bruptly rising from the very edge of the Seine, whose sinuous
course here shapes the adjoining land into a narrow peninsula. The
chalky cliffs on each side of the castle are broken into hills of
romantic form, which add to the impressive wildness of the scene.
Towards the river, the steepness of the cliff renders the fortress
unassailable: a double fosse of great depth, defended by a strong wall,
originally afforded almost equal protection on the opposite side.

"The circular keep is of extraordinary strength, and in its construction
differs wholly from any of our English dungeon-towers. It may be
described as a cylinder, placed upon a truncated cone. The massy
perpendicular buttresses, which are ranged round the upper wall, whence
they project considerably, lose themselves at their bases in the cone
from which they arise. The building, therefore, appears to be divided
into two stories. The wall of the second story is upwards of twelve feet
in thickness. The base of the conical portion is perhaps twice as thick.
It seldom happens that the military buildings of the middle ages have
such a _talus_ or slope, on the exterior face, agreeing with the
principles of modern fortification; and it is difficult to guess why the
architect of Chateau Gaillard thought fit to vary from the established
model of his age. The masonry is regular and good. The pointed windows
are evidently insertions of a period long subsequent to the original
erection.

"The inner ballium is surrounded by a high circular wall, which consists
of an uninterrupted line of bastions, some semi-circular and others
square. The whole of this part of the castle remains nearly perfect.
There are also traces of extensive foundations in various directions,
and of great out-works. Chateau Gaillard was, in fact, a citadel,
supported by numerous smaller fortresses, all of them communicating with
the strong central hold, and disposed so as to secure every defensible
post in the neighborhood. The wall of the outer ballium, which was built
of a compact white and grey stone, is in most places standing, though in
ruins. The original facing only remains in those parts which are too
elevated to admit of its being removed with ease.--Beneath the castle,
the cliff is excavated into a series of subterraneous caverns, not
intended for mere passages or vaults, as at Arques and in most other
places, but forming spacious crypts supported by pillars roughly hewn
out of the living rock