is in itself so admirable, that I cannot resist dwelling for a few minutes upon its merits.* It opens like the shutters of a window; when closed, we have the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary before us. On the right, the angel is seen in long and flowing robes, kneeling on one knee before the Virgin, holding extended a scroll and sceptre. The Virgin, who is also kneeling, but before an altar, appears with her head gracefully turned towards her heavenly visitant; she receives with holy joy the glad tidings that he brings. Her face, attitude, and demeanour are full of grace and beauty. The dove is seen above her head; a white lily, in a vase, in the background of the picture. This is a good introduction: but on throwing open the shutters, all the genius of the painter, in the richest display of his art, becomes apparent. To the right we have St. Jerome, of Cologne, in armour; he bears the banner of the cross. This subject represents the Christian warrior, who, with his resolute band, here suffered mar

• I purchased in the cathedral, in the wor I have named, the most beautiful outline etchings of this altar-piece.

tyrdom by the hands of the heathen. To the left is that lady saint, who was the leader of the eleven thousand virgins, who also suffered martyrdom at Cologne. In the centre compartment, we have the finest of all these paintings - the Adoration of the Magi. The sweetness and beauty of the Virgin - the perfect nature and innocence of the child the two old men,

one kneeling on either side the infant and his mother, are altogether quite equal to Raphael, in the exquisite beauty and simplicity of their composition, and in the richness and purity of their colour, finish, and design. The whole is a most admirable work, and gives a very high idea of the state of painting in the German school, at so early a period of the arts. We next proceeded to the small chapel behind the high altar, to see the far-famed shrines of the Kings of Cologne. It is, indeed, well worth seeing never, perhaps, before had any three sets of old bones so glorious a coffin. The shrine is composed of solid silver, gilt, or overlaid with gold, as the antique mode of speech would have it. We saw it by taper-light; which added

to the brilliancy of its effect. It is like most other things of this sort-made in a form resembling a house, with a slanting roof to it. This, however, is also made like a house whose groundfloor projects more than the upper story; so that it has a slanting narrow parapet all around it, from which arises the second story. The shrine is of the richest chased Gothic work. It is decorated with pillars, statues of gold and silver, paintings in enamel, jewels of the highest price, and a quantity of the most beautiful antique cameos. To give a detailed account of it would fill pages. Some of these cameos having upon them such subjects as Leda and the Swan, Cupid and Psyche, Venus and Adonis, Apollo and Jupiter, are rather curious offerings and adornments for a shrine containing the bones of three such miracle-working and holy kings, as their majesties of Cologne.

Towards one end of their house, you are treated with a sight of their three old skulls — each having on its mahogany-looking crown, a crown apparently of gold and jewels. But, after all, the Magi are shabbily honoured; for

the guide told us that those golden crowns with their seeming brilliants were the only things about the shrine that were not real, being recently added, and composed of gilt metal and French paste. Under each skull is seen in letters, composed of real rubies, the name of the worthy to whom it might belong — Gaspar, Melchoir, and Balthazar. We were much interested by examining this gorgeous work, but agreed in the opinion that we did not admire jewels set in a shrine, and that jewels ought alone to be placed as ornaments about the person; they are little, if at all, ornamental to things of still life.

As the French, during the Revolution, would have had no more respect for the skulls of the three dead kings than they had for the head of a living one, the shrine was sent off to Prague, under the conduct of a guard of priests. One jewel only was allowed to be taken from it, and sold to pay the expenses of the removal. All the treasures of the cathedral that were preserved, were forwarded to the same place.

Amongst the remarkable things in Co

logne, I must not forget to mention that we saw in Oben Marsfo r teStreet (where, judging by its name, I should fancy a temple to Mars had once stood), a stone which records that, in the year 1784, the Rhine overflowed its banks to that spot, and rose so high that it was more than forty feet above its ordinary level; this being twenty-five higher than it was ever before known to have risen, either by experience, record, or tradition. In this inundation ît swept away houses, villages, men, and cattle, and did the greatest possible mischief for miles along its banks.

We visited the museum, where we saw a vast number of Roman antiquities, found in the place. Among them were some fine pieces of sculpture; a head of Medusa was very striking and noble. Several of the old Gothic paintings also here preserved, are of considerable merit.

We next visited the church of the Twelve Apostles, a very fine specimen of NormanGothic, in its architecture and its general design. We then proceeded to the Place d'Armes