New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-07-23
LErrEls FROM PARIS.


Of the chair, aud my listless head resting on its
top and turned to one side so as tolook out of the
window, / can see the highest stories Of some
twenty or more houses. turned with their unhand-
some backs and sides towards me their roofs
making several angles before success attend their
efforts to reach an apex, and formed, like the PIC
lures hung on the walls of Goldsmith's country
inn, for ornament and use;" their
innumerable little sheet iron stove pipes, or clay
tubes, placed on top of the chimney proper look
ing as though the house had extended higher, but
being cut off, these jagged ends OF tmoers were
left, Next door is a woodward, with its enormous
niles so regularly raised as to produce the impress
sion that after their erection, commencing at the
top, they had been sawed down. The sheds OF
this woodward just prevent my seeing INTO a gar
| den beyond from which rise dozenlarge trees, OF
different sorts, and as the recent warm weather
and spring rains have brought out their bright
green leaves, aud white, or red blossoms, they are
a pleasing contrast to the mouotony of housetops
and chimneys. By stretching my neck little on
its support, which do not feel at all inclined to
do, | can see the new Church of st. Augustin,
still unfinished and one of the beautiful structures
of Paris. Beyond these few things is hazymist.
and cloud of falling rain, through which can be
dimly distinguished the outline of some of the
larger buildings in the background. But the re-
turn is unsatisfactory for the effort made TO see
them and does not invite a second glance.
In sunny weather, when things look bright and
cheerful ana one feels that this is beautiful world
and that life is worth living for, how different the
prospect as I watch the innumerable little gray
specked swallows that take the place Of seaven-
gers chipping gayly round and flying in and ont of
the holes in the wood piles next door, | can look
away off "a bas, and as lar as the eye reaches the
city extends.
But let me begin near and 60 off gradually. The
big wood Pile was week ago built in the sem.
blanee Of house, and reminded one Of the log
cabins in Georgia and Alabama, with their great
open halls in the middle, running entirely through
from side to side. Since then, the drains upon it
have caused it to be pulled down, and from new
supply was erected large parallelogram shaped
| body, reaching to the third story of the house by
its side. l watched with some interest the raising
Of this structure, the number of men employed
upon it, and the nicely with which they performed
the work No piece is out Of line plumme
dropped from the top would touch the grount
without encountering the obstacle OF a single ode
end, and on the summit are placed, facing out
wards, ten or twelve large sticks each end, like
barbette guns. Though admiring the exactness Of
it, yet could not help rejecting how much sooner
one third the same number of Americans woult
have done it; but labor is cheap here and if the
Workmen were not thus employed all the time, they
might be fomenting revolution, In the yard beyond
the trees, enlarged by their new growth, are look
ing pleasantly green, and nodding their tops good
humoredly to the sporting breezes, cast fantastic
shadows on the adjoining walls From one of thu
branches of the largest, hangs the losthoop, which
some schoolboy, in his rejoicing at being free from
study and class has cast up into the air not agaiI
to return.
In the third window of the second story of thu
house, ciS-a-UiS to me, sits bird cage, TO which
see come, every morning, an old lady in black t.
replenish the cup of water, put in a fresh suppl,
of seeds and the half Of an egg for the canary
whose home it is. That must be a melanchol,
bird, for never yet have heard it sing perhaps h
pines for the green woods Of other days, ant
the sadly remembered mate he has left behind
Out of the window beyond, the ualet de ctdnbr
shakes the rugs then leaves them to air for half
hour and takes them in again.
Across the street to my right, is a '.peasioB de
den1oiSeytes," in the garden Of which, during thu
earlier part Of the season, could very often SCI
the young ladies walking about in pairs or trios
Jumping rope, or seated on the benches under thu
trees, studying or reading. Indeed, it was one o
my favorite amusements, every evening, just a
shutdown, to stand at my window with an oper
glass, and peer over at them. There were SOM
very pretty faces, but some abominably plain.
But this pastime is among the things that were
for the leaves have grown so thick in the genia
warmth of early summer, and the young branche
spread themselves so widely, that it is impossible
to see through them, and the sweetness of tn
charming jeaaes files, together with their grace
and attitudes, are wasted on the desert air."
Just off to my right, three squares distant, bu
appearing less than one, rises the magnifcen
St. Augustin church. Not quite completed it il
yet sufficiently done to be very beautiful and t.
show what it will be. In my opinion it is one o
the handsomest churches, or I might even say
structures, in this world of fine houses and if The
interior corresponds with the outside work, i
would indeed pay one to visit it, Its styles mixed
partaking both of the Grecian and Gothic archi
lecture. In the end nearest me, a large dome
rises from the center Of the roof the top of which
is covered with slate, furnishing a pleasing con
trast with yellowish sandstone it is composed of
On its summit is an ornament scarcely know how
to describe-it looks a little like summer-house
is of open work, the same color as the roof ant
surmounted by golden cross. Half dozei
Gothic windows and numerous souperails look to
ward me and relieve the otherwise simple appear
ance. On each side of this large one are twt
smaller domes, exact in uniformity, except TIL
dimnution in size On the other end of the churcl
is cross Of white sandstone, and just in front 0
it two angels larger than life-size. From my posi-
ton cannot see the apostles and saints, who ar
placed along the sides in niches nor the staine
windows with their fine figures, nor can catch
glimpse Of Christ and his disciples standing owe
the main doorway, the words written above hi
head, Ego sum Ueritas, uiG, 0ita" To Sc
these, as well as other beauties one must approae
) nearer-take a stroll on the Boulevard Malsherbes
for instance, one end of which is fanked by til
Madeleine, the other by the St. Augustin. L
front of the main entrance is a space lower tha
: the street, about forty feet square, round whic
runs low wall about three feet high
not circular, but rather oblong and curved
5 intended, from appearances, for fountain. til
a little distance from the steps, Just enough t
5 make.it effective, and when completed will be a
ornament to the broad open space formed by tn
junction and crossing of the Bouevards Nal
5 sherbes and Haussman, together with half
, dozen of lesser note, as well as to the church
9 This is a new feature in church architecture, 0