The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-22
The Doom OF the Tuileries.

The Doom OF the Tuileries.
The brief cablegram from Paris an
nouncing that the Chamber of Deputies
had appropriated $4,000 francs for the
removal of the last vestiges of the Tuil-
cries recalls some interesting facts re-
gardng this famous home of kings and
emperors. 1t was Catharine di Medicis
who began the construction of the palace
in 1864, and erected the centre pavilion
and adjoining wings. The entire front
was completed by Henry ". When
this was done the structure had an i'm
posing facade 335 yards in length.
Henry ". also commenced the gallery
fronting the Seine, connecting the south
ern extremity of the building with the
Louvre, a work which was continued by
Louis XIII. and finished by Louis XIV.
By the completion of this gallery, in
connection with the Tuileries and the
Louvre, three sides of an immense
rectangle were Enclosed, leaving open
the fourth side, running along what is
now known as the Rue de Rivoli. In
1903 Napoleon 1. began the erection of
this fourth side of the rectangle-a work
interrupted by the downfall of the en-
pre- Napoleon Ill. undertook to carry
out the projects of his uncle, and COM
pleted the gallery connecting the Louvre
and the Tuileries, thus forming vast
Enclosure, of which the part nearest the
Tuileries was and is called the Place du
Carrousel, and the remainder is known
as the Place du Louvre. The two places
were separated by high iron railing,
by which stands the Arc du Carrousel,
which in the time of the first Napoleon
was surmounted by the bronze horses
and chariot of St. Mark, since restored
to Venice.
Catharine di Medics gave to the
palace she erected the homely name of
the Tuileries, because it was constructed
on the sight of some tile-works. Henry
". and Louis XIII. resided there much,
but Louis XIV. considered the building
unworthy of the mighty king he thought
himself, and preferred to squander the
earnings of the people on Versailles. AT
Versailles, too, chose to reside Louis XIV.
and Louis XVI. The latter especially
dislilled the Tuileries, as though he had
a premonitiOn that some day before it,
and what was afterward known as the
Place de la Concorde, his head would be
severed from his body. During the days
of the first French revolution the old
building was put to variety of uses,
but when Napoleon l. attained supreme
power he took up his residence in it,
and much improved its appearance,
both externally and internally One of
its largest apartments he hung with
full length portraits of his field marshalS,
and it was known thereafter as the Sale
DIES MarechauX. In the Tuileries Ma
poleon III. was born, as was also his
son, the unfortunate prince imperial.
While Louis Napoleon was president he
resided at the Elysee, where President
Grevy at present resides, but after the
''nephew of his uncle" usurped imperial
power, his first act was to take up his
abode in the palace in which he was
born. He much improved the ancient
pile, tearing down and rebuilding the
pavilion next to the Seine.
In the Emperor's pavilion were the
private apartme nts of the Emperor and
Empress, which were fitted up with great
splendor and luxury, and with an atten-
ton to the comfort of its occupants not
much seen heretofore in the royal abodes
of France. 1t was from this pavilion
that Eugene fled in disguise after the
fall of Sedan had made France no longer
safe dwelling-place for her. 1t was not
many months after this when the Com
munists destroyed the greater part of the
venerable building, leaving unframed,
however, the pavilion of the Emperor,
and the corresponding pavilion at the
opposite end of the front. The building
had been at times so much an object of
popular hatred that it is surprising that
it was not burned before. On August
10, 1892, it was stormed by mob, and
the Swiss body-guard of the King was
slaughtered while defending it. In July,
1880, it was taken and ransscked by riot
ers, and at the expulsion of Louis Phil
ippe, in 1913, it was again ransacked by
turbulent crowd composed of the dregs
of the people, who appropriated what
ever they could lay tn cir hands on.
The brightest and most splendid days
of the famous structure were just before
its fall. Napoleon Ill, as is well known,
kept magnificent court, and he made
the building which was his birthplace a
truly imperial residence. In 1867, the
year of the exposition, Paris was visited
by all the crowned heads of Europe, and
the fetes given in their honor at the Tuil-
cries, and presided. over by the beautiful
Empress, were dazzling in their splendor.
NJ Y. Mail and Express.
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