The Litchfield County post., 1826-08-01
FROM cARrER,s LETTERS.
laaris, Jaa.uaru, I82f

The HGI1is de la B0urse, or Exchange, is one of the most magnificent structures | have ever seen, and said to be unequalled
 by any thing of the kind in Europe. Its
 location, however, is very bad, being in the lcentre ofthe old part of the city, surround- ed by swamp of buildings; and although larticular pains have been taken to elevate
 it1rom the low, circumscribed area which
 t occupies, no distant glimpse oirs i. can be
 obtained, and it does not appear to advaii. tage. Were it situated upon some of the open squares upon the banks of the Seine, the grandeur and classical simplicity of the lediice could not fail to strike the mind
 with admiration. Itis surrounded with GA columns of the Corinthian order, rising to the second story, and forming amost spIen- did piazza. In the front is porch, with IA additional pillars, the ascent to wnichis bya fighf of steps. The principal hall is 9It6 feet long, and 75 wide, being suffi- ciently spacious to accommodate 2,O0O per-
 sons. In the upper story. the Tribunal of
 Commerce holds it's sessions. This build-
 ing was commenced by Napoleon, and is not yet entirely finished. Thearea is lum- bered up with heaps of rubbish; and by a whimsical inconsistency oftaste, it has been
 deemed necessary to label the Palace with
 large letters, such as ould be placedupon a agroccr's sign, reminding one of the pain- ter's specific cdesignation-' this sthe man, and this the horse.'' % | ti r~72
 The Pa!ais Royal is in all respects perfect unique, and battles all description. 1t is emphatically a little world in itself, sua geneyss. .comprising every possible varie- ty pf character, occupation and amusement, from the highest to the lowest, from the 1 gravest to the most trifiing, from the most refined to the most brutal. Its history is | not less curious than it's present condition. In 1929, the celebrated Cardinal Richelie1 commenced building him palace in style .propprtioned to-h his means. While the work was in progress he was gradually and unexpectedly making accessions to his pow CT and wealth,whlch enabled him to increase the splepdour ofthc edi6ce. He kept on
 building in this way for seven years, at the
 end of which the palace, then bearing his
 own title, exhibiteda a perfect history'of his
 fortune, displaying all sorts of architecture. from the most modest to the most gorgeous.
 It subsequently, fell into the hands of Louis XII, after whose death it was inhabitedi by his queen, Ann, of Austria, with her two sons, Louis, XIV. and the Duke of Anjou.--Hence the name of the Royal
 Palace. ,s. fseg gss- b,. sa Bygdescent it came in possessson of the celebrated Duke of Orleans, conspicuous for the part he took in the French Revo- lution, as well ais for his luxuries and the profigacy of his character. To him the immense pile owes its present magnifcence, as also the vile uses to which it is in part appropriated. His career wss the reverse
 ofcardinal Richelieu's. Possessing prince-
 " fortune, he rebuilt and adorned thespal-
 ace in the most splendid style of architec-
 t0re l; but by the time he had completed it,
 his funds were exhausted, to replenish
 which, he resorted to the novel plan of cutting up the whole range of buildings into small shops, and of letting them to the high- est bidder. The expedient succeeded to a charm, and the Duke derived an enormous revenue from the rents of his establishment.
 As he had no great veneration for ancestry,
 rank, or title, it occasioned in him no con- punctious visitings of conscience, to see
 bOot-blacks, pastry-cooks. rope-dancers. gamblers, fddlers, and courtesans, oc- cupying saloons intended for noble person. ages. sa 2; The Palais Royal is in the form of par lalielogram, half a mile in circumference and standing round an open court which
 contairs six or e;sa. acres. Theare is
 handsomely laid out, planted with sress and
 adorned with a garden which has large
 fountain iasthe centre, together with jets
 d'ean constantly throwing the water in fan l ciful forms to the height of twenty or thirty
 feet. Originally the whole court from end l to end was unobstructed: but necessity or cupidity induced the proprietor to extend
 across the middle of it, several ranges of
 small buildings, filled with bOutiques or
 huckster's shops, and forming a kind of
 market. The proportions of the palace
 itself are grand, and rich in architectural ornament. Lofty arcadcs. forming cov-
 cred walk ,extend the whole way round the
 interior. They are about two hundred in number, enclosed by an iron railing, and Lighted in the evening by lamp to each Ipillar. Many of the shops in the basement
 story are occupied by jewellers and other
 trades equally showy, whose wares are
 tagsefully displayed at the windows, and
 present spectacle seldom oqualled in bril-
 iiancy. Every article which ingenuity ha'