IV, who met with most
generous treatment from her sister-in-law. Little more was done toward
improving the Louvre through the reigns of Louis XV and XVI, and then
came the revolution (1848). Napoleon III determined, as he was in power,
to unite the Tuilleries and Louvre into one great whole. This was
carried out and accomplished in 1857."
During my visits to Paris (1881 and 1896) the repairs to the central
facade of the Tuilleries had not been made. This unmeaning, desolate
space presents to the mind the ruthless hand of war in the conflict of
man's ambition for supremacy. Before the revolution of 1876, historians
tell us that between the beautiful chestnut avenues, across the
brilliant flowers and quaint orange trees of the garden, beyond the
sparkling glory of the fountains, rose the majestic facade of a palace,
infinitely harmonious in color, indescribably picturesque and noble in
form, and interesting beyond description from its associations, the one
spot to be visited by strangers, which attracted the sympathies of the
world.
We see the Arc de Triomphe du Carousal, built in 1806, by Fontaine, for
Napoleon I. The car and horses are a reproduction of the famous group on
St. Marks at Venice, which Napoleon captured, but were afterwards
restored by the allies. The street scenes of Paris are most
entertaining, but to enjoy it in its perfection, go when you are young,
before your muscles grow stiff and your eyes dim, for the "run for your
life" requires agility and good vision.
HOMEWARD BOUND
We now bid "au revoir" to Paris, and cross the English channel, from
Calais to Dover, without any great inconvenience. And mighty Neptune did
not call on us for many returns of the day. We proceed from Charing
Cross station to the hotel of the same name, where we remain until we
obtain more pleasant surroundings in the west end of London. Daily
excursions, always on top of omnibuses, when there were seats for us,
run to the Picadilly, Pall Mall, down Regent and Oxford streets and into
Dickens' haunts, when time afforded, out to St. John's Woods, and
without fail to Kensington, to the Museum, which is most absorbing of
time and interest. We take carriages and drive through Carleton terrace
and through streets where the city homes of the royalty are located. To
drive in Hyde Park or Rotten Row, with a crest on your carriage door,
would be fine, but as we had left our crests at home we were denied many
of those privil
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