The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-01-17
TEE TRIAN0N PALACES.
Ibe SUMMER Residence of the Ia i1ss OF
France.

4
sallles, the traveller is apt to linger
enamored with the magnificent panora-
ma spread out before him. lie has
perhaps just finished run over the
many saloons and galleries of the pal
ace, and his mind is confused mass
OF paintings, frescoes, sculptures, rare
old gilded furniture and historical re-
lies innumerable. He cannot hope to
retain anything but feeble, fragmen-
tary impression of all these but the
superb landscape that now bursts upon
him is single ravishing picture
where the genius OF man seems to
have made Nature his Slave of the
Lamp, and he tries to grasp it aud fix
it indelibly in his memory.
Looking directly west straight
through the grounds from the centre
of the terrace, the eye meets first two
obiong basins bordered with twenty
tour magnificent groups in bronze.
From the centre OF each basin rise
jots of water forming untains in the
shape of a basket; little beyCnd is
the BASIN OF Latona, presenting five
circular tables Ill red marble, rising
pyramidically one above the other, and
surmUunted by Latona imploIing the
Vengeance OF Jupiter against the IL
byaDs, who had refused TO give her
water. The prayer is answered, and
there are the poor Lybans, some half,
some wholly, metamorphosed into
frogs, fishes, tortolses, seated on
the edges of the tables, each mouth
a fountain throwing water on Latona
from every direction. On either side
nf No 20 ~
thirty feet high, falling into the basin,
Beyond this is a long ribbon Of lawn
One Tapis VerD ornamented with vases
and statues; then comes the BASIN OF
Apollo, with magnificent fountain of
rltous, nereids, dolphins and sea
monstIr rs; and then the long arm Of
the Grand Canal, which is IN the shape
OF Il cross, each arm about two hundr 4
feet wide. And these are only the
principle objects seen in one straight
line. Everywhere there are lovely
walks, parterres of flowers, vases, col
Onades, fountains, statues, groves and
beautiful avenues, boIdered with long
lines OF evergreen trees forced by the
pruning knife to grow into fantastic
shapes.
The two Irianons are bnt royal sum
warehouses; in these superb gardens.
They are both located on the right of
the Grand Canal, and separated only
by few rods Of the gardens belonging
to the Grand Tnan0u built by Louis
XIV. in 1871 for Madame de Mantle
non, who was then nearly forty years
Of age The king was three wears
younger. For nearly eleven years he
had been reconstructing the palace Of
Versailles, charging and identifying
the royal parks and gardens, some
times impressing thirty thousand sol
diers at once into the work, which cost
France a thousand millions Of francs
ut least. The Fountain of Apollo alone
cost million and half. The building
of the terrace was a gigantic work in
itself, while the water for the foun-
tains is ali brought from the Seine,
some miles distant, and it costs from
two to four thousand dollars every time
the grOnds e0ur are set In motion
: this was every day IN the time of the
Grand Monarch, but at present only
the first Sunday afternoon of each
month.
The respondent court OF Versailles,
at its zenith IN the time of Louis XIV,
with its gorgeous costumes, display
and ceremony, failed to wholly satisfy
the purely human needs Of tie king,
end the Trianon was built as an escape
from the onerous fatigues Of greatness.
Here, III the company Of choice favor
ties, the monarch played that he was
only man, loved and caressed for bis
own sake like the simplest of bis sub
iects. Louis XIV. was also fond Of
this retreat. and Louis XVI, with
, his brusuue bonhonie, walked through
it's gardens, frightening the birds with
his loud laughter, and making the
flowers tremble under his eiephantine
tread Marie AntoiDette, MS queen,
is especially associated with the place
she has left everywhere the "inetla BILE
= trace Of the foot of the rustic god
dess." Whether as the Inundated
wife, the triumphant mother, or the
unpopular queen, we see her always IN
imagination the presiding genius OF
, this Eden IN the gardens of Versailles,
unless, indeed, this picture is efaced
10y that of her tragic fate.
The Trianon gardens suffered d COM
plete change in the reign OF Louis XIV.
: who, becoming greatly interested il
botany, gave to the study and culture
of flowers and trees what time he
could spare from his laborious and
sterile secret correspondence" the
frivolous monument of a frivolous
, , reign He built the Petit TlIanon for
Madame Du Barry in 1866. 1t is q
small building seveDtytwo teet square,
|, decorated with futed columns and
pilasteIs. Ia front was the orangery,
consisting of fifty large orange trees III
huge boxes standing IN q semi circle.
That the king had Il real passion tor
flowers is clearly evident from the way
his courtiers took to flatter him on one
evening when he was TO visit tue Petlt
Trianon: they ornanented the whole
front of the orangery with species OF
flower new or very rare III France be-
fore that time. arranged IN twenty-four
letters, each seven and hall ieet high.
These formed the words, Viue l6 ho5
Louis Ie Bien. dime the whole finely
illustrated.
The little Trianon and It's gardens,
fsarfully mutilated during tie Revolu-
lion, were nobly restored by Louis
Philippe after he had converted Yer
sailles into an historical museum and
such as they appeared IN 1897 they SUI
remain. The palace Is a white marble
building embovered III luxuTlant iona
age.
| Under the auspices of the Empress
| EugeIia the Little Jrianon was repair
- - VI q