



rt PARI& 



or MBaie, and declaring Paris in a state of siege. The leaden of the 

 OrUaubt and Republican parties Thiera, Cbangarnier, CaTaignac, 

 Lantorteiera, and other*, were arrested and thrown into the Castle of 

 Viaeannea, and Park wai occupied with troops. The mult of the 

 Prince's appeal to the people WM the maintenance of bu authority on 

 the bane proposed iu hu decree of December 2 by 7,489,216 affir- 

 < rotes against 640,737 negative ones. In the course of September 

 in the following year the councils-general of the French departments 

 prayed for the stability of the Prince's power, and the majority of 

 them for the re-establishment of the empire. The necessary prelimi- 

 naries for the proposed change in the constitution were taken by the 

 Senate in November 1853, and a ' plebiscite ' resuscitating the imperial 

 dignity in the person of Louis Napoleon obtained 7,864,189 affirmative 

 rotes against 253,146 negative onea from the electors of France on 

 November 21 and 22. Accordingly Louis Napoleon was proclaimed 

 Emperor from the Hotel-de-Ville on December 2, 1852, and took the 

 title of Napoleon III., thus asserting the claim of the Duke of Heich- 

 stadt, son of Napoleon I., to be Emperor of the French. 



The part of the valley of the Seine in which Paris stands is screened 

 by two chains of hills. On the rieht bank the series sweeps round 

 nearly in a semicircle, forming the hill of Bercy in the south-east, the 

 heights of Charonnc, Mitailmontaiit, Belleville (the western part of 

 which is called the hill of Chaumont), La-Villette, and Montmartre, 

 The hill of Montmartre Mopes down westward to the plateau of 

 Monceau, where the ground again rises to the hill of Chaillot at the 

 extreme west of the city. The highest points are the hills of Mout- 

 inartre, Mdnilmontaut, and Chaumont, which rise from 262 to 295 feet 

 above the valley. On the south side the heights that screen the valley 

 are lower. Opposite Bercy the bank of the river is level, but the 

 ground rises slowly to the plateau of Ivry and the hill of Cailles, 

 beyond which runs the Bievre. North of the Bievre the ground rises 

 sensibly, and forms the hill of Sainte-Genevieve, which is covered with 

 buildings. This hill is joined towards the south-south-west to the 

 plateau of Mont-Souris, to the west of which the surface slopes down 

 to Petit-Montrouge, and again rises near the barriers of Mont-Pnrnasse 

 and Maine ; thence there is a slight declivity to Vatigirard, between 

 which and the Seine is the wide plain of Gi-enelle. At a distance of 

 two and a half to five miles from these heights there is another and 

 higher aeries of hills, comprising the heights of Villejuif, Kungis, Hay, 

 Bagneux, Mouilon, SL-Clouti, and Mout-Valcricn, the highest point 

 around Paris, being a few feet higher than Montmartre. A large 

 portion of the southern part of Paris is built over vast caverns formed 

 by quarrying the rock. These old quarries have been converted into 

 catacombs, in which are deposited the bones of the dead collected 

 from the cemeteries that formerly existed within the bounds of the 

 city. The great cemetery of Paris is that of P6re-la-Chaise, to the east 

 of the city, on the slope of the hill of Charonne. There are cemeteries 

 also on the hill of Montmartre. 



The Seine enters Paris at Bercy, on the south-east, and flows with 

 a gentle curve convex towards the north, and leaves the city at Paasy, 

 on the extreme i ist, after a course of about five miles. Near the 

 middle of the distance it forms two islands, the ile-St-Louis and the 

 lie de-la-CiU<, which are covered with buildings. The former Isle of 

 Louvier, which was used as a depot for firewood, is now united to the 

 quay. In all its length the river is lined with broad stone quays, 

 backed by many fine buildings. The quays, which have been recently 

 enlarged, repaired, and levelled, are fenced with parapets, and furnished 

 with numerous wharfs and landing-places. Barges of large tonnage 

 are towed up the river from Rouen and Havre with colonial and other 

 produce for the supply of the capital ; steamers also ply on the Seine. 

 In 1854 a vessel, built at Bordeaux for the purpose, sailed from Rio 

 Janeiro direct to Paris, and unloaded her cargo on the quays. The 

 winding course of the river however, and the difficulties of the navi- 

 gation [SEISE], prevent Paris from being a nea-port; the advantages 

 of such a position are already conferred upon the city by the railways 

 that connect it with all the principal sea-ports of France. The Seine 

 is kept clear from all impurities ; it flows between its beautiful quays 

 in a stream so pure that, after traversing the whole length of J'aris, 

 one may see the bottom in a clear day. There are numerous baths 

 and swimming schools upon it, and places resembling roofed boats 

 with open aides, in which linen is washed and got up. The river is 

 spanned by above twentv bridges, many of which have been repaired 

 or partly rebuilt since the re-establishment of the empire. The most 

 celebrated of the bridges of Paris is the Pout-Neuf, which crosses the 

 Seine at the north side of the Ile-de-la-CiUS, and is embellished with a 

 statue of Henri IV. A new bridge, to be called Alma, is now (March, 

 1856) being constructed between the Pout-des-Invalides and the Pont- 

 de-Jena which is to be connected by new avenues with the barracks 

 of the Ecole Militaire and with the triumphal arch de-1'Etoile. The 

 bridge* of Paris afford many noble views, and the quays form cheerful 

 and healthy promenades. 



Commencing on the left bank of the Seine, at the distance of a mile 

 and a half south from the terminus of the Orleana railway, which is in 

 the Boulevard de-1'Hdpital, on the south side of the Jardin-des- 

 Plaute, the great bastioned wall that girds Paris runs westward across 

 the plain on the south side of the city, and a little to the northward 

 of Ivry, Arcueuil, Grand Qentilly, Montroug,-, Vanvres, and Issy, 

 striking the Seine again opposite Le-Point-du-Jour ; here starting from 



PARIS. 80 



the right bank of the river, it sweeps round sharply to north-north- 

 east along the eastern side of the Bois-de-Boulogne, which it separates 

 from the suburbs of Auteuil and Paasy ; having crossed the hii;h road 

 to NViiiUy about three-quartern of a mile west of the triumphal arch 

 De-rfitoile, it runs north-east and east, inclosing the plateau of 

 Monoeaux and the height* of Batignollei and Montmartre ; in the 

 angle between the 8t-L>enis and the Ourcq canals, which it spans 

 respectively a little north and east of the suburb of La-Villette, the 

 wall turns south along the eastern side of Belleville and Pere-la-Chaiae, 

 and to the east and south of Bercy, between which and Charenton it 

 again reaches the right bank of the Seine. At distances varying from 

 one to three miles from the wall a series of detached forts are built, one 

 of which, Fort-de-Charenton, stands in the angle between the Seine and 

 the Marne, near the Veterinary School of Alfort ; five between Ivry and 

 Issy command all the approaches on the south ; the castle of Vincennea, 

 and four forts erected among the hills that intervene between the 

 Marne and the Ourcq Canal, command the approaches from the east ; 

 to the north of (it-Denis are two strong forts, one of which spans the 

 great north road, and the other commands the Seine opposite 1 

 iK-nis ; on the left bank of the Seine, which to the west of the city 

 runs parallel with the bastioned wall, and at a distance of between 

 one and two miles from it, a strong fort with bomb-proof casemates, 

 and large barracks, are built on Mout-VaUlrieu. 



The outline of Paris, defined by the wall of 1787, approximates to 

 an oval, having its longer diameter from west-north-west to east-south- 

 east about 5| miles, and its shorter diameter 3 j miles. The circuit of 

 the wall is 15 miles. The included area is 8500 acres. The number 

 of barriers, or entrances, through this wall is about 50. Most of these 

 barriers have toll-houses attached to them, at which the local duties 

 on goods entering the capital are levied. Round this wall, on 

 the outer side, is a road planted with fine rows of trees, forming the 

 outer boulevards. Mo.it of the barriers are approached by wide roads 

 lined with double rows of trees, forming magnificent approaches to 

 the city. 



The wall of 1787 incloses several portions which, as being without 

 the walls demolished by Louis XIV., were designated ' faubourgs,' or 

 suburbs, and which still retain that name. Of these suburbs and 

 quarters the following are the principal : On the west, Chaillot, adja- 

 ceut to the Champs-Elysees ; on the north-west, the Faubourg St.- 

 Honored and the Faubourg Du-Roule ; on the north, the Chaussee- 

 d'Autin (one of the handsomest and most regularly-built quarters in 

 Paris), the Faubourg Montmartre, the Faubourg Poissounicre, the 

 Faubourg St.-Denis, and the Faubourg St.-Martin ; ou the north-east, 

 the Faubourg Du-Temple ; on the east, the Faubourg St.-Antoine : 

 all these are on the right or north bank of the Seine. On the opposite 

 bauk, in the south-east part of the city, is the Faubourg St.-Victor; 

 on the south part are the Faubourgs St.-Marcel, St. -Jacques, and St.- 

 Michel ; and in the south-west are the Faubourg St-Ucrmain nn<l the 

 quarter of Qros-Caillou. The suburbs which surround Paris on the 

 outside of the wall of 17S7 are Auteuil and Passy on the west; 

 Batignolles, Montmartre, and La Villette, on the north; Belli villr, 

 Menilinontant, Charonne, and Bercy, on the east ; Montrouge, Vaugi- 

 rard, and Orenelle, on the south. AH these suburbs, with a wide belt 

 of fields, gardens, and uniuclosed land, are now girt by the bastioned 

 wall ; they are noticed under the article on the department of S 



Before 1789 Paris was divided into three parts, named City, Town, 

 and University; and subdivided into 20 quarters. In the year just 

 mentioned au ordinance of Necker divided it into 60 districts, each of 

 which furnished a battalion of national guards, and elected a deputy 

 of the Tiers-fitat. For this arrangement the Constituent As 

 in 1790 substituted the division into 48 sections. A few years later 

 the city was divided into 12 arrondisseuients, each administered by a 

 mayor and corporation, and subdivided into 4 quarters'. This arrange- 

 ment still subsists. The general government of the city is vested in 

 two prefects the prefect of the department of Seine, and the prefect 

 of police. 



The central part of the town, which is by far the oldest, has narrow 

 crooked streets, formed by lofty houses, chiefly built of stone. The 

 outer parts of the town are more regularly laid out. The old streets 

 are without foot-pavements and the kennel is in the middle of the 

 street. The streets are lighted with gas. Great improvements have 

 been made of late years ; pavements have been laid with flag-stones for 

 pedestrians : all modern streets are provided with foot pavement?, 

 which have also been extended to the older streets that an 

 enough to admit of them. The boulevards are a line of streets form- 

 ing a circuit of smaller extent than the city wall. They indicate, on 

 the north of the river, the line of the ramparts and ditches demolished 

 and filled up by Louis XIV. ; on the south side they are of later 

 and take a wider circuit than the ancient walls. They are planted 

 throughout with alleys of trees. The northern boulevards are the 

 gayest thoroughfares in Paris : they are flanked by fine ranges of 

 houses and adorned with numerous fountains. Here are some of the 

 principal hotels, coffee-houses, and restaurants of Paris. On the 

 north side of these boulevards are the Porte-St.-Murtin and the Porte- 

 St-Denis, two splendid triumphal arches, erected in honour of the 

 victories of Louis XIV. 



The largest of the old places, or squares, are the Placc-de-la-Con- 

 corde, the Place- Venddmc, the Place-des-Victoires, and the Plaee-du- 



