Upon a jutting crag, below the height
    Where stands the royal city in its pride,
  The ark is rested! in the people’s sight
    The priests and Joshua standing by its side;
  Awhile the chief the sea of battle eyed,
    Which heaved beneath:—­in accents undismayed,
  “Sun, stand thou still on Gibeon!” he cried,
    “And thou, O Moon, o’er Ajalon be stayed!”
  And holiest records tell the mandate was obeyed.

  Look on the horrid conflict; mark the stream
    Of lurid and unnatural light that falls,
  Like some wild meteors bright terrific gleam,
    On Gibeon’s steep and battlemented walls;
  Her royal palace, and her pillared halls,
    Seeming more gorgeous in its vivid blaze! 
  While o’er proud Lebanon the storm appals,
    In jagged lines the arrowy lightning plays,
  Soften’d to Israel’s sight by intervening haze.

  But o’er the Amoritish camp the cloud
    Bursts in its fury! on the race abhorred
  The parting heavens, as from a pitchy shroud. 
    Their desolating hail-storm’s wrath out-poured,
  More vengeful in its ire than Israel’s sword! 
    Thus was deliverance unto Gibeon shown;
  And by the fearful battle of the Lord,
    The army of the Amorites o’erthrown,
  And the almighty power of Israel’s God made known.

  Made known by marvels awfully sublime! 
    Yet far more glorious in the Christian’s sight
  Than these stern terrors of the olden time,
    The gentler splendours of that peaceful night,
  When opening clouds display’d, in vision bright,
    The heavenly host to Bethlehem’s shepherd train,
  Shedding around them more than cloudless light! 
    “Glory to God on high!” their opening strain,
  Its chorus, “Peace on earth!” its theme Messiah’s reign!

Bernard Barton’s New Year’s Eve, &c.

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MAKING ACQUAINTANCE.

What could be more natural than for Mr. Jackson to say to Dr. Smith, “I am going to call on Markham?” And what could be more natural than for Dr. Smith to say, “I will go with you, and you may introduce me?” So then Markham’s friend, Jackson, leaves his card, and Jackson’s friend, Dr. Smith, leaves his card too.—­Rank and Talent.

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GENTLEMEN’S FASHIONS.

We read much of the luxurious effeminacy of the old Romans, their fantastically curled hair, their favourite robes, &c.; but what will posterity think of some of the modes of puppyism in our times, when they read in a chronicle of fashion, dated 1829, that gentlemen wore elegant drab cloth opera manteaux lined with scarlet velvet, and confined at the collar with a gold chain!  In another dress, the waistcoat is directed to be made of “a very beautiful white