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that art at Sidon*, and was even removed in shiploads for the use of the Venetian glass-works, as late as the early part of the eighteenth century. This stream rises in the mountains of Lebanon, and in autumn becomes charged with an ochreous matter, (swept from the hills by the heavy rains,) which imparts to its waters a sanguine hue, fabled by the heathen priests of old to be the blood of Adonis, yearly slain in Lebanon; a fancy also applied to several other of the Syrian streams.

From Acre to Sour (Tyre,) is a distance of about thirty miles, over a fertile plain backed by the mountains of Galilee, and presenting some bold headlands, one of which, called Cape Nakour, is the "Ladder of Tyrus," mentioned in the first Book of Maccabees, (xi. 59,) and another has in all ages borne a name descriptive of its appearance; it was formerly termed Promontorium Album, and is now styled Ras-elAbiad, or Cape Blanco, all equivalent to the White Cape, being a huge mass of limestone, over which is carried an ancient road, propped up by a low wall; a work ascribed by the natives to Alexander the Great, but more probably of Roman origin.

About three miles beyond Acre is a fountain, and the ruins of what is supposed to have been a monastery, bearing still the name of Semmars, or St. Mary's; and six miles further is a small town called Zib, on a hill by the sea-shore, the Achzib of Scripture, and the Ecdippa of the Greeks. Next occurs Cape Nakour, between which and Cape Blanco are the ruins of a castellated edifice, called Scandaleum, it being, like many other objects in the East, whose real origin is unknown, ascribed by the Mohammedans to Scander, or Alexander the Great. It has, issuing from under its ruined walls on the beach, a fountain of pure water, and is known to have been occupied and strengthened by the forces of Baldwin the Second, in 1124, when proceeding to besiege Tyre. A little inland lies a place now called Om-el-Hamid, where are considerable remains of ancient military works, of doubtful origin; and from hence to the site of ancient Tyre extends a paved road, still in good condition. About three miles before reaching this spot, are observed three cisterns, of large dimensions, situate about half a mile from the beach, and supplied from some source which has not yet been discovered; they bear the name of Solomon's Cisterns, and are traditionally stated to have been built by Solomon as a return for the services rendered by Hiram in the erection of the Temple; but the ruined aqueduct by which the water was conveyed to Tyre is supported on arches, and is therefore deemed to be of Roman construction.

The Tyre of the present day is situated upon a barren peninsula, of a triangular shape, and about a quarter of a mile broad, connected with the mainland by an isthmus of shifting sand-hills. Being, like most of the Syrian towns, surrounded by a wall with towers, and having an ancient castle of large dimensions, it presents a magnificent appearance from a distance, but when more closely examined, it is the very picture of desolation. The sand on the isthmus is piled up against the wall, which it threatens speedily to overwhelm, the whole of the peninsula is spread over with shapeless ruins which extend far into the sea, and the inhabited portion is not above one third of the whole, the population not exceeding 1000; whilst the only harbour (and that too choked up with sand and broken columns of granite or mar

The ancients attributed to the Sidonians the invention of arith

metic and astronomy, as also of the manufacture of glass and fine linen; to the Tyrians they ascribed the discovery of the purple dye, and working in ivory; but it appears probable that most of these arts were derived from the Egyptians.

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ble,) is but 150 yards across, and can admit no vessel larger than a fishing-boat.

Tyre is a place of remote antiquity, though less ancient than Sidon. It was originally situate on the mainland; was the founder of Carthage and numerous other colonies; and carried on an extended commerce, which is fully detailed by the prophet Ezekiel (chap. xxvii). As the city increased in importance, buildings appear to have been erected upon the present peninsula, but which was then an island three-quarters of a mile from the shore. To this place the whole population retired from the fury of Nebuchadnezzar, (about B.C. 580,) by whom they had been besieged for thirteen years, and whither, for want of shipping, he was unable to pursue them. The city on the mainland was utterly destroyed by the conqueror, and with its ruins Alexander in aftertimes constructed the causeway or isthmus which now exists, for the purpose of reaching the new city.

The cities on the Phoenician coast early entered into a kind of commercial league, of which Sidon was at first the head, but afterwards Tyre, which latter exercised the supremacy so rigorously that some of the dependant cities called in the aid of the Assyrians. Tyre was in consequence besieged by Shalmanezer for five years, but without effect; Nebuchadnezzar, however, destroyed it, and shortly after, the form of government, which had heretofore been regal, became republican, being administered by shophetim, who have been likened to the Hebrew judges and the Roman consuls. In B.C. 538, when the city surrendered without resistance to Cyrus, this form of government was continued, and the Tyrians were so favourably treated by the Persian monarchs, that they made a most vigorous defence against Alexander, who at length took their city after an eight months' siege, and treated the vanquished in a most barbarous manner (B.C. 332). He also destroyed the city; and, though it was soon rebuilt, its commercial importance was in a great measure gone, the trade by which it had been enriched being transferred to Alexandria.

Of the power and splendour of the elder Tyre, (the Palæ-Tyrus of Strabo,) we have the most lively accounts in the inspired pages of Isaiah and Ezekiel. The latter especially speaks of it as "the renowned city, which was strong in the sea," and says, "Thy builders have perfected thy beauty," (xxvii. 4,) whilst denouncing the judgments of the Lord upon it for its pride, luxury, and cruelty. Profane writers also mention the new city in terms of admiration, and coins remain which testify, by their pompous inscriptions, that its pride was little abated by the repeated fall of its fortunes. It is styled on them, the "Sacred Asylum," "the Metropolis," "Self-governed," and it appears, indeed, to have again risen into consequence under the Roman empire. Whatever injury it sustained at its conquest by the Saracens, (A.D. 639,) seems to have been repaired; for when the first Crusaders passed it on their way to Jerusalem, (A.D. 1099,) it was a strong and stately city, surrounded by a lofty double wall, which was still further strengthened at the mole; and it did not fall into their hands until the year 1124, when it was captured by Baldwin the Second, assisted by the Venetians, to whom a third part of the town was assigned.

Tyre having in former days been an archbishopric, the see was now restored, and some remains of the cathedral are yet to be seen*. After the battle of Tiberias, (A.D. 1187,) great numbers of the fugitives took refuge in Tyre; which was immediately besieged by Saladin, but successfully defended by Conrad of

*William of Tyre, an Englishman, and a valuable historian in relation to the Crusades, was one of its archbishops.

Montferrat, who arrived by accident when the place was on the point of surrendering. He immediately claimed the sovereignty of the town, took the title of marquess of Tyre, and refused to admit within its walis, the king, Guy de Lusignan, who soon departed to lay siege to Acre. Conrad, also, having married Isabel, the sister of Baldwin the Fourth*, laid claims to the kingdom, and it was at length adjudged to him, Guy becoming King of Cyprus. He never, however, enjoyed the regal dignity, being very shortly after murdered in the street of Tyre, (April 28, 1192); a deed which has been, without sufficient foundation, ascribed to the order of Richard Coeur de Lion, who had a quarrel with Conrad on account of an unseemly alliance which the marquess had entered into with Saladin.

Tyre remained in the hands of the Christians till 1289, when it was captured by the Egyptians. The inhabitants were allowed to withdraw with their property, but all the churches and fortifications were destroyed, and the harbour choked up with the rubbish. In this state it remained until about 1766, when it was taken possession of by one of the mountain tribes (the Mutualis,) who made some efforts to restore the port, and to whom is owing all the present importance of the place. It exports some cotton grown in the neighbourhood, but its chief trade is as one of the ports of Damascus, a portion of the European produce intended for that city being usually disembarked here. From 1833 to the 26th of September of the present year, the town was in the possession of the Pacha of Egypt, but on the lastmentioned day it surrendered, without resistance, to the forces of the Allies.

From Tyre the coast bends to the north-east, and at the distance of five miles is passed the river by which the valley of Baalbec is watered. This is one of the most considerable streams in Syria, and was anciently called the Leontes; now it bears the name of Liettani, or Kasmieh. The road to Saide (Sidon) is now carried over the foot of the mountains of Lebanon, which here approach the shore. Two or three collections of ruins occur, which have not all been satisfactorily identified; but one village, about twelve miles north of Tyre, bearing the name of Sarfend, is, with much probability, supposed to represent the Sarepta

Guy was married to an elder sister, in whose right he reigned; but he was little esteemed as a warrior, while Conrad's defence of Tyre procured him the good will of all.

of Scripture (1 Kings xvii. 9). It stands on a hill, cut out into tombs, half a mile from the sea, and is, like Sarepta, celebrated for its wine, the slopes being covered with vineyards. From hence to Sidon (ten miles) the country is well cultivated; the plain between the mountains and the sea widens to two miles, and is entirely occupied by groves of olive, mulberry, and fig trees, and vegetable gardens, with only narrow paths between them.

Saide itself stands upon an elevated plain near the sea. From a rock on the shore an ancient mole leads to a small isle, on which is a fort commanding the harbour. This is now on the south of the town, the old port to the north being choked up; nor is the new one in much better condition. Saide, however, is still a place of some importance, containing a population of from 8000 to 10,000 persons, of whom about onethird are Christians. A considerable quantity of silk is produced in the neighbourhood, and many of the inhabitants were recently employed in a silk factory which the Pacha of Egypt established; others carry on an export trade of some amount in olive-oil, cotton, and dye-stuffs, though there is no shelter for shipping. Sidon, the parent of Tyre, though not so splendid in its prosperity, is thus less abject in its adversity; and, indeed, it seems at almost all periods of its history to have had opposite interests and prospects. It was early supplanted as head of the Phoenician league, by Tyre; and shared all the revolutions to which that city was subject, from the times of the Assyrians to those of the Crusaders. It was conquered in succession by the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, the Saracens, and the Crusaders, and was held by the latter, (except for a few years prior to the third crusade,) for a period of near two hundred years, being taken from them in 1289. Being then dismantled by the victors, it remained in ruins till restored by Fakr-el-Din, who, however, while he built here a palace, in the Italian style, and erected a fortress, both of which yet remain, filled up the harbour with granite columns from the ancient ruins, to prevent the entry of a Turkish fleet sent against him. On his fall, (A.D. 1631,) Sidon became the capital of a pachalic, which was once held by the famous Djezzar Pacha, the ruler of Acre. In 1833 it fell with the rest of Syria into the hands of Mehemet Ali, and was captured from him, after some considerable resistance, by an allied British, Austrian, and Turkish force, on the 26th of September last.

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LONDON: Published by JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND, and sold by all Booksellers.

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THE city of Paris has been the theatre of a greater number of political events than any other city in Europe, with the exception of Rome; and it is for this reason that we have, in previous Supplements, treated somewhat fully of those historical events in which Paris bore a part, from the irruption of the Goths and Franks in the fifth century, to the termination of the great revolution in 1815. We now proceed to give a description of the city,-its form and extent, and the chief buildings with which it is ornamented.

Paris lies in a hollow, or basin, surrounded on every side by heights, and watered by the river Seine. The city is entirely surrounded by a wall,--not for military, but for municipal and fiscal purposes,-about fifteen miles in circumference, enclosing an area about five miles long, from W.N.W. to E.S.E., and three miles and three-quarters broad. This wall is broken by about fifty entrances or gates, called barriers, through which access is gained to the city; and at most of which are toll-houses, where duties are collected on goods entering the city. Round the outside of the wall is a continuous road, planted with trees, and called the Boulevards Extérieurs, or exterior boulevards.

On entering within the wall of the city, we find Paris to be made up of several distinct portions, which have been added at different times, as the population increased. The heart of the city, or that which was known to the Romans nearly two thousand years ago, is situated immediately contiguous to the Seine, particularly on the islands which occur in that river; but successive centuries witnessed the spread of the city on every side; by which the former suburbs became incorporated with the city,-villages became suburbs, and then even these became included within the city-wall. From this circumstance the name of Fauxbourg (suburb), is given to many, and indeed nearly all parts of VOL. XVII.

the city nearest to the outer wall: these fauxbourgs, under the names of Fauxbourg St. Honoré, Fauxbourg Montmartre, &c., are in fact so many villages, which have been absorbed by the city. The Boulevards Intérieurs may be considered to form, in general, a sort of boundary between the fauxbourgs and the more central parts of the city. These Boulevards present a feature to which London has nothing at all parallel. Let the reader conceive a broad walk, with double rows of elm-trees on each side, extending to a distance of twelve miles, and he will have an idea of the Boulevards, which form a circuit through the streets of Paris, at a considerable distance within the outer wall. The greater part of this walk (which is broken up into portions termed Boulevards, to which separate names are, for convenience, attached) is lined with handsome houses on each side, interspersed with shops, cafés, hotels, &c.; forming a favourite promenade for the citizens.

It may well be supposed that Paris, containing as it does nearly a million of inhabitants, must possess a vast number of public buildings; indeed they bear a larger proportion to the number of inhabitants than those of London; for in the latter city private mercantile transactions form a more striking feature than public institutions or establishments. As it will be impossible to describe all the public buildings in Paris, we confine ourselves to those most worthy of notice; we will commence at the north-west of the city, proceed thence eastward, and afterwards cross the Seine to the southern parts; noticing the chief buildings, markets, bridges, &c., as we proceed. In doing this, it will be convenient to divide Paris into certain portions or districts, so that the buildings and other objects of curiosity may be grouped together in detached portions. The twelve arrondissements into which Paris is divided might be useful for

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this purpose, were it not that their boundaries are usually | This is an open square, where Louis the Fourteenth caused very tortuous or irregular. We will therefore select a more convenient mode of division.

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At one of the western entrances to Paris, is the Triumphal arch de l'Etoile, commenced by Napoleon, in 1806, as a sort of monument of his own success; but the year 1812, which proved so disastrous to him in Russia, also put a stop to the progress of this arch. It remained incomplete until a few years ago, when it was completed from the designs of M. Debret. From the top of the arch is a magnificent view of the surrounding country; and the arch itself forms a noble termination to the principal avenue of the Champs Elysées, or Elysian Fields. This is a large enclosure, planted by the minister Colbert, in 1670, for the use of the inhabitants of Paris. The principal walk or path extends from the arch to the Place Louis XVI.; and when standing in the place, with the arch behind the spectator, the Palace of the Tuileries is seen in front, and the Palace Elysée Bourbon at the left. This last-mentioned palace was built, in 1718, by Count de Loreaux, and is chiefly remarkable for the vicissitudes it has undergone in ownership, or rather occupancy.

Some years after its erection it was occupied by Madame de Pompadour; then as a residence for foreign ambassadors extraordinary; afterwards M. Beaujon purchased it, and made it a family mansion. Its next occupant was the Duchess of Bourbon; and during the early years of the Revolution it was used as a printing-office for government documents. When the storms of the Revolution began to subside, the palace became, in succession, the residence of Murat; Buonaparte; the Emperor of Russia, during the temporary peace of 1814; Buonaparte again, on his return from Elba; the Duke of Wellington, after the victory at Waterloo; the Duke de Berri; and the Duke de Bordeaux. The interior of the palace is fitted up with luxurious elegance; and the gardens in front have a fine view over the Champs Elysées.

But far more extensive than the Elysée Bourbon is the palace of the Tuileries, separated from the Champs Elysées by the Tuileries' garden. The site which the palace occupies was once a sablonnière, or sand-pit; and was transformed, about the beginning of the fifteenth century, into tuileries, or tile-works. Neuville, secretary of finances, in the beginning of the sixteenth century, built a mansion near the tile-works, which, from its situation, he termed the Hôtel des Tuileries. This mansion, after a few changes, came into the hands of Catherine de' Medici, whose name is so indelibly connected with the massacre of St. Bartholomew. The mansion was pulled down, a number of other houses purchased and pulled down, and the foundation of a new palace laid, by the architects Delorme and Brillant. Catherine erected a large palace, though forming but a small part of the original plan. After her death, the building was enlarged from time to time, by Henry the Fourth, and Louis the Thirteenth and Fourteenth, until it assumed its present ponderous appearance. The front of this palace exceeds 1000 feet in length; and comprises five pavilions, connected by four ranges of buildings. Ionic pillars run along the whole façade: the story above these is in the Corinthian order; and the attic story is surmounted by a balustrade, decorated with stone vases. There are two fronts, one opening upon the garden, and the other upon the Place du Carousel; and the central pavilion in each front has a portico, with columns of the Ionic order. Statues, columns, vases, balustrades, &c., succeed each other in strange confusion along both fronts; and the whole pile shows a lamentable want of unity of design. Five different orders of architecture, and five distinct species of ornament, succeed one another without harmony or proportion. The interior of the palace is, however, fitted up with magnificence. On entering the vestibule, the grand staircase, leading to the state apartments is on the right, together with galleries communicating with the chapel, and with the king's private apartments. The Salle des Spectacles, where dramatic pieces are represented; the Salle des Maréchaux, decorated with portraits of the marshals of France; the Salon des Nobles, with paintings of battles, &c.; the Salon des Paix, with emblems of peace; the Salle du Trône, and the Salle de Conseil, used for state receptions; and numerous other apartments, are decorated in a style of splendour which may be expected in the residence of a French monarch.

One front of the Tuileries faces the Place du Carousel.

a magnificent triumph to be prepared, in celebration of some of his victories. A triumphal arch was built here, in 1806, as an entrance to the palace: it is sixty feet wide, and forty-five high, each front being decorated with four Corinthian columns. The various parts of the arch were decorated by Buonaparte with statues, allegorical figures, bas-reliefs, &c., commemorative of his triumphs; but when the Allies entered Paris, many of these were removed, and were only partially restored at a subsequent period. At a short distance north-east of this triumphal arch is the Palais Royal, commenced by order of Cardinal Richelien, in 1629. After his death, it passed successively into the possession of Louis the Thirteenth, Anne of Austria, Louis the Fourteenth, and the Duke of Orléans. One wing of the palace was, in the time of Molière, occupied as a theatre, capable of containing 3000 persons: this was afterwards burned down; and numerous additions and repairs were made, about the year 1780, which brought the palace nearly to its present state, as to architectural appearance. The palace is in the form of a parallelogram, of such immense extent, that the galleries on the ground-floor are said to be nearly half a mile in circuit. On entering the portico, we come to a square or court-yard, in the centre of which is a garden, surrounded by buildings which would constitute one of the finest palaces in Europe; but the Duke of Orléans, who owned the palace during the early years of the Revolution, was a profligate and licentious man; and, having exhausted his fortune, he formed the unprincely plan of converting his palace into a sort of bazaar. He divided the arcades of the lower galleries into portions, and made a range of shops, which were speedily let to the highest bidders: these shops became some of the best in Paris, having among them, however, some of an humbler kind. Goldsmiths, jewellers, booksellers, tailors, blacking makers, hair-dressers, &c., were, and still are, to be found in these shops. Beneath the ground-story, subterranean apartments were let out as drinking and dancing rooms; and on the first floor, the apartments and galleries were let in a manner which perhaps has never had a parallel in any other city in Europe: literary and learned societies, booksellers, gamblers, and depraved persons, occupied rooms under the same roof!-thus seeming to place intellectual advancement and moral degradation haud in hand. Although many changes have occurred within the last fifty years, we believe the mode in which the Palais Royal has been occupied, still remains nearly as it was at the time of the Revolution.

The Palais Royal is at one angle of a triangular space, bounded by the Rue St. Honoré, the Rue Vivienne, and the Boulevards; and in this space are many public buildings, such as the Bibliothèque du Roi (Royal Library); the offices of the Minister of Finances, of the Minister of Justice, of the Minister for Foreign Affairs; and the Place de Vendôme, &c. The Royal Library is a magnificent collection of books, which sprang originally from ten volumes, which an early king of France, before the invention of printing, collected. Small accessions were made to the collection, till, in 1429, it amounted to 150 volumes. Louis the Eleventh, Charles the Eighth, Louis the Twelfth, and Francis the First, gradually increased the number, partly by purchase, and partly by conquest in foreign countries. Henry the Second ensured its progressive increase by making a law that every bookseller should present to the library a copy of every book which he published. Colbert, Cardinal Fleury, and Louis' the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth, made such additions as rendered the collection the finest in Europe The library is contained in a plain and unassuming building, surrounding a court-yard. The ground-floor is appropriated to the new publications, constantly being received from the booksellers. The first floor is occupied by the general store of printed books, (350,000 in number,) a cabinet of medals, cameos, and intaglios, a cabinet of antiquities, a gallery of MSS., (amounting to more than 100.000,) a repository of engravings, (comprising 5000 volumes of prints, all well classified,) and other apartments. Visitors may see the greater part of this superb collection, under certain restrictions.

The Place Vendôme, is a little to the north of the Rue St. Honoré, and of the Tuileries' Gardens. This place, or open ground, was formed by the Marquess de Louvois, in the reign of Louis the Fourteenth, as a medium of communication between some of the Parisian streets. It has a range of uniform buildings round three sides, but derives its chief interest from the column in the centre. This column, formed

on the model of that of Trajan at Rome, was commenced, in 1806, by order of Buonaparte, and finished, in 1810, at an expense of 1,000,000 francs. It is formed of stone, and entirely cased with brass, furnished by the guns taken from the Austrians by Buonaparte. The column is about 140 feet high, and 13 feet diameter; and from the pedestal commences a series of bas-reliefs, which wind round the column spirally until they reach the top. The bas-reliefs, are executed on brass plates, 276 in number, each measuring four feet by three; the subjects represented being the principal events in the campaign of 1805. The column and the bas-reliefs were the labour of Lepère, Gondouin, Denon, Bergeret, Delaunoy, and Raymond, and are deemed admirable specimens of skill. A statue of Buonaparte was placed on the top of the pedestal: this was removed by the Allies, in 1814, but restored to its place in 1831.

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Northward of the spot to which our attention has been recently directed is a large district, bounded by the Boulevards Extérieurs on the north, the Boulevards Intérieurs on the south, the Rue St. Martin on the east, and the Rue du

Fauxbourg du Roule on the west. This district contains, among other buildings, the Church of the Madelaine, the Chapel of Louis the Sixteenth, the house of the English ambassador, the prison of St. Lazare, and two abattoirs, or slaughter-houses.

The Church of the Madelaine, called originally the Temple of Glory, was commenced in the year 1777, and dedicated to those who died while fighting for France. But the plan of the original architect was departed from during the subsequent troubles; for it was taken down,-then partially restored, then rebuilt in 1816, in order to contain expiatory monuments to the royal personages executed during the Revolution. From 1816 to 1830 it was called La Madelaine, and was consecrated for the performance of public worship, but has since resumed its original title of Le Temple de la Gloire. It is a plain edifice, having in front a portico, with eight columns. Near this church is a chapel called La Chapelle expiatoire de Louis XVI., erected on the spot where Louis and his queen were buried after their execution in 1793. It is a neat rectangular building, surmounted by a dome, and having, in the interior, fifteen niches, intended to receive statues of the most illustrious victims of the Revolution.

The prison of St. Lazare is devoted to the reception of women sentenced to different periods of imprisonment. Here an excellent system of management is adopted; for the inmates are compelled to work; and beautiful specimens of needle-work are often produced. While on the subject of prisons, we may say a word or two on the others which are to be found in Paris. The Prison de la Force, which was formerly the hotel of the Duke de la Force, is appropriated to the reception of persons accused of crimes, but not yet tried: the exterior of the building possesses considerable architectural beauty; and the interior is divided into six compartments, each of which has a court-yard, a covered gallery, an infirmary, and a common store or larder. The Temple was a large building erected by the Knights Templars in 1200; but after the demolition of that order, the building, or a portion of it, was used as a place of confinement for prisoners of state; and under this designation a melancholy interest was given to the Temple, as the abode of the unfortunate and ill-used King and Queen of France, in the early years of the Revolution. Our countrymen, Sir Sidney Smith and Captain Wright, were, at a subsequent period, confined here. La Conciergerie is a prison appropriated to those who have been found guilty of crimes, and are waiting for punishment. It is situated underneath the Palace of Justice; and is chiefly distinguished for the personages whom it contained during the lawless period to which we have so often had occasion to allude. At the end of a long vestibule is a dark gallery, in which is a dungeon, wherein the Princess Elizabeth, sister of Louis the Eighteenth, was confined previous to her execution: another where Marie Antoinette was confined for two or three months, and since converted into a chapel, decorated with expiatory altars and tablets, in memory of the king, queen, and princess. In other rooms of the same prison, were confined Lavoisier, Condorcet, Malesherbes and other illustrious men; together with the monster Robespierre. The Abbaye, the Prison de Montaigu, the Maison d'Arrêt, the Bicétre, the Madelonnettes, St. Pelagie, and the Maison de Refuge, are other prisons situated in and

near Paris; and are appropriated to the reception of persons charged with different species of crimes.

The Abattoirs are establishments exceedingly creditable to the Parisians; since they remove from the public eye a scene which too often disgusts the inhabitants of English cities. The abattoirs were established by Buonaparte, in 1810, to remedy the nuisance of having cattle driven into the heart of the city, and there slaughtered in alleys and courts. They are buildings of great extent, that of Montmartre being 1074 feet in length, and 384 in depth; and consists of slaughter-rooms, built of stone, with every facility for cleanliness, and with all the requisite tackle, &c. Each butcher has stalls set apart for his beasts, pens for his sheep, and convenience for his forage: and pays the government a certain small sum for every beast driven into the abattoir. The abattoirs, five in number, are situated in the outskirts of the city, and to them the oxen and sheep are brought from the neighbouring villages of Scéaux and Passy; so that there is nothing equivalent either to Smithfield or to Newgate markets-both situated in the heart of a great city, and devoted, the one to the sale, and the other to the slaughter, of oxen and sheep. The attempt to establish an abattoir at Islington, near London, has failed; a circumstance which, without regarding it as a commercial speculation, we may regret on the score of cleanliness and decency.

The arches, gates, or portes of St. Denis and St. Martin, Porte St. Denis was erected in 1672, in commemoration of lead from the interior Boulevards to the Fauxbourgs. The several victories gained by Louis the Fourteenth. It forms a perfect square o seventy-two feet, decorated with bas-reliefs, trophies, colossal figures, and other emblematical trappings; and is deemed one of the noblest specimens of art erected in Paris during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth. Having suffered from violence during the Revolution, it has been since repaired in the same spirit as the original. Not far from this noble arch is the Porte St. Martin, built in 1674, two years after that of St. Denis, and from a similar motive. It forms a square of 54 feet, and is divided into three arches, the central one being 30 feet high and 15 wide, and the others 16 feet high and 8 wide. It is less richly decorated than the Porte St. Denis, but is equal to it in delicacy and harmony of execution. The bas-reliefs with which it is decorated represent the capture of Limburg, of Besançon, and other places, during the military career of Louis the Fourteenth.

THIRD DISTRICT. CENTRAL PARIS

We shall now conduct the reader to a portion of Paris nearly rectangular, and bounded by the interior Boulevards on the north, the Rue St. Martin on the east, the Rue Vivienne and the Tuileries on the west, and the Seine on the south. This portion contains the Palais du Louvre, the Church of St. Germain's, the Protestant Church, the Treasury, the Bank, the Post-Office, the Custom-House, the Bourse, or Exchange, the Corn Market (Halle aux Blés), the Place des Victoires, &c.

The

The magnificent Louvre (the origin of the name of which is a matter of much dispute) is the most ancient palatial building in Paris. A palace was built on the site at that time beyond the limits of the city-by King Dagobert, in the dark ages; destroyed by the Normans in the tenth century; rebuilt by Louis the Young; and enlarged by Philip Augustus, who added an immense isolated tower, in which the feudatory barons used to assemble, to do homage and fealty to the king. The tower was taken down in 1528; but the remainder of the building existed for a considerable time, and was repaired or rebuilt piecemeal. Francis the First and Henry the Fourth appear to have used the palace rather as a national museum, or receptacle of the works of art, than as a royal residence; and it has long been appropriated to the first-mentioned purpose. Louvre, as it at present exists, is a magnificent range of The several portions buildings, enclosing a central court. of this structure have been added by almost every sovereign, from Francis the First to Louis Philippe. The east front or façade is that which is most admired; it is 525 feet long, and is composed of two peristyles, and three projecting buildings, on a ground-floor, which form one continued. basement; but it has been objected that the substructure, or ground-floor, on which the colonnade above is raised, is too lofty for the height of the colonnade itself. A gallery, 1400 feet in length, extends from the Louvre to the Tuileries, so as to connect the two palatial buildings. The numerous apartments, galleries, and saloons, of which 540-2

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