he form of precious jewels,
silver statues, golden vessels, valuable vestments, and works of art.
The Emperor Napoleon with his own hand took a most valuable diamond
from the finger of the jeweled glove which covered the sacred relic, the
hand of St. John, and placed it on his own finger. The Emperor also took
the diamond mounted sword, which had been carried by Valette, and
buckled it to his side. These silver gates, too, would have been carried
away but for the forethought of a priest who painted them black and so
concealed their value."

[Illustration: THE STREETS OF VALETTA WERE FULL OF LIFE THAT DAY
PRECEDING THE FESTA.]

In the nave of this church we tramped over hundreds of marble slabs
which have been placed among the mosaics in the floor as memorials of
the knights and nobles who are buried underneath. These flat tombstones
are adorned with representations of coats-of-arms, musical instruments,
angels, crowns, palms, skeletons, and other odd devices. But in the
crypt underneath, whither we were next conducted, majestic monuments of
elaborate design mark the resting places of the most noted Grand Masters
of the Order, the tomb of Grand Master Cottoner being one of the most
imposing. In the sacristy we gazed at, but were not permitted to touch,
the beautifully illuminated missals, the finely woven pieces of ancient
embroidery, and the splendid robes of former Grand Masters.

"The tapestry of the Lord's Supper and many other wonderful tapestries
are locked in that chamber," said the priest, pointing to a closed door,
"and are only exhibited in June each year."

At one of the altars in a side chapel worshipers knelt before a piece of
the true cross; but the relics regarded as most precious in the custody
of the Church of St. John, a thorn from the Savior's crown, portions of
the bones of three apostles, one of the stones cast at St. Stephen, the
right foot of Lazarus, and a fragment of the cradle of the infant Jesus,
are guarded with great care and rarely exposed to the gaze of curious
eyes.

In the Governor's Palace the tourists spent a short time. The walls of
the Council Chamber are hung with rare tapestry which has retained its
color and beauty for nearly three centuries. The dining room and
corridors are decorated with paintings of grim-faced Grand Masters of
the past; and the gorgeous ball room contains a throne on which these
same rulers sat in state surrounded by pomp and splendor. In the great
hall o