The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-24

places where the royal dead had slept for ages. They poured into St. Denis, the Westminster Abbey of France, dragged out dead kings and queens, lords and la dies and hurling them into a ditch, cast quiclslime upon them that they might be quickly consumed. The church in which the heart of King James had been de- posted escaped this desecration. Yet in 1792, the kings heart was stolen and was gone without trace, absolutely.
 That Is one of the two facts I prom ised to relate. The second is this:
 In the early part of the 18th century an old church in the city of Cork, Ire land was undergoing such repairs as re- quired that part of the old walls be torn away. While thus engaged the workmen came upon a leaden case which was securely sealed and soldered and buried in the old masonry. It was opened and human heart was found within. The outer silver covering, if there had ever been one, had been removed, and so, there was no inscription nor coat of arms, nor any other device upon the lead. No one could associate it with any per son or family that had ever lived or died in Ireland. It was profound mystery.
 That is the second of the two facts. Now, for my connecting supposition. which so far as know, no one else has ever suggested.
 The hatred of the people of Cork for William and Mary and their love for James is we'll known. The Irish people could never forget the destruction of -f Ill arr1 William and Mary's chief general. came upon the city. Their love for James was passed on down the generations. It is, therefore, likely when tho French revo- lutionists began to treat kings and queens long since dead with methods of dissertation, that some one belonging to an Irish family, where James name was lovingly regarded, crossed over to Paris, stole the heart to protect it. and upon his return with it, concealed it in the masonry of the old church, after remov- ing the silver covering, lest the inscrip- tions betray it's identity. Certain it is that the heart in the old church walls is still unidentified and that the heart of James has never been found. Put the two facts together.
 Here I remembered the pathetic heart of Shelby and took up a biographical sketch written by his wife, to refresh my memory, but she does not refer to what the world knows, the disposition of Shel- ley's heart You will find itsall in the life of Shelley, by John Addington Sy- monds, in the English Men of Letters series. Symonds quotes freely from Tre- lawny, Sheleys personal friend. who was present. with Lord Byron and Leigh Hunt at the burning of the body. Shelley was drowned in the Bay of Genoa and the body after several days was washed upon the shore. An attempt was made to transport the body to Rome for burial. but this was not permitted. A law had been enacted, on account of the plague, that forbade the removal of a dead body through the country. It was decided, therefore, to cremate the poor battred body by the side of the gulf Treawny says: 'The fire was so fierce as to pro duce white heat on the iron and to re- duce the body to gray ashes. The only portions that were not consumed were some fragments of bones. But what sur prised us all was that the heart re-