The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARIS IMPROVED.

(From the Paris Correspondent of the Morning Post.)
My architectural friend favours me with the following
second epistle on imperial Paris
"In my last letter I gave rather a hurried sketch of the
principal leading feature of the improvements of Paris—the
creation of wide thoroughfares or boulevards leading from
those parts of the city of the greatest importance to others
of a similar nature. The architecture is generally of rich
character, but not over decorated. It is original in idea,
without any trace of the absurd and outre attempts at effect
we so often see in England. There is also a consistent uni-
formity of style which, as I have said before, is a species
of renaissance with more elegance and freedom than w
have been accustomed to see in the designs of the modern
purists ; so that in the streets of Paris we do not meet with
the strange jumble we do in London, where one house is
Gothic, the next Greek, the next bare brick walls, with
square holes for windows, and ugly high chimneys ; the
next Alhambra, and the next streaked with red and black,
in the manner which some folks have the effrontery to call
the style of North Italy. Nevertheless, the great variety
in the treatment of the architectural decorations and other
adjuncts, of which this style, which I have ventured to call
the imperial renaissance, is susceptible, gives a pleasing
variety to the general effect of the street, of which we may
say in the words of the poet :
" nee facies una,
Nec diversa tamen, qualis decet ease sororum."

" The footways are wide, and, as I have said before, are
planted with trees and liberally provided with seats for the
public. The roadways are macadamised, and the trottoirs
asphalted. At night these stately architectural avenues
are brilliantly lighted with elegant gas lamps, which, in an
artistic point of view, are very superior to the old glazed
boxes, which are coeval with the application of gas to street
lighting. In some instances I have observed a successful
attempt has been made to economise light. This is done by
placing over the burning jet a metallic or porcelain reflec-
tor, which throws the whole of that portion of light which
ordinarily ascends and is useless directly on to the pave-
ment where it is wanted. As a friend observed in London,
' We send the best part of the light up to the sky, so that
the stars might not logs their way.'
"All the new streets of Paris have the advantage of a
complete system d sewerage after the name of the gigantic
cloaca) of Rome. By this means the superficial drainage,
which visitors to Paris may have remembered by seeing the
water trickling down the pavement and passing under the
kerb.stones, will be dispensed with. A company has been
formed, called La Compagnie des Eaux,' through whose
agency the houses will be supplied with water to the very
tops, much after the manner of the system adapted by our
great water companies.
"At stated distances there are stands for voitures, the
drivers of which, as the visitor to Paris may remember,
place in your hand on hiring the vehicle a neat ticket with
their number and the proper fare, whether taken by dis-
tance or by time, so that disputes may be avoided.
" Paris is also now rapidly assuming the aspect of an
Italian city, from the number of fountains which have been
erected in all the new quarters. That of St. Michel is the
most imposing, which is near the river, in the Rue de
Sebastopol. It consists of a noble architectural facade,
the upper part of which is inlaid with marble after the
Florentine style. In the centre is a colossal bronze
figure of the archangel brandishing a flaming sword
and trampling on the enemy of mankind. The group is
taken from the celebrated chef.d'iouvre of Guiio in the
Capuchin Church, near the Barberini Palace at Rome, and
is nobly rendered. Below the figure the water rushes
out in a mighty stream, leaping down several steps
till it dashes into a grand basin beneath, on each side of
which are two huge griffins, which also pour a flood from
their mouths; but, like most new things in Paris, there is
use in these fountains as well as ornament. The Water is
not

" skies,
To the in usless torrents tost,
Nor in proud falls magnificently lost ;"
the :
but it performs the subsequent duty of flushing the sewers,
and saves thus hard and unpleasant labour of the sewer
raker.
"Permit me now, for the sake of clearness, before closing
y observation on the general aspect of new Paris, to offer
a detailed description of one house, which we may consider
a type of the rest. Imagine a building six stories high,
one of which would be in the roof, constructed of the beau-
tiful white stone, technically called pierre tenctre; the
great portal in the middle, which generally runs up some
12 or 14 feet, the architraves round the windows,

and the cornices at top, beinebeautifully adorned". with en-
riched mouldings, arabesques, and festoons. The balconies
are protected by elaborately designed iron railh ags, often
partially, gilt. The upper story is on the roof of the con-.
struction, commonly called a mausard ; and is. covered
with zinc, the windows of which are of the form technically
called lucarno, and are also richly ornamented in the same
metal.

" Let us now sti,opose we enter the spacious doorway of
one of these dwelling houses, which introduces us at once
into a court-yard, suffici.ently large for a carriage to turn
;ound in with ease—a pleasing contrast to the grave error
ateij committed in Loncloul• where the court is narrow,
and in v„-hich the air stagnates, and light can scarcely poise.
trate. On the right:and left of the corridor leading to this.
spacious courtyb;rd, will be found the foot of twe grand
staircases. These ascend through all the floors, and form
the means of communication to all the better apartments—
an esealier de service, or servants' staircase, being provided
in the court-yard leading to the roof, in which their apart,
meats are usually placed.
" Each flat or floor is provided with all the domestic ne•
cessities of modern refinement and comfort, regardless of
original cost. The decorations of the scams are generally
in good taste ; not only the ceilings but the panels of the
doors are enriched and for the most part painted white and
relieved with gold. The handsome mirrors .found in all the
apartments, together with the richly carved marble chim-
ney-pieces, are the landlord's property, and ).',et with the
fabric. The floors are of the old-fashioned bright oak par-
queterie, and briefly it may be observed that the wookl-work
in these modern buildings is confined to the joinery; the
joists being of rolled iron, fitted in between with bricks,
perforated for the sake of lightness. The glazing of the
windows is usually executed in single sheets of plate glass.„
and the sashes are not hung to slide as with us, but with.
hinges like our doors ; and they are fastened with ele-
gant espagmolettes. The same style of decoration is
employed up to the fourth and sometimes to the fifth floors.
The rents of these flats, or suites of apartments, varies from
£l5O to £6OO per annum. On the right and left of the en-
trance doorway will generally be found shops which let for
a very high rent. It should be observed that it very fre-
quently occurs that a second block of building, forming one
side of the court-yard referred to, is construct`ed immedi-
ately behind such a one as we have already described, and
which we have supposed to have one side facing l'he street.
This second set of apartments is of course in the re,Ar of the
first, is generally finished with elegance, and with every
comfort; but the suites, as it may be easily imagined, do
not let for such high rents as those which are nearer to the
thoroughfares. The underground floors are not used in Paris
for the purposes of residence, but are made available for
cellarage.
" It is hoped that a just description has now been given
which will convey an idea of modern Paris. It remains to
be observed that nearly all these great arteries of this mag-
nificent city lead to parks for the recreation and health of
the people. Thus we have the Bois de Boulogne, the Park
Monceaux, and the wide- spread Park 'Vincennes, all of
which act, as has been said of our own parks, as lungs to
the metropolis, and are immediately accessible in their re-
spective quarters. Independent of these larger means of
supplying air and health, smaller public gardens have been
laid out in every place, round the column of July, round
the Tuileries and Louvre, and other public buildings wher-
ever space permitted. Here in the morning may be seen
the juvenile population which form the rising generation of
Paris, under the charge of their white-capped &meg, in
safety from the omnibuses and the voitures which traverse
the streets, and in the evening the groups of quiet citizens
talking over the events of the day, or the merits of the last
piece at the Gaiete or the Vaudeville.
" One feature that is very striking in these gardens is
the introduction of almost every new plant or flower which
is capable of being grown in the open air in our climate.
In short, the grounds of no private estate can be better
planted and more carefully kept than these gardens for the
people are in imperial Paris. I shall give you ere long
some official statistics about the cost of buildings in Paris,
and the interest they bear."