The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-07-28

GA friend Of ours, who resides, when
at homo. q Ksonsbunk; but who d now
making the tour Of Europe. writes % the
following letter, dated. Paris, June q, 1854.
csns1s.ds.es Of as ust.~ s.s Jssr.si.
ADAY AT PALACE OF VERSAILLES.
We took the carr at about 91< o'clock A.
NJ. tina, arrived In Versailles about half a.
Ter ton Tho cars on this road aro construct.
cd on plan different from any have ever
seen. They nigh. be called two storied-
the upper having aides, windows, roof and
being 10 all respects similar to common cars
We took seats in an upper car going out, in
order that we might have q good view OF the
surrounding country. Nature here, as 10
every part Of France through which I hare
passed. presents very pleasing variety Of
scenery. Everything appears to be in We
ry aourishing condition. We passed thro'
Sevrss, and st. Cloud, two very interesting
places TO the traveller. The former Is noted
for It's 6ns Porcelain mandatory; and the
latter. as the abode Of kings. Louis Napo.
lem 10 now residing there. As We passed
the Royal Park which adjoins the Railroad,
We saw several herds Of beautiful spotted
deer, quietly feeding on the green lawns
They ore very tame, and although We passed
within few yards Of them, they showed
no signs Of alarm, but kept on feeding as
before.
The grand object Of interest at Versailles,
Is the Palace, and accordingly on our arrival
in town, We bent our steps IN that direction
forthwith. The street frJnting the Palncc,
is lined on either si:o by a double row Of
fine old trees, the tops OF each row meeting
and forming beautiful arch over the hard
grand walks. At the end Of this street, !,
the Place De arms, o vide open square thro
which you enter the Court. Of the Palace
The Court is separated from the Place d.
arms by an iron fence about twelve feet
high; it's picks, posts, and the heavy arch
why over the gate, richly ornamented
with gliding. At the gate, rs at almost
every nook and corner IN France, stand two
two soldiers, placed there to guard the
entrance. I don't imagine, however, that
their services IRE ollen called into requisi'
ton. The Palace Is immensely large, and
forms three sides Of square, tho iron fence
completing It. In the center Of the court, ],
a fine large equestrian statue Of Louis XIV,
in bronze. and along the sides Of the court,
are sixteen marble statues Of Marshsh,
Statesmen, &C., among which ore those Of
Richelieu, Bayard, Sully, Lannes and Nor.
lior. The exterior Of the Palace 10 adorned
with carved work, and groups Of Statuary.
The from, has row Of basts set on brack.
cts between the windowa They are very
old. They were once Of white marble. bu.
have now grown grey with age. In the
center, over the balcony, is clock, which
I am told, was used only to mark the death
Of the king On the deuth Of king, the
herald came out upon the balcony and ex
claimed, Z" lie ,Oi est mort :" then breaking
his wand Of Office under the late king, tool
up new one, exclain,ing q vive LIE roi,
(thc latter Of course applying to the ne,
king)
Having now arrived at the door, perhaps
1t is best to enter tho Palace without any
further notice Of the exterior. We wsr'
first shown the galleries Of Statues ant
busts. They are three in number. Tn,
largest Is about three hundred feet In length
These are filed with statues and busts o
kings, queens, and other illustrious person
ages. from the earliest period Of the Ffencl
empire, down to the present time, Gael
dressed in the style peculiar to the times Il
which they respectively lived, many o
them having in their hands, or by thei
sides, something mathematical Of their char
acter, and oil intended 10 be correct likeness
es, with the exception, perhaps, Of littl'
aattery, which the sculptor is expected 4
give to such subjects. A day might be YER,
agrceably and probably spent in the com
pany Of this silent multitude, in examining
their features. and tracing out their charac
ter; and The historical knowledge 50 gained
would well repay one; bu, we were hurri ed
On to more magnificent apartments. We
assembled BY winding stair case 10 the aooI
above, and here we were carried through
perfect labrynth of long galleries and suits
Of rooms. One would need guide, Il only
10 show him the way. The walls Of oil
these apartments are covered with the most
magnificent paintings. They are superior TO
the picture galleries Of the far.faned Lou.
vre,-I mean that the affect Is greater. Ma
ny Of those at The Louvre, were painted BY
the most celebrated artists. such as Raphael,
Michael Angelo. end others, aud Of course,
cannot DO excelled. Their paintings have
great beauty, loneliness and power; but
battle scenes, such rs are seen at this Pal.
ace, are more stirring. To attempt 10 des.
crbe these paintings, would not only DO lA'
Dor in vain, but Il would require months to
make the attempt. Most Of them are rep
reservations OF the battles Of France, and
to describe them would be 10 write ils his