Boulevard. The gate stands in the corner of “la rue de la Loi.” The
apartments, elegantly painted with italian landscapes, are large
and numerous, and splendidly lighted every evening. The garden was
illuminated last night, for the first time this season, and is as pretty
as its limited extent can permit. It is the fashion to come here about
ten o’clock; and the amusement consists in walking about, chatting with
your friends, eating ices and cakes, or drinking tea, punch, or lemonade,
the sale of which articles constitute the whole profits of the landlord,
to whom nothing is paid for admittance. Frescati is, in short, a kind
of coffee house; and, notwithstanding the smell of brandy, gin, and
rum, generally prevalent, is frequented by ladies as well as gentlemen.
When I first came here, I supposed that these ladies were of a _certain
description_: but I was soon undeceived; and, besides seeing at this
place the most respectable families of Paris, was assured by a _ci-devant
comtesse_ excessively rigid on matters of etiquette, “que toute la bonne
compagnie y alloit[76].” After this authoritative decision, it would be
presumptuous to doubt the propriety of going to _Frescati_; and our most
scrupulous countrywomen may, without apprehension of being taken either
for “filles” or “parvenues,” enjoy this strange and singular amusement.
_Tivoli_ is but just opened for the season. I have been there once. It
is a large and beautiful garden, situate in “la rue St. Lazare,” in the
“Chaussée d’Antin.” It was illuminated with much taste; the trees are
lofty; and the whole seemed to resemble what I imagine our Vauxhall was,
before it was covered in.
There was a band of music, and dancing, on a platform erected for the
purpose. There was also a party of tumblers. The company was not either
very numerous or very genteel; but the night was not hot, and fine
weather is necessary to render this place agreeable; as there is no house
or shelter of any kind. In the months of July or august _Tivoli_ must be
delightful.
I forgot to mention, that there were roundabouts, (as they are vulgarly
called in England) on which full grown people were very gravely amusing
themselves. I heard, the other day, of a duel, which took place in
consequence of a dispute for one of these places. You will scarcely
believe the report; yet I am every day convinced, that there is nothing
so ridiculous, that fancy can suppose, which does not actually and
frequently take place in this most extraordinary town.
Having given you this short sketch of the amusements “al fresco,” I shall
conclude with repeating my recommendations to you, whenever you come to
Paris, to come in the spring. Winter is, indeed, the time for private
society; but I have found from experience, that a foreigner has so little
to expect on this head, that it is much wiser to choose a season, when an
infinite variety of amusements, and all the charms of Nature, in their
richest and happiest colours, offer a sure and constant fund of pleasure.
I am, &c.
LETTER XXIX.
The manufactory of “_Gobelins_,” the observatory, “_les Enfans
trouvés_,” “_Champ de Mars_,” les _Invalides_, and the temple
of Mars, containing the colours taken from different nations,
and the tomb of _Turenne_.—_Le Musée des Monumens françois_,
or collection of monuments.—List of the most esteemed of
these.—Note to this letter contains the account of a dinner at
the first consul’s.
Paris, may the 5th, 1802 (15 floréal).
MY DEAR SIR,
As my stay at Paris draws towards a conclusion, I have occupied the three
or four last days in visiting those objects of curiosity, which as yet I
had neglected to see.
The manufactory of _Gobelins_ deserves all its celebrity. The colours,
the design, and the execution of the tapestry made here, are equal to
the productions of the finest painting. I was shown some specimens,
which were uncommonly beautiful, particularly two pieces, one of which
represented the assassination of the admiral _Coligni_, and the other
the heroic conduct of the _président Molé_, copied from the picture at
Versailles, an account of which I have already given.
There are ninety persons now employed, of whom I saw several at work. It
is astonishing with what facility they seem to perform the most difficult
tasks, but I am told that the art is not learnt without much time and
considerable attention. The apprenticeship requires six years, and at
least eighteen are necessary to make a proficient. The workmen are not
locked up within the walls of the manufactory, as was the case during the
monarchy, but they are kept under the constant “surveillance[77] of the
police.” Most of the pieces now in hand have been ordered by the first
consul, and are destined to form the ornament of St. Cloud, and other
public buildings.
From the _Gobelins_, situate in the most distant part of the Fauxbourg
St. Germain, I drove along the new Boulevard to the observatory. I found
here only some common sized telescopes, on which I observed with pride
the respectable name of “Dollond,” of London. I was informed that a
magnificent instrument of this kind is preparing on the plan of Herschel,
which is to be twenty-two feet long, with a speculum of platina. It is
to be moved on a platform, for the purpose of making observations, by
means of a machine invented for the purpose. I ascended the top of the
building, and the view thence, which commands all Paris, is grand and
striking.
Near the observatory is the nursery of that humane establishment called
“les Enfans trouvés,” which is still kept up on the old philanthropic
plan. Orphan children, deprived by death of their parents, or abandoned
by them, are received here without question, recommendation, or inquiry,
and are nursed with tenderness, well fed, properly educated, and lastly,
qualified for some trade or profession, in which they are afterwards
placed at the expense of the public. Their infancy is passed in the
building shown to me; they are, at a certain age, sent into the country,
for the benefit of the air, and then return to the principal hospital
of the institution at Paris, where their education is completed. Their
number is seldom less than a thousand.
I shall continue to speak of the different objects I have lately seen, in
the same order in which I visited them.
The _Champ de Mars_, where, on the 14th of july, 1790, I was present,
when the unfortunate Lewis XVI received and repeated the oath of fidelity
to that constitution which was so soon violated, has still the remains of
that vast amphitheatre, made by the activity and zeal of the parisians in
the course of fourteen days, and on which were seated nearly a million
of people. I recollected all the spots, where the principal authorities
were placed on that memorable day; and it will be needless for me to
repeat the innumerable reflections which were created by a remembrance
of the extraordinary and many-coloured events which have since occurred.
The _École Militaire_, which is now a barrack for the _consular horse
guards_, forms the front and principal ornament of the _Champ de Mars_,
which is terminated on the other side by the river _Seine_. _L’École
Militaire_ was built, in 1751, from a plan of Gabriel. It has a handsome
_façade_, and a lofty dome, with a dial, and the figures of Time and
Astronomy.
The building of “les Invalides” presents one of the most striking
objects of Paris. Besides the beauty of its construction, its handsome
entrance, its four courts, its celebrated clock, its lofty dome, and
elegant pillars, it contains, in the principal hall, or chapel, now
called “le Temple de Mars,” the colours, or ensigns, taken during the
war, by the republican armies, from the different powers opposed to
France. This beautiful room at least a hundred feet long, is lined on
all sides with the badges of triumph, many of which bear, from their
tattered appearance, the most convincing proofs of not having been
obtained without considerable difficulty. Among the innumerable colours
of all nations, I perceived, with pride, that there were only two or
three english; and these, from their size, had belonged to some ship,
perhaps to a merchantman, or to that man of war, which, after sharing the
glories of Aboukir, was taken by five french vessels of the line, after a
resistance no less honourable than her former success. In the centre of
this spacious apartment, to the right, surrounded by the trophies of his
successors and countrymen, is placed the tomb of _Turenne_. This monument
was removed to the Temple of Mars by the present government, and placed
here, with considerable pomp, after having been saved from the fury of
jacobinical rage, and preserved, by the care of _le Noir_, in the “_Musée
des Monuments françois_.”
The circumstance which I have just mentioned, naturally leads me to
speak of the last named institution, which I visited yesterday for
the second time. On my arrival at Paris, I went to see _le Musée des
Monuments françois_; and not being as much struck with the exhibition
as I expected, from its great renown, I purposely postponed speaking
of it, till I had had an opportunity of examining it again with all
the attention it deserved. After several hours employed in this second
view, I continue of my former opinion, that the spot[78], in which these
monuments are collected, is infinitely too small; that the garden, meant
to be the tranquil site of sepulchral honours, and the calm retreat
of departed grandeur, is on so limited a scale, is so surrounded with
adjoining houses, and altogether so ill arranged, that, instead of
presenting the model of
“Those deep solitudes ...
Where heav’nly pensive Contemplation dwells,
And ever musing Melancholy reigns,”
it might easily be mistaken for the working yard of a statuary, or
the pleasure ground of a tasteless citizen, decked out with Cupids,
Mercuries, and Fauns.
It must, however, be acknowledged, that “_le Noir_,” by whose care
this establishment was formed, deserves great credit for the courage
with which he rescued the many precious monuments here deposited, from
the barbarous and undiscriminating fury of revolutionary vandalism,
for the perseverance and attention which has marked his conduct in the
arrangement, and for the plan (whether successful or not, I shall not
pretend to examine) of presenting complete and exact representations of
the art of building in the different ages. Among the innumerable tombs,
crowded together in this collection, of which a catalogue, in large
octavo, is sold at the door, I observed many of great beauty, taste, and
symmetry. Kings, poets, _belles_, philosophers, and painters, torn from
the graves, in which, for centuries past, their remains had tranquilly
reposed, would have had no stone to record their past celebrity, if this
institution had not existed. The arts, too, are highly indebted to the
founder, for the specimens of sculpture, many of them _chefs d’œuvre_,
which are here seen in all their original perfection. Models, too, of
ancient and celtic buildings are added to those of french architecture.
_Le Noir’s_ favourite plan of having a chapel for each century,
ornamented with all the appropriate decorations, and containing the tombs
of contemporary persons, is in part executed, and three or four ages
have already their respective temples, completed in the taste of the
times which belonged to them. These chapels have been much admired by
persons, whose knowledge on such subjects entitle them to respect; and
it would, therefore, be presumptuous in me to give a dissenting voice. I
shall be pardoned, however, for remarking, that there appeared, in the
whole arrangement, a kind of quackery, which prevented my feeling that
unalloyed satisfaction which I had been led to expect; and that, in spite
of my better judgment, I felt an inclination to laugh, when perhaps my
tears ought to have flowed.
As every body must rejoice at the preservation of these monuments,
whatever opinions he may entertain about the arrangement, I cannot
help regretting, that they are not deposited in a place more worthy of
containing them. Since the restoration of religion has removed every
obstacle which could be started to such a project, would it not be
worthy of the present government, decidedly the friend and protector of
the arts, to order that all these precious specimens of sculpture should
become the ornament of one or more of the principal churches of Paris,
the present naked state of which is an additional argument in favour of
the measure? What splendour would they not both receive and confer, in
being removed either to _Notre Dame_, _St. Sulpice_, or _St. Généviève_?
To satisfy the curiosity which I know you entertain on such subjects,
I examined, with attention, the principal objects, and marked in my
catalogue those which seemed most deserving of notice. The following is
the list:
No. 5. The tomb of Dagobert, with the figures of Nautilda his wife,
and Clovis his son.
94. The tomb of Lewis XII.
99. The Monument, or sepulchral Chapel, of Francis the First,
with Claude his wife.—(Destroyed in the revolution, and
restored by le Noir.)
105. Monument erected in honour of Ann of Montmorency.
111. A group of Graces.
113. Statue of Henry the Fourth of France, assassinated in 1610,
clad in a military dress. The artist was _Francavilla_,
or _Francevelle_, as he was otherwise called. The
catalogue mentions, that judging from the body, found
at St. Denys in 1793, and which was yet perfect, one
should suppose that this was a striking likeness.
115. Statue of _Claude Catherine de Clermont Tonnere_.
121. Statue in black marble, representing David after the death
of Goliath, by _Peter Francavilla_, in 1580.
146. Monument erected in honour of _Charles the Fifth_, taken
from _St. Germain-des-Prés_. His medallion, in bronze, is
by John Cousin.
174. The Mausoleum of the _Cardinal de Richelieu_, taken from the
_Sorbonne_.—This celebrated group of figures, after a
design by _le Brun_, was executed by _Girardon_, and
considered as his _chef-d’œuvre_.
187. The Mausoleum of _Cardinal Mazarin_, taken from the college
of that name. This monument, of white marble, is the work
of _Coyzevox_.
189. Statue of Ann of Austria, taken from the _Pont au Change_.
Executed by _Guillain_.
200. Monument, erected to _John Baptiste Colbert_, the celebrated
minister.
263. Monument, in marble, erected to the memory of _Charles le
Brun_, one of the most celebrated painters of the french
school. Taken from _St. Nicholas de Chardonnet_.
205. A group of Figures in black marble, representing _Francis
Michael Letellier Marquis de Louvois_, minister of state,
who died in 1691.—This was the work of _Girardon_.
207. This Monument, called _la Pyramide_, or the pillar of
_Longueville_, was erected by _Anne Généviève de
Bourbon_, duchess of _Longueville_, and was meant
in honour both of the first and second duke of that
name.
208. This is a Monument formed by _le Noir_, from the ruins of
that which formerly stood in _la place des Victoires_.
He has placed on the pedestal a figure of Abundance and
Equality.
210. A colossal Statue, taken from _les Invalides_, representing
_Charlemagne_. Executed by _Coyzevox_.
211. A colossal Statue of _Lewis the Eleventh_, in black marble,
executed by _Couston_. Taken from _les Invalides_.
214. A Statue of _Lewis the Fourteenth_, in black marble, by
_Michel Anguier_. The king is in a Roman dress.
218. A much admired Statue, by _Sarrasin_, of _St. Denys_ praying.
Taken from the abbey of _Montmartre_.
220 or 449. This fine Monument, executed under the immediate
orders and design of the celebrated architect _Bullant_,
was taken from _St. Martin_, at _Montmorency_, and was
erected in honour of _Ann de Montmorency_.
286. The marble Bust of _Lewis de Bourbon Condé_, called the
great _Condé_, from the chisel of _Coyzevox_.
384. This is a modern Monument, in honour of modern events, and
of living characters. It is the work of _Foucon_, and it
is meant to represent, allegorically, the peace of
Luneville, and to record the glory of _Bonaparte_.
448. This is a beautiful Statue, in black marble, of _Francis
the First_ on his death bed. Two thousand modern goths,
not content with mutilating this _chef-d’œuvre_, have
ventured to record their barbarity in writing on the
monument itself, or rather on what remains, their
dishonoured names, several of which are still apparent.
The convention, afterwards found it necessary to pass a
law, condemning to ten years imprisonment, in chains, the
mutilators or destroyers of the works of art.
The following are in the garden:
No. 467. From the _Chateau d’Anet_, a beautiful group, representing
Diana with a stag, accompanied by her dogs, _Procyon_ and
_Sirius_—supposed to be the work of _John Gougeon_, made
for the fountain in the park of _Diana_ of _Poitiers_, at
_Anet_.
471. Statue, in black marble, and on his knees, of Lewis II. Taken
from the church of _Notre Dame de Cléry_, where it was
dreadfully mutilated by the fury of the inhabitants. It
was the work of _Michael Bourdin_, of _Orleans_, who, not
satisfied with the price which he received for it, stole
a silver lamp from the church, for which crime he was
afterwards executed at _Orleans_.
507. A sepulchral Urn, containing the ashes of the celebrated
_René Descartes_, who died in Sweden, in the year 1650.
508. The Tomb of _Molière_, containing the body of that celebrated
dramatic writer. The following inscription appears:
“Molière & Thalie reposent dans ce tombeau[79].”
The whole is surrounded with myrtles, roses, and cypress
trees.
509. The tomb of J. de la Fontaine, containing his body.
510. This is a Monument with four fronts. It contains the busts
of _Molière_, _John la Fontaine_, _Boileau_, and _Racine_,
who were intimate friends, and sometimes lived together at
_Auteuil_.
511. The Tomb which, for some time, contained the mummy of
_Turenne_, first preserved in the _Musée de l’Histoire
Naturelle_, then removed to this spot, and lastly placed,
as I have before observed, in the Temple of Mars.
555. Sepulchral Urn, containing the ashes of the celebrated
_Boileau_, with this inscription:
“_Nicholas Boileau_ est dans ce tombeau[80].”
And above:
“Ainsi que mes chagrins, mes beaux jours sont passés,
Je ne sens plus l’aigreur de ma bile première,
Et laisse aux froids rimeurs, une libre carrière[81].”
_Boileau_, Epist. 5. à M. _Guilléraques_.
There are, doubtless, besides those which I have enumerated, many
tombs deserving of notice; but I have specified these, on account of
the celebrity of the artists, or that of the persons whose memory the
monuments were intended to record. I send you a very imperfect account,
yet it is the result of a six hours’ visit, made with no little care and
attention.
_Le Noir’s_ catalogue, which, I understand, is now translating into
english, concludes with a curious account of the state in which the
bodies of the former kings of France were found at _St. Denys_, when,
in the year 1793, the national convention, with a savage disregard of
decency, and with a contempt for departed grandeur scarcely credible,
ordered that the kings, princes, and other great men, who had for fifteen
hundred years lain in peace at _St. Denys_, should be dragged from their
tombs, in order that the lead, of which their coffins were made, should
be converted into ball.
You will be surprised to hear, that the celebrated _Turenne_, preserved
like a mummy, was instantly recognized by the resemblance which he still
bore to his busts and pictures; and Henry the fourth was yet so perfect,
(though he died in 1610), that not a feature was altered.
This account is already of such a length, that I shall make no apology
for abruptly concluding it.
I am, &c.
_POSTSCRIPT._
Returning home to day, at half past four o’clock, from viewing some of
the sights, (which I have mentioned in my letter), we found a messenger
waiting with a note from the _Thuilleries_. It proved to be an invitation
to Mrs. ⸺, from the first consul, asking her to dinner the same day at
five. She dressed as quickly as possible, and drove to the palace. She
is just returned; and from her statement, I send you the following short
account.
The entertainment was extremely elegant, and the sight very striking.
More than two hundred persons sat down to table in a splendid apartment.
The company consisted, besides the family of Bonaparte, of the ministers,
the ambassadors, several generals, senators, counsellors of state, and
other constituted authorities. The number of women present was by no
means in proportion to that of the men, and did not exceed fifteen.
All the english ladies, who had been presented to madame Bonaparte,
were invited (though not their husbands) to this entertainment; but it
happened, that only two remained at Paris.
The dinner was served entirely on plate and _Sèvre china_, the latter
bearing the letter B on every dish, and every plate; and the _plateau_
was covered with moss, out of which arose innumerable natural flowers,
the odour of which perfumed the whole room.
The first consul and madame Bonaparte conducted themselves with much
ease, and spoke very affably to those around them.
The servants were numerous, splendidly dressed, and highly attentive. The
dinner lasted more than two hours.
LETTER XXX.
General account of literary establishments at Paris.—National
library.—Manuscripts.—Memoirs of his own times, by Lewis
XIV.—_Fac simile_ of a love letter of Henry IV.—Cabinet
of medals.—Cabinet of engravings, &c.—Library of the
Pantheon.—Mazarine library.—Library of the Institute.—Libraries
of the senate, the legislative body, and tribunate.—The
_Lycées_, now called _les Athénées_.—Admirable lectures
given at one of them.—Professors _Fourcroy_, _Cuvier_, and
_la Harpe_.—“L’Institute national.”—“_Jardin national des
Plantes_”—Collection of birds, plants, fossils, and insects,
in the house attached to the “_Jardin des Plantes_.”—“Cabinet
de l’École des Mines, _à l’Hôtel des Monnoies_.”—Great
opportunities afforded at Paris of cultivating science and
literature in all their various branches.
Paris, may the 10th, 1802 (20 floréal.)
MY DEAR SIR,
I have postponed speaking to you of the literary establishments of Paris,
till my residence here had been sufficiently long to enable me to give my
opinion with some degree of certainty.
Perhaps there is no town in the known world, which affords such
favourable opportunities of acquiring and cultivating knowledge, as
that from which I am now writing. On this subject, equality in the best
sense exists; and while the poor man has the finest libraries, and most
extensive collections opened to his use, without any expense whatever,
he, whose circumstances are moderately easy, obtains, for a trifling
consideration, every possible means of additional improvement.
The national library, which existed during the monarchy, and was founded
by Charles the fifth, occupies a large building in the _rue de la Loi_
(_ci-devant de Richelieu_). An elegant staircase, painted by Pelegrini,
leads to the spacious apartments on the first floor, which take up three
sides of the large court by which you enter, and which contain no less
than three hundred thousand printed volumes. Five or six rooms, well
lighted and well aired, offer on each side the best books, in every
science and in every language. Tables are placed for the convenience of
students, and attentive librarians civilly deliver the works which are
asked for.
In the second room is a curious piece of workmanship, called “le Parnasse
françois[82]” by _Titon Dutillet_, in which the different poets and
writers of France are represented as climbing up the steep ascent of that
difficult but inspired mountain. In my opinion, it deserves attention
more as a specimen of national taste, and private industry, than as a
production either of genius or of beauty.
In the third “_salon_” are the celebrated globes, the one celestial,
the other terrestrial, made in 1683, by the jesuit _Coronelli_, for
the _cardinal d’Estrées_. They are of immense dimensions, but require
new painting; as, in the first place, they were made before the last
discoveries, and secondly, the colours are almost entirely effaced by
the lapse of time.