170 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



to us as the place where the Stuarts kept their petty 

 court so many years. It is now converted into a mili- 

 tary penitentiary, and I was not anxious to examine 

 the interior, as I am informed scarce any of the 

 original apartments or furniture remain. The exte- 

 rior is striking, quite of the old style, built of the 

 same red bricks as the central portion of Versailles. 

 What is most worth seeing here is the terrace, a beau- 

 tiful park, extending for almost two miles along the 

 brow of the high ridge, with the most beautiful view 

 from it of the valley beneath and before you, the hills 

 that bound your view, and the numerous villages scat- 

 tered here and there. A finer situation cannot be 

 imagined. The Seine, after passing Paris, makes a 

 bold, double turn. The view extends quite to Paris 

 (fifteen miles) though the city is nearly concealed from 

 view, yet you see the grand Arc de 1'Etoile distinctly. 

 In the summer it must be surpassingly beautiful. At 

 four o'clock I descended the steep declivity to the 

 commencement of the railroad, took a little refresh- 

 ment ; at twenty minutes past four we started in cars 

 propelled by steam, and in an hour I was in Paris 

 and taking my dinner at the Restaurant Colbert. 

 A pretty good day's work ! 



Saturday, went to dine at Mr. Webb's ; a little 

 party, a bachelors' party, for Webb is single, 

 consisting of Dr. Montagne, M. Berthelot, M. and 

 Mine. Ramon de la Sagra, M. Spach and his wife, 

 and a young Spaniard whose name I do not recollect. 

 Webb is quite a polyglot ; he speaks French, Span- 

 ish, Portuguese, Italian, Modern Greek, and I know 

 not what besides his mother tongue. At half past 

 nine I left, took a cabriolet for Delessert's, where I 

 had been invited to an evening party ; found there 



