The Sun. — 1867-10-05 (London, England)

SATUR PAY EVENING, OCTOBER 5, 1,,,361.  Miscellaneous Foreign News. (From Correspondent of the Ant-go-American Times.)  • PARIS, Oct. 3. The 29th of September ended the fetes and festivities of the great Fair of St. Cloud, after the duration of a month, and dividing with the Exposition the attention of the good folks of Paris—lsay dividing, but I ought rather to say eclipsing, for the latter has certainly gone down to No. 2 on the occasion, that is, if one may judge from the comparative number of visitors in each case. It sounds strangely to the foreigner to hear so much said about a fair, but he is not aware that in France these exhibitions are under the immediate protection of the Government, and form part of its machinery, adding enormously to its resources in the shape of indirect taxation, and reflowing through a thousand other channels, to the advantage of commerce and industry. In the days of the Valois these fetes were paid for with the money arising from an overtaxed people by an unscrupulous Minister of Finance ; today the people themselves provide the fête, being indebted only to the Sovereign for the full and free use of the royal park and pleasure grounds ; and with all this difference, I question if—notwithstanding the millions of francs lavished by the Orleans family—l question if ever more brilliant fetes took place at St. Cloud than those now offered by the people themselves in their ameliorated condition. But the fair of St. Cloud bears a far more ancient date than the Chateau or Palace, as it is recorded that a bridge spanned the Seine at St. Cloud as early as 841, for at that period we learn that Charles the Bald encamped his army between St. Cloud and St. Denis to prevent the passage over the bridge in question of the army of -his brother Lothaire ; and at treat period so numerous were the peopre who resorted to the fair from Paris in boats, at a time when boats were little else than mere compositions of IN ood and pitch, and the river the only route that soldiers were stationed to prevent the entrance of more than 16 persons into each. The famous "Filets de Saint Cloud," which have formed the subject of more than one romance and melodrama, were hung .up at the arches of the bridge in question, not merely for the reception of the renowned eels of the Seine, but of the various articles drifted by the current down from Paris, amidst which, at that remote period, corpses formed no inconsiderable proportion. St. Cloud, which, since the building of the Palace in 1658, has invariably been the favourite summer residence of the royalty of France, has evidently been selected from the great natural beauty of its position, for, whilst erected on the slope of a hill, at a bend of the Seine, where the river is the widest, it commands au exquisite view of river and woodland, Paris at the same time lies spread out before it like a map. It possesses also three methods of communication with Paris—first, the broad direct read from Paris to Versailles ; secondly, the omnibus steamers on the river ; and lastly, the Railway of the Ceinture. The Palace was built in 1658 by Louis the 14th, who  purchased for that purpose various lands and properties, the principal one being the House of Geroine Goudi, an Italian banker, who had often received  there Catherine de Medicis. This house is also noted for its connection with the murder of Henry the Third. The King, who had purchased these properties with the intention of building thereon a palace for his brother, the Duke of Orleans, appointed the artist Lenotre to design the park and gardens. The palace itself was built after the plans of Lepaute. The gallery and saloons were painted by the celebrated Miguard. After being in the possession of the Orleans family for more than a century, and being noted for the magnificent fetes given by Monsieur to his brother, King Louis, which have become a matter of history, for the death also of Monsieur himself and his queen, the charming Henrietta of England, the palace embellished to the utmost by the gorgeous taste in the fine arts, which characterised the reign of Louis Quatorze, was purchased of the then Duke of Orleans by the unfortunate Marie Antoinette, whose architect, Micque, effected notable alterations, to be altered in turn by Napoleon 1., Louis