f many places in South America, the
salubrity of the climate, the free unrestrained intercourse of the more
polished classes, or whether there be some undefinable charm in that
state of society which has not passed beyond a certain point of
civilization, certain it is that few foreigners have resided for any
length of time in Chile, Peru, or in the principal towns of the Pampas,
without feeling an ardent desire to revisit them. In this number might be
named several European naval officers who have served in the Pacific, and
who nave expressed these sentiments, although they move in the very
highest circles of England and France. Countries which have not reached
the utmost pitch of refinement have their peculiar attractions, as well
as the most highly polished nations; but, to the casual resident, the
former offers many advantages unattainable in Europe. The virtue of
hospitality, exiled by luxury and refinement, exhibits itself in the New
World under such noble and endearing forms as would almost tempt the
philosopher, as well as the weary traveller, to dread the approach of the
factitious civilization that would banish it.

* * * * *

THE LABYRINTH, AT VERSAILLES.

[Illustration: The Labyrinth, at Versailles.]

This charming labyrinth is attached to _Le Petit Trianon_ at Versailles.
The palace and its gardens were formed under the reign of Louis XV., who
was there when he was attacked by the contagious disease of which he died.
Louis XVI. gave it to his queen, who took great delight in the spot, and
had the gardens laid out in the English style. The _chateau_, or palace,
is situated at one of the extremities of the park of the Grand Trianon,
and forms a pavilion, about seventy-two feet square. It consists of a
ground floor and two stories, decorated with fluted Corinthian columns
and pilasters crowned by a balustrade. The gardens are delightful: here
is a temple of love; there an artificial rock from which water rushes
into a lake; there a picturesque wooden bridge, a rural hamlet, grottoes,
cottages embowered in groves of trees, diversified with statues and
seats--and above all, the fascinating MAZE, the plan of which is
represented in the Engraving.

Versailles, its magnificent palace and gardens, are altogether fraught
with melancholy associations. When we last saw them, the grounds and
buildings presented a sorry picture of neglect and decay. The mimic lakes
and ponds w