THE RIVER. BY COVENTRY PATMORE. It is a venerable pier, Though anything but sound; So old, the _Rainbow_ shatters it, To Hungerford when bound; And over all the mud expanse A river runneth round. Upon a rise, where pewter pots And rows of benches tall Look pleasantly, the "Swan" beneath, Where concert singers squall, Resteth, in quiet dignity, A shrimp and winkle stall. Around it, heads, and tails, and ends, Are scattered left and right; Above, its long Suspension Bridge, For railways far too slight: And faces through its railings gleam, A taking of a sight. Beyond the river, bounding all, A crowd of chimneys stand, The Shot-concern their central point, As sooty as a band Of sweeps around their May-day Jack, Extended hand in hand. The verdant Greenwich boat is come, The touter's lungs are strong; The cornet bloweth lustily, The "gents" indulge in song; And running down, the river flows Like black pea-soup along. NEW LINES OF RAILWAY, IN CONTEMPLATION FOR 1846. Capel Court and Queen's Bench Extension, with a branch to Whitecross Street. Somerset House and Andover Direct Junction. Central African. Herne Bay and Hanwell. Liverpool and New York Suspension. Golden Square and Michaelmas Day Junction. [Illustration: ARIES—Ram-pant jollities. ] THE ZODIAC—MARCH. ARIES.—THE RAM (IN SMITHFIELD). SONNET TO THE RAM INN.