There was some discussion as to what these relics were, which was set at rest by the Globe, January 10, 1889:—"The Prince of Wales and the Relic of Charles I. Considerable curiosity, says the Whitehall Review, was aroused the other day as to what the relic could have been which the Prince of Wales deposited in the tomb of Charles I. at Windsor. The relic in question was, we believe, part of the vertebrÆ joining the head to the body of the unfortunate monarch. It appears that when the coffin of Charles I. was opened in 1813, and the king's head fell on the ground, as so graphically described in Mr. Frith's 'Reminiscences,' a portion of the vertebrÆ of the beheaded king was taken away and preserved by the eminent physician, Sir Henry Halford, from whose custody it was subsequently stolen. Luckily, full written particulars were attached to the relic, and it was, two years ago, sent anonymously to the Prince of Wales, who, fearing that it might be wanted for the Stuart Exhibition, judiciously arranged to have the relic returned. It was placed on, but not in, the coffin in the vault at Windsor Chapel." A further paragraph in the same Newspaper of the 14th of January, thoroughly elucidates whatever mystery there might have been about the "relics":—"The Relic of Charles I. Sir H. St. John Halford writes to us from Wistow Hall, Leicester, with reference to the relic of Charles I. recently placed on the coffin of that Monarch by the Prince of Wales, as follows: 'The true history of the relic is that it was given to my grandfather, Sir Henry Halford, by His Majesty George IV., at the time that the coffin of Charles I. was opened, and was given by me to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales two years ago.'" "Celui qui dÉvora de Nombreux bataillons Transcriber's note: Obvious printer's errors have been corrected, all other inconsistencies are as in the original. The author's spelling has been maintained. —"country some were hanged, but this really some" changed to "country some were hanged, but this really served" —"lest twenty years;" changed to "last twenty years;" —The Vielle Cour de Versailles changed to "The Vieille Cour de Versailles" —"Les JÉsuites sout par tout," changed to "Les JÉsuites sont par tout," —The books' advertisements have been moved from the front to the back of the e-book. |