, 1879-08-03
FONTAINEBLEAU.
4 Ranb|a Through the Palaces
Seven Centuries of
Splendor. \
The State Apartments Of Napoleon.
Park and Fish-Pond-carp
200 Years OLD.
Through the Forcst---The Rocks Of Avon
-Franchard and the Gorge
d'4premont.
rores!-pictnres Near Barbizon-In the
Bas-Breau-An Artists
Paradise,

Bas-Brcau-An Artists
Paradise.
er,r{al Correspondence Of The Tribune.
PARIS, July 7.-Michelct, that great and gooi
fn6de whose passionate lore Of Nature had
slmost the subl!mity OF a Divine religion, once
xnote wonderful book entitled s'L' lnsecte.' ~
in which there occurs preface OF unusual
interest, devoted, in great measure, to de-
scription OF the forest Of Fontainebleau. Ths
affection Michelet bore that most picturesque
ofwoods was nearer akin TO the attachment o.
a1oyer to his mistress than to anv ordinary
liking men have for things inauimate. Each
tree had special charm for him. Each mighty
rock Inspired him with a new delight. He saw
poet1r in every feature Of the varied landscape,
and to him truly there were sermons in its
stones, / rcad "L'Insectc u years ago, but
the memory OF that preface has never faded,
and. whenever hare felt tempted to appro2eh
the subject oi Fontaincoleau in nv letters, it
has come back to my mind with fresh force,
checking the desire, and causing my pen to
slip fecply from my grasp For indeed Fon-
tainebleau can only &C done justice to by a
Nichelet. Ii auY OF my readers can beg. bor-
row, or steal copy Of L'Insecte," (which has
been yery fairly translated into English,
be}ieyc,--ae may skip this article without hest.
tation. To those, however, who cannot get the
description, mine may be interesting.
FoSTAlSEBLEAu
(aow full Of promise tho Very name isD remains
still unknown to thrce-tourihs Of the strangers
Rho crowd to Paris every year. The mau who
Tould think it almost unpardonGble to leave
githout visiting Versailles, and gaping at the
dreary ruins Of St. Cloud, generally goes away
without attemptin. to push his researches as far
as FoutalneDleau,-wlich contains as much in
te.est and beauty IN itself as twenty: upstart
sights like the city OF the Grand AIonarque.
What is the palace Of the Fourteenth Louis to
its chateau with its scycn centuries of historical
association and royal sp1eudor?, Who could COM
p2re the stiff aud artificial sta:eiiness of the
gardeus Of LIE No.re to the unkempt and native
grace, the sarage grandeur, aud the mysterious
jmmensity Of Fontainebleau Forest! And set
travellers rush By south, on their way to Mar
seles and Italy, daily, without it ever occurring
to them to give one day to all these marvels.
Imagine town of the cold provincial pattern
SO common in France, built in Z huge clearing
go to speak, in the centre OF wood, with roads
leading into the wooded gladcs on every side;
aud at one end an old, quaint, rrd-and-gray
mansion, rambling and stiff. with huge court
yards entered By ponderous gates, aud roof
that seems larger than the building it covers.
The town mar be neglected, for there is nothing
IN 1t TO attract any one Let us take
l. PEEP AT TuR PALACE
You enter, will SUPPOSE. By the great iron
railing, or ''-rllc d'honueur,'' facing the uSiy
Hotel &c l'Eurooe and the Hotel dc France ct
d'Anglcterre lat which, it mar be remem oerc1,
his Oriental Majesty the Shah WAS SO desper-
atelY swindled). In front OF you is q vast court
yard, with Z low red-brick structure running
round three sides; and at the end, immediately
facing you, the grca. horseshoe staircase
BY which you get access to the interior
Of the Pa1ace,-or Gun, though the
guides usually take you in By door under it.
This staircase. known MS the Escalier des Adleux,
is forever associated with the downfall of the
First Napoleon. 1t was here that lie bade fare
well in 1914 to his faithful and glorious Guard,
before starting on his melancholy journey to
Elba. Here, too, stood, nalf century later,
old William Of Prussia and his staff. after the
you NAV see the table on which the greatest
Captain OF modern times signed his abdca1ion.
The guides have no patriotic scruples. They
Viii show you the braZen tablet which commem-
orates the event if you ask them But. before
sou proceed SO fer, step in the chapel on your
1eft,-3 beautiful niece Of architecture ln its
way, though TOO cold to suit 1ne altogether. The
marble floor, admirably inlaid, is curious, and
the paintings are Of great price. Now come
the
COUNTLESS STATE APARTMENTS
First, the rooms Inhabited by the two Napo-
ic:ns. They are the least magnificent Of all,
and chiefly interesting from association, till you
come to the Throne-Room and the Bedroom. In
the latter is the Imperial COUGH. nfl gliding and
velvet draocry. The Imperial bees still adorn
the throne, but the Imperial glory has departed.
Here is splendid crystal chande1icr,-worth
50 GO francs, they say; md here is the superb
mahogany table-tcn feet across, ia single
riece-standin= in the middle Of the noble
ceiling. Sec now cunningly designed and how
dextrunsly carved it Is, and how adorned with
gold and color Pass on to the immense Lii
brarr,-altnost rs tirc as the Gaerie d'Apollon
iu the Louyrc.-21ld admire the paintings on the
wats.
Now rurn and follow me into the old part Of
the Palace. Here are The rooms OF Francis l.,
dark and handsome, hung with Gobelins So
fresh and VIVID (though centuries have passed
since it was worked that sou can scarcely swear
it is not painted. This is ono Of tue moat beau
tifu corners Of the chateau. The floors are
marvclouslY wrought, like the ceilings, ana the
furniture unmatchab'c out Of the Ausee de
Ciuny. Mex: come the rooms Of King henry,
little when SO many monarchs have occupied it},
in which is small square Of looking-glass
once
TIE PROPERTY OF MARIE DE MED1C1s.
It vas gift of the Venctiahs, and considered a
great curiosity ut the timc.-as we'll it. might,
Tor it was the first used in France. Louis Kill.
saw the light in this room; and this is souye-
nl9 Of tsit sanity King who captured Dametta !
and fought tie Saracens At one end is fine |
Stone statue Of Henri w., copy Of which for /
merry stood over the Paris Hotel dc Vile, and !
vas r destroyed in the last days Of the Commune. !
nsse slept in the neighborins bcdchamber, the |
MaNs OF which are covered with the priceless