The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-09-18
EUROPEAN LETTERS.
THE FAMOUS FOUNTAINS OF
VERSAILLES.


III Number Infinite; in Variety
Endless; Ira Beauty Exquisite
The state Coaches and iLIe ROY al
Galleries, Etc.
A PARIS, September /, 1889.
Editor Citizen We do not propose tc
occupy your space with any detailed de
scription of Versailles as we did of FOu
taineblcau, although we have been ii
that magnificent palace most OF to-day
Nor can this recalled much OF a Sabbath,
M for rest we have had none. On the con
trarv for hours we have been jostling
and tugging, and pushing and squeezing
and not cursing of course, but being
cursed most heartily, as we wreStIed with
motley G. iOwd of al least fifty thousand
men and women, each of whom were de-
tcrmined to be the very first to get
through the miles of rooms and galleries,
of which we have an impression on our
K M minds, mixed up Of gold cornices and
z lrcScocd ceiling and French battles, and
statues and dpOrtralts, which are all CON
Z fused in an incXtrigablc junblc, So Wc
can hardly hope to tell you what we
WI have seen; suffice it to say everything is
i& truly elegant, especially the gallery O!
4 glass, which OvcriOOkS the gardens and
5& fountains, and in which the victorious
# Germans announced their terms OF peace;
s& hard indeed is this for a poor Frcnchman
n to swallow.
a Again, too, is Marie AntiOncttc brought
Il, to mind, as we pass through her private
+ apartments and see the stairs by which
She attempted to escape from the mad
moo, but the one room that repaid ali OF
our frantic struggle and latGuc, is that
.a III the center Ot which is u marble hSurr
& of the diving Napoleon similar but super
s ior to that i'll the Corcoran gallery,
II while Immediately above it is Il large ana
litc-likc painting ut the great Emperor aS
he delivered the Eagles to his soldiers. 81
at one glance, nc stands before us, at The
highest point of his power, and the zenith
sol his glory, and as he sat i'll his despair,
the strong features and lips pressed to-
gcthcr, indicating the bitter thoughts
concealed behind that massive forehead,
even at this hour Of approaching dissolu-
tion.
1t did indeed seem an anomaly that
these gorgcouSIy regal rooms should be
given up to the mob, which to-day ileG
thcn, and to us royalty is the necessary
Thing for France. We cannot believe
that republic can endure for Il people OF
their strange pccuIiaritics.
s Wcarcd and heart sick at viewing
These signs Of departed glory, We arc
glad to get out, into the fresh air OF the
Wonderful gardens and stroll through
them to the TriunOn, another palace,
where we are shown several more Oi
Marie AntiOncttc's beds she must have
been very sleepy body and then to the
State carriages at which the crowd is SO
s$ dense that Sludcr and climb in at a |
n window and launch our bodies upon the |
mass of French humanity, which is |
a SQuirming below us. Much cursed and
81 abused, but minded it little, we thus
3 succeed i'll viewing these gorgeous relies
of former ages.
Six of these carriages, each with his |
tory its own, surrounded the -grandcS,
OF all, which was the coronation coach |
of Charles Y 1t is Il huge agdir, covered |
with gold from end to end, the very |
wheels a mass of gliding richly wrought, |
while on top are groups OF statucttcs OF
some metal. Neither OF us regretted the |
effort we had made to catch even hasty |
glance at these old coaches.
The event Of the day to us was Yet t. |
occur, and this was our excuse for dcvot- |
ing Sunday to these excursions as only on |
this holy day are the fountains allowed |
to play, or as these people say" "LcScauN |
ScS narchcnt," literally the waters walk |
themselves" and this is attended with |
such great expense that it is done for
only one hour. Beginning at 8 O'Clock
they suddenly burst forth in wrcaths OF
spray, surprising the most delicate lace,
which the setting sun embcllshcs with
innumerable arcs of priSmatic coloring. |
description is far beyond us; i'll number |
they are infinite, in variety endless, in
beauty each seems more exquisite than
the last. Around and around we walk
: i'll delight. Let those who wish take
3 pleasure in high art; we prefer these Jets
x OF pure water, surrounded with the irag |
rance of sweet flowers.
81 The last of these fountains, that of Ncp- |
4 tune, was reserved until the Others were
done, to allow the visitors to collect
around it. Indeed, twas a wonderful
sight. In the form OF an Irregular crcs-
cent is a pond ofstill water, i'll ichthou
sands of carp are Iazily swimming, this
pond is in area about two acres; the dis
tance from point to poin. ut the crescent
some 800 feet; around its convex a solid
mass of people facing the smaller circle,
which is built of heavily grained stone,
rising seven feet above the waters edge,
while at the center is placed massive
bronze Neptune in his chario: drawn hy
six sea lions, and supported on right and
lett by groups OF mcrnaids. Midway oil
each side from center to apex Is q group
composed OF immense nautical fabulous
animals and at each extreme point dol
phin of some material and of huge dimcn-
sions On top of the wall are twcnty-six
vases, each ten feet in height, and on its