St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1878-05-25
The TrOcaderO and Parks.

lhe site selected by the French gov
eminent for the exposition of 1878 is in
the southwestern part of the city of
Paris, and it lies on both sides of the
river Seine. The heights of Trocadero,
commanding a superb view Of the city,
are occupied by the permanent building,
which is a remarkable edifce in many
respects. The Trocadero palace, as it is
called, is placed on the crest of hill,
and looks to the northward over the
new suburb springing up on the west side
of Paris, and in the southerlv direction
down on the river and the Champ de
Mars. In the center, rising above a
grand portal about one hundred feet
wide, is a pavilion, or grand dome, with a
tower on each side reaching up about two
hundred and fifty feet. Thanking the ro-
tunda are galleries reaching out in horse
shoe-sbape toward the river, the 'front.'
age being about 1900 feet. The rotunda
il an immense structure, containing the
largest concert hall in the world, with a
capacity for seating 5000 or 5000 per.
sons. The towers form the highest
points in Paris. They are furnished
with lifts worked by hydraulic power for
the elevation of visitors by the hundred
or two at a time. From the top of the
towers the view takes in the valley of the
Seine for miles on each side, and every
prominent building in the city is
easily distinguished. The spire of
Notre Dame stands out as clearly
in the plain below as the distant
green slopes of Meudon. The rotunda
and its annexes are reserved for perma-
nent exhibition of French historical art.
The side galleries are appropriated to
pictures, which have been arranged chro-
nologicalIy, to exhibit the successive
schools of French painting. The colon
nades outside are lavishly adorned with
statues, also retrospective in arrange
ment. The rotunda is built of yellow
stone, faced with colored bricks. On
either side of it, breaking the descent to
the right and left galleries, are parti-
tions in the same style. The galleries,
however, are Of iron, with plaster cell
ings cast in sections and deliberately deco
rated in polychromes. In the arch of
the facade appears in tablets the colors
OF each nation participating in the Ex~
hibition. This magnificent edifce is to
be maintained after the exposition IS a
sort of Paris Sydenham, and it is ex-
pected that it will become in a short
time magnificent public property. The
view from the inner side of the horse>
shoe is commanding one. The south
ern facade overlooks the Seine and the
Champs de Mars. In front extends the
approach to the park and the river. Be.
yond the Seine is the broad front of the
temporary exhibition building, with it's
five cupolas, and behind this are profiled
in tapering lines the long angular
roofs of the galleries. In the distance,
at the back of the galleries, are the
principal buildings of PEcole Militaire,
and at the right and left the avenues La
Beurdonnaye and Suffren stretch out into
the cloudy distance. The Seine, instead
of being as it locks from above, an in
terruption to the plan of the Exhibition,
has been madeone of its most picturesque
attractions. The whole length of it
between the Trocadero side and the
Champ de Mars has been appropriated
by Commissioner Krautz and used ex-
elusively for the purpose of the Exhibi.
ton. The Pont de Jena, which connects
the two banks of the Fiver, has been
widened and enclosed for crossing place,
and it looks as if it had been newly
built for the occasion.
Between the Trecadero Palace and the
river is an open space of about 800 yards
in length, lying along the steep hillside
that slopes down to the Seine. From the
level of the main floor Of the palace,
extending into the open space, is a
reservoir built of Jura stone, from which
pours q volume of water 80 feet in
width. This immense cascade falls over
six marble steps in basin about 900
feet distant, and presents a picturesque
appearance, both from the palace above
and the river bank below. The
hillside is very Steep 80 steep, in
fact, that q horse draws cab containing
two persons up the sIoping streets ad-
joining with much labor. Notwith-
standing the difficulties presented to the
architects and gardeners who laid out
the tract, it has been converted into
charming and varied landscape, orna
mented with number OF curious builds
ings. On the right hand are immense
of delightful gardens, with hot
houses il. their midst, for the exhibition
OF rare plants. Winding walks lead
gradually down to the Chinese building,
situated between the foot Of the cascade
and the river, at the extreme right
the inclosure. The movements OF the
have fer several months attract
ed the attention of visitors TO The exhibi.
ton grounds. The men labored hard at
their work, apparently unconscious Of all
ob.ervers, wearing their pig tails twisted