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Rh, made them into spacious roads and planted them out with trees, until they became what they are now—the finest and most spacious streets in Europe.

Starting again from the Place de la Concorde along this circle we first come to the Church of the Madelenie, a modern Church commenced in 1764, but completed only in 1830. It is a superb and magnificent structure after the pattern not of Christian churches but of Greek temples and measuring 354 ft. in length and 141 ft. in width, and 100 ft. in height. It is flanked on all sides by sixty massive Corinthian columns which add to its imposing appearance. I attended high mass inside this Church on one of the Sundays I passed in Paris.

Leaving the Madeleine behind we stroll eastwards by the Boulvard de Capucines and soon come to the new Opera of Paris, the finest theatre-house in the world. It was commenced in 1861 in the palmy days of the empire, but the republic did not neglect its completion which took place in 1874. It covers the site of 400 or 500 houses which had to be destroyed for the construction of this superb building! The land alone cost £5,00,000, and the building £1.500,000. The costliest materials were used in its construction, and the staircase alone built of fine stones of different colours is a sight to see. The "Cid" was acted on the night that I was in the opera, and the music and the scenic decorations were good.

We proceed further eastwards by the Boulevard des Italiens with its splendid shops and brilliant cafés and