Paris.

Dear Charley:—

We have again arrived at this charming city, and hope to pass a few pleasant days, which will be chiefly devoted to purchases of clothing and some of the beautiful articles which are so abundant in the shops of this metropolis. Besides, we have some few places to visit before we return to England. On Sabbath day we went to the Methodist Chapel, near the Church of the Madeleine, and heard a capital sermon from Dr. Ritchie, the president of the Canadian Conference. In the evening I preached. The congregations were very good, and the preacher of the chapel seems a very gentlemanly and pleasant man. In the congregation I had the pleasure to meet with our eloquent countryman and my old friend, the Rev. James Alexander, D.D., of New York, and I announced that he would preach on Wednesday evening. We went into the Madeleine and spent nearly an hour. The house is very splendid; but it does not appear devotional, or likely to inspire suitable feelings. I prefer the Gothic pile, or a plainer temple. It is all painting, gilding, flowers, and form. Here Popery shows her hand, and outdoes every thing that she dares yet show in New England. The music was exquisite, and the voices of the boys very sweet. Many of the people seemed in earnest. The priests appeared to me devoid of interest. We went one morning to the Pantheon. This noble church was formerly known as St. Genevieve, and was rebuilt, in 1764, by a lottery under the auspices of Louis XV. The portico is an imitation of the one at Rome on its namesake, and consists of Corinthian columns nearly sixty feet high, and five feet in diameter. The interior form is that of a Greek cross. Every thing here is grand and majestically simple. Above the centre of the cross rises a dome of great beauty, with a lantern above. In this building are one hundred and thirty columns. The church is three hundred and two feet by two hundred and fifty-five. In this building are the tombs and monuments of some of the great men of France. Voltaire, Rousseau, Mirabeau, and Marat were here buried, but were taken up by the Bourbons, at the restoration. La Grange and Lannes also rest here. Here we saw seven copies of the famous frescoes of Angelo and Raphael, in the Vatican, and several pieces of statuary. The vaults extend beneath the church to a great length. I believe this is the highest spot in Paris. On leaving the place, I looked again at the dome, which greatly pleased me. It is three hundred feet above the floor of the church; and the painting, by Gros, is very fine. I think we have seen nothing of the kind that is so beautiful. It is principally historical; and among the figures are Clovis, Clotilda, Charlemagne, St. Louis, Louis XVIII., and the Duchess d'AngoulÊme, with the infant Duke of Bourdeaux; and above all these, as in heaven, are Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, Louis XVII., and Madame Elizabeth.

We were all thankful enough to find that the Louvre is at last open. We walked there, looking with interest at the Tuileries, which I cannot help admiring, although some think it devoid of architectural merit. Its wide-spread pavilions of one thousand feet, looming up with time-darkened walls, always please me. The palace of the Louvre is an older edifice than the Tuileries; the newer portion was the work of the reign of Louis XIV. The quadrangle is very fine, and the proportions of the entire building admirable. Our business was with that part called the MusÉe Royal, and here are the paintings and statues which have given such a renown to Paris. You must recollect, my dear fellow, that we cannot tell you all about these pictures, for the gallery is nearly one third of a mile in length, and each side is filled up with canvas, and the rooms are lofty. There was a time when almost all that continental Europe thought exquisite in art was to be found here. Bonaparte levied contributions on all the capitals he conquered, and here he deposited his ill-gotten spoils. Once were seen in this place the great masterpieces of Raphael, Guido, Titian, Domenichino, Murillo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Potter, and a host of other artists who created beauty; but when right overcame might, these pictures were returned to their original owners. The catalogue we bought was a volume of five hundred pages, and was only of statuary; and what could we do but walk, wonder, and admire? To examine would be a task and pleasure for three months. The department of statuary is very large; and here we saw surprising fragments of the Grecian and Roman schools. The paintings by Rubens here are numerous, but by no means as fine as those we saw at Antwerp and in the museums of Holland. All the great masters are here, and their works are finely arranged. We saw some of Claude Lorraine's that were beautiful; and some pictures that I missed, since I was here in 1836, have been transferred, I learn, by Louis Philippe, to Versailles and other palaces. The gallery has been thoroughly painted and beautified; and I never saw a place more radiant with gilding and frescoes. The ceilings are very gorgeous.

We selected a fine day for an excursion to Versailles; and, that we might have our pleasure consulted as to sight-seeing, we preferred a private carriage to the railroad. Versailles is about twelve miles from Paris, and has some twenty-five or thirty thousand inhabitants. Henry IV. used to resort here for hunting. Louis XIII. had a lodge here for his comfort when following the chase. Louis XIV. turned the lodge into a palace, and began operations in 1664. In 1681, he removed with his court to this place. The Chapel was begun in 1699, and finished in 1710. The Theatre was inaugurated at the marriage of Louis XVI., in 1770. A new wing was built by Louis XVIII. Louis Philippe made great additions, and devoted the palace to the noble purpose of a national depot of all that is glorious in the history of France. What Louis Philippe did here you may imagine, when I tell you that on the restoration and improvement of Versailles he expended fifteen millions of francs. Why, Charley, the stables are like mansions, and fine ones, too. The grand court is three hundred and eighty feet wide, and the Place d'Armes, which leads to it, is eight hundred feet wide. The iron railings which divide these are very richly gilt. On either side the court are ranges of buildings intended for the ministers of the king; and here are sixteen colossal marble statues, which I well remember, at the Pont de la Concorde, in Paris. They are great names of old and modern renown. In the centre of the court is a colossal equestrian statue of Louis XIV. Now comes another court devoted to royalty; and north and south are wings and pavilions, one built by Louis XV., and the other by Louis Philippe. Next we see the Cour de Marbre, around which is the old palace of Louis XIII., crowned with balustrades, vases, trophies, and statues. South of the Cour Royale is a small court called Cour des Princes, and divides the wing built by Louis XVIII. from the main body of the southern wing. The Grand Commun is a vast square edifice, enclosing a court. It has one thousand rooms; and when Louis XIV. lived here, three thousand people lodged: in this building. The chapel is exceedingly beautiful. It is in Corinthian style, and is one hundred and forty-eight feet by seventy-five, and ninety feet high. The front of the palace is magnificent in the highest degree. "It presents a large projecting mass of building, with two immense wings, and consists of a ground floor, first floor of the Ionic style, and attic. The wings exceed five hundred feet in length. The central front is three hundred and twenty feet long, and each of its retiring sides two hundred and sixty feet. The number of windows and doors of this front are three hundred and seventy-five." To describe the paintings and statuary would require a volume. Let me say that here on the walls is all the history of France that conduces to her glory. Every battle by land or sea, that she ever won, is here; but not an allusion to her defeats. I looked hard for Agincourt and Cressy; to say nothing of later conflicts, but they were not to be seen. Some of these pictures have great merit, while others are coarsely designed and executed. The historical series begins with the Baptism of Clovis, in 495, and comes down to the present period, with the illustration of about eleven hundred subjects. Then there are about one hundred views of royal palaces, and series as follows: Portraits of the kings of France, of French admirals, of constables of France, and of marshals of France, to the number of some two hundred and fifty; of French warriors, of personages who became celebrated in different ways, which amount to nearly eighteen hundred; and here we found several Americans. We noticed the likeness of Mr. Webster, by Healy; but the canvas is too small, and the picture has faded. It is not equal to the noble painting by Harding, which we saw just before we left home. These last portraits afforded us a great treat; and here we saw fine likenesses of the great ones of the earth. All the old pictures have dates of death, and many of birth. The sculpture gallery is very rich. There are more than six hundred figures, some of them exceedingly expressive and beautiful. I should think that more than two hundred and fifty of the historical paintings relate to events and persons connected with the power of Napoleon.

A very conspicuous feature is the series illustrating the conquest of Algiers. These are four in number, and are immense as to size—I should think thirty or forty feet in length. They are by Horace Vernet, and are very effective. The apartments of the palace are perfectly regal. They quite come up to one's preconceived ideas of the days of Louis le Grand. I looked with interest at the door through which Marie Antoinette made her escape, and whence she was dragged by the mob. The chamber of Louis XIV. is just as it was in his time. Here the grand monarch died upon that bed. There is the balustrade which fenced off the bed of majesty. The ceiling of this room has the noblest painting in France. It is Jove launching his bolts against the Titans, and was done by Paul Veronese. Napoleon brought it from Venice. There seemed no end to the apartments. We saw those of Madame Maintenon, the royal confessional, and the dining-room of Louis XIV., which was the cabinet of Louis XVI. In this room Louis XIV. entertained MoliÈre when he had been ill treated or neglected by his ministers and courtiers. "I am told that the officers of my household do not find that you were made to eat with them. Sit down at this table, and let them serve us up breakfast." This was his language to the great poet, when he had called him to his presence. The king then helped him to a fowl's wing, and treated him in the most gracious manner. He knew the worth of genius. The king could make a marshal, but he could not make a poet. All the innumerable rooms have beautiful paintings and works of art. One room, called the Saloon of the Crusades, was delightfully interesting; and the great pictures of that apartment did much to impress the events of the holy wars upon our minds.

George was in ecstasies with the souvenirs of his idol the emperor; and as we shall leave him for five or six months in Paris, I expect that, in addition to the vast amount of knowledge which he really possesses of the history of Napoleon, he will return home posted up with all the on dits of the worshippers of the emperor.

The Theatre is very fine. It is quite large, and would be admired in any capital. It was built by Louis XV., at the instance of Madame Pompadour. It was Used by Louis Philippe, and we saw his seat.

The gardens are world renowned; so we must admire them. They did not quite come up to my notions. The fountains, statuary, ponds, orange-trees, are all very grand; but I cannot say that I was as pleased as the boys were. Perhaps I was weary; I know I was anxious. I had an old and valued friend living in Versailles, and was unable to ascertain her residence.

We went to the Grand and Petit Trianon. The great Trianon is a palace with one story, and having two wings. The little Trianon has two stories. Here royalty has loved to loiter when tired of the splendors of the stupendous palace close by. Here are some exquisite paintings, brought by Louis Philippe from the Louvre.

We repaired to a good cafÉ close by the palace, had a satisfactory dinner with Mr. Hodgson and his family, and then took our carriage for Paris.

Our route to Versailles was through Passy, where our Dr. Franklin lived in 1788, at No. 40 Rue Bass. Beranger resides in this village. It seems a favorite resort for genius; for here have resided the Chancellor D'Aguesseau, Boileau, MoliÈre, and Condorcet.

We passed through SÈvres, where the beautiful china is manufactured, and drove through the Park of St. Cloud, the palace being in sight.

On our return, we drove leisurely through the Bois de Boulogne. These woods afford a fine opportunity to the Parisians for exercise, either on horseback or in carriages, and it is to Paris what Hyde Park is to London and the avenues are to New York, and much pleasanter than either. Here have been fought most of the duels which, in other days, have been so numerous in Paris, but which, I am glad to say, are getting into disrepute. The boys will write you before we leave Paris.

Yours always,

j.o.c.