steps prepared from the area below to the imperial Of course we did ourselves the honour of sitting in so illustrious a seat.

chair.

The ornamental parts of the church are comparatively of modern date. They were very splendid, but the major part were removed or destroyed at the time of Robespierre, particularly the thirtynine pillars which surrounded the dome. The bronze railing was destined for the same fate, and was actually packed up in order to be removed to Paris, but it never went, and has since been replaced. The lead on the roof, however, was melted down for balls and shot for the revolutionary armies. We were shown, in a small chapel in the gallery, a fine painting by Rubens-the subject is, the taking down from the cross. They had another, but it was destroyed in the time of general ruin. The chair of Charlemagne was formerly covered with gold. At the revolution, anticipating that it would soon become a prey to the destroyers, they had the wisdom to strip it off and conceal it, and the disappointment occasioned by this circumstance, induced the soldiers to pour their heaviest vengeance on the edifice. The tomb of Charlemagne is nothing more than a plain stone let into the floor, with the name, "Carolo Magno," in letters of brass.

All this was interesting, but the cream of the antiquities yet remained. We were conducted to the vestry, or robing place of the priests, where a young man, whose province it is to expose these wonders to the gaze of the credulous, threw open the curiously painted doors of an immense recess,

when in an instant we were dazzled with a profusion of gold and precious stones, wrought into various forms, to contain or emblazon the precious and sacred relics hereafter to be enumerated. First, then, a sort of tomb, worked after the gothic, in silver, gilt, and containing the garments of Charlemagne :-Then, another of similar metal and workmanship, containing the garments of the Virgin Mary. These tombs were extremely splendid, and the workmanship was most exquisite :-Then followed, a bone of Charlemagne's arm, incased in an immense arm and hand, of silver, gilt:-A piece of the real cross, enclosed in a silver cross, which was always worn by Charlemagne. They informed us that he brought the piece of the cross himself from Jerusalem, and gave it to this church.-The hunting horn of Charlemagne, and the sceptre of that monarch, solid silver, an immense length, but the exact length of his arm.

By all this our curiosity and credulity were pretty much exercised; but we were struck perfectly dumb when we saw all these glories of antiquity utterly eclipsed by their successors. We were shown, 1. The girdle of Jesus Christ, brought by Charlemagne from Jerusalem, and with that monarch's seal annexed to it. 2. The girdle of the Virgin Mary, derived from the same quarter.-3. A bone of the Virgin Mary's father.-4. A bit of the cord with which Jesus Christ was bound when he was Scourged.-5. A prickle from the crown of thorns.6. A bit of the sponge with which they supplied the vinegar.-7. A bit of one of the nails by which he

was fastened to the cross,-And 8thly and lastly,Some of the sweat which fell from him in the garden of Gethsemane. To this may be added,-a link of the chain with which Peter was chained at Romea bit of the bone of Simeon's arm, with which he embraced the infant Jesus-a rib of St. Stephen, and a tooth of St. Thomas!!!

All these things we saw, and all these wonders were gravely exhibited and propounded to us, for our edification and pious astonishment, by a worthy priest, who, with many more, was robing in the room for high mass, but who occasionally stepped aside to explain and narrate the story of these unparalleled wonders.

To be sure, this beat every thing-and after this I am prepared to believe whatever shall be related of the gross, the degrading, the besotting superstition of this deluded people. Yet, there was a Frenchman, a gentlemanly looking man, with an order of knighthood on his coat, who drank it all in with avidity, and seemed to relish and digest the whole. For my part, I thought of the sailor, whe after his messmates had told some wonderful stories of what had been found in the bellies of whales and sharks, and such monsters, determined to outstrip them all, said, he had once been present at the catching of a fish, out of whose belly, when opened, there came a ship, with all its masts and rigging, and the whole of the crew!

The scene in the room was scarcely less curious than these wonders themselves. There were at least half a dozen priests at one time either robing or

praying. I observed that the priest kissed every gar-, ment before he put it on. Nor did those who were praying seem at all interrupted by the robing of their colleagues, or the bustle of the exhibition of the relics; but every now and then they stopped in their devotions to salute the comers and goers as they passed, and then proceeded again without any serious interruption to the process. High mass was performing, with a full choir-the assistance of the organ, &c. and four priests at the altar, when we left the church.

I was much struck with the manner of a poor country man, who came in with his blue frock and hob-nail shoes, and his rosary. He did not seem to know what to do,-first he bowed, then he kneeled, then he stood, then he crossed himself, and after riggling and shuffling about for a while, he turned away from the altar and went out, evidently dissatisfied with himself. Poor man-this is a hard service-if we had him in our adult school we would tell him of a milder master and teach him a better way.

Your's, &c.

1

LETTER XXVIII.

Brussels.

MY DEAR

I HAVE heard much of the vice of the continent, but never had such demonstrations of it as at Liege, where we spent last Sunday; and I am sorry to say that Brussels is but little better. You will not, of course, expect that I should descend to particulars upon such a subject. Suffice it to say,that the vice which in other cities seeks the covert of the night, meets you here at noon-day, and is presented under circumstances of solicitation most oppressive and disgusting. Paris is purity itself, at least in its external demeanour, compared with these cities of the Netherlands.

Liege is a large, ancient, and irregularly built town. It is very pleasantly situated in a valley, watered by the Meuse, over which it has a venerable bridge of stone. Many of the houses are well built, and the neighbourhood is extremely populous. It is famous for its manufactories of cotton, and there is a great appearance of business in the place.

It being Sunday, we witnessed the celebration of mass at the cathedral, which is rather a neat than a magnificent gothic edifice. Two regiments of soldiers, one of horse and one of foot, filled the body of the church. They were remarkably fine looking men, and their dress was extremely neat; their band was in the organ-loft, and played during the greater part of the service. The whole ceremony appeared like any thing but religion and the worship of God. For, in the first place, not a single word that was said by the priest at the altar was