The Nevada journal., 1861-01-25
Pere la Chaise.

| We qGote the following descriptive para
graphs from letter written after a visit, on
the lst of November, to Pere Ia Chaise, the
great burial ground Of Paris;
This cemetery Greatly IS a city, with its
wide stone-paved streets, with long avenues
cf beautiful trees overhanging them. Its
houses front on the principal streets, and
stand thickly together, like houses in any
other city. These little mansions resemble
chapels, with their stained glass windows
and gothic doors of iron open-work, through
which you can look into the interior, furn-
shed with chairs and tables and in many
of them | saw little brooms and busters,
and sort of altar or shelf Of marble, or
namented with vases Of flowers, and statu-
cites, and candlesticks containing long wax
candles. On this occasion the candles were
burning brightly, and gave an almost cheer
ful glow to the scene within, in contrast TO
the cold, misty light outside-for it was
dnll November day, with fog and occasional
showers Of rain. The polished candlesticks,
! the light of many tapers, the abundance of
flowers, the cozy, home-like look of the lit
tie tenements, gave you an idea of anything
else. sooner than a tomb. They looked
moro !, 'te place where children might play
at hons, keeping, or a summer garden,
where two. lovers might eat tan ice and carry
on a Irritation, than the last homes of the
dead There rs nothing gloomy or sad
ahout tbem-no., ing neglected no grass
overgrowing the pan 'ways, nor weeds strag-
oIinr among the flow ers. The grass-plats
were as trim and neat as II they were cllp-
ped every day, and the 81 a Fel-ValkS roiled
to a most perfect snoothn, n,'ss. Ihere was
nothing repulsiye in this gr,ea t Capital OF
the Xingdou of Death. Of course IN a
co,natel,y SO vast as this, and OF 90 many
xears ., ;7tence, there is a great dive 1slty OF
tombs. . bu the prevailing style is the sort
of chanel of witch l have spohen-buil,' OF
Iiebt-colored stcnes with grated doors OF
iron. and glass, usa1lly stained, with the
names of the family oyeEthe door.
NOTABLE Ton eS'
One of the first tombs we Visited was that
of Abelard and ueloisc, WHO 'ded il the
twelfth century. 1t is bea1rDui u ii''le
chapel built cut of the ruins of the -iooey
of Paraclete, founded by Abelard and oi
which Heloise was the first Abbess. 1t con
tains two recumbent figures, supposed to |
represent the two lovers united in death, |
and is surrounded by an iron railing, within |
which are shrubs and flowers, and gravel |
walk in excellent order. There were many |
wreaths of immorts}les and boquets Of fresh |
flowers laid upon the tomb, which IS little |
curious when one remembers that these two
lovers died eight hundred years ago. 1t |
shows how faithful people can be to SEN
timcnt. There were crowds of people gath |
cred around it, who seemed as deeply inter
ested in it as if it had been erected but yes
terday.
There are so many distinguished people |
inferred in this cemetery that it would be |
in vain to attempt an enumeration Of them.
But there were no throngs of people around
the tombs of the simply great, to denote |
where they lay. This was net the day for
them. in obscure corners, around simple,
uuobtrusiye monuments, We saw the great
est crowds Of mourners; and some plain,
humble graves were almost covered with
wreaths of in,mor5el4eS and boquets of fra
grant flowers. We saw the monuments Of
several of Napoleon's marshals-Suchet;
Lefevre, Massena, Davoust, Junot, Macdon-
aid. ETC.. but the grave of the unfortunate
MAsHAL NEY
has neither monument or inscription to
mark the spot. 1t small square enclosed
by plain iron railing, and laid out as
garden. The trailing ivy hangs in graceful
festoons upon it, and a few late roses were
swinging their fragrant censors over it, and
| in the mignonette and heliotrope the honey
bees were chanting a drowsy requiem for
the dying year. Upon the little gate some
one has scratched in small letters the one
word "NEY eloquent of a hundred bat
| ties One OF our party au eHthusi"s'iN
young hero-worshiper, had bought a beau
! tiful wreath for his grave. 1t was the only
one that we saw. 1t is a little curious that
the only offerings upon the tomb of Lafay-
cite and the grave of Marshal Ney should
have been laid there by the hands of Amer
leans. Not far from this spot is the tomb
of Baron Larrey, the famous surgeon OF
! Napoleon. of whom he spoke in bis will as
. the purest man he had ever known" His
monument bears this inscription. We Wis
| tied the tomb of La Fonfaine, cenotaph
ornamented with two bas-reliefs in bronze
one representing the fable Of the wolf
| and the stork, and the other that of the
wolf and the lamb. 1t is not often that one
writes his own epitaph. Within the same
enclosure is the tomb of Moliere-the man
who made everybody laugh but himself
And not far of, La Place, the great astrono-
mer, and Madame de Genlis, are buried.
| BERANGER.
Beranger, the greatest song writer of
France, lies in a magnificent tomb, which
bears his likeness in a medallion. The rail-
ing around it was thickly hung with I'M
nortelles, showing how strong is his hold
uDon the tickle memory of the French. We