It does not appear, in the above roll, how long the hapless queen
remained in the abbey.

LAMBERT B. LARKING.
Ryarsh Vicarage. Dec. 14. 1849.


_The Talisman of Charlemagne_.--I beg to refer your correspondent,
on the subject of Charlemagne's Talisman, to what professes to be a
correct representation of this antique relic, in _The Illustrated
London News_, of March 8th, 1845; but it is not there described as
"a small nut, in a gold filigree envelopment," and gives the idea of
an ornament much too large for the finger or even wrist of any lady:
that paper says,--

"This curious object of virtu is described in the
Parisian journals as, 'la plus belle relique de
l'Europe;' and it has, certainly, excited considerable
interest in the archæological and religious circles of
the continent. The talisman is of fine gold, of round
form, as our illustration shows, set with gems, and in
the centre are two rough sapphires, and a portion of
the Holy Cross; besides other relics brought from the Holy Land."

The rest of the description much resembles your correspondent's, and
asserts the talisman to be at that time the property of Prince Louis
Napoleon, then a prisoner in the château of Ham.

S.A.M.