and the work of destruction commenced on
the 6th, and finished on the 8th of August,
to the end that on the 10th it might be
publicly announced that a great and just
act had been accomplished, and that it only
now remained to open the coffins and
disperse the remains of the royal tyrants,
which would be effected as soon as
circumstances permitted. Accordingly, in
the following October commenced the
opening of the coffins—the first being that
of the great Turenne. The shape of his
body was well preserved, and his features
were very little altered. He appeared like
a dried mummy of a light shade of bistre.
A large opening was then made in the vault
in which lay the Bourbon princes and
princesses, and the coffin of Henri the
Fourth was discovered. His body was
perfectly preserved, and his face
recognisable. At the moment of opening, an
enthusiastic soldier threw himself before the
corps, and, after a long and silent worship,
drew his sword and cut off a lock of his
beard, which he held to his own lip, crying
in loud tones, 'And I also am a French
soldier! And I am henceforth sure of
conquering the enemies of France, and
marching to victory.'

"On the same day, 14th of October, the
other members of the House of Bourbon,
to the number of forty-seven, were taken
out of their coffins. The body of Louis
the Thirteenth was whole, and surprisingly
well preserved; he was recognisable
by his moustache, called à la royale,
which remained intact. The body of Louis
the Fourteenth was black as ink, and the
skin shiny. The coffin of Louis the Fifteenth
was opened at the entrance to the pit, which
had been dug ready for the reception of the
royal remains in the court-yard of the church
where formerly stood the beautiful chapel
of the Valois. This chapel was destroyed
in 1719, being unsafe; but some of its
finest remains, consisting of arched
columns, &c., are to be seen at the present
day in the Parc Monceaux. The body of
the royal lover of the Du Barry was
entire, and well bandaged: the skin white,
the nose violet; some portions of the
trunk, red. It floated in water formed by
the dissolving of the sea salt in which it
had lain. The bodies of the other princes
and princesses were in a state of liquid
putrefaction, and gave forth a black and
thick vapour, the odour of which burnt
vinegar and gunpowder hardly dissipated.
The intestines of the illustrious dead were
placed in leaden vessels attached to the
iron trestles that supported the coffins,
which were also of lead. The whole was
despatched to the melter's, after the
contents had been emptied into the pit.

"In the vault of Charles the Fifth,
several members of his family had been
buried. In his coffin, besides some dried
bones, were a crown and sceptre of gold,
and a hand of Justice beautifully carved
in silver. In the coffin of Jeanne de Bourbon,
his wife, were the remains of a crown,
a gold ring, a spindle in gilt wood half
eaten away, and some pointed shoes covered
with gold and silver embroidery. Part of
a crown and a gilt sceptre were also found
in the coffins of Charles the Seventh and
his wife Marie d'Anjou. The tomb of
Henri the Second held nine coffins,
containing the bones and decomposed remains
of the princes and princesses of his line.
Louis the Tenth had no coffin. His body
had been simply placed in a stone hollowed
into the form of a trough, and lined with
plates of lead. Bones, and part of a
sceptre and brass crown, were found in it,
much rusted. Charles le Chauve had been
placed in a similar receptacle, as had also
Philippe-Auguste. In the coffin of the latter,
nothing but dust was found. The body of
Louis the Eighth was enveloped in a leather
sack, beside which was part of a wooden
sceptre, a diadem of gold tissue, and a
satin cap. Philippe le Bel was in a stone
coffin—an entire skeleton; a gold ring was
on one of his fingers, and beside him lay a
diadem of gold tissue, and a brass gilt
sceptre. A statue of Dagobert stood in
front of his tomb, and this the workmen
were obliged to break, in order to get at the
coffin. In the tomb was a wooden coffer two
feet long, containing the bones of Dagobert
and of Nantilde, his wife. These remains
were wrapped in some silken stuff, and
separated one from the other by a plank,
dividing the coffer in two. The head of
the queen was missing; that of the king
was complete, even to the teeth. The
skeleton of Dugnesclin—buried by favour
at St. Denis—was found intact in a lead
coffin, the head perfect and the bones
wonderfully white. The vault of François the
First contained six coffins. All the bodies
were in a state of liquid putrefaction, and a
sort of black water issued from the coffins
during their carriage to the pit. The
body of François himself was of
extraordinary stature and build. In the coffin
of Philippe le Long, was his complete
skeleton, clothed in royal robes. On his
head was a gold crown, enriched by