yet produced. The design of the arch was prepared by order of Napoleon Bonaparte to commemorate his matchless victories,—but the work was not taken in hand till the time of Louis Philippe who constructed it in 1836 at a cost of £400,000. The arch is 67 ft. high and 46 ft. wide,—but the total structure is 160 ft. high and 146 ft. wide. The facades of this arch are decorated with vigorous groups of collosal statues, and the victories and triumphs of Napoleon are engraved on the walls.
It derives its name "Etoile" or star from being the centre whence rediate twelve of the finest avenues of Paris in twelve different directions! One or two of these deserve special mention. The Avenue des Champs Elyseés which comes from the east is continued westwards under the name of the Avenue de la Grande Armé, because Napoleon's grand army passed by this Avenue. Another road called the Avenue de Bois de Boulogne extends south-west from the Arc and is almost a park in its beauty and its width. It was laid out by order of Napoleon III. and was called Avenue de l'Imperatrice until the fall of the empire. The procession of equipages which enter the Bois by this fine Avenue is one of the sights of Paris.
Both the Avenue de la Grande Armé and the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne lead from the Arc to the fortifications of Fortification.Paris which like a circle surrounds the town in every direction and which kept back the great German army from Paris until hunger forced the citizens to surrender. Beyond this circular rampart, and to the west lies the
