During the sleep of indifferentism which fell upon the church towards the close of the past century, all interest attaching to the chair seems to have been forgotten; and, after a lapse of years, it was discovered by the late Mr. Heathcote, of Conington Castle, in a room of the belfry of the church, where it had been thrust aside with other things as useless lumber, and daubed with the whitewash and paint of the generations of workmen who had cleansed their brushes on its broad surface. Mr. Heathcote, with a praiseworthy regard for a relic of so much interest, resolved to replace the chair in the position it had formerly occupied in the chancel of the church: but before this could be done, it was necessary to repair the ill usage which the chair had received, and to restore it, as much as possible, to its original condition. It was accordingly confided to trustworthy and skilful hands; the old ornamental portions were replaced, and the chair was in every way restored strictly in accordance with its original design. It is now in a good state of repair, and will probably remain for many ages a mute memorial of that tragic scene in which it once played its part. And, could we imagine the Dryad that watched over its forest-birth had filled its oaken frame with speech and feeling: or that a greater Power had put a voice into its shape, and caused the beam out of its timber to cry out against the cruel death-scene in the banquet-hall of Fotheringay, we might almost suppose it to have denounced the English Queen in the words of the Prophet Habakkuk (ii. 10, 11.): "Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it." And, so long as that chair remains in the church of Conington, and the stones of the banquet-hall of Fotheringay form a portion of its castle, so long shall that cry go up to heaven, and tell the hapless doom of Mary Stuart! CUTHBERT BEDE, B.A. * * * * * INEDITED LETTER OF WARREN HASTINGS. The subjoined letter, believed to be unpublished, is so characteristic of the energy and decision of the great governor-general of India, that I think it worth recording in your publication. It appears to be written and signed by him immediately after, as when it came into my possession the bright sand then in use was adherent more or less to the whole document. Sir Philip Francis and the other signature are in a different ink, and were so awkwardly in their place, that it would indicate that those signatures were previously obtained. H. W. D. "_To Capt. Robinson, Commander of the Morning Star._ (_Secret Department._) "Sir, "You are hereby commanded to proceed down the River with this Tide, to seize all the French {199} pilot vessels and pilots which you may be able to find, and bring them up to Calcutta.