Three Years in Europe, 1868 to 1871/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII.
Paris.
I. The Islands.
Paris
that river to the north, as far as the heights of Montmatre and La Villette,—he can scarcely believe that so lovely a picture is not the vision of a dream, that a view so noble and so perfect can be a busy crowded city, the centre of busy traffic, and swarming with two millions of busy, hard-working men and women!
But the distinguishing and unique beauty of Paris consists not so much in her numerous palaces and noble churches and fine public buildings and streets, as in the harmony and proportion in architecture which strikes the observer in every street that he turns into. There are grander hotels in the world than the Grand Hotel of Paris,—but it is only in Paris that the Grand Hotel is matched and fronted in every direction by houses which in style and architecture correspond with the hotel. The new Opera of Paris though one of the most magnificent buildings in Europe has its rivals in other cities,—but it is only in Paris that such a building is set off by lines of buildings on every side, six or seven storeys high, worthy of the Opera. The Place de la Concorde is perhaps the finest square in Europe—but its beauty consists not only in its fine statues and fountains and the Egyptian obelisk in the centre, but on the perfect symmetry of architecture in every direction. The gardens of the Champs Elysé to the west correspond with the gardens of the Tuileries to the east, and the beautiful Church of Madeleine to the north corresponds with the Chambre des Deputés across the Seine to the south! And this is what strikes the visitor everywhere in Paris. In every street and Boulevard there is a uniformity and harmony in architecture which adds considerably to the beauty and magnificence of the houses and buildings.
I reached Paris on the night of the 25th September, and a fortnight was scarcely sufficient to enable me to go through this labyrinth of lovely sights and fine buildings which makes Paris the queen of modern cities in the world.
How shall I begin an account of this wonderful city? Where shall I find a starting point in this labyrinth? Probably an account of Paris should begin naturally with that portion of it which was historically the first commencement of this great city and which is still considered its centre, and called the "cité."
The Seine flows east and west, and modern Paris stretches to the north and south of this river. But in the far remote past Paris did not extend to either bank of the river but was confined to the two islands in the Seine which are now known as the cité or Old Paris. It was in these two islands that the Parisii, a wandering tribe of barbarians, settled themselves some centuries before the time of Julius Cæsar and of the Roman conquest. History of Paris.When the Romans conquered Gaul they made these two islands their head quarters for two or three centuries together, but in the fourth century Constantius Chlorus founded on the south bank of the river a palace, the remains of which still exist at the Hotel de Cluny of which I will speak hereafter. The wood hovels of the Parisii had by this time been replaced in the islands by stone houses and these houses gradually extended on both banks of the river.
Long after the Romans had left Gaul, the two islands still remained the centre of Paris, and indeed the town scarcely extended far beyond these islands. The Merovingian kings and the Carlovingian kings resided in these islands, and when Rollo the Ganger and other Norman chiefs sailed up the Seine and invaded Paris, the timid citizens vainly attempted to defend themselves within the walls of these fortified islands. The hardy Normans repeatedly sacked the islands although unable to keep possession of them. At last Hugh Capet the founder of the third dynasty in France restored order in the kingdom, and built a new palace in one of the islands, and his successors continued to live in it for centuries after. It was not till the twelfth century that Louis the Big left these historical islands and built the first palace on the north side of the Seine, on the site of the modern Louvre, and the great Philip Augustus, the companion of Richard Cœur de Lion of England in the third crusade, erected a circle of fortifications round it. An account of Paris therefore should naturally begin with an account of these two historical islands in the Seine.
And these islands have a very different appearance now from what they had at the time of the wandering Parisii or even at the time of the Romans. Conspicuous among the many edifices that are crowded upon these islands stands the noble Cathedral of Notre Dame the finest Church in Paris, if not in France. It was built in the 12th century, and is 417 ft. long and 158 ft. broad and its fine square towers in the front and its beautiful spire can be seen from miles beyond the limits of Paris. The whole of the exterior of this splendid edifice is beautifully carved, while the general effect of the interior is solemn and imposing. Notre Dame.Seventy-five lofty and graceful columns raise the vaulting to a height of 110 ft. while the long cloisters running all round make the view imposing indeed. The organ in the Cathedral is one of the finest in the world and has 5000 pipes, and I do not think I have ever heard anything finer or more imposing than the service in the Notre Dame on one of the Sundays I passed in Paris.
Almost fronting the Notre Dame is the noble pile of buildings called the Palais de Justice which is a Court house, a Police office and a Prison, and also encloses within its walls the ancient Cathedral of La Chapelle. Palais de Justice.The greater part of this Court house has been built since 1871, when the older structure was almost entirely destroyed by the communist incendiaries. The Galerie des Merciers contains the statues of the four French kings who have distinguished themselves as legislators, viz., Philip Augustus and St. Louis, Charlemagne and Napoleon Bonaparte. The Conciergerie contains almost all that is left of the historic towers where Marie Antoinette were imprisoned before her execution.
La Sainte Chapelle is one of the most beautiful little churches in existence and was La Sainte Chapelle.erected in 1245-48 by St. Louis of France as a palace chapel and also as a shrine for sacred relics, viz., a portion of the so-called true cross and of the crown of thorns purchased according to tradition from the king of Jerusalem for 300,000 franks. Irrespective of its supposed sanctity this church is on account of its beauty justly regarded as one of the most valuable treasures of France, and during the war of 1870, the church was carefully packed in wood with a layer of earth between the wood and the structure. The Palais de Justice all round the church was burnt down, but the church was thus saved from destruction, and when disentombed was found quite uninjured!
II. The North Bank.
We will now cross over to the north bank, where as I have already stated Louis the Big built the first palace as late as the 12th century of the Christian era. Northern Bank.The Great Philip Augustus built a fortress on this very spot in 1204 A.D. Over three hundred years later, the munificent Francis I. commenced here the renowned palace of the Louvre which was added to by successive kings and which has been the centre of European politics for over three hundred years. The magnificent pile of buildings commenced by Francis I., in 1541 was finally completed by Napoleon III. within the memory of living men. The entire area covered by this palace is nearly fifty acres,—and the palace on the whole is among the most sumptuous buildings in existence.
France is a republic since 1871, and kings and emperors reside in this palace no longer. But the Louvre fulfils a higher and nobler destiny, Louvre.and contains the richest and most magnificent collection of art treasures in the world. The picture galleries are on the upper floor, and I walked for hours and hours through the ornamental galleries, the walls of which were hung with the finest productions of the greatest painters that the world has produced. There is a profusion of pictures by Rubens, while Van Dyke and the other Flemish and Dutch masters are not unrepresented. Further on are the productions of Murillo and the Spanish masters and then come Leonardi di Vinci and Titien and Raphael and the other immortal painters of Italy. The world renowned painting of Leonardi,—the last supper of Christ—is here. But the Salon Carrè is the most important room in the Louvre. Raphael's celebrated Holy Family and the Belle Jardiniere and St. Michael overcoming the enemy distinguish these walls. Murillo's Immaculate Conception which every lover of painting has admired in copy or photograph, was purchased for the Louvre for £24,000, and is here. Paul Veronese is represented in large canvas,—his marriage at Cana is the largest picture in the Louvre, Corregio's Jupiter and Antiope, Titien's Entombment and La Maitresse and several productions of Leonardi Da Vinci adorn the walls of the Salon Carrè.
Then comes the fine gallery of Apollo beautifully ornamented and decorated, and then a succession of other rooms where the French school is represented.
I shall never end if I begin a detailed account of the art treasures of the Louvre, and I will therefore conclude by saying that the sculpture of different nations is represented in the lower floor as painting is in the upper. One can spend days and days usefully amid the monuments of an ancient world,—monuments from Egypt with their hieroglyphics, 2,500 years before Christ, monuments from Assyria and Babylon with their cuneiform inscriptions 1,500 years before Christ, and the marble monuments of Greece and Rome never since equalled in their nobility of form and grace. The original Venus of Milo is here—and is among the noblest productions in marble which modern world has inherited from ancient Greece. India alone among the ancient countries of the world is not represented in the art museums of Europe, because India, distinguished by her ancient poetry and philosophy, never cultivated sculpture until in comparatively recent times.
I have already stated that the Louvre took some centuries in completion and gradually extended along the north bank of the Seine from the east to the west. To the west again of this historic palace stood at one time the scarcely less celebrated palace of the Tuilleries, but which alas! exists no more. Tuilleries.Cathrine de Medici constructed the palace in the sixteenth century and for three hundred years the palace had an eventful history. The great Henry IV. and Louis XIII. resided in the Tuilleries from time to time, and the "Grande Monarque," Louis XIV. also resided there during the commencement of his reign, but he left it for Versaillies afterwards, and the Tuilleries were abandoned for about a century. It was in the year of the French Revolution in 1789 that the populace of Paris went en masse to Versailles,—the market women of the Halles forming a large portion of the crowd,—and brought the unfortunate Louis XVI. back to the Tuilleries. On the 10th August 1792 the populace armed in thousands, attacked the Tuilleries, massacred the faithful Swiss guards, took the palace, wrecked the apartments and destroyed its valuable contents or carried them to the Hotel de Ville. The poor king who had taken refuge in the riding school was after two days carried to the Temple where he remained till his execution.
The Tuilleries were again attacked and taken by the mob in the revolution of 1830 and of 1848. Napoleon III. on his accession restored and adorned the Tuilleries and "many men not beyond middle age have frequently seen him leave the Tuilleries with the Empress and the Prince Imperial, in state, escorted by soldiers and surrounded by thousands of enthusiastic spectators." But the storm of 1870 swept away the imperial dynasty of France, and what the war spared was destroyed by the vandalism of the Communists who rose in Paris after the Germans had left it. The Palace of the Tuilleries which had witnessed successive revolutions was finally destroyed by fire by the Communists of Paris on the 24th May 1871, and for ten years after that date all that remained of this magnificent palace was a pile of blackened and mouldering ruins! In my last visit to Paris in 1871, I saw these sad ruins along with the ruins of many of the finest and fairest edifices of this lovely city. For ten years after that date "the clock dial of the Pavilion de l'Horloge remained attached to the facade,—the hands marking 12-30,—or half an hour after noon of the 24th May 1871, that being the hour when the work of destruction planned by the commune was fulfilled." At last the municipality decided on the removal of this momento of ancient royal pride and of modern popular vandalism. The ruins were sold by auction and were carted away,—and not a trace now exists of the palace of the Tuilleries where the kings and ambassadors and the great ones of Europe were at one time proud to find a place by the side of the Royalty of France.
The Palace of Tuilleries stood to the west of the palace of Louvre, and to the west again of the Tuilleries stood and still stands the celebrated Jardin of Tuilleries. Extend the same straight line further westwards, and you come to the Place de la Concorde, then to the gardens called the Champs Elysees extending far westward as far as the towering and magnificent Arc de Triomphe. The arrangement is so perfect and the line is so straight and unbroken, that standing on the Louvre you see straight before you the gardens of the Tuilleries, the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde, the lovely gardens of the Champs Elysees and far off the magnificent Arc de Triomphe closing the view.
The Place de la Concorde is one of the largest and finest Squares in Europe, being Place de la Concorde.390 yards long and 235 yards wide. The Seine flows by the south of this square, and beyond the Seine is visible the Chamber des Deputes with its fine Corinthian pillars. The Rue Royale stretches to the north, terminating in the Church of Medeleine corresponding in its noble architecture with the Chambre des Deputes. The gardens of Tuilleries bound it on the east and those of the Champs Elysees on the west. In the centre of this noble square is the Luxor obelisk, an Egyptian monument of 1500 B. C., and presented to Louis Philippe by Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt. North and south of this obelisk are two noble fountains, representing the rivers and the sea respectively, while all round the square are eight fine statues representing Bordeaux and Nantes, Rouen and Brest, Marseilles and Lyon, and Lille and Strasbourg respectively. Since the loss of Strasbourg in 1871 the statue representing that town has been draped in mourning, and the following significant inscription is written under it:
"Qui Vive? France!"
Such is the Place de la Concorde now, but it has a long and mournful history to tell. In 1763 the place was first levelled and the statue of Louis XV. was raised in its centre by an enthusiastic and loyal people;—nineteen years afterwards that statue was melted and coined into pennies and the title of the square was changed into Place de la Revolution! In the next year Louis XVI. was guillotined on the very spot where his father's statue had been erected twenty years before! For two years the fearful instrument did its bloody work on this spot, and 2,800 persons, some of them the bravest and noblest that France has ever produced, were decapitated on this gloomy spot. I have only to add that this square has been a silent witness not only of the crimes and cruelty of Frenchmen but also of their humiliation and shame. Prussian and Russian troops occupied this place in 1814 and the allied Powers again occupied it in 1815. And after the disastrous war of 1871 the German troops bivouacked on the same historic ground.
From the Place de la Concorde stretches far westward the magnificent road of the Champs Elyseés with the celebrated gardens of the same name on either side of it. Champs Elysees.Morning, noon or night, this is a delightful and crowded resort. Equestrians are seen in it by scores in the morning, on their way to the Bois de Boulogne. In the afternoon the broad Avenue is thronged by an array of carriages such as not even the Rotten Row in London can equal! On the south side of this Avenue is the Palais de l'Industre where various industrious products are exhibited all through the year, and where besides, the annual Salon or exhibition of modern paintings is held from 1st May to the 15th June. On the north side of the Avenue is the Palais de l'Elyseés celebrated in French history and now the official residence of the President of the Republic.
The Champs Elyseés stretch westwards as far as the Arc de Triomphe de l'etoile which Arc de Triomphe.is the most superb triumphal arch in the world, and commemorates the triumphs and victories of the greatest military genius that the world has 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 celebrated Bois de Boulogne which was originally a forest and a game preserve and is now one of the loveliest and best wooded parks in the world. Bois de Boulogne.It covers 2250 acres of ground and is covered with timber of various kinds. It is intersected by broad roads and rides under drooping trees and is adorned by sheets of ornamental water. Two lakes were excavated here during the empire, and an artificial cascade having a fall of over 40 feet is the delight of Parisians and well as of strangers. A part of the Bois is enclosed and made into a Zoological garden, and called the Jardin d'Acclimatation. It has a fine collection of animals and birds.
We have taken our readers westwards from the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde to the Bois de Boulogne. Let us now go eastwards from the Place de la Concorde by a new route, the Rue de Rivoli. As we stroll down this street eastwards, we have the Tuilleries and the Louvre to our right and we pass by several places of interest to our left. Before we have gone very far we see to our left a fine street leading to the celebrated Colonne Vendome a magnificent trophy of the victories of the great Napoleon. Vendome Column."The idea of melting 1200 cannons taken in battle from the Russians and Austrians and constructing of them a bronze column 142 ft. in height and 13 ft. in diameter crowned by his own statue, was worthy of the man whose ambition was not limited to the subjugation of Europe, but who aspired to be the conqueror of the world like Alexander the Great." Tins great column was completed in 1810 to celebrate the victories of 1805. The figures on the column are faithful representations of the troops engaged, and the reliefs on the pedestal represent the uniforms and weapons of conquered armies. Napoleon's statue which crowns the column was not constructed till 1831. The Communists of 1871, laid their vandal hands on this noble trophy,—and when I last visited Paris in 1871, the column had been cast down from its pedestal. It has been since restored to its place.
Walking a little further eastwards by the Rue de Rivoli, we find a humbler monument dedicated to another inspired soul who loved France and saved her in the hour of danger and foreign invasion. Joan of Arc.The small statue of Joan of Arc riding a horse is not worthy, either in design or in magnitude, of the inspired maiden who put on armour and spurs in the hour of her country's danger, and beat back the stubborn English invaders from post to post and fortress to fortress until she recrowned her King and fulfilled her mission. By her king's order she still persevered in the work, and fell in the attempt,—and the burning of this heroic and inspired girl who loved and fought for her country is among the most shameful chapters in the annals of England's wars.
Walking further eastwards by the Rue de Rivoli we next come to the historic Palais Royal, constructed by the great cardinal Richelieu. Palais Royal.There is now a garden inside the palace, which is surrounded on all sides by a series of Jewellers' shops, the like of which can be seen in few other places in the world.
Not far from the Palais Royal,—and to the east are the Halles Centrales,—the central market place of Paris. Like most old buildings of Paris, even this market place has a history of its own. Market Place.For the market women of this place who in vigour and volubility have always surpassed the market women of other parts of the world, have sometimes played an important part in French history. In 1791, they issued in a body and marched to Verseilles with the male rioters, and forced the unfortunate Louis XVI. to come to Paris. In 1871, again, it was the Dames de la Halle who wanted the priest of St. Eustache Church (who had been arrested) to be restored to them. Even Communists were not a match for these ladies, and the priest was given up. It is a sight to walk through this very extensive market with viands and fruits and flowers and fishes of all kinds exposed for sale in the innumerable stalls each marked with the name of the stall-keeper. Frogs will be seen here in large quantities, exposed for sale! Lively scenes are not unoften witnessed in these markets, for French women are keen bargainers, and when the Parisian house-keeper meets the Dames de la Halle comes the tug of war!
Mention is made in the preceding paragraph of the Church of St. Eustache. St. Eustache Church.That church is situated immediately to the north of the market, and is largely frequented by the market people and the lower classes. It is one of the largest mediæval churches in Paris, 348 ft. long and 144 ft. wide, while the great height of the nave, (104 ft.) and the beauty of the surrounding chapels give the interior a noble and imposing appearance. When royalty was done away with in France in 1793, the revolutionists in their madness celebrated the Feast of Reason in this spacious Church!
To the south of the central market is another church of a very different character. It is the church of St. Germain L'auxerrois, situated immediately to the east of the Louvre. St. Germain Church.It was a church founded as early as the eleventh century, but for the most part restored in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This ancient church has a sad and mournful association,—for it was the bell of this church which rang the signal for the massacre of St. Bartholemew! Thousands of French protestants were massacred on that occasion and hundreds of thousands of honest hard-working Huguenots were afterwards expelled from France. Is it a wonder that when the reaction came, an attempt was made to do away with religion altogether in the neighbouring church of St. Eustache?
As we walk down the Rue de Rivoli further eastward, we come to the celebrated Hotel de Ville, perhaps the finest Town Hall in the world. Hotel de Ville.But the present building is not old but only a reproduction of the magnificent edifice which was completed in 1628, but was destroyed by the infamous Communists in 1871. When I visited Paris last, the Hotel de Ville was a blackened and mouldering pile!
Leaving this fine building behind we travel a little further eastward and northward and arrive at the celebrated Place de la Bastille,—replete with the most thrilling associations. Bastille.It was at this spot that in the middle of the fourteenth century was erected the fort of Bastille,—one of the strongest points in the fortifications of the city. But like the Tower of London it soon ceased to be used as a fort, and was long used as a prison and a political dungeon, closing its awful gates on all who incurred the displeasure or suspicion of a despotic monarch! For more than a century it remained an awful monument of Royal despotism, until the people rose against it like the waves of an angry sea, and surged in thousands against its solid walls. They rose and besieged and captured this fearful dungeon and razed it to the ground in 1789, and despotism in France was crushed and buried,—never to rise again. There is a panorama, not far from this place, which paints this scene of the taking of the Bastille. It shews at a glance the whole of Paris as it was in 1789, with its churches and towers and sea of houses on all sides and with its thousands of angry people pouring in torrents against the solid walls of the Bastille,—the hated monument of royal despotism.
The Bastille is no more, and in its place now stands a column raised to commemorate those who fell in the Revolution of July 1830. It is a column of bronze and bears the names of 645 persons who fell in the Revolution. In the Revolution of 1848, a strong barricade was raised here and was bravely defended, and was only forced after the storming of several days. And again in 1871, the Communists strongly barricaded themselves there, and were only dislodged after a long and desperate struggle.
We have now travelled the whole distance from the Place de la Concorde to the Place de la Bastille, by the Rue de Rivoli, (with its continuation Rue St. Antoine,) which is almost a straight line. Let us now travel the same distance again, i. e., from the Place de la Concorde to the Bastille, but not in a straight line but by the line of Boulevards which describes something like a semicircle having the Rue de Rivoli for its cord or base. A preliminary word about the Boulevards is necessary.
The circle of the Inner of Great Boulevards with the beautiful rows of shady trees on either side, with their rich shops, brilliant cafés and spacious foot-paths are perhaps the finest streets in existence and justly excite the envy and admiration of visitors of all nations coming to Paris. Boulevards.But the Boulevards, as their name implies, were at one time not streets but simply a circle of fortifications enclosing the town. It was Francis I., the founder of the Louvre who built this circle of fortifications round the town as it then stood. But the city soon outgrew even this wide circle—and in the reign of Louis XIV., the town had grown so much that the Boulevards no longer served their original purpose as enclosing fortifications. Louis XIV. therefore removed the fortifications, made them into spacious roads and planted them out with trees, until they became what they are now—the finest and most spacious streets in Europe.
Starting again from the Place de la Concorde along this circle we first come to the Church of the Madelenie, a modern Church commenced in 1764, but completed only in 1830. Madeleine Church.It is a superb and magnificent structure after the pattern not of Christian churches but of Greek temples and measuring 354 ft. in length and 141 ft. in width, and 100 ft. in height. It is flanked on all sides by sixty massive Corinthian columns which add to its imposing appearance. I attended high mass inside this Church on one of the Sundays I passed in Paris.
Leaving the Madeleine behind we stroll eastwards by the Boulvard de Capucines and soon come to the new Opera of Paris, the finest theatre-house in the world. Opera.It was commenced in 1861 in the palmy days of the empire, but the republic did not neglect its completion which took place in 1874. It covers the site of 400 or 500 houses which had to be destroyed for the construction of this superb building! The land alone cost £5,00,000, and the building £1.500,000. The costliest materials were used in its construction, and the staircase alone built of fine stones of different colours is a sight to see. The "Cid" was acted on the night that I was in the opera, and the music and the scenic decorations were good.
We proceed further eastwards by the Boulevard des Italiens with its splendid shops and brilliant cafés and unending stream of carriages. It is worth seeing the Boulevards by night when the electric lights from the Opera house and the thousand jets of gas from the shops and cafés on both sides, and the stream of lively Parisians strolling along the street or sitting by the tables outside the cafés and sipping their "Absynth" or "Grenadine" make it a festive scene indeed.
As we stroll further eastwards we come close to some buildings which though not on the Boulevards require mention. Bourse.Only a short distance to our south is the famous "Bourse," the stock exchange of Paris. It is a modern building, constructed in 1826 and is architecturally not unlike the Madeleine Church. Like that Church it stands on a platform and is surrounded by massive Corinthean pillars. The large clock over the front entrance is the standard by which Paris time (812 minutes ahead of Greenwich time) is regulated. The hall inside is busy as may be imagined.
Not far from the Bourse is the Bank of France, established in 1803, and said to contain within its secure vaults nearly a hundred million pounds sterling in gold. Bank.It is said that these vaults can be flooded with water at any time, and it is certain that sand is stored here in large quantities to bury and save the gold and silver of the nation in the event of the superstructure being burnt down.
Not far from the Bourse and the Bank is a superb building of a different description, Library.the great library of the nation. The books number between three and four millions—which is I believe double the number of the books in the British museum of London! The entire pile of buildings between four streets on four sides,—Richlue, Colbert, Vivienne and Petits Champs,—is hardly sufficient to contain this enormous collection.
Coming back now to the Boulevards and proceeding to the east again, we soon come to the arches of St. Denis and St. Martin, Arches of Louis XIV.built by Louis XIV., to celebrate his victories,—but since eclipsed by the loftier and finer Arc de Triomphe, built to commemorate the grander victories of Napoleon.
We continue our eastward journey by the Boulevards and soon come to the fine statue of the Republic. Not far from it is the Place de la Bastille of which we have spoken before.
We have now finished our account of Paris north of the Seine, except that one or two places to the extreme north and east deserve a passing mention. Montmatre.The heights of Montmatre, are at the extreme north of Paris, and being the highest part of the town are visible from every other part. These heights have played an important part in French history. The last struggles of the French army against the allied armies of 1815, took place here, and here again in 1871, the Communists began that insurrection which deluged the town in blood and ruined her finest buildings and treasures.
From the Butte Montmatre is visible in the far east the Butte Chaumont, another hill in the north-eastern part of Paris. Chaumont.The Butte was formerly a chalk pit, and the hill was known as Montfancon and was used for many centuries as a place of public execution. It is said that as many as 100 bodies were sometimes suspended at one and the same time. For a long time the whole neighbourhbod was a den of thieves and robbers and the worst characters in Paris, It was Emperor Napoleon III. who has architecturally done so much for Paris, who cleared the place and laid out a beautiful park here with lakes, and gardens, fine walks and beautiful hills.
South from this hill is the celebrated burial ground called Pere la Chaise. It occupies an area of over 100 acres, and contains over 20,000 monuments. Pere la Chaise.The most interesting spot for the antiquarian is the tomb of Heloise and Abelard, over which a Gothic canopy has been raised. Wreaths are still offered and placed on the grave of these gifted lovers of the Middle Ages. I also saw the grave of Cousin and the monument to Thiers, the graves of the Hugo family, and of Racine, and those La Fontaine and Moliere who sleep side by side. A host of other writers, thinkers and warriors sleep in this common platform of death. Cuvier and Auguste Comte, Sieyes and Talleyrand, MacDonald, Ney and Massena and many others of the greatest and best of Frenchmen sleep in this cemetery.
III. The South Bank.
We begin our account of southern Paris from the extreme west, and commence with the Champs de Mars which from the most ancient times, has been the scene of military exercises in Paris. Champs de Mars.It is an immense rectangular piece of sandy ground on the banks of the Seine. In more recent times it was here that the unfortunate Louis XVI. and the members of the National Assembly swore fidelity to the constitution of 1789. The constitution did not last very long and many successive scenes in the drama of the Revolution were enacted here, until Napoleon assumed the imperial power, and held his fetes and demonstrations on this extensive ground. The exhibitions of 1867 and 1878 were also held here, and it was at the latter exhibition that the superb palace of Tracadero was built on the opposite bank of the river. It is of magnificent and unique construction in white stone, and its two lofty towers 230 feet high are visible from miles beyond the limits of Paris. I went up one of these towers in a lift and had a splendid view of Paris from there.
Not far from the Champs de Mars, and to the east is a spot which Frenchmen of all sects and denominations regard with mingled feelings of pride, and of sorrow. Napoleon's Tomb.The gilded dome of the Hotel des Invalides can be seen from miles outside the limits of Paris, and under this dome rest the ashes of the greatest of warriors and of conquerors. The "Hotel" was founded by Louis XIV. for providing a home for old or mutilated or infirm soldiers who had shed their blood for their country. There is accommodation for 5,000 soldiers, but the number who live there now does not probably exceed 500. There are a Court of Honour, a Library, a Council Chamber, a Museum of artillery and an Armoury here, but the most interesting spot is of course the tomb of Napoleon the Great. The visitor as soon as he enters the mausoleum is struck with the scene. Before him is a superb altar supported by twisted marble pillars standing on a marble platform and surrounded by a marble balustrade—and the whole lighted by golden light streaming through stained windows. Around him are chapels containing monuments of Turenne and other eminent men. Above him is the lofty dome rising high in the air whose gilded outside is visible for miles round. And below him, just under the dome, is a circular crypt of polished granite nearly 40 yards in circumference, and seven yards deep. In this crypt,—surrounded by marble statues and the very flags which he captured in battles, and on a marble pavement on which are recorded in stone his principal victories, lies Napoleon Bonaparte in a sarcophagus of prophyry. "Everything around seems to betoken the final resting place of one of the greatest men whom the world has ever produced. Lofty, spacious and majestic, there is an air of repose and tranquillity which cannot fail to impress the least susceptible mind."
Close to this place, and further to the east is the beautiful modern Church St. Clotilde. At some distance to the north of this Church and on the banks of the Seine is the Corps Legislatif, the Parliament of France. Parliament House.It was commenced by a Duchess of Bourbon and was completed in 1807 and was then known as Palais Bourbon. On the eventful 4th September 1871, it was here that the Assembly discussed the capitulation of Sedan. The excited mob burst into the hall and dispersed the assembly and clamoured for the abolition of the empire which had landed France in defeat and disgrace, and for the proclamation of a Republic. Gambetta, Jules Favre and the other leaders of the times left the assembly and repaired with the excited multitude to the Hotel de Ville of which I have spoken before. It was on the steps of that Hotel that the Republican Government was proclaimed, a Government which has now lasted and given peace and rest and strength to France for twenty years.
Near the Corps Legislatif, and towaids the east is the Palais de la Legion d'Honneur. Further to the east is the Palais des Beaux Arts which is both a museum and a school of painting, sculpture and architecture, and numbers over a thousand students. Further to the east, and on the banks of the Seine, is the historic Institute of France with its lofty dome and spacious wings. It was founded in the 17th century by cardinal Mazarin as a College but during the Revolution it was converted into a prison! French Academy.At present it comprises within its precincts the celebrated French Academy which was founded by Richelieu and which has since has time shaped the language and the literature of France. Besides this historic Academy there are four other academies within this building, viz., the Academy of Belles Lettres, the Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Academy of Moral Science. Not far from it is the Mint of France.
We have hitherto travelled from west to east, along the south bank of the Seine, from Champs de Mars to the Boulevard de St. Michel. We must now pause awhile near the important Boulevard and note the places of great interest on either side of it or close to it.
Before we have gone very far south along this Boulevard, we have on our right a number of historic buildings. Luxembourg Palace.The Palace Luxembourg was constructed in the seventeenth century by Marie de Medicis, widow of the Great Henry IV. Close to the palace is the spot where the bold and gallant Marshal Ney was shot, and a statue of the intrepid soldier marks the place.
Further to the north-west of the palace of Luxembourg is the Church of St. Sapplice with its lofty but unequal towers, and further west again is the Church of St. Germain des Pres, the oldest church in Paris. Old Churches.The nave is said to be that of a church of the tenth century, and the choir belongs to the 12th century, i. e., to the Norman period. The windows however were restored in a later, i. e., in the Gothic period. The appearance of the Church from outside is distinguished from all the other Paris Churches, by the massive plainness of the Norman period.
But the museum of Cluny is (he most ancient of all the ancient monuments of Paris. It is almost the sole relic of the Roman period in Paris, Cluny.and the building was the palace of Emperor Chlorus Constantine, A. D. 292, i. e., sixteen hundred years ago! It contains collections of prehistoric flints, Celtic antiquities, Roman pottery and sculpture, ancient French tapestry, French, Flemish, Dutch and German wares, and carriages, arms and furniture of different periods of French history. Many curious things are kept here and are shewn to visitors.
Leaving Cluny we go further south along the Boulevard de St. Michel, and come to the historic edifice of Sorbonne associated with the literature and the genius of France! Sorbonne.The famous Sorbonne University was founded in the reign of St. Louis of France in 1250 and it soon became the chief institution of school-men and theologians who promulgated their opinions so boldly as not unfrequently to oppose the spiritual authority of the Pope himself. In later times Guizot and Victor Cousin and a host of eminent thinkers delivered their famous lectures here. A medallion figure of Cousin is prominent in the courtyard, and a street in front of the building is named after the philosopher. It is needless to say that this building with its lofty dome is the centre of the University and schools and colleges of Paris which are extending on every side,—and thousands of college students and ardent school boys receive their training under the shadow of this venerable edifice.
Another venerable building is close by,—the famous Pantheon, dedicated to the Great men of France! Pantheon.The noble height of its dome; and the magnificence of its structure seem to mark the veneration in which Frenchmen hold their great men! The dome is 272 feet high, and is the most conspicuous object on the south side of the Seine, next only to the gilded dome of the Invalides.
The interior of this noble structure is simple and majestic. The walls and the dome are ornamented by fine paintings and frescoes. The graves of the great men are down below in the underground vaults,—and it is here that the visitor is disappointed. Unlike the Westminster Abbey of England where the visitor strolls among the thick graves and mounments of thinkers and writers, kings, warriors and statesmen, and is absorbed in the noble associations of past greatness, the Pantheon has few graves of great men to shew, and shews them to the least advantage. The visitor is conducted in the midst of a crowd by a conductor through dark vaults in which he can see next to nothing, and is shewn some graves of men about whom he knows little, as a rule. The most important tombs are those of Voltaire and Rousseau, but the remains of those great men are not here, but were removed elsewhere by impious hands in revenge of the desecration of the Royal tombs under the convention!
Victor Hugo the greatest of French poets has recently been buried here, and his tomb is ever loaded with fresh wreaths brought by a grateful people.
Further east from the Pantheon, and on the south bank of the Seine is the Jardin des Plantes which is not only a garden open to the public but is also a famous place of instruction in the Natural Sciences. Jardin des Plantes.It contains a Botanical Garden which rose to importance when the illustrious Buffon was appointed director in 1732. The great Humboldt added 3,000 new specimens to this department in 1805. The Jardin also contains galleries of Natural History which are the completest in Europe, and close to them is the gallery of comparative Anatomy founded by the immortal Cuvier. There are also a Gallery of Zoology, one of Geology and Mineralogy and one of Botany, besides a library, an Anatomical museum, &c., &c. Gratuitous lectures are delivered here by eminent men on scientific subjects.
We have now finished our rapid survey of Paris, beginning with the two islands in the Seine and then traversing the north and the south banks of that river. But an account of Paris is not complete without some mention of subterranean Paris if I may so call it. The wonderful drainage system of Paris is unique in the world, and branches into a hundred ramifications underground as the streets of Paris branch in all directions above ground. And the vast catacombs of Paris,—also unique in the world,—contain the skulls and bones of about twenty millions of human beings, and stretch for miles together, like a city of the dead, under the city of the living!
The underground drains of Paris are lofty arched Drainage.passages running for miles and miles together in different directions through which one may walk or go in boats! They are only for the discharge of rain or other water, and nothing noxious is allowed to run into them. The contents of these drains were originally discharged into the Seine close to the Boulevard de Sevastapol, but this connexion has been stopped, and the water is now discharged, several miles down the river. As we walked through these drains, each with a lantern in his hand, and saw the long lines of subterranean passages running in all directions under the town, we were struck with wonder. The greater portion of this drainage system was done under Napoleon III.
The Catacombs are still more remarkable. These vast underground galleries were formerly quarries of soft limestone. Catacombs.As the stone was quarried from age to age for building purposes, the underground excavations increased in size, until they undermined an entire district! In 1784, the Government finding the quarries were unsafe caused piers and buttresses to be erected to support the roof, and shortly afterwards transferred into these galleries all the bones from the "Cemetery of the Innocents" which was then closed. And thenceforward the galleries were called catacombs and were used as such. Thousands of bodies were thrown in here pell mell during the French Revolution, and were arranged subsequently, in 1810. The skull of the celebrated Madame de Pompadour was thrown in here during the Reign of Terror. Bones from other churchyards have since been from time to time removed to this wonderful depository of human remains. We walked through these gloomy vaults—each holding a candle, amidst millions and millions of human bones carefully piled and arranged on both sides of us. Holes in many skulls indicated death by bullets in battle or in scenes of violence, and short moral passages engraved on stone monuments reminded the visitor here and there of the instability of human pride and human life.