people are above the average; and the experience of a century, during
which the prosperity of the country, though increasing, has been
constantly fluctuating, shews that it is prudent to husband the
resources of good times against future contingencies. Workmen, if they
are wise, will not now squander their savings.' Are we to infer from
this, that a bad time is coming?

I have at times given you some of our post-office statistics, let me
now send you a few from America. The postmaster-general reports to
Congress, that in the year ending last June there were within the
United States 6170 mail-routes, comprising a length in the aggregate
of 196,290 miles; of post-offices, 19,796; of mail-contractors, 5544.
The distance travelled in the year over these routes was 53,272,252
miles, at a cost of 3,421,754 dollars, or rather more than six cents
per mile per annum. On more than 35,000,000 of these miles the service
is performed by coaches, and 'modes not specified;' the remainder by
railway and steam-boat. There were six foreign mail-routes on which
the annual transportation was estimated at 615,206 miles. The gross
receipts of the post-office department for the year amounted to
6,786,493 dollars, being an increase of nearly a million over the
preceding year. If, after this, we can only get Ocean Penny Postage,
we will give the republican postmaster work to do that shall add some
score of pages to his report.

You will perhaps remember my telling you, some time ago, of the
discussion that had been going on in the United States respecting a
prime meridian. Something has now come of it. The committee appointed
by Congress to consider the subject, have recommended 'that the
Greenwich zero of longitude should be preserved for the convenience of
navigators; and that the meridian of the National Observatory--at