POETRY.

MR. WALKER, DIVER.

[The preservation of Winchester Cathedral by a triumph of modern engineer- ing has been rendered possible by the skill and endurance of Mr. William Hobert Walker, the diver, who for some six years has been at work deep down in the liquid peat, building, in the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, " a man-made rock on which the priceless work of faith and beauty might stand

tIrm."]

Divan, who serenely divest In the dark some fifteen feet, Till thou in the end arrivest

At the gravel 'neath the peat—.

Thus, uncouthly paraphrasing

Calverley's immortal stave, I essay the task of praising

Walker in his wat'ry cave.

Journalists may bleat and bellow, Eulogizing feats of speed; Here's the sort of dogged fellow That the British only breed.

Nowadays we laud the talker, Adulate the nimble tongue; But the deeds of Mr. Walker Hitherto remain unsung.

Yet, to speak in accents candid,

Who has better earned a lay Than the man who, single-handed, Saved a Minster from decay ?

Francis Fox, the arch-contriver, Was the master-mind supreme; But you were the only diver Who could carry out his scheme.

So for six long years your labours, Under water, under ground, Unbeknownst to all your neighbours Followed their incessant round.

There, with zeal that never slumbered,

Cutting out the peat, you laid Layers of cement unnumbered

Till the sagging walls were stayed.

Jocular associations

" Walker " as a name have marred ; You have giv'n it connotations Worthy to inspire a bard.

Presentations, public dinners, Minor benefactors prize; You, the Prince of Underpinners, Such delights can well despise.

For amid the band of strivers Who have rescued Waklyn's fans, You, the doughtiest of divers, Stand upon a special plane.

And I hope the stone recording Fox's skill in language fit Will be liberal in awarding