Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-10

Q0lpllnS tDaJ THROW water Iilo tHe uPPOi
vases One of the fountains is dedicated to
| the Seas. the other to the Rivers with APP
propriate statues supporting the smaller
| basins, and a number of genll.
PLACE DE LA CONCoRpE.
| Standing in the center OF the Square de
! Ia Concorde splendid view Is enjoyed IN
four different directions to the south, over
! the bridge across the river Seine, the Palace
| of the legislature to the north, the Church
| Madeleine at the end Of the Rue ROyale;
| To the east, the Tuileries, and to the west
! the Arc de Triomphe de | Etolle (ulumphal
| arch) at the end of the Champs Elysees
| (Elvsian fields In the evening the spec
! taceis really enchanting, especially towards
the Elvsian fields where the eye discovers
| endless rows of lights ascending gradually
to the distant Triumphal Arch. This
Square de la Concorde has a remarkable
history A century ago it was but desert
Louis XIV. granted the City Council of Paris
permission to erect him an equestrian
statue on this square, which was then called
Place Louis Nv The pedestal was orna-
mented with the statues of Power, Wisdom,
Justice and Love of Peace. Shortly after
its erection the following verse was found
upon 1t:
Grotesque monument, infame piesdestal
Les vertus sont a pied, lie vice est a cheyai =
The virtues are on foot, vice is on horseback J
The place was surrounded by deep
ditch, which was filled only about thirty
years ago.
BLOODY HISTORY.
In ITO during panic at fireworks ez-
hibition, a large crowd of people were pre-
c1pitated into it, of which 1900 persisted
and 1000 were severely wounded. After
the taking of the Tuileries (1792) the
statue of Louis XIV. was melted and con-
verted into copper coins. The pedestal
received a more grotesque monument in the
shape of Goddess of Liberty, made of
painted clay, which satire called the
Liberty of Mud, and the square was
called Place de la Revolution. January p,
| 1898, the guillotine began its bloody work
of destruction on this square by the execu-
ton of Louis XVI; July 18th, persisted
Charlotte Corday; October ID. Brissot, chief
of the Girondins, and his friends; October
| 10th, Queen Marie Antoinette was decapi-
tated November 14th, the Duke OF Orleans,
| Philippe Egalite; May -, 1874, Madame
| Elizabeth, sister to Louis XVI; March
9th, the revolutionary Hebert and his
! partisans assembled the scatfold in their
| turn at the instigation of Danton and
Robespierre; then the partisans of Marat
and the Orleanisfs April s, DantOn him
self and his party, Camille Desmoulins,
etc; and at last Robespierre and his
friends, St. Just and many members of
| the Salut Public and Commune paid their
tribute to the guillotine. From 1898 TO
! 1875 more than $500 persons We're decapi-
tated on the Place dc i Concorde. Cha
teaubriand, who opposed the project of
| erecting a fountain on the spot where Louis
XVI. was executed exclain>1 that all the
water in the world could not wash off the
| u ii Row 10
contemplating this charming place, think
of the dreadful scenes which We're enacted
there. almost within the memory of men.
THE CHAMPS ELYsEEs.
Adjoining the Place de la Concorde are
the Champs Elysees, created by Marie de
| Medicis The splendid avenue which runs
through them is one of the most frequented
walks of Paris. In the afternoon innumer-
able carriages and cavaliers pass through,
going to the Bots de BOulogne, and in the
evening a crowd of people is seen differing
| greatly from the afternoon visitors. The
stranger has, therefore, a good opportunity
to study Partisan life under different as
pect. The first part of the Champs Elysees
| offers a variety of places OF amusement.
| About half way is the Rond Point cirCUI-
| lar place crossed by four avenues. In the
! immediate neighhorhood and on both sides
are the following edifices: The Palais de
| pElysee (Elysian Palace, the residence of
the head of government the Paiais de
! lIndustrie industrial Palace, the largest
| of modern buildings in Paris. and near it
| the Panorama, the Palais Pompeien and
! the Maison dc Francois /. (house of Fran
| els u This charming private construction
| of the Renaissance was first built at MoTet,
near Fontainebleau, by Francis |. for his
sister Margaret in 1928 and brought to
! /, in
inal form All the sculptures and bas-
reHefs are by Jean Gouion.
| TRIUMPHAI ARCH OF THE STAR.
At the end of the avenue of the Champs
! Elvsees is the Arc de Triomphe de Etoile,
so named because twelve boulevards and
| avenues radate from the place upon which
it stands, hence its name meaning Tri-
umphal Arch of the Star" The distance
! from the Palais Royal is about two miles.
This arch is the largest of the kind in the
| world it stands on an emuence and can
be seen from all parts of Paris. 1t was
| erected, the same as that of the Place du
! Carrousel, in memory OF the victories of
Napoleon I. Ii is built of granite 100 feet
high, LAG feet wide, and - feet thick, with
two arches. The monuments covered on all
sides with large sculptures, representing all
| the victories and events of the first empire
and cost ten millions of francs.
THE COLUMN vENDoME.
The Place Vendome, on which the Col
umn Nendolne stands is an octangular
square located in a fashionable quarter in
the center of Paris, and surrounded by
splendid buildings. The elegant street,
| Rue de Ia Paix.' leads into it. The
column, as is known, was destroyed by the
Commune in 1871; but since then it has
been regretted in its original form. Ma
poleon |. caused it to be erected in memory
of his victories over the Austrians and
Russians in 1905. Twelve hundred cannon,
taken from the enemy, were used to fur
nish the bronze plates with which the ma
sonry is covered. The hight is l43 feet, in
| Guiding the statue. The latter, represent
| ing Napoleon l., was several times thrown
| down during the revolutions and change of
governments, but afterwards replaced. An
! interior stairway leads to the top of the
column. On the bronze plates, which cover
! it in form of a spiral of 273 meters, are
| figures and portraits, costumes and arms
| representing the featS of the campaign of
! 1905. The pedestal is also ornamented
with trophies of the vanquished enemy.
ANOTHER REMARKABLE COLUMN
Is the Colonne de Juliet, on the Place de
! IN BaStille. This column, built in the CO.
rinthian style, produces a handsomer effect
than that of Vendome, rs ii stands on
larger square, is considerably higher, and
can be seen from a greater distance The
hight including the base of marble covered
masonry, is l64 feet 1t Is entirely of
bronze, and has been erected upon the
tombs of the victims of the second revolu-
ton 1850 The statue of the Genius of
Liberty, holding in one hand a torch and
in the other a broken chain, adorns the
| top. An interior spiral staircase of 2s3
steps leads to a gallery at the foot of the
statue, from where a magnificent view over
great portion of Paris is obtained, especi-
ally toward the cemetery of Pere la Chaise.
Upon the drums of the pillar-shaft are in
scribed the names of the 615 victims of the
revolution Of 1880, whose bones are resting
in the vaults beneath the column These
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