Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-11-25
F'rom tie AesO-Tork Commercial Advertiser.

Paris, .IGrch 27, 1915.
Having given you some account OF the spiendor
and ga ETY. of this city, must now reoues. you to
accompany me to the subteraneous part OF ats
and altlo the scenery be less inviting, the vlSis
may be attended with equal benefit.
must inform you, that Paris has been prnci-
pally butt OF stone. taken out Of tn qu.rries
winch are underneath the city, and the eXceva-
tons thus made, IS you Will naturally suppose
are immense. Great anx ETY. was formerly feik
on this account, Tor fear tl.at many parts OF the
city might SINK, in consequence ofnot being SUI
hciently supper ed So gteat was Ibis uneas.ness
some years SINCE that the government in 1776s
appointed some ofIts most respectable citizensto
examine these excavations, and report ther ST.
tuatlon. The result Of their examination, wass
that several churches, palaces, and many OF The
principal bu .ldings and streets, in the south pars
of Paris, were considered i'm imminent danger OF
falling into the excava;ed gvlphs beneath them.
Il was therefore Immediately Determined 70 HP-
POINT general administrator for the sHpe4TU~
tendance OF these qualries, wnh full authority 10
adopt such measures as they m,gm deem proper
This subterraneous government has been re-
QUARRY Continued ever sHict, with IS much care as
the police for the regula ION OF affairs above
ground and, under the superintendent Of these
inspectors, Paris hes been regularly propped up
by ImmenSc columns o. stonc, and the dl eGdiUR
evil 10 longer gives alarm. TO shew th.t tho
actually fell in, and was nearly buried, just as
the above work was commenced.
In these Subterraneous excavations, the c2ta-
combs are 10 be seen & here have been dcPost~
Ell, by well grounded computation, since the!e.r
1879, the bones and bodies of Two millions and a.
half of the human race
These have been accumul1liDg for centuries
IN The different Gene: cries, chufeh-yalds, sc and
these buIylngpaces, particularly that f"EEg-
iIso dies lnOcens," finally became so offensive AZ
injurious TO the health of he inhabitants, thst ia
1875, IT was ordered BY the government, that no
more dead bodies should be buried wIthnthe
city. At The same time, ord rs were gwen %
Ike down L'Egise DIES Innoce s." iemote the
bodies Il ON the burymg ground adjoining, il. and
convert the pace mo publ C square. II We
ascertalned rom public records, and cllculations
made the con, that IN the mnens. ciisrnel mousse
OI The hnOcen'S alone there las been dapositeI
durng ihe last seven centuries, one mil lion two
hundred thousand bod g, this havna. been, for =
long period OF years, the only place OF d post f,Y
'he dead bodies of lie Whole CITY OF Paris
Many obstacles presented themselves, and
humOerlesS difficulties were brown m the W Va
particularly BY those who had friends bur.eI
there but, The plan was preseyered m. and lie
immense and awful work begun rsef.s Il =.
ghg up OF the bones, &c. commenced Dec. 1ais
1875, and was regularly Continued Ill AI,y. 1z8S.
"hen, IN consequence of the warn g. e. 5c~ IN,
work was stopped til a return o W ter .houIJ
make It safe To continue it. This wur. wa. re.
gulaly persisted IN during the two following
winter, & was completed IN January, 1888.
Altthose bod es winch had been rec .p,Iy ia.
tefted, or had MOI deoayed, were re-bur Cd oni OF
the city IN some cases in others, were takep ia
TIE ca acombs, according to Tie y, .shes OF sur.
wing friends ''''
These bones and bod Is were due III, n t%a
day time, and conveyed ~ covered W ICONS a..
bou dHsk, attended BY pr eSts, VINO pelE,rmrd
FehBlous ceremonies over them Tney were In n
einPuet INTO Tie ca acJuibs, through a sha,, IA,
dfy wen, OF about sixty icet mdap Il, and after.
wards arranged by The Lahore S below. m tbcrr,
der ~ winch they now arc, and " In t.e ree-Il., ,
~ and exactneys OF the most in ,,e. ,r,s.,rr,.
In addition 70 the bones and bodies takenE m
me grave yard Ofthe IunGcents, there have .ihc.
Deeh taken up those Of SIX cen other public br,v-
ing-Srounds. This second work was commorrcJ
lh 'he year IIS@, and continued IN 1893, when. in
consequence OF The revolution m France. the
work appears 20 have been SUSPENDED a.. t,
years. In 1905, it recommended. and v,.,s 80
tmuel at intervals till 1913, when the last die
turDing OF the bones appears 60 have taken nisge.
by removing those found IN the graveyard off;,s
L'Iiospital de Ia Trinite.
lean give you hereafter, tts particulars oct,.
removal ct each Of the seventeen GRAVEYARD HIM
ulstufhad- 90 present must defer It,
iia'mG turn s1ed ourselves. the dav previo,.s-
WIN apsfmtf ON the SUPERINTENDENT .generalor
Z caiacombs, e also mad Cur arrangement ~ .i
The guides my friend and mysaIfs sifle;l a; tie
time appointed, for the sake Of nia. .ng or c,oo.
ny slst.
The place we descended is near the " r,r,i.,
- llniei, end h.vmg each CT e. provided "a Ii.b.
80 s'T' We csre-c.ly followed Our GUIDE eclra