Bonaparte formed the splendid design of connecting the two palaces on the north by a co-extensive pile of buildings, which were commenced and finished for about one third of the way, previous to his dethronement. The work is still in progress, and when it is finished, the Carousel will be converted into a court, enclosed by four magnificent façades of regal edifices.

The Palace of the Louvre itself, to which one of our earliest visits was paid, surrounds a square four hundred feet in diameter. It is two stories high, and built of light coloured stone, which preserves its complexion, notwithstanding its great age. Three of the sides, presenting exterior walls between five and six hundred feet in extent, are of the Corinthian order of architecture, and the remaining one of the composite. That which faces the Seine, including the gallery connecting the Louvre and the Tuilleries, presents a noble front, stretching for about a quarter of a mile along the right bank of the river, from which it is separated only by the street, and without any objects to intercept the view from the opposite shore, or from the bridges, for a long distance above and below. The eastern façade is reckoned the most splendid monument of the reign of Louis XIV.; but owing to the obstructions of the adjacent buildings, no view of it can be obtained, equal to the one just mentioned. It is celebrated for the magnificence of its arcades and the richness of its ornaments, among which is a bust of the monarch under whose auspices it was erected, and dedicated to himself. The whole immense pile is profusely decorated with allegorical devices, which in some instances require an interpreter to explain. It is the most ancient of the numerous palaces at Paris, and once had a tower, commensurate in its proportions with the rest of the edifice, in which the feudal chiefs of France were compelled to assemble at stated periods, and do homage to the king. Those who were refractory were confined in a gloomy dungeon beneath, the horrors of which gave rise to frightful tales, and eventually caused the tower to be demolished.

My readers need not be informed, that Napoleon consecrated the Louvre to the fine arts, and made it the great depository of all the paintings, statues, and antiquities, which he had collected in his campaigns in almost every state upon the continent of Europe, considering them as the legitimate trophies of victory, and making use of the plausible argu

ment, that they would be more secure from destruction, as well as accessible to a larger number of persons at Paris, than in the countries over which they were scattered. His gallery contained twelve hundred pictures, comprising specimens of the great masters of every nation and every age, and embracing a large majority of the most celebrated in the world. His collection of statuary was equally extensive, being enriched by the finest models, which either the ancients or moderns had produced. The Louvre was in fact the great Temple of the Fine Arts, to which subjugated empires had contributed, and which became the admiration of the world. But the splendour of such a work was destined to be as transient as the power of the imperial conqueror; and “Ilium fuit" might be inscribed upon the portals of the Palace. After the downfal of Napoleon and the pacification of Europe, the Royal Museum was in turn stripped of its ornaments, which, sharing the fortunes of war, were restored to their former proprietors. Notwithstanding the efforts of the French government to negotiate an exchange of articles, and to retain as many of the pictures as possible, the number in the gallery was reduced from twelve hundred to two hundred and fifty. The collection of statuary suffered still more severely, and several of the rooms were left entirely naked. Much as these spoliations may be regretted by the artist and amateur, they seemed to be based upon the principles of retributive justice, and cannot therefore furnish grounds of complaint.

The

Having parted with nearly all the rare and valuable works in the Louvre, the French set about filling the vacancy with productions of their own. With this view, the better paintings at the Luxembourg, Versailles, and other palaces were removed, and accessions from all quarters have since been made, till the number is again raised to upwards of a thousand, forming by far the most extensive collection we had ever seen, though but a shadow of what it had been. gallery was visited by us on one of those public occasions, when it is open to the whole city, and crowds of both sexes fill the spacious halls. There is a lodge at the entrance, where it is necessary for visitants to divest themselves of their loose garments, over-shoes, umbrellas, walking-sticks, and other incumbrances, depositing them with the portress, who gives to each person a number as a security for the articles on coming out, and who expects a sous or two for her

trouble. This is the sole expense of attending the exhibition. In France no exorbitant fees are extorted from the traveller, as in Great-Britain, for gaining admission to objects of curi osity. A person may see the whole of Paris, for a less sum than he is obliged to expend in going through the Tower of London, or Holy-Rood House. The churches are always open, and at the other public places, a moderate fee is gratefully received by the attendants, who have too much politeness to ask for more, however small it may be-the very reverse of the English servants, who are sure to ask an addition to the utmost stretch of liberality.

The paintings of the Louvre, or Royal Museum, occupy four contiguous apartments, approached by a grand staircase, which is ornamented with twenty-two marble columns of the Doric order, and the whole richly embellished with sculpture. Allegorical devices in fresco, representing the revival of the fine arts, cover the ceiling. The first saloon contains a collection of the earliest productions of the French and Italian schools, which are no otherwise interesting, than as furnishing illustrations of the progress of the art. To the battle pieces of Le Brun, the next saloon is almost exclusively appropriated. These rooms are of moderate dimensions, forming the mere vestibule to the temple.

On passing the latter, the long vista of the great Gallery opens on the eye of the spectator, for the whole extent of fourteen hundred feet, and cannot fail to strike him with surprise and admiration. By the natural effect of perspective, the farther extremity is contracted to narrow limits; and throngs of ladies and gentlemen in full dresses, moving along the varnished floor, and reduced to a diminutive size in the distance, together with columns at suitable intervals, splendid mirrors, busts, altars, antique vases, and other embellishments of the hall, present a scene more like enchantment than reality. The gallery is lighted by double rows of windows, which sometimes throw a disadvantageous glare across each other; and the walls from top to bottom are lined with pictures, which challenge attention and distract the mind of the spectator.

The hall is partially and rather nominally divided, by arches erected along the sides, into nine compartments, three of which are appropriated to the French, three to the Flemish, German and Dutch, and the remaining three to the Italian schools. Among the great masters, whose pencils have con

tributed to enrich the gallery, are Corregio, Guido, Raphael, Salvator Rosa, Titian, Paul Veronese and Rubens. The marked difference in the leading characteristics, and particularly in the colouring of the several schools, will strike the most superficial observer. In anatomical exactness, and in boldness of perspective, the French perhaps surpass any other artists; but in some instances their gaudy and glaring colours appear to be laid on with a trowel, and are wanting in that harmony, softness, and delicacy, which characterize the schools of Italy. They also generally fail in expression, particularly in the milder affections of the human face, “o'erstepping the modesty of nature," and throwing something showy or fantastic upon the canvass, as if to challenge admiration.

But I make no pretensions to the taste or nice discriminations of a connoisseur, and will therefore abstain from criticisms. Among the most celebrated pictures in the collection are reckoned the Holy Family, by Raphael-the entombment of the Saviour, by Titian-Jupiter and Antiope, by Corregio--the Witch of Endor raising the ghost of Samuel, by Salvator Rosa--the Marriage at Cana, by Paul Veronese -Hercules contending with Achilles, and killing Nessus, by Guido-Eneas bearing on his shoulders his father Anchises, and accompanied by the boy Ascanius, by Domenichino—a portrait of Charles I., by Vandycke-Diogenese looking for an honest man, by Rubens-St. Ambrose, by Philip de Champagne-the Ports of France at sunrise, sunset, and in a tempest, by Vernet--the Judgment of Solomon, the Institution of the Eucharist, and the Deluge, by Poussin—and several Landscapes, by Claude Lorraine.

After gazing for an hour or two at the contents of the galleries, we were conducted through the labyrinth of apartments appropriated to sculpture. The halls are upwards of twenty in number, designated by classical names-gods, goddesses, and heroes, from Hercules down to the Duke d'Angouleme. Although they have been robbed of their most interesting and valuable antiques, they still contain more than I shall attempt to describe, or my readers would have the patience to read. The catalogues of the Royal Museum comprise three volumes, containing merely an exposition of the curiosities to be seen. In this part of it, there are about fifteen hundred articles, embracing specimens of every sculptor, from Phidias and Praxiteles to the scarcely less

celebrated Canova. Several exquisite relics of the two former are among the antiques; and two beautiful groups of white marble, from the chisel of the latter, adorn the modern hall bearing the name of the Duke d'Angouleme. Both of them represent Cupid and Psyche. The proportions, finish, and expression of one of them are inimitably fine. In the other, the god of love is in the attitude of rescuing Psyche, while sleeping, and ready to fall from the brink of a precipice. The design is not more beautiful than the execution. Of the antiques which have acquired the most celebrity, are the groups of a Gladiator combating with an enemy on horseback, ascribed to Agasias of Ephesus-a statue of PallasSilenus and the infant Bacchus, said to be found in the garden of Sallust-and a colossal figure of Melpomene. The mosaics and various specimens of ancient marbles are extremely rich and interesting. Additions are daily making to this extensive collection, to supply the places of those which have been removed.

LETTER XXXVI

PARIS CONTINUED THE NEW EXCHANGE-PALAIS ROYALCOFFEE-HOUSES-RESTAURATEURS-FRENCH WOMEN-GAMBLING HOUSES--PASSAGES--PALACE OF THE LUXEMBOURG-MANUFACTORY OF TAPESTRY.

December, 1825.-The Palais de la Bourse, or the Exchange, is one of the most magnificent structures I have ever seen, and is perhaps unequalled by any thing of the kind in Europe. Its location, however, is very bad, being in the centre of the old part of the city, surrounded by a swamp of buildings; and although particular pains have been taken to elevate it from the low, circumscribed area which it occupies, no distant glimpse of it can be obtained. Were it situated upon some of the open squares on the banks of the Seine, the grandeur and classical simplicity of the edifice could not fail to strike the mind with admiration. It is surrounded with sixty-four columns of the Corinthian order, rising to the second story, and forming a most splendid colonnade. In front is a porch, with fourteen additional pillars, the ascent to which is by a lofty flight of sixteen steps. The