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THE LITTLE BOY IN BLUE.

ALL in the morning early,

The Little Boy in Blue

(The grass, with rain is pearly) Has thought of something new.

He saddled dear old Dobbin;
He had but half-a-crown;
And jogging, cantering, bobbing,
He came to London town.

The sheep were in the meadows,
The cows were in the corn;
Beneath the city shadows
At last he stood forlorn.

He stood beneath Bow steeple,
That is in London town;
And tried to count the people
As they went up and down.

Oh! there was not a daisy,
And not a buttercup;
The air was thick and hazy,
And Blue Boy gave it up.

The houses, next, in London,

He thought that he would count;

But still the sum was undone,

So great was the amount.

He could not think of robbing,
He had but half-a-crown:
And so he mounted Dobbin,

And rode back from the town.

The sheep were in the meadows,
The cows were in the corn;
Amid the evening shadows,

He stood where he was born.

From "GOOD WORDS FOR THE YOUNG."

ENGLAND.

ENGLAND is something in the shape of a triangle, narrow at the top, and wide at the bottom. It is

neither a very hot nor a very cold country; some parts

of it are beautiful, but on the whole it is flat. That means that there are not many mountains or high hills. The highest are in the north; on one of them, called Helvellyn, a young man once lost his way with his dog. Nothing was heard of him for three months; at the end of that time his dead body was found, and his faithful dog was guarding it. There is a high mountain in Derbyshire, called the Peak, and there is found the pretty shining spar used for chimney ornaments.

There are some beautiful lakes in the north of England.

There are many mines in England. In Nor

E

thumberland there are coal-mines, where men dig up coals all day. These miners lead dull lives, never seeing the sun. Sometimes bad air gets into the mines; there are dreadful explosions, and many miners are killed. There are lead-mines in Cumberland where the lead is got of which pencils are made, and in Cornwall there are many tin mines.

England is divided into forty pieces, called counties. The largest county is Yorkshire. The most important town in each county is called the county town. The chief town of a country is called the capital.

London is the capital of England. It is built on the banks of the river Thames. Large cities are frequently built on the banks of rivers, for it is convenient to be able to get ships laden with corn, coals, and other articles, close to the houses, because goods can be moved more cheaply by water than by land.

The Eastern part of London contains what is called the City. Here there is a splendid church called St. Paul's Cathedral, and also a great building called the Tower, where people who displeased the kings used to be shut up, and where kings themselves have been imprisoned. In the City are warehouses, and counting-houses, and stores of goods. Many of the very poorest people live in the East End.

In the Western end of London there is another beautiful church, or minster, called Westminster Abbey; and near it, close to the river, there are

beautiful buildings called the Houses of Parliament, where the laws are made. On the other side of the river you will find Lambeth Palace, the house of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the West End. there are also fine large parks, where people walk, drive, and ride. In the North-west there is also a park, in which is a big garden full of wild beasts, called the Zoological Gardens.

The next largest town in England is Manchester, where the cotton is spun that is made into calico for your frocks and shirts, and there some of it is printed also. We send these manufactures to all parts of the world, as we can sell these cottons more cheaply than other people can make them.

Not far from Manchester, on the bank of the river Mersey, is Liverpool, where the ships that come from America generally arrive. They bring cotton, which is spun in Manchester. From Liverpool most of the emigrants go, who leave England to find work in other countries. On the coast of Yorkshire, you will find Hull, a large sea-port town on the edge of the river Humber. On the south-west coast of England you will find Bristol, where ships go and come from every part of the world.

On the south coast look for Portsmouth and Plymouth. At both places are bays or harbours, where, in a storm, ships are safe, and there many of our vessels are built. You will find many of these harbours or bays on the coast of England and Wales. When you are sailing your little boats on a pond in a high wind, they are easily overturned unless you

can draw them near the edge, where the water runs into the land, and is sheltered from the storm. So, on the sea, it is a great safeguard to be able to get into a bay, till the wind goes down.

sea.

You remember that, as in some places the sea runs into the land, so in others the land runs into the There are many of these capes in England. Flamborough Head in Yorkshire, Beachy Head in Sussex, and the Lizard Point in Cornwall will show you what is meant. The Land's End in Cornwall has an inn, on which is written on one side, "The last house in England;" on the other, "The first house in England." Both are true, according to whether the traveller is going or coming.

There are a great many islands belonging to England. The Isle of Wight, opposite Portsmouth, is warm and sheltered, and many sick people go there.

Now find the Channel Islands-Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, and Sark.

The best pears come from Jersey, as any greengrocer will tell you.

Alderney is famous for cows that give such rich milk it is almost like cream.

Sark is little more than a barren rock.

The Isle of Man is famous for those herrings which, when salted, you all like so much to eat with potatoes.

Well, now we will take a journey from London to the North of England.

Suppose your father keeps a draper's shop in London, and thinks he could buy cloth cheaper in

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