River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1874-01-16
THE TRIANON PALACES,
Tbe summer Residence OF the Kinaa NJ
France.

fbe summer Residence OF the Ninaa OF
France.
Standing on the upper terrace in the
rear OF the quaint old chateau of Yer
sailles, the traveller is apt TO linger
enamored with the magnificent panora.
ma spread ont before him. He has
perhaps Just finished q run over the
many saloons and galleries of the pal.
ace, and his mind is a confused mass
OF paintings, frescoes, sculptures, rare
old gildsd 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 burstsupon
him is single ravishing picture
where the genius of man seems TO
nave made Nature his Slave of the
Lamp, and he tries to grasp it and fix
it indelibly in his memory.
Looking directly west, straight
through the grounds from the centre |
OF the terrace, the eye meets first two |
oblong basins bordered with twenty. |
TOUR magnificent groups in bronze |
From the centre OF each basin rise |
lots of water forming + untains in the |
shape of basket little beyond is |
the Basin of Latona, presenting five
circular tables i'll red marble, rising
pyramldically one above the other, and
/ surmounted by Latona imploring the
Vengeance of Jupiter against tho Ii.
byaus, 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, tortoises, seated on
the edges of the tables, each mouth
a fountain throwing water on Latona
from every direction. On either side
OF the pyramid is column of water
thirty feet high, falling into the basin.
Beyond this Is n long ribbon of lawn
(the Tapis Vert) omamented with vases
and statues; then comes the Basin of
Apollo, with magnificent fountain Of
trltons, nereids, dolphins and sea-
monsters; and then the long arm of
the Grand Canal, which is in the shape
OF cross, each arm about two hundred
feet wide. And these are only the
principle objects seen in one straight
line. Everywhere there are lovely
walks, parterres of flowers, vases. col.
onudes, fountains, statues, groves and
beautiful avenues, bordered with long
lines of evergreen trees forced by the
pruning knife to grow into fantastic
shapes.
The two Trianons are but 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 Trianon built by Louis
XIV. in 1871 for Madame de Mainte
, 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, enlarging and beautifying
the royal parks and gardens, some
times impressing thirty thousand sol.
diers at once into the work, which cost
France thousand millions of francs
, at least. The Fountain of Apollo alone
cost a million and half. The building
, OF the terrace was gigantic work in
itself, while the water Tor the foun.
tains Is all brought from the Seine.
/ some miles distant. and il costs from
| two 10 four thousand dollars every time
the grdpds edHr are set i'm motion
this was every day in the time Of the
{ Grand Monarch, but at present only
. the first Sunday afternoon ofseach
month
The resplendent court of Versailles,
az its zenith in the time of Louis XIV,
with its gorgeous costumes, display
and ceremony, failed 10 wholly satisfy
the purely human needs of the king.
and the Trianon was built as or escape
from the onerous fatigues Of greatness.
Here, in the company OF choice favor
ties, the monarch played that he was
only a man, loved and caressed for bis
own sake like the simplest Of his sub.
jeets. Louis XIV. was also fond OF
this retreat, and Louis XVI, with
his brusQue bonhomie, walked through
It's gardens. frightening the birds with
nl6 loud laughter, and making the
flowers ;remblc under his elephantine
tread Marie AntolnettS, his queen,
is especially associated with the place
she has left everywhere the Unreliable
trace OF the foot of the rustic god.
dcss." Whether rs 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 cilaeed
by that Of her tragic fate.
The Trianon gardens suffered a com.
plete change in the reign Of Louis XIV,
who, becoming greatly interested in
botany, gave 70 the study and culture
of flowers and trees what tune he
could spare from his laborious aud
sterile secret correspondence the
frivolous monument OF frivolous
reign He built the Petit Tuanon for