The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1878-06-08


Public Improvement seems to be
a p!aything with these people: to
demolish 9 whole street and erect
in its stead a beautiful boulevard
is the work of a few months. The
boulevard du Nile. Opera, one of
the prctticst streets in the city,
was started a year ago to be com
pleted for the Exhibition. and sue
cess has already crowned their
efforts. Paris is gradually being
remodeled and assuming a more
modern aspect. The rapidit, with
which the Exhibition grounds are
being completed is fairy like and
hardly credible, in one day a gar
den is created having the appear.
ance of age, in a week a palacial
edifce is erected, fifteen thousand
men working by day and like num-
Der by electric lights at night can
readily perform wonders.
1t is now ten days since my ar
rival in Paris, during this period
l have lost no time in visiting the
principal points of interest, | have
concluded that it would require,
without exageration, at least six
months to form a correct concep-
ton of this city, the public build
ings being endless. l shall pro-
coed to relate briefly that which
I consider will be most interesting
to our people. first visited the
Panorama of the defense of Paris
against the German armies. This
is the grandest piece of work in
the shape of an oil painting l ever
witnessed. The spectator is sup
posed to be placed on the fort of
lssy, outside the City Of Paris, tae
forts of Mont Valerien, Vanres,
Montrouge and Bicetre are distin.
guishable. the village Of Chatillon,
Clamast, Meudon, Garches, Saint
Claud and Boalogne appear as
natural. On the north is repre-
scented Paris with the annexed vii
lagos Of M%ontrouge, Vanguard,
Grenelle, Auteuil and Passy. This
mas been one of the best paying
institutions Of Paris since its erec-
ton, l am under the impression
that it required two headed artists
during a whole year to complete
this panorama.
My friend Mr.. Caen unable to
rest until he had shown the repre-
sentative of Vermilion Parish at
the Paris Exhibition the tomb of
Napoleon [, Immediately proceed.
ed with me to the Hotel DIES Inva-
lides. This building is what its
name represents it to be, an asy'
lum for aged and infrm soldiers.
The beautiful, spacious garden
adjoining the entrance, also the
immense display of cannons cap
tured by the French, and the sol
diers on guard dressed in the uni:
form used in the time of the first
Napoleon made a strange impress
sion on me. The tomb of Napo.
leon is a grand sight, one which is
widely impressed in my memory.
The coffin is enshrined in a receiv.
er of solid marble the cover alone
weighing two tons, situated imme'
diately behind the chapel, his tomb
is surrounded by those of his
brothers and generals.
| occupied a whole day in visit.
ing the museum in the ouvre du'
ring which time | was enabled to
see about one fifth of the display
| am under the impression there
are nearly as many oil paintings
in this museum as were represent
ed in the Art Gallery at Philadel'
phia during our Centennial Exhi
bition. Besides oil painting there
are displayed endless relics from
ancient Egypt and Greece togeth
er with an immense number o.
statues.
The Exhibition will hardly bt
completed before three or foul
weeks, l have already visited thu
grounds three times and in my
next shall endeavor to give yor
some idea Of its grandeur.
Before closing and while on thu
> subject of the Exhibition l fee
grieved to remark that the Ameri
i. can display will be a disgrace tt
, the country.
With sentiments of esteem, I re
main very respectfully,
: ISAAC WISE.
The LABORATORY OF THE Sys