The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-09
lie BOTS DE BOULOGNE
STORY OF The FRENCH CAPITALS
GREAT PLEASURE GROUND.

Aspect-D of the Old Forest
and Planting of the New-Paris Never
Negleots Her Children.
1t is interesting to trace tho historical
associations of Paris most celebrated place
of public resort, the famous Bots do Bou-
logne, ono of the few lungs of the great
city ON tho Seine. Wo hnvo only to think
of our own London parks to realize what
the Bots do Boulogne is to the Parisians
To mutilate, disflguro or inolose this DO.
loved promenade would be wrong done
to the whole city-one may say to the
whole nation. The so called wood Is tho
last relic Of tho vast Rouvray forest which
extended SO far along the borders of the
Seine. 1t was just such forest as former
ly covered much of Great Britain. Ao-
cording to tradition Dagobert used to
hunt hero in company with Saint Eloi. A
few rude huts and cabins were all that it
contained. In all respects 1t was "a similar
tract of woodland to that which occupied
the present sito of Edinburgh. BY degrees
those who became property holders of the
neigh borhood cleared q largo portion of
the forest, which gradually lost Its name
OF Rouvray and took that Of Bots de ST.
Cloud. Little hamlets began to spring up
in the clearings. One Of the hamlcts was
named Menus-les-St Cloud, and here, in
1919, some pilgrims raised n church which
was counterpart to tho church of Bou-
logne, which was then small place. From
this circumstance the wood took tho name
of Bots do Notre Damo do Boulogno, which
inevitably became Bots dc Boulogne, and
even this title is too long for Parisians
who simply say "Lo Bois.''
Kings and nobility had already begun
20 fI,,t, l>1t Lob
tiful ncighborhood. The oldest of these
princely residences was the Longchamps
abbey, founded in 1850 by Isabelle, sister
of tho king, st. Louis. She here insti-
tuted community of women, joined by
some of tho most famous ladies of French
society. According to usual custom, mi.
raculous virtues wero ascribed to tho place
after lsabellc's death, and 1t became u re-
sort of pilgrimage When In time faith
slaokened and pilgrims became few, the
lords and ladies of the gay court continued
to mako the abbey an excuse and an end
for their promcnades.
Tho custom of walking out to the Long
champs abbey especially prevailed during
holy week and is said to have led to scenes
far from cdifying. Princes of the blood
camc thither In company with ballet girls
and "1gurantes" from tho Partisan opera
side of tho Bots history-that part over
which it might prefer to draw veil.
Other notable buildings raised on the for
est were the Chateau dc Madrid, built by
Francis /, and tho Chateau dc In Muette,
which became tho favorite residence of
Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. A hunt
ing lodge had formerly stood on this site,
and hence the nnmo Muette. 1t was Marie
Antoinetto herself who caused the institu-
ton Of Ranelagh, after the model OF the
well known London variety garden, and
the Parisians are indebted to another lady,
Milo. de Charolais, for the delightful
Neuilly Pare dc Bagatellc.
Louis XIV laid all France under his
debt by being the first to mako rules for
the due preservation of the Bois do Bou.
logne. An cdict of his, which continued
in force for moro than u century, clearly
appointed the laws of its management.
But the first Napoleon went farther than
Louis in tho attention that he paid to the
forest. His orders worked n general trans
formation. Where the too thick growth
of trees impcdcd its proper Development he
thinncd them out so Us to open numerous
gladcs, alleys and arcades. In places he
enriched the land by planting beeches,
birches, NAPLES and wych olms which con-
trasted finely with the old immemorial
oaks Hc also encouraged the growth of
evergreens, and he completed tho good
work by organizing body of forest keep
crs for the maintenance and guarding of
that In which he had taken such pains.
Even nature is susceptible of improve
ments except in tho eyes of those who wish
no landscape to reveal the trace OF man S
hand. Humanized nature has its own es-
pecial charm, such as we find not only in
rich parks and ancestral domains, but also
in rural scenes and meadows tipped with
tho village spirc.
But in times of war keepers and regu-
lations are not of much account. During
the campaign of 1S14-15 tho Bois was &C.
cupied by the invading troops and was
very sadly devastated. Many Of tho most
venerable oaks, tho pride of tho ncighbor-
hood, wero beaten down, though some OF
these still survive near tho race course OF
Auteuii. After tho departure Of the foreign
forces it was found necessary for tho ax
10 completes what war had begun, and then
came an opportunity for fresh planting.
With the rest iteration chestnuts and noun
tain ashes were introduced, and nurseries
for fostering young trees were established.
Under Louis Philippe attention was paid
10 tho roads travcrsing the wood, which
were still in very unsatisfactory condi-
ton. at tho revolution of 1913 the Bots
ceased to belong to tho civil list and be-
came more of state domain. A few years
previously it had lost n somewhat consid-
cradle portion, including the grcensward
of RanelaRh. 1t was still in the same con.
dition as most of tho woodlands surround.
ing Paris. The roads crossing it were i'll
made and i'll kept, being everybody's prop
erty, nobody attending to them.
a satisfactory change took place In
1853. An edict of the 18th of July in that
year cs slss the Pois to PSFis, under certain