The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-07-27
The rdaus soleum OF Napoleon

Tho Mausoleum OF Napoleon
Mr. Bryant, in one of his letters from
Paris. gives the following description Of
the Mausoleum of Napoleon -
=. The other day l went to the church
Of the Mralielcs. TO see the tomb OF Ma
polcon. which has been several years
erecting, at an immense costs, and IS just
completed There is not on earth SO
magnificent mausoleum as that which
is destined for the remains OF the iormer
Emperor of France On entering tue
church / found myself i'll the midst OF
throng Fastening in the same direction,
and saw before me. at the opposite ena
OF the building. large altar blazing Win
gold. under gilded canopy, which rest
ed on twisted pillars of black and white
marble In front of it Immediately IN
der the windows of the dome, appeared
circular balustrade Of white marble
around which the people were pressing
/ Joined them, saw that it enclosed
broad, open space, sunk perhaps. fifteen
feet below the church. There, on ped
cstal of blue granite. stood an enormous
open sarcophagus of polished porphyry,
the Id ofwhich lay near i, on ma
chine, ready to be slid over it as soon
as the ceremony Of sepulture snail be
performed On the pavement below.
around the pedestal, was wreath u
laurel leaves and berries. wrought OF
various-colorod marbles among which a
vivid green marble from the quarries OF
the United States was conspicuous. Sur
rounding the sarcophagus. aud standing
against the pillars which support the
floor. was a circle Of colossal figures in
marble, the meaning of which l did not
attempt to study. Oac, a winged figure
with trumpet by his side, was, perhaps,
the angel of the resurrection, who is to
Summon the great warrior from his grave
on the day of account, when he will be
unplcasantly confronted by tho multi
tudes who we're slain in his wars. In
the recesses behind these statues were
sculptures in bas relief, representing
some of the most important events Of
Bonapartc's history
"ln that sarcophagus is soon to be
placed the handful of dust which is all
that remains of one who, for few years,
was the terror the world. In its ma
terial, its form. and its glittering polish,
this massive receptacle reminded me Of
the huge chests Of porphyry found in
tho newly opened tomb of Apius, at
Sakkar, enclosing the bones of the sacred
OK of Except. 1t is thus that, IN differ.
cnt ages ofthe world, the same posth.
umous honors are paid to a quadruped
and conqueror, by two nations. each
claiming in its day the palm Of ciyiliza-
tion.
81 regretted that I could not look at
tho sculptures in relief below, except at
distance they will be accessible, it il
said as soon as the remains of Bona
parte arc inurned. inquired ofa friend
in Paris when this would be done
- There is a controversy" he replied,
about this matter among the Bona.
partists. One party insists that the
heart of Napoleon shall be deposited by
/ itself in the church of st. Denis, among
the monuments of the former sovereigns
OF France but Jerome swcars that he
will not allow his brothers body to be
cut up IN lndl nduHeI. iue cSIcAnou1
of removing his remains to the sarcoph-
agus has, therefore, been postponed for
one year"
But we had not yet seen the whole of
the monument Passing beside the
glittering altar, we descended fight Of
steps to the level of the great court Of
the MrahdcS. Here Immediately back
of the altar and under it, saw the en-
trance to the tomb, a massive doorway
,fover which are engraved the words OF
Napoleon expressing his desire to be
buried among the French people, on the
banks of the Seine One each side o
of this passage to the sarcophagus stands
: a colossal figure in bronze one of then
: bearing on cushion globe and sceptre
. the symbols Of dominion. and the othei
5 a sword and gauntlet enblemate of th'
y violence by which that dominion wa
gained and for brief space upheld"