The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 3, September 1837Various
History
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 3, September 1837
Various
Periodicals
SUNDAY.--Went to St. Sulpice, which is ranked as the second church
in Paris, next to Notre Dame. It is Roman Catholic of course, for
there are but four or five Protestant churches in all Paris! The
front of St. Sulpice is very grand and imposing, but the rest is not
particularly so. The interior is spacious and lofty, but far less
elaborately finished and decorated than the cathedrals of England.
There are large niches around the walls, enclosed with a railing,
and adorned with fine paintings, an altar etc., which seemed to be
private or family chapels. Several companies of children, apparently
belonging to schools, were led into the church by priests in black
cloth robes. These priests were reading the service in various parts
of the church, and in the niches, to groups of ten or twenty; but the
principal one was before the grand altar, which was richly adorned,
and contrived for effect, which I cannot describe.
7TH.--Went to Versailles, where there was to be a grand review, etc.
The Doctor, a medical student, a New-Orleans gentleman, and myself,
took a hack together, and started off about eleven o'clock. All the
world had gone or were going; the vehicles of all sorts, from the
superb barouche of the nobility, to the go-cart of the market folks,
were innumerable. Rode along the Quai des Tuilleries and the Champs
Elysées. Passed Saint Cloud, the favorite residence of Napoleon, and
the scene of the bloodless revolution which gave him the government
of France. Near the palace, is a column for telegraphs, by which
Napoleon communicated with Paris. A certain light was a signal that
he would see nobody. Neither lord nor lady must approach.
ARRIVED at Versailles at one. Review just over! The palace here
is immensity personified. It can hardly be comprehended. From the
magnificent gardens, the view of it is superb. These gardens will
more than realize the most brilliant fairy scene of the Arabian
Nights. They extend _several miles_ in each direction; laid out with
the most perfect neatness and order; and this is their only fault.
There is too much trimming--too much exactness. If they were a little
more like the wild beauty of nature, they would please my eye as
well. Statuary, of all sorts, is liberally disposed throughout these
vast grounds; noble avenues intersect each other at half-angles
in the gardens and park; and in these the trees are so placed and
trimmed as to form a grand triumphal arch; while the squares between
are occupied by fountains, curiously devised, or by a bed of flowers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account