The Express.
London, England, 1851-08-09 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 9, 1851.

[PRICE (DOUBLE SHEET) FOURPENCE

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Clueur dre " neytlter "
Proule dr Syruphonle rn A.. achwen.
aura de la " Creature
So ended this remarkable and splendid entertain-
ment. . •

VISIT TO VERSAILLES.
PARIS, Moe DAV.
To-day our English visitors went out to fieshen
their senses, dazzled over night with the splendid
glare of gilded rooms in the Hotel de Ville, with the
park of Versailles, and the treasmes of art in the
terraced palace of the " Grand Monnrque."
A special train conveyed the members of the Royal
Commission and the *Lord Mayer and aldermen.
They were accompanied by M. lk rger, the prefect of
the Seine ; M. Lanquetin, the president of the muni-
cipal commission, who made such an excellent speech
last night ; M. Sallandrowee, and other notables, offi-
cial and private. They were received upon their
arrival by the prefect of the Seine-et-Oise and the
mayor Of Versailles, who conducted them to the
palace.
As the arriving train disgorged its freight, the
French men and women thronged about the station,
all eager to behold the " grteid-maire,".of whom they
commend the dignified pnee, and extol the aris-
tocratic air, rare in civic functionaries. Two footmen
in livery, with calves sheathed in rose-coloured
silk, and niguillettes dropping from the shoulder, at-
tend hie lordship, who wean. an official costume, end
blue ribbon, with the insignia of his rank.
The cortege arrived at the iron grille which closes
the great paved court of the palace. and the carriages
moved slowly past the bronze equestrian statue of
the royal originator of the edifice. The ;meets
alighted and passed in through a narrow shady
court, between the high-roofed rococo chapel,
and the north wing of the palace. Entering
the pillared vestibule, the mayor. aldermen, and
leading groups, with their escort of French nota-
bles, separated from the crowd of vulgar visitors,
passed: ahead into that series of rooms which,
painted by the orders of Louis Philippe, present
a picture history of France, from the epoch when
Pharamond was lifted on the shield of the Franks
down to the latest exploits of Prince Joinville and
Duke d'Asenale, before Tangiers and Mexico. In the
curliest rooms subjects present themselves, showing
the close relations, more frequently, alas ! of bitter
conflict and battle, than of ',cam and amity, between
France and England. Yet there are not wanting
friendly passages of intercourse. Here Louis. the
sainted King. mediates between John (Jean Sans-
here, as he was dubbed contemptuously in France),
and the stern barons, who would not bate
one clause of their great charter. Later is seen
our bluff I tarry meeting Francois 1. on the Field of
the Cloth of Gold. Scenes these of rare /soften
throughout these painted galleries, where the eye is
wearied with the confused tumult of endless battles,
and the vain-glorious repetition of bloody triumphs.
Here the knight sans pear et sans r,,praekr. mailed
Bayard, shouts wounded in the breach or Brescia ;
there the young conqueror of Ravenna, the
iil-starred *Gaston do Foie, lies ghastly in
the swoon of death, with the gore congealing on
his gilded corselet, and the barefooted friar kneeling
over his long fair blood-bedabbled hair. 'Me brush
of Ary Sehetter has dashed down the dismaying scene
in his most brilliaut colours, but something harshly,
in scene-painting style. The peaceful mayor and
aldermen gasp at the endless outstretching vista of
battles, with all sorts of weapons, from the Scan-
dinavian morning-star down to Paixtuati 90-pound-
ers, in all sorts of costumes, from the Ganfs kilt to
the grenadier's gaiter. Soon we pass nut of tho
province of ancient history painted by modern artiste
into the region of the fiat campaigns of Flanders,
drawn up in perspective of lines and s mares
by the tame pencil of Vander-Meulen. No
longer are the warriors clad in complete
!mail, but rejoice in three-cornered hats, long-
ringletted wigs, huge flapped coats and waist-
, coats, and jack-boots. The tall minster-towers of
' the low countries rise blue in the flat distances and
puttS of smoke jet from the low and level batteries,
while breaches in the fennel ranks indicate the can-
non ball's destructive path. Here we have the
" grand monarch" majestically wigged, and
prancing large as life upon a Flemish charger. Ho-
nour, by the way, in passing, to the great modern
historian of England for his impartial tone of can-
dour in doing justice to the grandeur of Louis
XIV. and hi, regal magnificence and courtesy in
the reception of the exiled Stuart, who luund
a home at St. Germain. Our party having now
reached the end of the historical gallery, turned
through a vestibule at the end, and came back
through a gallery of historical sculpture adjacent to
the painted suite of rooms. These arc mostly DlOll,l-.
mental figures, male and female. of princes in armour,
and ladies in ruffs, and compensate by their pious
and respectful attitudes of prayer, contemplation,
and supine lifelessness,thr the boisterous and crowded
agonies of contention in the picture series. Tho
long marble line ends with the spare niummr-like
statues of Clovis and Cheilde. A small t urretoitair-
MSC' now led the party to the upper rooms. whence
i they gazed into the deep spacious dispel, rich
with gilding, that unfolds its aisles below. A
fresh sculpture gallery above the last led to
the group of rooms which hold the gems
of the collection, I mean the admirable paintings of
Horace Vernet, in illustration of the Algiers cam-
paign. The chief of these, representing the surprise
of an Arab encampment, struck the visitors with
wonder and admiration. It covers ono whole wall of
a spacious apartment, and is perhaps the largest oil
painting that was erer executed with such minute
and conscientious study. he arid desert lies stretched
beneath a blazing sun; the picture of the African
climate is heightened by the flood of light which
f
lfausssnip.opganazNiportrayed
tn.ehsailntirllo: aggsiFa:iyie nni scenetihehnhtis hoops
sil
hills,
soad distinct
i tatnhih
evneeet-
streams throneli the roof of the room, entirely glazed
e
n
dme.iscthribWrilnilendcogn
cadclet-yboualryusneesshaedreinfrocehir.erygia
left a squadron of red-capped chassenrs d'Afrique are
riding towards the spectator. The hones, with their
smoking nostrils, gallopping all abreast, seen within
twenty yards of you. A brave Knbyle, standing by
his overthrown tent, with his wife clinging round
his knees, is steadily pointing his long slight gun at
the officer wire heads the charge ; but you see that the
next moment the Arab and his whole family will
he trampled under the hoofs of the homes.
In the centre, the old Marabout who consecrated
Alxl-el-Kader is attempting to rise from under his
subverted tent, which an admirable athletic figure is
lifting up to extricate the struggling greybearded
saint. A beautiful youth shot through the breast
with a ball is expiring in the arms of his mother. A
negro of iron frame is aiming a blow with a mace at
one of the invaders. The black women are skilfully
contrasted in character from the stern and intense
Arab females by their violent contortions and
screaming. Behind this central group in the
middle distance, the beauties of the harem

in a wild half-naked group arc kneeling
before the Duke d'Aumale on horseback, and the
lovely daughter of an ent;r is paisionately imploring
the prince to stop the dreadful carnage. A young
girl, with a sublime expremion of heroism, is planted
on one knee before his in rie's feet, holding up the
flag of surrender. The tall camels stand or kneel
near, carrying a sort of tented panrier in whit+, the
women sit shrouded from view. A group of beautiful
girls are ttrnbling in great disorder out of one of these
panniers in the foreground. Near the centre on the
right a frightened herd of cattle arc gallopping (Tat of
the picture, and upsetting women and children. An
Algerine jewess with her long comical head dress
lies trampled underneath their hoofs with her arms
extended to shield her child, while a pedlar with hie
pack, with a ridiculous expression of terror in his
Hebrew features is clasping his money bag and runs
away, leaving his wife to be run over by the herd.
Endless is the wealth of variety . and beauty out-
poured in this wonderful composition. flare an ex-,