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 276 P A R I 8 of the Acclimatization Society, which, with their mena geries, conservatories, and aquarium, are largely visited by Bois de pleasure-seekers. The Bois de Vincennes, a little larger Via- than the Bois de Boulogne, is similarly adorned with jennes. streams, lakes, cascades ; and from the Gravelle plateau there is a splendid view over the valleys of the Marne and the Seine. Unfortunately the wood is cut in two by an open space comprising a drill-ground for artillery and infantry, a race-course, and a farm (La Faisanderie) for agricultural experiments. Trees for the public parks and squares are grown in the great municipal nurseries at Auteuil and Bois de Boulogne ; and the municipal botanical gardens of La Muette, with thirty-five conser vatories covering 1 1 acres, and an equal area under frames, contain magnificent collections of azaleas, palm-trees, and other exotics for ornamenting the public gardens or decorating official apartments on fete days. Public Public Buildings, Palaces, &c. The following are among suild- the public buildings of Paris which have most architectural interest. The palace of the Louvre (see pp. 281, 288), which lies on the right side of the Seine in the heart of the city, consists of a quadrangle with an inner court 394 feet square, two galleries extending westwards from two sides of the quadrangle, and two galleries external and parallel to these, and continued till they meet the side wings of the Tuileries. The east front of the Louvre is 548 feet long and 90 feet high, and the first story is occupied by Perrault s famous colonnade. Towards the west are those portions of the Tuileries which escaped the fire of 1871, the connecting galleries and (on the south) the Flora pavilion and (on the north) the Marsan pavilion, which was entirely rebuilt between 1872 and 1877. From Perrault s colonnade to the Flora pavilion the side facing the quay is 2250 feet long. In the matter of sculpture the south and west sides of the inner court are considered the best parts of the Louvre. On the west side lies the oldest part of the palace, and the principal points in the former arrangement of the building are indicated by the paving of the court. In the middle of each facade there is a pavilion rising above an archway. The western archway, which is surmounted by the clock, leads into Place Napoleon III., which has its centre occupied by a square, and its north and south sides bordered with porticos surmounted by statues of eminent Frenchmen. To the west is the Place du Carrousel. On the south side at the junction of the Louvre and the Tuileries is a gateway with three arches, of which the middle one is crowned with the bronze group by Mercier, &quot; The Genius of the Arts,&quot; erected in 1875. The river-front of the Louvre is in an older and more elegant style than the side facing Rue de Rivoli. It is connected with the buildings of the quadrangle by Henry IV. s pavilion, which contains in its first story the elegant Apollo gallery. The Palais de Justice in La Cite&quot; presents on the W. side, towards Place Dauphine, a Greek fa$ade by Due (1865-1870), one of the finest productions of modern art. From the Boulevard du Palais on the east it is separated by a magnificent 18th-century railing in wrought iron and gilt. On this side lie the Salle des Pas Perdus and the Sainte- Chapelle. The fine square tower known as the Clock Tower stands at the corner formed by the Quai du Nord and the Boulevard du Palais ; and on the north side lies the Con- ciergerie prison with the dungeon once occupied by Marie Antoinette. Opposite the Palais de Justice on the other side of the Boulevard is the Tribunal de Commerce with a remarkable staircase under the cupola. On the left bank of the Seine are the Luxembourg palace, the seat of the senate and formerly the residence of Mary de Medici ; the Bourbon palace, the seat of the chamber of deputies, fronting the river and Pont de la Con corde with a fine columned portico and pediment ; the palace of the Legion of Honour, an exquisite building of Louis XIV. s time ; and the palace of the Institute, with a handsome dome. On the right side of the river lie the Elysee palace (in the Champs-Elysees), a vast building in a modern style, the residence of the president of the re public, and the palace of the Trocadero, built for the Exhi bition of 1878, the central rotunda of which contains the largest music-hall in Paris (for 15,000 auditors) and a colossal organ. Among the Government and administrative buildings may be mentioned the Hotel de Ville, burnt in 1871, but rebuilt finer than before on the old site; the ministry of foreign affairs, where the congress of Paris was held in 1856; the ministry of marine, which occupies on Place de la Con corde one of the two pavilions erected by Gabriel on each side of Rue Royale ; the ministry of war in the Boulevard St Germain ; the Bank, formerly the De la Vrilliere &quot;hotel,&quot; built by Mansard ; the Mint, with a fine facade stretching 394 feet along Quai Conti not far from Pont Neuf ; the national printing establishment, formerly Cardinal Rohan s mansion ; and the national record office, close at hand, formerly the Soubise mansion. These last two buildings are in the Quartier du Marais, where a great many ancient mansions are now used as warehouses and workshops. Besides the Hotel Carnavalet and the Hotel de Cluny may be mentioned the tower of Rue aux Ours, the last remnant of the Hotel de Bourgogne; the Hotel de Sens, formerly the residence of the archbishop of the province; the Hotel Lambert at the head of lie St Louis, adorned with paintings by Lesueur; the turret of the Hotel Barbette (Rue vieille du Temple). The largest and finest of the religious buildings of Paris Churches, is the cathedral of Notre Dame (426 feet long by 164 wide), restored between 1846 and 1879 by Viollet-le-Duc. As it now exists this church has five naves running the whole length of the building, and square chapels; the central Heche, recently restored, is 312 feet high, and two massive square towers worthily crown the principal facade, which is one of the most beautiful that has come down to us from the Middle Ages. The transept has also two facades, which, while less imposing, are more richly decorated with chiselled work, dating from about the middle of the 13th century. Of the elaborate decoration of the interior all that is old i.s a part of the screen of the choir, from the 14th century. St Genevieve or the Pantheon, consecrated by the Con vention to illustrious men, but since restored to Christian worship, has the form of a Greek cross with a dome in the centre and a columned portico in front, the pediment of which contains an immense bas-relief by David of Angers representing great men crowned by their country. Fenelon, Rousseau, Voltaire, Mirabeau, Laplace, Cuvier, &c., may be distinguished. The crypt contains the tombs of Soufflot (the architect of the church), Rousseau, Voltaire, &c. Near St Genevieve stand St Etienne du Mont with a magnificent roodloft, and the chapel of St Genevieve with the tomb of this patroness of Paris. The Madeleine, intended by Napoleon I. for a temple of victory, has consequently the form of a Greek temple. At St Germain des Pros, St Severin, and St Vincent de Paul are beautiful frescos by Hippolyte Flandrin, to whom a monument has been erected in St Germain. St Eustache contains Colbert s tomb; St Germain 1 Auxerrois has a curious porch ; and St Sulpice, which is nearly as large as Notre Dame, presents in its main front the most vigorous effort yet made to apply classical architecture in the building of Christian churches. Notre Dame des Victoires is a great resort of pilgrims. The church of the Vow of the Sacred Heart, at present in course of erection on Montmartre, will when finished be one of the most remarkable buildings in Paris from its com manding site, the extent of its crypt, and the vast proper-