Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-01-24

utucAly AfTanged IuIther on corner th
front Of the building, were 70 be lofty hangings
crimson velvet to match the canopy in the centre In thu
recess OF the grand portal were suspended pieces of
cent tapestry admirably executed representing subjects
from the sacred scriptures As these works Of
bore IN their wrought bordering the and Of tho
See OF Paris-namely the Virgin overcoming the Hydri
OF Doubt and Anarchytis to be presumed that they al
belong to the cathedral itself The FACADE above the anC
portal was also hung with draperes of crimson velvet
god the whole being profusey sprnked with colder
sars over the large window of the was 10 b
seem IN gigantic characters, the number 500 000' t
signify the amount Of support which France has lust gyeI
to Louis Napoleon; and each sde little below were
placed painted panels representing the right Charlie
magne and St Louis, and the left Louis XIV and Ma
poleon great number of smaller flags, representing
the colors of the Departments also foated from various
parts Of the Place below
Half-past nine had been appointed as the hour for
opening the doors TO the public and it ordered that
the minister's the diplomatic corps the marshas and the
officers OF the staff should enter by the grand portal in
the centre, whilst the lesser entrances at the sides
should be appropriated to the public The central en-
rance, IN conformity with this arrangement was duly
thrown open the appointed hour the persons who
with tickets for the lateral doors had to wait up
wards OF half an hour in the midst Of bitter frost and
fog so dense that ii would have dsgraced the good
city OF London one of her days of November
exhaation At last, however, the side doors turned
slowly on their hinges TO admit the inpatient crowd and
the sight which then presented itself served dsspae
the slight discomfort which the unexpected penance at the
door outside had generated in the minds of those kept
waiting The first thing which struck every spectator on
entering was the extraordinary blaze of light that met
the eye from every point. Nothing, in fact could be
more brilliantly beautiful than the manner in which the
old cathedral was lighted up every line of the admir-
BILE tracery of its architecture being distinctly visible as
well the minuest details Of the temporary aornment
adopted for the occasion After the spectator had time
to recover from the first movement of surprise the
unexpected scene before him, he could perceive in
descending from his general survey an examination
of the particulars that the whole of the pillars of the
centre aisle encircled with crimson velvet termi-
mated by binding OF gold embroidery Immediately below
the capitals; between every two pillars suspended
beautiful chandelier of cut glass from the of each
arch down the centre AISLE three ranges of chandeliers
OF infinitely larger ze though not of beautiful form
or more exquisite proportion hung from the reed roof
by ropes of great thickness but which appeared above
scarcely thicker than whpcord great the distance
from the spectator to the points which they descended
from There were twentyseven in all of these chande
ers the nine forming the central line being of some
what larger size than the eighteen lateral ones not be-
ing allowed TO descend altogether low the others pre-
vented the monotony which would otherwise have weakened
the effect The part of the sacred ece which the eye of
the spectator could freely wander terminated at the
iron railing which separates the choir from the of the
centre aisle At that point lofty erected
efectuay cutting off one part of the church from the
rest so that of the four parts of the Greek cross which
constitute the church, the eastern bore osensbe
part in the ceremony 1t however usefuy occu
Pied in placed the orchestra and singers who
were to perform the pieces of music appointed for the
day But though the in question thus rendered
the choir completely isolated from the crowd it only did
so below for above the screen the blaze of light
from innumerabe wax tapers almost caused the eye to
ache when it first sent its gaze in their direction After
time however this extreme brilliancy faded away for
the day advanced the fog entered the cathedral and
to certain extent couded the immense glare of light
which at first appeared remarkable In addition to all
these lights smaller chandeliers be seen above at
the back Of the trbune which erected for the pub
lie, high up between the pillars and the same height
gilt bronze affixed each side of the pillars
oil adding the general illumination In the aisle below
also lofty candeabra Of gilt bronze placed contain
ing each about two dozen Of branches The whole
Der of waxghts employed in the various parts Of the
edihce upwards of 10000
The manner in which the sacred building arranged
for the ceremony alike striking and convenient The
centre aisle alone used the OCCASION the side ases
being merely employed passages to the trbunes
These bunes erected in the aisle up the
pillars, already described covered with crimson velvet
the ulbunes the right reserved for the public
general and those the left for the mayors delegates of
the departments the consuls and portion of the public
functonaes The transepts converted into immense
amphitheatres of seats, Off such term be applied
the right being appropriated to the bar the diplomatic
body, the institute the municipal bodies of the banleue
the conseils of prud and the left the ministers
the project of the Seine the project Of police and their
f1nctonares, the academic body the JUICES de pax &C.
The lower part Of the central aisle exclusively occu
pied by the officers Of the staff and those from the differ
ent regiments Of Paris and its vicinity whom invita-
tons had been sent attend This portion of the spec
ators at last became so numerous and predominant that
il impossible not conceive the idea that great
military spectacle was about to be presented
In front Of the before the choir erected the
At distance from it, but in advance all other seats
placed the Presidents chair having front Of it
PriedeH, covered with cushion Of crimson velvet both
Of simple character Behind him were seats for
the Marshas of France and for the officers of the Pres
dents household The clergy assigned seats on the
right just below the benches appropriated the members
Of the Court of Cessation and of the other law courts
The whole Of the centre aisle thckly carpeted and
that space in front of the altar covered with one
which had issued from the Gobelins mandatory and
alike remarkable for its immense size and its won
derful workmanship.
About half-pas ten the various trbunes nearly
all filed and at eleven every place occupied The
cold at this period that, notwithstanding
the immense of heat which the vast number of
lights must have emitted, most persons were heard to
complain that their feet benumbed The number Of
ladies present not by any means great-decidedly
much less than the arer portion of the creation are gene
rally seen at public spectacles in France
One Of the pecuaries Of the decoration the pre-
vaence of the cipher L. n in every part Of the cathedral
Ii TO be every pillar the front Of the
Dunes above and series of circular compartments
shields to be seen at each side down the centre aisle
also to be perceived in immense characters on the
highest part Of the immense canopy Of crimson velvet
which surmounted the altar and advanced part Of
the between the transep Every where the initials
of Louis Napoleon met the eye
In speaking Of the altar omitted to say that over It.
but under the canopy just mentioned lofty shrine
erected in the Byzantine STYLE overshadowing and il
protecting what the altar supported namely piece
Of the true contained in silver gilt pix of exquisite
workmanship. The various Of the altar
all Of silver gilt and must have been Of great value both
ntrnscally and works Of the candlescks -four
teen in number and all from four to FIVE feet high were
not only of silver, but most admirably executed.
About quarter past eleven o'clock the Ministers mr.
rived and once took their places on the left and i'm