The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-16
A CASTLE WITH A HISTORY.
RECOvFRTv0 IN rsriTE COYETsClrED
BY Tine sECOND EMPIRE
The Count de Paris Applies n Part Of hi. |
Immense Income to Eccoustructirg "a Ru- |
tined Chateau Built Three Centuries A 70. |

Pam n, Nation
PANE. Nov. Among the estates Of the
| Orleans ,anily coniis'ated by the Second En-.
| pirc. and since given back 10 the Orleans 10y
| tie Constituent Assembly. IL the famous castle
! Of Amhoisc with its adjacent forest Amboisc
| situated on the west Of n hill. above tho river
Loire. IL in n very picturesque situation, but II
! had fallen into such a s,ntr of diapdation that
| II was hardly over visited 10y tho many tourists
| who go 20 ChcnonrcnuN. to Blois. To- thumhnrd
| anu to inc other clalrllN 81 the Lore. Thc
| Orleans princes after the old eatat'- OF their
| family had returned into their hands lut cast
| mo part which had NOT been nlonintcd during
the cmprel, divided these cstates among them
selves md the Chateau 'Amboise Tell to the lot
Of the Comic de Paris. Tho first time the Prince
visited Anihoisc. he did not even lind room
given To Abd-el- Kadrr and his Arabs while he
was prisoner In France. and the only rooms
which wore hnhitahle when Ahd-el. kader ar
rived had been allowed, after his departure. To
war the chateau had boon turned into n harrack
and in the year 1871 there was not n bod. nor
broken. the rain entered the roofs and the
looms. Nothing rcm9lncd but the shell AZ II
style which had been built under Francis l.
The Comte dc Paris examined carefully tho
site of tho chateau. Thu, palace. was huilt on
ne terrace OF q much Older chateau; in fact
Amboise was u fortified manor-what We call in
France a do,Dop. Imagine a great rock SUR
POUNDED 10y water. and only accessible by two
huge towers such WIS Anlboise nt first. The
two towers were built against and in the rock :.
at their foot was a ditch and drawbridIe. Let
bridge Of tho huge Tour dos Minimcs (which
has Just been, restored by the Comic de- Parsl.
which looks directly upon tho Loire Th" door
is opencd, and we arrive not ut n staircase. hut
at an inclined plane. which winds round the
tower to the top of the hill Four horscmen
abreast can easily mount this inclined plane
great cavalry force could thus hc Kept
The Loire on one side. and on the other side
little rivulct. which il faced by the second tower.
stint liar To the first, and called Tour H.urtant.
ON the ton 81 each tower Is stone platform,
which could receive artillery The valley OF
the Loire could thus he completely swept and
overlooked You imagine the guns mounted
on their towers, and helr bronze ends showing
between the crtntdfU. A small passage, which
has been rebuilt 10y the architect. leads To- the
sentry and guard rooms. Every door fastrus
on The inside with enormous iron bars. The
whole place was u fortress. which could only hc
approached ON one side the rock j. everywhere
p"tppndieular, and an enemy could only climb
through the hrushwood which grows in the
crevic,s Of the calcareOus rock.
The Tour des Minm,s WIS n com plete ruin
| Two years ago; II - now ~ iert''t nnd ns com.
rlct" as i was in the Middle Ages. iou can ind
iidny me rnai 'au IN ne, valley oil ih" Lore.
hut this military tower. used for cavalry. has no
parallel and T. a great cnriosiu IL, every re-
spe't. The inclined plane does not MI the whole
tower: II only Hills the space between two cvln-
| ders go that there IL AN inner tower which is
| excess Vnlv imposing. aud from the lower part
| Of It you can Soc To the top. which is formed by
beautiful Gothic vault. This tower ~ AM
boise Restored a- 1t is. is one Of ,the most uri-
! ous specimens Of the military trt II old times.
| Such place could servo ~ q prison ~ we'll rs
u citadel while Louis ~. led hi~ soliiar, life
~
! son ia Confinement at tho Chateau d'Amhoise.
| from the top Of the Tour dos Minim"s could
| distinctly -" the towers Of the Cathedral
! of Tours This son was a nero boy AZ the time
/ when Louis NJ. died he became King uuder
| % Amhois' the itar'~ of Charles VIII. and Of
! his wife. Anne dr BrrtIgne. The emblem OF
! Charles VII Wa porrupine and Anne de
| lr'tagne's was an d'unon,ere. purse for aims.
| These "ulcm- are found on the vaults of the
! great inclined plane Of the Tour des Minimcs
| and on various windows. huge porcnpine is
| on the low door which caused the fall and after
| look from thr high walls If Amhoisa over tho
valley Of The Loire and see on Tho distant hori
| ION the Cathedral OF Tours. YOU understand
at once how. in the fifteenth century; Tour
| The ROYAL power was not secure enough in
! Paris. at the north ~ tho capitIl OF the seine
| We're terrihl" strungh ulds-Picrr' ionds tou'y
| Crtpy and tn, prince or lord who had pos
session Of the Duchv OF Naos wits virtually
Sine Sine and he valley Of the " L5ire - law
Ne sreat PLAIN half piled e the time 10y
stood that the best STRATEGY, position in Franco
| was this valley Of To-" Loire; his dream had
boon 10 unit" Brittany - rouraine. and ~ Tor
| ccntr, Of France; This dream hecam" reality
| IN he rcien 81 Charles VIII Tn mnrria-c II
The King of France with no hcir.s- oi ille gr az
| Celtic province Of Brittany was the death blow
81 the icudal system.
It's well kn own thol. Charles VIII made the
| conquest oi Naples. Tn" Italian influence soon
! le 'i!no very powerful IN France; at AmboiS'.
! what may ei,il the Old feudal substruciure was
| covered Wifh new cuu.tru. tion-, In which the
| Italian l.ifn+ sup"r- 'drl the old Gothic forms
| The Gothlr spirit shows itself now in IL purity
| only ia TIA small. Isolated chapel which Is =
| jewel Il j. q toy rather than church. and
! could hardly hult more than thirty I"opi" AZ a
| time. Il is dedicated to ~ Christopher and ~.
| Hubert. a. II well shown ~ beautiful sculp-
| lures as line IT, lace work. Tho good Confines
SAYS IA his memoirs Will now stop talking
| our surr, VS. and losses in France. and speak Of
the sudden death oi our king Charles the
Ami lac D. i 1