Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-09-24
NOTES ABOUT PARIS.

passed, in its older part, by Notifications
consisting of low mounds of earth, faced
externally with walls of hewn stone,
which descend into broad moats or can
ais. Though the newer city extends be-
yond these walls, the area thus enclosed
is of chief interest and the most densely
populated 1t is not far from circular,
about SIX miles in diameter, and divided
by the Seine, which flows in great
bend through the city from east to west,
into larger crescent portion on the
north and smaller but gibbous division
on the south. In all this course, the
river flows between walls of stone ma
sonry, along which there are frequent
inclines and stairways for communica-
tion with the piers below. Twenty-Five
bridges of stone or iron cross the Seine,
many of them dedicated to the memory
of great men or great victories. Broad
streets extend along either bank through
the entire city. On these you may walk
beside the parapet of the embankment,
and never be separated by single build
ing from view of the river below and
the opposite city part. Or, for a mere
trife, on small steamers darting to and
fro continually. you may ride to one
metropolitan limit, thence to the other,
and return to your starting point.
About the center of Paris, along the
north quay, stands the Louvre. an ex-
tensive palace in the form of a hollow
square, and containing collection of
works of art so vast that merely to walk
through its galleries is almost enough
work for one day. From this center of
the Louvre extends broad belt of build
ings and pleasure grounds in straight
line northwesterly to the wall. constitut-
ing the backbone of Paris more truly
than Washington st. or Broadway, of
our cities. Next to the building Of
which l have just spoken, stand the
walls of the Tuileries, the royal palace
burnt by the Communists in 1871. The
Gardens of the Tuileries follow, an ex-
tensive park, the most of which is shad-
ed by large trees and furnished with
abundant seats, while the remainder is
beautiful with flowers, shrubbery, lawns
and fountains, and all. under proper re-
strictions, is free to every one the entire
week. Hence we pass upon the Place
de la Concorde, a large, open and paved
/ iuncfio.. vf srSnueo. In ito oontor etande
the Obelisk of Luxor, fanked by two
great fountains. Around its clrcumfer-
euce are placed gigantic marble figures
of queens upon their thrones, symbolical
of the eight principal sister cities of
France-Lyons, Marseilles, Bordeaux,
Nantes, Rouen, Brest. Lille and Stras-
burg. The last, it will be remembered,
now belongs to Germany. My Guide
book pronounces the Place de Ia Con-
corde "the noblest civic area in the uni
verse" o In this world doubt if there
be anything finer.
We now pass into the Champs Elysies
"a broad, central avenue with lawns,
shrubbery, trees and winding prone
nades on either side-these promenades
and this avenue being the great resort,
every pleasant afternoon and evening, of
Partisan gayety and fashion. Till mid
night, the many restaurants and open
air theatres scattered through these
grounds, fancifully adorned with thou.
sands of gas lights, enclosed in colored
shades or arranged in surprising figures
and combinations, with the green boughs
overhead and the pleasure-loving throng
moving by, constitute scene elsewhere
unapproached.
At the end of the Elysian Fields, the
belt We are following contracts to the
broad avenue which ascends gradually
perhaps half mile-to the Arch o.
Triumph, vast structure of stone, ele
gantly adorned with scenes symbolica
, and military, commemorating the victo
ries of Napoleon l., who erected it. From
this point the broad, straight avenue
! goes on, even far beyond the walls, bu
! used no longer>as mere resort of pleas
, ure.
From this simple sketch, my readers
, may easily form general idea of thu
geography of Paris. Not all, but mos
. of its important buildings and localities
: are near the Seine, or this great centra
, axis.
Just opposite the Louvre, continuing
the belt for few rods to the east, stand
the ancient church of st. German FAUX
| errois. One cannot hear its bell tol
without profound emotion, for it wa
. this same bell that gave the signal fo
: the massacre of st. Bartholomew, Aug
r "a, 1872, and during the whole of tina
e fearful night. unremittingly it tolled it
3 funeral peal, while from the windows o
e the Louvre, facing the river, Chas. TX
: fred upon the helpless Protestants be
low, and on every side they were slain.
: Ofmemorials of great historical events
I Paris, of course, is full. You may visi
l the Place du Troue, where from June
o till July 27, 1894, stood the guillotine