FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. Facts, Hints, Gems, and Poetry. Facts. POST-OFFICE LABOUR. Some idea of the work at the post-office may be formed from the circumstance that it gives employment to 22,000 persons-and that the letters carried during the past year amounted to 456,000,000. The work, too, is annually increasing in magnitude; last year the letters were 13,000,000 more than in 1855, 46,000,000 more than in the year before that, and 374,030,000 more than in 1839, when the old system of postage was in force. LONDON FISH CONSUMPTION.— The calculations of Mr. Poole upon the subject of fish are very astounding. From these it appears that the Billingsgate sales for one year amount to the stupendous total of 3,000 millions of fish, weighing altogether 230,000 tons, and worth two millions of money. More than half this value falls to the single item of herrings, wet and dry, of which fish alone 1,272 millions are sold in this market during a single year. Of soles there are 98 millions sold, averaging in weight a quarter of a pound each; of eels there are 10 millions; of mackerel there are 24 millions; of oysters there are 496 millions; of lobsters there are a million and a quarter; the sprats are not to be counted, but 1,780 tons are annually sold. THE GOOSEBERRY CATERPILLAR. -Mr. Robert Hogg, in the Cottage Gardener, says, "The gooseberry saw-fly, deposits its eggs along the veins on the under side of the gooseberry leaf, and by looking over the bushes once or twice a week there may be one or two leaves on one bush on which the eggs may be found; and going from bush to bush, with a flower-pot in hand, in which to put the leaves, the work is soon done; indeed a woman would go over five hundred bushes in a day. This was the practice of Mr. Nicol, a celebrated gardener, every season, and he was never troubled with the caterpillar." Mr. Hogg also recommends the use of tan. He says he obtained three cart loads and completely covered the ground where the gooseberries were planted. The bushes that season made very till now he has seen no caterpillar. strong growths, and from that time It would appear, that while the bark is injurious to the insect it acts as a manure to the gooseberry, for ever since he has had large crops, and the berries of good size. Hints. GOOD ADVICE.-Roger Ascham, the wise and learned tutor of Lady Jane Grey, used to say-First, write nothing false; next, be bold to say any truth. SELFISHNESS is one of our greatest enemies, and as it is in us, it often disturbs our peace. Happy is the man who watches it and keeps it down. SMOOTH PATHS are not always safe, for when walking along them we are apt to grow careless and indolent. But a rougher road rouses us up to watchfulness and diligence. NEVER INDULGE & sinful inclination. Ten minutes indulgence in sin may embitter your life for many years, and you can never forget it, even if you try. TRUE HUMILITY will bend like the willow before the sweeping storm; but pride, like the mighty oak, will stand stiff and be broken by its fury. FACTS, HINTS, GEMS, AND POETRY. TRUE SATISFACTION as to your conduct in any matter can only come from within. If your own heart condemn you, the world may applaud in vain; but a good man is satisfied from himself even if the world should hiss him. THAT WHICH PURGES PRIDE out of a man's heart is a good medicine for him. He may not like the operation, but it is sure to do him good. IF A THING IS RIGHT, stand fast for it; if doubtful, let it alone; but if bad, condemn and forsake it. THE FEAR OF MAN prevails most in the heart where there is little fear of God. But the fear of God always keeps in subjection the fear of man. THIS WORLD has in it all the evil that good men will ever know, and all the good that bad men will ever enjoy. Gems. GOD IS LOVE; therefore the love of God must be infinite, eternal, immutable, wise, just, free, omnipotent, and holy. God's whole nature is thrown into his love. THE HEART OF GOD LOVES US, the mind of God thinks for us, the mouth of God speaks to us, and the hand of God works for us; this being the case, must we not be safe? should we not be happy? THE FULNESS OF JESUS can never be exhausted; the more we apply to it, the more we enjoy it; the more we enjoy it, the more we prize it; and the more we prize it, the more we commend it. SUFFERING CHRISTIAN, remember Jesus thy pattern. He suffered, and suffered as none other did; but I laid me down at night-it was Winter, no murmur ever escaped his lips. Seek grace from him that you may imitate him in your present trial And I died." A BAD THOUGHT. THIS is a thief who steals into the heart, TRUE GRACE influences the whole man; for in the heart purposes are formed, and from thence practice He will open the door and let hundreds in. YOUNG READER,-Look at the words up above, and never forget them, by day or by night, at home or abroad, at sehool or at play; for let you be where you may, or doing what you may, the EYE OF GOD is upon you. Keep this thought in your heart, that you may have it ready to keep you from doing wrong. Then say to yourself, 66 THOU, GOD, SEEST ME." AMONG the deepest shades of night, Yes; God is like a shining light, That turns the darkness into day. Where human feet had never trod; On every side there would be God. He smiles in heaven, he frowns in bell; I must within his presence dwell, Yet I may flee, he shows me where; JERUSALEM. JERUSALEM lies near the summit of a broad mountain ridge. This ridge, or mountainous tract, extends, without interruption, from the plain of Esdraelon to a line drawn between the south end of the Dead Sea and the south-east corner of the Mediterranean: or more properly, perhaps, it may be regarded as extending as far as the southern desert, where, at Jebel Arâif, it sinks down at once to the level of the great plateau. This tract, which is nowhere less than from twenty to twenty-five geographical miles in breadth, is, in fact, high uneven table land. The surface of this upper region is every where rocky, uneven, and mountainous, and is, moreover, cut up by deep valleys which run east or west on either side towards the Jordan or the Mediterranean. From the great plain of Esdraelon onwards towards the south, the mountainous country rises gradually, forming the tract anciently known as the mountains of Ephraim and Judah; until, in the vicinity of Hebron, it attains an elevation of 3250 feet above the level of the Mediterranean Sea. Further north, on a line drawn from the north end of the Dead Sea towards the true west, the ridge has an elevation of only about 2710 feet; and here, close upon the watershed, lies the city of Jerusalem. Its mean geographical position is in lat. 31 deg. 46 min. 43 sec. N., and long. 35 deg. 13 min. E. from Greenwich. The traveller on his way from Ramleh to Jerusalem, at about an hour and a half distance therefrom, descends into and crosses the great Terebinth vale, or valley of Elah. On again reaching the high ground on its eastern side, he enters upon an open tract sloping gradually downwards towards the east, and sees before him, at the distance of about two miles, the walls and domes of the city, and beyond them the highest ridge of Olivet. The traveller now descends gradually towards the town along a broad swell of ground having at some distance on his left the shallow northern part of the valley of Jehoshaphat, and close at hand on his right the basin which forms the beginning of the valley of Hinnom. Further down, both these valleys become deep, narrow, and precipitous; that of Hinnom bends south and again east, nearly at right angles, and unites with the other, which then continues its course to the Dead Sea. Upon the broad and elevated promontory within the fork of the two valleys JERUSALEM. of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom, lies the holy city. All around are higher hills: on the east the Mount of Olives, on the south the hill of Evil Counsel, so called, rising directly from the vale of Hinnom; on the west the ground rises gently, as above described, to the borders of the great valley; while, on the north, a bend of the ridge connected with the Mount of Olives bounds the prospect at the distance of more than a mile. Towards the south west the view is somewhat more open; for here lies the plain of Rephaim, commencing just at the southern brink of the valley of Hinnom, and stretching off southwest, when it runs to the western sea. In the north-west, too, the eye reaches up along the upper part of the valley of Jehoshaphat, and from many points can discern the mosque of Neby Samwil (Prophet Samuel), situated on a lofty ridge beyond the great valley, at the distance of two hours. The surface of the elevated promontory itself, on which the city stands, slopes somewhat steeply towards the east, terminating on the brink of the valley of Jehoshaphat. From the northern part, near the present Damascus gate, a depression or shallow valley runs in a southern direction, having on the west the ancient hills of Akra and Zion, and on the east the lower ones of Bezetha and Moriah. Between the hills of Akra and Zion another depression or shallow valley (still easy to be traced) comes down from near the Jaffa gate, and joins the former. It then continues obliquely down the slope, but with a deeper bed, in a southern direction, quite to the pool of Siloam and the valley of Jehoshaphat. This is the ancient Tyropoon. West of its lower part Zion rises loftily, lying mostly without the modern city; while on the east of the Tyropoon and the valley first mentioned lie Bezetha, Moriah, and Ophel, the last a long and comparatively narrow ridge, also outside of the modern city, and terminating in a rocky point over the pool of Siloam. These last three hills may strictly be taken as only parts of one and the same ridge. The breadth of the whole site of Jerusalem from the brow of the valley of Hinnom, near the Jaffa gate, to the brink of the valley of Jehoshaphat, is about one thousand and twenty yards, or nearly half a geographical mile; of which distance three hundred and eighteen yards are occupied by the area of the great mosque of Omar, which occupies the site of Solomon's temple. North of the Jaffa gate the city wall sweeps round more to the west, and increases the breadth of the city in that part. The country |