_May 12th._--We went this day to see the palace and the gardens. When
one looks at it, from the side next Paris, one might fancy it was a
town of itself, there seem so many different buildings. As you go up
to it there are some curious-looking buildings in imitation of tents.
The iron railing that separates the palace from the Place d'Armes is
very much ornamented and gilt, and on each side there is a group of
gilt figures. After passing by the chapel we entered the park. On this
side the palace is 1800 feet long, and from its great length looks
rather low. The park of Versailles is divided into the great and the
little park, which united form a circuit of sixty miles. The great
park includes several villages. The little park includes the gardens,
the groves, the pieces of water, etc. There are several entrances. The
principal one is by the arcades of the palace. When one stands in the
middle of the terrace one sees the Basin of Latona, the Tapis-vert,
Apollo's Bath, and the canal at the right, the parterre of the north,
and Neptune's Bath; and at the left the parterre of flowers, the
orangery, and the _pièce d'eau des Suisses_. The whole garden seems
almost composed of statues and vases. The vases are, I think, the most
beautiful things in the garden; they are mostly of white marble (a few
are of bronze), and covered with the most beautiful carving; some are
very simple, having only a border round them, and others are covered
with figures, sunflowers, or vines. There are also a great many basins
of water. The finest is Neptune's Bath. It is a large piece of water
surrounded by twenty-two vases. There are several groups of figures:
the principal one in the front is Neptune and Amphitrite seated in a
large shell, and surrounded by tritons and naiads. Apollo's Bath is
another very fine one. Apollo is represented in his car drawn by four
horses, and surrounded by sea-monsters. Latona's basin is as curious as
any: in the middle, on several steps of red marble, are Latona and her
children, and around them, on the steps, are seventy-four frogs, which
represent the Lybian peasants metamorphosed by Jupiter on the complaint
made to him by Latona. Some of them seem half frogs and half men.
Besides these there are a great many smaller basins. There is one basin
which seems gone to decay. In it is represented the giant Enceladus
crushed under the ruins of Mount Olympus, and a number of groups of
bronze children supporting basins. Around many of them are parterres of
flowers.
The Tapis-vert is a long piece of grass, at each side of which are
numerous vases and statues. In the evening, before sunset, this is the
favourite promenade, and is quite crowded by all ranks of people. It is
a favourite game to try and walk down this green blindfold. The canal
is at the bottom of the Tapis-vert, below Apollo's Bath. It is very
long, but not very pretty, as it does not finish with anything; it is
crossed by another canal, which conducts to the Trianon.
There are a great many long avenues and squares, several of which are
closed. The avenues looked suitable to the rest of the garden, but
_very_ formal. There are also rows of yew-trees cut into every kind
of formal shape, which spoils the look of the gardens very much. The
prettiest part of the garden is Hartwell, or the King's garden, which
is made in imitation of the place where he resided when in England.
It is very like an English garden. In the middle is a column of very
pretty marble, with a small figure of Flora at the top. This garden
is railed in, but is open every evening for people to walk in. I was
very much disappointed in the orangery: it is lower than the rest of
the garden. Most of the orange-trees were standing out, but there is a
gallery to put them in. There is a basin of water in the middle of the
orangery, and borders of flowers all round. There are immense numbers
of orange, lemon, citron, laurel, and pomegranate trees:--the oldest
orange-tree is said to be five hundred years old; but they are by no
means pretty; they are all in large tubs; and instead of the branches
being allowed to spread, they are all cut like box, which make them
look still more formal. Even the flowers in the borders of the orangery
are planted alternately yellow and white. The blossoms of the oranges
are sold. From the orangery we had a view of the Etang Suisse; it looks
like a dirty pond on a common. The whole garden is open to every person
till nine o'clock, when a drum beats. At the entrance there is a list
of rules: no dogs are to be brought in unless tied with a string; and
nobody is to fish in the ponds, or to touch the statues or flowers.
Notwithstanding, however, these prohibitions, I have counted seven
or eight dogs at one time running over the flower-borders, and boys
climbing on the beautiful vases, or fishing for gold and silver fish,
of which there are a great many, particularly in Apollo's Bath. As we
returned through the court, several very ugly old women pressed round
us and asked whether we would like to see the apartments of the palace,
but we thought it was better to defer this till another day.
_May 13th._--I was very much surprised to see here, as well as at
Paris, not the least regard paid to Sunday. All the shops were open,
houses were building, and people sitting working at their doors,
seeming more industrious this day than any other; even the tradespeople
made a point of bringing their things on a Sunday. The English
clergyman was a Mr. Beaver. At church we saw several people that we had
formerly seen at Clifton and Bath; it was quite full of English.