The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1853-03-31
Hotel OF the InvaIids, Paris.


Professor Upham, in writing to the Con-
gregationalist, thus concludes letter from
Paris.
The Hotel Of the Invalids is a vast es-
tabllshment, founded by Louis XIV, but
greatly enlarged from time to time, and at
tine present time covering, with its numer-
GUS courts, sixteen acres of ground. We
passed number of pieces of heavy artil-
iery'as we approached tho gate of entrance;
and everywhere, at the gate. and in the
court, and galleries, some seated on chairs
and some walking; some with one arm
remaining. and others with one leg, with di-
versities of uniform, but all, apparently, in
good spirits, and chattering excessively,
were the old associates of my guide-,hc
broken but indomitable remnants of the
wars of the Emperor Too old to fight
and too much mutilated to labor, they felt
themselves happy in not being oblig iged to
beg.
The Hotel of the Invalids, constructed
with a view to accommodation of large
number Of soldiers, displays front of six
hundred and twelve feet. There are four
rctectories-or dining rooms-for the occu-
pants, each one hundred and fifty feet in
length and eight spacious dornitorics, be-
sides smaller ones containing fifty beds each.
The dome Of the invalids, which has Il sort
OF historical celebrity, is spacious and lofty,
and is seen Mt a great distance. Among
the other accommodations pcrtaing to this
remarkable establishment, it has IL library
OF l,5oo volumes; consisting chiefly of
works OF general literature, jurisprudence.
and military stratagy and it is hcre-as
might naturally be expected, that we find
deposited many Of the trophies which the
French have taken from their enemies. In
the time of Napoleon there We're three thou
sand flags collected lere-tle memorials of
war and of conquest, all of which were
burnt by the French themselves on the
evening previous to the entrance of the al
lied armies into Paris, March 81, l7l4; so
certain it is that war brings with it its own
rctribution.
In this building are the remains of MAJ
poleon, the dust and ashes of the man who
was Tor many years the idol of France and
the terror of Europe. 1t is not surprising
that the visitors should constantly flock TO
see the splendid monument of man of
such wonderful power and such strange Vi
c's'tudes; at the age Of tweuty-eight the
conqueror of Italy; at thirty the first Con-
sui Of France; and at thirty-fve the Empe-
ror of France; but in his purpose of con-
querng Europe driven back by the flames
of Moscow, defeated at Waterloo, and
finding death ON the rock of St. Helena
The hoof of his war horse trod on the
blood of millions.
AS returned from the place the sun was
setting behind the distant hills. I passed
through the majestic grove of the Elysian
Fields. The autumnal leaves, cleaning in
the departing radiance Of day fell around
me. My heart went back to America
The sound Of her rivers was in nv ears-
ller vast forest spread out before me. Irc-
membercd the vastness, the wildncss, the re-
pose of nature, and said to myself, "Thcsc
works which have seen in foreign lands
the efforts and the memorial of gcnius-arc
still the works of man. Imperfcction marks
their origin; decay completes their pro-
gress. Beauty and dciormity, life and
death, are mingled together. Man is here
but where is the Maker Of Mani I SIGH
for my native land. wish to hear again
the prayers and the hymns other cottagcrs,
inspired by the blessings arotsnd them
Her rivers are her lines of beauty her hills
are her monuments: the mighty armament
is her cathedral; and God-hearl in the
sighing of the wirds-st en- in the richness
of the forest; and eternal in tho reproduc-
ton of her wild and varied magnificencc
God is everywhere"