Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1899-04-01 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

VIII., ea a vault in another part of the church was, like many other tradition, false. It will be remembered that a copy of particulars of some such tradition was shown to the late Archdeacon Prost, who, in 1867, was instrumental in having the spot indicated examined. The translation of the inscription ran thus: "Beneath the second and third stone steps of the staircase ascending and leading to the tower in which are the belle in the Cathedral of the city of Durham. near to the great °look which is situated in the southern transept of the Church, lies buried the precious Treasure (the body of St. Cuthbert)." The late Provost Consitt thus refers to the examination in 1867:—" Dean Waddington courteously invited my predecessor at Durham, the late Provost Platt, and myself to be present at the examination. After the second and third and other stone steps of the staircase had been lifted, and a thin layer of earth removed, the workmen soon came to the foundation of solid concrete upon which the walls were built. This was so heed that the pickaxes made but little impression upon it. and after with great labour penetrating a few feet, it was found to be impossible to exca-ate more than a narrow hole, which was carried down, graduaily oontricting to a depth of about seven feet. It was eatisfae, torily ascertained," says Provost Consitt, that I no coffin or human body could possibly have been buried there, and those most interested in the truth of the tradition were forced to acknowledge that it had beeu finally disposed of." To resume our narrative, we might say that, before the remains were re-interred last Friday, two peculiarities noticed impelled those who have interested themselves in the examination to the irresistible conclusion that the remains before them were the identical bones of the original hermit of Fame Island and none other. It is recorded that St. Cuthbert suffered much from scrofula. A decayed portion of the sternum sufficiently indicated that the person whose remains were found in the tomb had been so afflicted. It is also recorded that St. Cuthbert was lame—that he almost dragged his left leg behind him. The appearance, or rather the formation of a tibia found in the vault, proved that the original owner must have been troubled with some such deformity. These, with the one or two points to which we referred in our first notice, are of sufficient iniportanoe to induce Northerners to turn a deaf ear to those misty traditions which, as in the instance recorded above, have proved utterly false. In some quarters there has been a little conjecture NI to how the other human remains found in the tomb came to be the-e. We know, chiefly from Weston's 'annexation" of the bones of the Venerable Bede, how anxious the Monks al Durham were for such relics, and this probably scounts for the removal of the bones of St. Wharton from St. Oswald's to that Dim and mighty minster of old time A temple shadowy with remembrances Of the majestic past I where they were ultimately deposited in St. Cuthbert's tomb. The discovery in the tomb of the remains of children did not create any surprise, for it is known that relics said to be of the Innocents murdered by Herod were brought to Durham and carefully treasured here. Among other relics, the Monks of Durham boasted of a tooth of St. Stephen, a leg of Zacharias, an arm of Simon, an elbow of St. Christopher, a finger of St. Lawrence, some hair of St. Ambrose, and a foot of St. Ebbe, besides fragments from the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre. To return to Friday's ceremony, we might say that a fine deep shell fitted with a false or double bottom had been prepared. In the lower compartment were reverently arranged the detached bones found in the tomb. In the tier above were placed the skeleton of St. Cuthbert, with the Lead el King Oswald. The shell was then enclosed in a handsome solid oak coffin, on the lid of which was exquisitely carved a St. Cuthbert's cross, surmounted by a heavenly crown. With a deeply solemn impressiveness the coffin was lowered into the vault, where in all probability it will rest for all time, as owing to the completeness of the present examination the tomb can disclose nothing further of interest.  DON'T •FORGET there !1$ no better remedy for Corona ts ent.na than BODDEN'S BALYI OF HOREHOUND and