been made in the main cabin for their
private accommodation. He was told that
the passengers were a Mr. Robinson and his
family, from Paternoster Row, who were
going out to establish for themselves an
Owyhee Family Robinson. Being much
ridiculed about the misfit of the sailor's hat
which he had taken from the ruffian in the
lane, and as it constantly was blown by the
wind as far away from his head as the string
would suffer it to go, so that he never actually
wore it, Master Bruce resolved to gather it
in with a piece of twine. Pulling aside the
lining for that purpose, he found a pad of
soft paper, such as often is placed under
their linings by persons who have purchased
hats that are too large for them. This he
threw aside; but having ended his task, and
tried on the amended hat, he found that the
pad, with a little re-arrangement of its shape,
would still improve the fit; and, therefore,
taking it up again, he began to unfold it.
Then he found, to his surprise, that it
consisted wholly of bank-notes, every note being
for the same sum of one thousand pounds,
and there were just a hundred of them.
This was a discovery which gave him some
uneasiness; for, being at sea, it was not in
his power to give information to the police
of the considerable amount of stolen property
which he had thus recovered, neither did he
feel that it was safe to confide in the rude
seamen who surrounded him. Determining,
therefore, to tell his story to the British
Consul in the first port touched at by his
vessel, Franklin replaced the notes in their
original position, taking good care to see to
the knots of the string that tied his valuable
hat to his jacket. He had observed that
the notes were all indorsed I. Pilkins,
Oct. 1, 18—; that, he was sure, was clue
enough to the discovery of their right owner.

This troublesome business being so far
settled, it was with a rapture which I leave
my reader to imagine, that the young sailor,
turning from his work, saw at the bulk-heads
a sylph-like form, the form of the fair-haired
Louisa Jane, who was holding her doll's eyes
over the water, in order that she might see
the porpoises. The two children recognised
each other, and were friends directly. While
they were still in full chat, Louisa's shoulder
was tapped by her father, Mr. Robinson, who
had come up with the rest of the family, and
whose approach the two young people had
been too busy with each other to observe.

"I approve of this, my dear Louisa," said
Mr. Robinson; "never, my dear child, be
ashamed of a kind word spoken even to the
vulgarest of little boys; we are all equal;
this dirty person is your equal, my child.
Your good mamma has learnt that there is
no piano carried in our vessel; you must for
a time, therefore, suspend your practising;
but Miss Inkpen will be happy to speak
French with you till dinner time. Go to
her, my dear."

"Dear papa," said Louisa, "this is the
little boy who stopped that horse for us."

"Indeed so! I recognise him now.
Acquaint me with your name and business,
boy?"

"Franklin Bruce; going to Jericho."

"Jericho, poor youth! Can it be that
you are ignorant of the geography of the
Plain of the Jordan. My son Walter, who is
eight years old, and you are—"

"Twelve, sir."

"Twelve, sir—can possibly inform you.
Walter, do you remember, and can you
describe to this boy, the position of Jericho
in the plain of the Jordan?"

"I remember it well, papa," replied Walter.
"For the last thirty miles of the river's
course, including the tract in the vicinity of
the ancient Jericho, the plain has a more
than usually barren and desolate aspect.
Near Jericho (now represented by some ruins
not far from the small village of Riha) the
formation of the ground becomes less regular;
the western mountains, in one or two places,
jut out considerably into the Ghor; the cliffs
less exactly mark the bounds of the lower
plain; and the descent from the higher
ground towards the bathing-place of the
pilgrims (nearly abreast of Jericho) is marked
by a number of rounded sandhills. A large
patch of green stunted trees and shrubs
marks the site of what is supposed to be the
ancient Jericho; and here and there are to
be seen the remains of some considerable
buildings, with fragments of an aqueduct at
the foot of the hills, to the north-west of the
modern village."

"Very good," said Mr. Robinson; "as the
reward of merit, you may go down and ask
Miss Inkpen for a sum in fractions."

Mr. Robinson was an elderly man, with
white hair gathered into a top-knot over his
forehead, and a white projecting beard; he
wore large spectacles, stooped much, and
walked with a stick. The cut of his clothes
was peculiar: they were of bright colours,
and he had a little cloak with a hood to it,
which especially attracted Franklin's notice.
As Walter went down with Louisa to Miss
Inkpen, the baby, who was in the maid's
arms, noticing a bright moon in the sky,
began to crow and cry, La lune! la lune!—
for it had been taught a few words of the
French language.

"What notice the child takes!" said Mrs.
Robinson.

"It does, indeed," said papa, removing it
from the nurse's arms, and placing it upon
his lap. "You admire, baby," he said, "the
brightness of the moon; but it is time that
you should be made aware, my poppet, that
the moon is intrinsically a dark body, without
inherent light of its own. It depends upon
sunshine for the light it gives; and the varying
appearances, or phases, of the moon
depend upon different proportions of the
illuminated disc of the opaque ball being