hand, and it can't come too fast, When the boat shall be theirs who bore up 'gainst the blast, And the net yield its spoil to the strong hands that cast.

Don't you see the waves rising, and hear their deep tone,— " We speak in God's name, and 'tis justice alone, That the labourer should keep what's the labourer's own.

But for you, idle lordlings, extortionate elves, Leave your `grants' and your 'royalties' down on those shelves, And if fish 'tie you're wanting, just fish for yourselves."

J. S. D.