1802, }’ 
of leaves, on which was a bird, alfo.of 
copper, coloured after nature, fuppofed 
by its form and colour to reprefent the 
goldfinch, being a ftriking refemblance to 
that which is given in Montfaucon’s Mo- 
narchie Frangaife. . 
In the evening of the fame day by the 
Lght of flambeaux the workmen opened - 
the tombrof King Dagobert, who died in 
-638. Ina wocden cheft about two.feet 
Jong, lined with lead on the infide, were 
found the bones of this prince, and thofe 
of Nanthilde his wife, who died in 642. 
The bones of this pair were wrapped in- 
filk-ftuff, and feparated from each other 
by a plank placed in the middle ‘of the 
cheft.  On-one fide of the coffin was a 
jJeaden plate with this infcription :—** Hic 
jacet corpus Dagoberti.”’. On the other 
fide another leaden plate with this inferip- 
tion :—* Hic jacet corpus Nanthildis.” 
From the igth to the 25th, inclufive, 
the workmen continued to open the tombs 
and coffins depofited in the Abbeyof S:. 
Denis. In the coffin of Philippe de Valois 
- were found a crown and {ceptre of copper- 
gilt, furmounted with a bird, alfo of eap- 
per-gilt. In the coffin of Charles le Bel 
were found a crown of filver-gilt, a {ceptre 
of copper-gilt feven feet in height; a gold 
ring; part of a hand of juftice; a walking- 
ftick of ebony ; and a, pillow, of lead, on 
which the head of the king was reclined. 
The entire fkeleton of Philippe le Long / 
was difcoverel in a {tone coffin. He had 
been interred in his royal robes. His 
head was covered with a crown of filver- 
gilt, enriched with precious ftones. His 
robe was ornamented with a clafp of gold 
in form of a lozenge; .and a {maller one of 
filver. His fafls was of (atin-ttuff, fattened 
with a buckle of filver-gilt. His fceptre 
was of copper-gilt. i 
The lait tomb opened was that of King. 
John, who died in England in 1364, aged 
56 years. 
I e 
Yo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
Bar or eampleint of your correfpondent 
R. Hy ¢-% (page 341), of the 
artifices which_fome book(ellers .pragtice. 
in their exportations, is equally true and 
ferious. It is a grievance of remote date, 
and the real injury it occafions to the ge- 
neral caule of literature,and, one may add, 
to the human intellect, demands reproba- 
tion, and, if poffible, corre&tion. 
It is one of the /ecrets of Paternofter- 
Row, that there exi(ts a certain race of 
authors, who are fully competent to any 
Exportation of Books.- 
Wie 
bal 
literary tafk by the /hect; but whofe wo- 
lumes would be utterly difregarded by a 
difcerning public. They can write on all 
fubjeéts, though they will be read on none. 
Now as thefe gentlemen are to be hired at 
convenient prices, it remains only that the 
bookfeller fhould contrive a fecure fale for 
a moderate edition. ., And this golden -fe- ' 
cret has at length been difcovered! Few 
of thele works are feen in the metropolis, 
but they'{upply our country diftriéts, and 
are carefully expedited in packages for 
foreign markets. Thefe works, befides 
being compofed on all fubje&ts, and made 
of all fizes, poflefs a more material ad-~ 
vantage; they fell nearly as focn as 
publithed, at reduced prices, and. fome- 
times for little more than damaged paper. 
Excellent commodities forcommerce! The 
merchant is allowed an extraordinary dif- 
count, and the bookfeller thips off an 
edition for the Weft-India market! 
- The merchants’ orders are remarkable, 
and I tranicribe one of them as a literary 
curioficy. A Welt-India merchant re- 
ceived an order for 32 cafes\of books, not 
to exceed 500]. The claflcs were given as 
follows, without fpecifying any author. 
Law mig nei cies FOO 
Hiftory - = 9 +, 100 
Voyages, - = = 150 
NOVELE: weg salve. jn, Spee 
Biography = = 50 
Religious ~ - = 50 
Total £. 500 
The merchant hands this order to his 
bookteller, who promifes a large difcount, . 
and, what is of fome confequence alfo, 
that they fhall look as handfome as poffible. 
He will not fele&t our belt writers, becaufe 
they are not to be purchafed at reduced 
prices, and are fuch an unmarketable race 
that he could not afford them a handfome 
cloathing. He therefore runs through the 
Row, where he finds authors, who, like 
fervants out of place with loft charaéters, 
will come on any terms, and even merely 
for their board and lodging. 
If is in this manney, fir, that whole 
ballets of certain magazines, ornamented 
with fine prints and other literary Bir- 
mingham ware, are f{natched from utter 
annihilation by the crafty trader; the 
public are defrauded, and tafte is injured. 
Thus are the clafiics of. Paternofter 
Row perpetuated! and what avail our 
murmurs? Trade is callous while it 
profpers ! ‘ 
T recolleé&t, when at Paris, an anecdote 
A 2 which 
