Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1868-04-17
skETCmEs OF RECENT FOREIGN
T0AVE1-ssNO. q.
VERSAILLES PALACE.

VERSAILLES PALACE.
One Of the most interesting Of the many
excursions made during my journey, was the
| one TO the palace and grounds Of Versailles
/ situated about twelve miles distant from Pa
ria. Iftbe moderns, like the anciehts, have
what may be aptly called the g Seven Won,
ders Of the World should lie quite ineln-
| ed to ella SIS the Versailles Palace and its
marvellous surroundings among these seven
wonders. II is said, that the amount Of mon
ey expended here, originally and subsequent
| lY, was one thousand millions OF franco, or
two hundred millions Of dollars. 1t was to
King Louis XIV, that France principally
owes the existence of this magnificent royal
residence. This king had been holding his
court in the palace Of ST. Germsin but, hav.
ing high ideas Of regal prerog alive and
splsndor, and being, withal, wonderfully en-
ergetc, he formed . plan of . speedy erec>
ton of kingly mansion, that should eclipse
anything to be found in Europe or the world.
A tract Of land was procured At Versailles,
having circuit of sixty miles and the gi-
gsntic work Of erecting the palace, and lay,
ing out the grounds, was commenced, and
carried on with great dispatch. The best
architects and gardeners were etnployed, and
no pains or money spared 70 rspdeS The place
~ attractive and splsndd N possible. Al
one time, not len thaa tAisty thousand
Freseh soadies we're labosisg upon he gsr.
dsns. In ab0st twenty ysass from The peri
cd that the works vere begun, the court re-
novcd here. This VS. in The yeai 1851 !;
and il continued 10 be The residence Of the
French kings till the breaking out Of the
Great Revolution in 1852 On October 9Th,
of that year. An excited mob came from Pa
ris, attacked the palace, murdered the guards,
and forced the king and bis family TO 90 to
TIE metropolis and the court has never had
in seat there since We are Informed, that
the immease expenditures made in the con-
struction Of this edifice and the lavihc>out
OF che sxtensive grounds. and the vast smount
yssrly required to keep up the court in the
magniheaat stye Which beft,ed such roysl
misunderstanding the nation in debt, and
enPpiing its resoprces,- ,-w1s one u the cau-
ses, and BY many Is deemed the chief cause
OF that gsserai diss6ection among the peo-
pic, which resulted or culminated in me
Reign Of Terror" When Louis XIV.
died, he bequeathed to the sasion over which
he lad ruled, . debt Of t400, 100000.
Versailles must be visited and seen, In or.
der TO have anything like proper apprscia.
tioa Of it Though it has NOT been the seal
of the court fos nearly ei1hty years, Il has.
nsyerthsless, Ssen kept in we'll preserved
condition anj il has aisays been mucA -.
softsd to By TIE sovereigns Of Francs and
their distinguished gsssts. No suburb Of
Pasn can heas eomparison With Il. The
mincipal palass has frent Of about sixteen
huadFed frs4 o. Dore thaa oue.fousth Of
mile |; aad IL entire distance around IL eas-
not b mech bess than full mile. The syu
ten Of fountains h TIE gardens and grounds
Is said TO be the Dos& extsusi - and the most
exuonsivs - ~ wer3a. The Fcuutsis Of
Ssptuse, vhich = but one of vesv rnasy 9th.
ers, cost $30O,o Water has 10 be forced
up from . lDwer lswel ard 80 large guam
tity is required to set the whole system in
operntiou, that il Is only on special occas-
ioss, or on great fess aays, that all the foun.
tains are worked. II not mistaken, 1 was
told that the expense Of one DAYS plavinR,
or operating, Is shirsy thousand dollars. The
opening and playing ef sAe single Fountain
Of Neptune, for day, cost two thousand dol.
lars. : s q ri8fssl u
The emperor invited the Car Alexander
and the Kisg Of Prussia 10 visit Versailles
to witness these fountains They went, and
msny others also. Bet Il was SUNDAY, and
| die not 80. ] had seen all these soycr>
eigns belete and besides, could not ap>
prove OF such manner Or spending the
Lords day. Most al the great fete DAYS Of
France and the other countries Of continents
al Europe are Sundays: and one of the sad
dest things that | encountered during my
journey, was the open desecratiou OF the
Sabbath. II seemed 10 be made day Of
recreation and amusement, rather than dsv
ofrest and worship.
Before going through the gro1 nds, and ex
amiuing the fountains, and the numerous
pieces Of beautiful antique and modern stats
uary set up in all directions, employed
guide, and went through the palacs itxeIf II
contains > great number Of sspssb rooms
and galleries, nearly I'll Of which bsvs val,
liable works of art and some Of them are
historically interestiag. Among the statues
which noticed was that Of Joan of Are, the
renowned French heroine. which vas sx-
ceedingly veil executed. Amoae the vari.
ous portraits, wss graaifed 70 - thnss Of
four Amssicass, viz: Clay, websaer. Jack
son and Polk. The throne>roon, called the
Napoleon Saloon, 10 . remarkably 6ne apart
ment and when Queen victoria asd Prince
Albert we're on . visit to the Frsnch Enpe>
ror, in 1856, it ssas used. on . certain occa-
sion, a. ball room. and the snlartaiuuent
was opsned b. the Emperor and IL Queen
in quadrille.
The most magnificent room n tha p.lacs
is called the Grand Gallery q Loas XIV.
Thsrs ars very few rooms Or halls il the
world. that oan bsar compasisoo viii Il IL
length i nearly tvo handssd aad fAy fssl
height, festy thrse feet aad Widsh, thsay-fvs
feat and both The eeiliag ahose cd ~
walk around ere very 6asly esaAnsstsd.
On entering another spastnsat, ay,euids
said, uas then standing ia the bsacosu Of
Ionis XIV; and that The uagni6ssnt esns>
pied bed which l sav was the On O which
that great and luxurious king bsesahsd his
last, in Ills.
On entering still another room, nv euide
said, was in the apartment called the cham.
Der of,he accoucbcmsnt Of Marie Antoinesse,
the unhappy and unfortunats Queen Of Lou
is XIV, both OF whom were executed with
the euillotine IN Paris. In this room, the
queen gave birth to the Ducness d'AnSoal>
eme aad il was also in this same ;roass, that
she Was peaceabiy sleeping When he reck.
less mob burst into the palace, in he ~.
tann Of 1879, and Compelled fie royal ha>
ily to 60 TO the city. 80 I. - -.
/ mus. omii : descrriiption. d of lie buildings
called The great and little Tisnon, in tie
Versailles Park and merely say, haG I re.
turned TO the capital and ,my hotel lathe eve.
ming, well satisfied With my day'a c4curs !,
zion. .sf. s. -, - -. = .r.
Ma aesprqAis PALAcE IN splJoN.a
About two hundred miles south of Paris b