+THE SECOND EMPIRE.+ The reign of Napoleon III. (1852-70) was a period of exceptional activity, especially in Paris. The greatest monument of his reign was the completion of the +Louvre+ and +Tuileries+, under _Visconti_ and _Lefuel_, including the remodelling of the pavilions de Flore and de Marsan. The new portions constitute the most notable example of modern French architecture, and the manner in which the two palaces were united deserves high praise. In spite of certain defects, this work is marked by a combination of dignity, richness, and refinement, such as are rarely found in palace architecture (Figs. 208, 209). The +New Opera+ (1863-75), by _Garnier_ (d.  1898), stands next to the Louvre in importance as a national monument. It is by far the most sumptuous building for amusement in existence, but in purity of detail and in the balance and restraint of its design it is inferior to the work of Visconti and Lefuel (Fig. 210). To this reign belong the Palais de l’Industrie, by _Viel_, built for the exhibition of 1855, and several great railway stations (Gare du Nord, by Hitorff, Gare de l’Est, Gare d’Orléans, etc.), in which the modern French version of the Renaissance was applied with considerable skill to buildings largely constructed of iron and glass. Town halls and theatres were erected in great numbers, and in decorative works like fountains and monuments the French were particularly successful. The fountains of +St. Michel+, Cuvier, and Molière, at Paris, and of +Longchamps+, at Marseilles (Fig. 211), illustrate the fertility of resource and elegance of detailed treatment of the French in this department. Mention should also here be made of the extensive enterprises carried out by Napoleon III., in rectifying and embellishing the street-plan of Paris by new avenues and squares on a vast scale, adding greatly to the monumental splendor of the city. [Illustration: FIG. 210.--GRAND STAIRCASE OF THE OPERA, PARIS.] [Illustration: FIG. 211.--FOUNTAIN OF LONGCHAMPS, MARSEILLES.]