Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-11
Napoleon's Great Dream.

NJ. Isulltte, IOuflutT Oh the ' bltdlIt
newspaper and since many years
deputy mayor of Paris, has contributed
an interesting page TO Napoleonic his
tory in a memorial volume dedicated
to the little village of Passy, NJ
Laffitte did deal of rummaging
through the dusty state archives, and
he was rewarded by finding complete
details and draughted plans of what
was probably one of the pet dreams
of the great emperor's later days.
1t appears that Napoleon arrived at
the pinnacle of martial glory after hav-
ing vanquished continental Europe
and forced the proud house of Haps-
burg to offer him princess for the
purpose of founding direct dynasty,
conceived the plan of adding new
luster to his throne by constructing in
his capital Babylonian palace for his
court, which would eclipse all that had
gone before. even the works of Louis
XIV. With this idea in his mind he
summoned two of the imperial archi-
tects. Percier and Fontaine, and said
to them:
Il wish to establish at the gates of
Paris, at the threshold Of my capital.
a monument the most vast and the
most beautiful of the universe. | have
chosen as the seat of this edifce the
nights which overlook the Seine and
the Champ De Mars The palace itself.
which will dominate all the surround
ing country, shall fare the field of
maneuvers. consecrated to my soldiers;
In the background shall be the Ecole
Militairc. the cradle of my officers.
The palace shall bear the name of the
King of Rome, the son whom | await;
1t shall be in every detail worthy of
him and worthy of me. Besides the
grand state apartments, the reception
rooms and festal halls. there shall be
ample accommodation for the dwelling
of myself. the empress and our son,
likewise for the kings, queens, princes
and princesses of my family and the
high dignitaries of my court. / desire.
further that the arts, the sciences, the
university, the archives shall have each
its own particular palace. in n word,
| wish to create a Kremln a hundred
times more beautiful and imposing
than that at Moscow. All this will be
my imperial clty--the Napoleonic city"
The architects lost no time. The quar-
ries which existed upon the chosen site
We're Immediately closed and a large
force was set To- work devisinC plans
for what was to be the greatest build
ing. or series Of buildings, the world
has ever seen. II was these drawings
that NJ. Latiitte discovered among for
gotten state documents. together with
many notes by Fontaine of interviews
ne had had on the subject with his i'm
perial master.
The palace, as planned. was to have
occupied very nearly the exact site of
the present Trocadero. Three broad
terraces We're to have risen from the
banks of the Seine, and the summit
was the emplaCement of the central
palace, which was Ia have been thanked
by double colonnades copied after those
of st. Peters. The gala apartments
with n huge and splendid ballroom.
were to have occupied the entire side
facing the Seine and they We're to have
| i
by other colonnades. on the west, or
Passy side. was TO have been the the
alter and on the north the chapel Each
WAS to have been many times larger
than those of Versailles. The palace
on the east was 10 have contained the
apartments of Napoleon, the empress
and the king of Rome.
To the rear Of the chapel. again, n
number of smaller palaces were planned
to afford dwelling places for high peo-
pie OF the court: and further back wera
to have been established the stables
the kennels, the orangerie. and other
Tendencies. The Chateau de la Muet-
tie was to have been given over entirely
to hunting horses and their rrooms
The Plans contemplated turn, the
Isols de Bouiogne into an imperial pri-
waite park, and all the intervening
space up to the group of palaces. in
GLIDING the present park of La Muette
was ia have been laid out in lawns and
pleasure grounds. The entire palace
park would have been nearly three
times the size Of the park of Versailles
and the total cost NJ the establishment
including buildings, would have been
nearly 5000. 100000, calculated in money
of our day.
Across the Seine, the Champ De Mars
was to have been left intact by Ma
poeon for reviews Of his beloved army.
hut the field was to have been hemmed
in by monster administrative buildings
occupying the sites of the expeditions.
Behind the r.cole Miltaire was to have
been u new official quarter. Thus the
heart OF Paris was to have been carried