After this erudite disquisition, which endeavours to account for the _smallness_ of the sum for which our blessed Lord was betrayed, and for which Alcedama was purchased, how would honest Andrew Favine stare, could he learn that modern commentators have, _without comment_, assigned something less than _one-fifth_ of 18_l_. 7_s_. 6_d_. as the "price of innocent blood." We transcribe in proof, the annotation on Mat. 26 c. 15 v. from D'Oyly and Mant's Bible:--"'_Thirty pieces of silver_.' Thirty shekels, about 3_l_. 10_s_. 8_d_. of our money. It appears from Exod. 21 c. 32 v., that this was the price to be paid for a slave or servant, when killed by a beast. So vilely was HE esteemed, who shed his precious blood for man; and so true it is, that _Christ_ took upon him the form of a servant." Now, the Jewish _shekel_ being valued at 2_s_. 4-1/4_d_. and the coin of the _next_ superior denomination, (the _maneh_) being set down in our Bible money-tables, at 7_l_. 1_s_. 5_d_. it is clear that _several_ of _intermediate value_ must have existed, for exchange, which might reconcile this difference. M.L.B. * * * * * THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. * * * * * PORTDOWN FAIR. [A series of characteristic sketches of Life in the Navy, has appeared in the successive numbers of the _Metropolitan_, from the pen of Captain Marryatt, author of the _King's Own_, and other popular novels, with a high stamp of originality. The sketches before us are entitled Peter Simple, and detail the early adventures of a Middy with much of that delightful ease we are wont to admire in the writings of Smollett, Fielding, and the _character_ novelists of the latter half of the past century. The style of Captain Marryatt is fresh, vigorous, and racy--"native and to the manner born,"--abounding in lively anecdote, but never straying into caricature--with just enough of the romance of life to keep the incidents afloat from commonplace, and probability above-board. This and the following are specimen sketches.]