mob kept abreast with the King for some time, staring at his face as if in wonder, till the Bishop had him turned away. There is a tradition that, when the procession came to the end of the Park, near the present passage from Spring Gardens, the King pointed to a tree, and said that tree had been planted by his brother Henry. Arrived at last at the stairs leading into Whitehall, he was taken, through the galleries of the palace, to the bedchamber he had usually occupied while residing there; and here he had some further time allowed him for rest and devotion with Juxon alone. Having sent Herbert for some bread and wine, he ate a mouthful of the bread and drank a small glass of claret. Here Herbert broke down so completely that he felt he could not accompany the King to the scaffold, and Juxon had to take from him the white satin cap he had brought by the King's orders to be put on at the fatal moment. At last, a little after twelve o'clock, Hacker's signal was heard outside, and Juxon and Herbert went on their knees, affectionately kissing the King's hands. Juxon being old and feeble, the King helped him to rise, and then, commanding the door to be opened, followed Hacker. With soldiers for his guard, he was conveyed, along some of the galleries of the old palace, now no longer extant, to the new banqueting-hall, which Inigo Jones had built, and which still exists. Besides the soldiers, many men and women had crowded into the hall, from whom, as his Majesty passed on, there was heard a general murmur of commiseration and prayer, the soldiers themselves not objecting, but appearing grave and respectful.

sumed. "As for the King, the laws of the land will clearly instruct you for that; therefore, because it concerns my own particular, I only give you a touch of it. For the people: and truly I desire their liberty and freedom as much as anybody whomsoever; but I must tell you that their liberty and freedom consists in having of government those laws by which their life and their goods may be most their own. It is not having share in government, sirs; that is nothing pertaining to them. A subject and a sovereign are clean different things; and, therefore, until they do that-I mean, that you put the people in that liberty, as I say-certainly they will never enjoy themselves." In conclusion he said he would have liked to have a little more time, so as to have put what he meant to say "in a little more order and a little better digested," and gave the paper containing the heads of his speech to Juxon. As he had said nothing specially about religion, Juxon reminded him of the omission. "I thank you very heartily, my lord," said Charles, "for that I had almost forgotten it. In troth, sirs, my conscience in religion, I think it very well known to the world; and therefore I declare before you all that I die a Christian, according to the profession of the Church of England as I found it left me by my father; and this honest man (the Bishop) I think will witness it." There were some more words, addressed particularly to Hacker and the other officers; and once more, seeing a gentleman go too near the axe, he called out, "Take heed of the axe; pray, take heed of the axe." Then, taking the white satin cap from Juxon, he put it on, and with the assistance of Juxon and the chief executioner, pushed his hair all within it. Some final sentences of pious import then passed between the King and Juxon, and the King, having taken off his cloak and George, and given the latter to Juxon, with the word "Remember," knelt down, and put his neck on the block. After a second or two he stretched out his hands, and the axe descended, severing the head from the body at one blow. There was a vast shudder through the mob, and then a universal groan.

E

WE

MUSICAL DISCORDS.

Through a passage broken in the wall of the banqueting-hall, or more probably through one of the windows dismantled for the purpose, Charles emerged on the scaffold, in the open street, fronting the site of the present Horse Guards. The scaffold was hung with black, and carpeted with black, the block and the axe in the middle; a number of persons already stood upon it, among whom were several men with black masks concealing their faces; in the street in front, all round the scaffold, were companies of foot and horse; and beyond these, as far as the eye could reach, towards Charing Cross on the one side and Westminster Abbey on the other, was a closely-packed multitude of spectators. The King, walking on the scaffold, looked earnestly at the block, and said something to Hacker as if he thought it give insertion to the following letters, but were too low; after which, taking out a small piece cation on the subject, as the writer of the article must decline to publish any other communiof paper, on which he had jotted some notes, he proceeded to address those standing near him. What cannot reply to criticism, being removed from scenes he said may have taken about ten minutes or a of musical discord to enjoy the Eternal harmonies. quarter of an hour to deliver, and appears, from the The writer, the Rev. R. Demaus, the accomplished shorthand report of it which has been preserved, to and lamented principal of the Whiteland's Training have been rather incoherent. "Now, sirs," he said College, had an experience in musical tuition which entitled him to be heard. at one point, "I must show you both how you are out of the way, and I will put you in the way. First, you are out of the way; for certainly all the way you ever have had yet, as I could find by anything, is in the way of conquest. Certainly this is an ill way; for conquest, sirs, in my opinion, is never just, except there be a good just cause, either for matter of wrong, or just title; and then, if you go beyond it, the first quarrel that you have to it, that makes it unjust at the end that was just at first." A little farther on, when he had begun a sentence, "For the King indeed I will not," a gentleman chanced to touch the axe. "Hurt not the axe,' he interrupted; "that may hurt me," and then re

"I have read with much pleasure the article by R. D.' with the above title in the Leisure Hour' for April. I fear, however, that the writer is not aware of the extent to which the Tonic Sol-fa system is carried, or he would not have finished his article by referring to a third system, which teaches to sing from the staff notation, but with a movable Do.

"The Tonic Sol-fa system taught by Mr. Curwen not only teaches its pupils to sing from the Tonic Sol-fa letter notation, but also from the ordinary staff "notation, still using a movable Do. This has always

* From Masson's "Life of John Milton,” vol. iii. (Macmillan).

"Will you allow me, as a teacher of some years' experience, to correct some mistakes in the explanation "I have for the last two years been learning of the Tonic Sol-fa system in the article on Musical Hullah's system, and can confirm the truth of Discords'? First, a pupil is not taught to observe the 'R. D.'s' commentary. As you may guess, I am mental effect of the intervals of the scale, it is the not among the few who have succeeded by that position of the note in the scale, its relation to the key-system, though not for want of perseverance. Prenote, which determines its mental effect. This fact is too often ignored in books of musical instruction, but it is a very important one, and when recognised helps to secure accurate intonation, and children especially are much interested in the study.

Varieties.

PORTSMOUTH SOLDIERS' INSTITUTE.-The old "Fountain " hotel at Portsmouth, for nearly 300 years the great resort of naval officers, the scene of Peter Simple's" adventures, has now been purchased for a "Soldiers' Institute" through the exertions of Miss Robinson, who will personally superintend it. Of late years the "Fountain" has been a den of iniquity, only equalled perhaps by the "Blue Posts," burnt down a short time since. Our troops are tempted by more than a thousand gin-shops and public-houses, with dancing-saloons and other worse haunts in this garrison, and have no respectable place of resort. The purchase and transformation of the "Fountain " will cost £6,000, of which £4,500 is already subscribed. It will not be difficult to complete this sum, and we only hope that enough in.addition will be at the disposal of the trustees and committee to enable the new club to be made comfortable

and attractive.

DECRETALS OF ISIDORE.-A correspondent calls attention to a slip in the article on Plagiarism in the April part, where it is said that the pretended decretals of the early popes were forged by Isidore of Seville (p. 215). “It is true indeed that those false decretals have been ascribed to the celebrated Bishop of Seville; but it is now, I believe, generally admitted that they are due to another Isidore, commonly called Isidore Mercator, who lived in the ninth century, about 200 years later than the former Isidore. Let your readers consult 'Cave's Historia Literaria,' vol. i., p. 525, where that learned writer discusses the subject with his wonted ability. Or, if they are not accustomed to read Latin, let them turn to Neander's Church History, vol. vi., p. 2, Bohn's Edition, where they will find that while there was a Spanish recension of Ecclesiastical Laws known by the venerated name of Isidore of Seville (who died A.D. 636), another appeared under the same name in the ninth century, which contained a complete series of the decretals of the Roman bishops from Clement downwards -most of them pieces entirely unknown before, but some of them interpolated at an early period with many alterations and inserted clauses. So, too, Mosheim writes:-'Among these fraudulent documents in support of the Romish power, the socalled Decretal Epistles of the pontiffs of the early centuries hold perhaps the first rank. They were produced by the ingenuity of an obscure man who falsely assumed the name of Isidore, Bishop of Seville.' (Ch. His., Cent. ix., part ii., chap. ii). Further testimonies are, I suppose, unnecessary."

J. J. C.

heavy blow inflicted by a very sharp instrument." The hair,
which was thick at the back, looked nearly black; but, when
a portion of it was afterwards cleaned and dried, the colour was
found to be a beautiful dark brown,-that of the beard a redder
brown. The body was not examined below the neck; and, the
head having been replaced, the coffin was soldered up again and
the vault closed.-Masson's Life of Milton, vol. iii.,
p. 729.

EMIGRANTS FROM EAST ANGLIA.-A correspondent of the "Standard" newspaper witnessed at Liverpool the departure of the first batch of emigrants this spring, in consequence of the strike and lock-out in the Eastern counties. What is loss to

England will be gain to "Greater Britain." The impression given of these exiles is not unfavourable. If the English labourers prosper and send money to carry off their neighbours and kinsfolk, as the Irish have done, the movement will be a serious one as to "the labour question." "They had had a long journey, they said; they minded it chiefly for the children's sake. They were not very sorry to leave the neighbourhood of the famous Heath-not they, for it was no place to a man if he was locked out and could not work. They were always willing to give a good day's work for a fair day's wages, to keep a house over one's head. They agreed that no man who is willing to work need starve in any country, but they hoped on the cleared land in Canada to be able to get a bit of meat as well as a bit of bread. They made no complaint except of being locked out of work, and they went willingly enough to seek their living in a land where they knew they would be welcomed, being informed that there was land to be cleared in Canada. The principal spokesman said he could handle an axe, and he would as soon be felling as ploughing or harvesting. He did not expect too much; all he looked for was a fair living and money enough to keep the family. He did not think the hardships of the voyage would hurt them much, and anything was better than doing nothing at home. He and his family had come because his wife's brother had made up his mind to come, and they thought they had better be off together; so he had sold off his bits of sticks for what he could get, and he would not want bread for a week while he was looking about him in Ontario."

ICELAND'S MILLENNIAL JUBILEE.-It is a thousand years since Iceland was first peopled by emigrants from Norway. Ingolfur Arnarson, with his family and retainers, led the way in the new colonisation. Others of the sea-kings and earls who chafed under the rule of Harald, the first monarch, took refuge in the remote island of the north. The Icelanders retained the associations and language of their native country, as did the Pilgrim fathers the faith and traditions of old England when they settled in America. The political relations of Iceland to the old country have been long unsettled, the islanders having no representatives in the Danish Rigsdag, or parliament. A new charter has been granted by the King of Denmark, giving a Constitution with much of "home rule or local government to the Icelanders. The Danish correspondent of the "Times" says that this charter, dated January 5, 1874, is a very liberal one, being in most of its articles closely moulded upon the Danish Constitution of 1849, one of the freest in Europe. In all matters concerning the island particularly and not belonging to imperial legislature, Iceland will have its own legislation and administration. The national representation is the Althing, consisting of thirty-six members, thirty elected by popular suffrage on a very liberal franchise adapted to the wants of the country, and six nominated by the King; the Althing is one chamber, but for discussion and partly for voting purposes, separates into two, somewhat in the same manner as the Norwegian Storthing. A minister for Iceland, nominated by the King and responsible to the Althing, is at the head of the Administration; but the highest local authority is vested in the dis-governor residing in Reykjavig, and for whose acts the minister is responsible. The independence of the tribunals, the freedom of the individual, liberty of faith, of the press, of public meeting, etc., the inviolability of property, the self-government of the municipalities, and the equality of all citizens before the law, are fully and to the same extent guaranteed as in the Danish charter. The new Constitution is to be the law of the land on and after the 1st of August next. It is hoped that the Crown Prince of Denmark may be present at the inauguration of the new charter, and give éclat to the rejoicings which gracefully connect the historical commemoration with new political privileges.

COFFIN OF CHARLES I. AT WINDSOR.-In March 1813 some workmen, employed in making a passage from under the choir of the Royal Chapel at Windsor to a mausoleum erected by George III in the "tombhouse," accidentally broke into the vault containing the bodies of Charles 1, Henry VIII, and Queen Jane Seymour. The fact having been reported to the Prince Regent, a careful examination was ordered. It was made April 1, 1813, in the presence of the Prince Regent himself, the Duke of Cumberland, Count Munster, the Dean of Windsor, Sir Henry Halford (Physician to the King and the Prince Regent), and Mr. B. C. Stevenson. The coffin of Charles I was examined with great minuteness, and corresponded in every particular with the account given by Herbert. When the black velvet pall had been removed, the coffin was found to be of plain lead, with the leaden scroll encircling it bearing the inscription, "King Charles, 1648," in large legible characters. A square opening was then cut in the upper lid, so that the contents might be clearly seen. An internal wooden coffin was found to be very much decayed, and the body was found to be carefully wrapped up in cerecloth, into the folds of which there had been poured abundantly some unctuous substance mixed with resin. With considerable difficulty the cerecloth was removed from the face, and then, despite the colouring and the decay of some parts, the features of Charles 1, as represented in coins and busts, and especially in Vandyke's portraits of him, could be distinctly recognised. There was the oval face, with the peaked beard. When, by farther removal of the cerecloth, they had disengaged the entire head, they found it to be loose from the body. On taking it out, they saw that "the muscles of the neck had evidently retracted themselves considerably, and the fourth cervical vertebra was found to be cut through its substance transversely, leaving the surfaces of the divided portions perfectly smooth and even -an appearance which could have been produced only by a