420 



PARIS (THEATRES.) 



colony on the Senegal and Minorca. To Spain she 

 restored Havana, but received all Florida from Spain, 

 while France ceded Louisiana to Spain. 2. IVace 

 concluded, September 3, 1783, by Great Britain with 

 France, Spain, and the United States, after several 

 preliminary treaties, and on May 20, 1784, with the 

 United Netherlands. Great Britain acknowledged 

 the independence of the thirteen United Stales ; 

 France received back with St Lucia the other colo- 

 nies, and retained Tobago and Senegal ; Spain re- 

 tained Minorca, and received back Florida ; the 

 Dutch were obliged to leave Negapatam in the hands 



of the British 3. The peace of May 30th, 1814, 



consisting of four separate treaties of France with 

 Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain. (See 

 France since 1814.) The German states were to be 

 united in a federative system ; Switzerland's inde- 

 pendence was guaranteed ; the house of Orange was 

 to reign in the Netherlands, and Belgium to be added 

 to its dominions, &c. 4. Peace or treaty of Novem- 

 ber 20, 1815. (See France since 1814 ) On the 

 same day, Austria, Russia, Great Britain, and 

 Prussia, renewed the treaty of Chaumont (q. v.), and 

 united for the maintenance of the second peace of 

 Paris that of November 20, 1815. The two last 

 treaties are often spoken of as the " first and second 

 peace of Paris." 



Paris Theatres. (For the history of the French 

 drama, see the article France, division, Dramatic Art 

 and Poetry.) In genteel comedy, comic opera, and 

 the lighter comedy, the French stage is inimitable ; 

 and a visitor in Paris cannot fail to observe the deli- 

 cate taste of the Parisians in every thing relating to 

 the stage. The Parisian, in his principal theatre, 

 witnesses the constant repetition of the masterpieces 

 of his classic poets, with an occasional novelty in the 

 same style, and is satisfied if the actors perform their 

 parts well ; but his judgment of their performance is 

 strict, and his criticism severe. There is no city 

 where the people attend the theatre so regularly. 

 The British and German theatres are much below 

 the French in delicacy and refinement : any thing 

 low or vulgar is instantly condemned in a Paris 

 theatre, and the highest regard is paid to the mo- 

 desty of the female sex. The constant noise which 

 is heard in the British and German boxes is un- 

 known in France ; the most popular pieces are never 

 interrupted by loud bursts of applause. The police 

 prevent confusion at the entrances, and each person 

 stations himself d la queue of those already collected; 

 that is, each stands behind another, so that several 

 files are often formed ; and no one is suffered to leave 

 his position till the doors are opened. The number 

 of theatres in 1 830 was twenty-four. The principal 

 are supported by the government ; among them are, 

 1. The grand opera (Academic Royale de Musique.) 

 The richest decorations, an enchanting ballet, splen- 

 did costumes, beautiful scenery, and a powerful or- 

 chestra of 200 musicians, are all here united to 

 bewilder the senses. The French heroic opera with 

 ballets, the opera seria, and some pantomimic ballets, 

 are represented here. The serious French vocalism 

 can never be agreeable to an ear accustomed to 

 Italian and German music, especially when it is car- 

 ried to excess, as is often done in this theatre. The 

 rhythmical recitatives and the choruses are more 

 pleasing. On this stage, the operas of Gluck and 

 Sacchini are, as it were, at home ; and no where 

 else in Europe have they been represented in such 

 perfection. The dances which accompany the grand 

 operas, and the grand pantomimic ballets which 

 follow the opera, excel every thing of the kind, 

 except the grand Italian opera in London. On no 

 other stage on the continent is the ballet, as a 

 whole, so complete as in the Paris grand opera. 



The beautiful opera house in the rue Richelieu was 

 closed after the assassination of the duke of Berri, 

 in 1820, and finally taken down. The present op<-ra 

 house in the Chaussoe d'Antin was opened in 1821 ; 

 it accommodates 2000 persons. The most celtbrated 

 singers and dancers in the records of this theatre are 

 Mad. Guimard, St Huberty, Arnauld, Armand, 

 Branchu, Madlle. Gardel, and MM. Lais, Lain?/, 

 Vestris, Gardel, Milon, and Duport. The most 

 eminent recent performers have been MM. Nourrit, 

 Derivis, Dabadie, Bonel, Prevost, and Mad. Gras- 

 sarie, Dabadie, Sainville. The best female dancers 

 were Mad. Bigotini, Hulin, Anatole, Albert, Mari- 

 nette, Fanny Bias, Elie, Noblet ; and the male 

 dancers MM. Paul, Albert, Noblet, Milon, Montjoie, 

 Capelle, Coulon, Gosselin, &c. 2. Theatre Francais 

 properly called Premier Theatre Francois), in the rue 

 Richelieu, is connected with the Palais Royal. It 

 was first opened in the Hotel Bourgogne, in the 

 year 1518. In 1650, Moliere became an actor 

 there. In 1689, it was removed to the rue Fosses 

 St Germain ; in 1770, to the Tuileries ; in 1782, to 

 the Odeon ; and, in 1799, when this was burnt, to 

 the present edifice, built by Louis. The interior is a 

 sort of circus. The gallery is supported by twenty- 

 six Doric columns, which form a complete semi- 

 circle around the pit; and between these columns 

 are the boxes. The theatre was erected in 1787 

 89, and in 1822, the interior was wholly new- modeled, 

 under the direction of Percier and Fontaine. The 

 repertory of this stage consists solely of acknowledged 

 masterpieces of French classic literature, ancient and 

 modern, both tragedy and genteel comedy. It is 

 very seldom that a young actor ventures to attempt 

 both these branches, and hence the actors are 

 generally attached to one or the other exclusively. 

 The immortal chef-d'ceuvres of Corneille, Racine, 

 Voltaire, Crebillon, and Moliere are here performed. 

 Genteel comedy seems here to be in its native home. 

 Truth, and nature, and elevated simplicity, conspire 

 to make the performances attractive and interesting. 

 The scenery is truly enchanting. The following 

 performers have rendered their names classic 

 here : Baron, Brizard, Lekain, Clairval, Mole, 

 Larive, Fleury, Aufresne, Dufresne, Grandmenil, 

 Grandval, Monvel, St Phal, Preville, St Prix, Van- 

 hove ; and the actresses Lecouvreur, Gaussin, Du- 

 mesnil, Clairon, Devienne, Contat, Raucourt. The 

 tragic department is now in the hands of Lafont, 

 and Mad. Duchesnois and Paradol ; the comic in 

 those of Damas, Faure, Granville, Michelot, Bap- 

 tiste, Michot, and Armand, in connexion with Mile. 

 Mars (one of the first actresses that ever graced the 

 French stage), Mad. Bourgoing, Leverd, Hervey, 

 Dupuis, and Mante. 3. The comic opera (called, 

 also, the Comedie Lyrique and the Theatre Feydeau) 

 is one of the most fascinating of the French theatres. 

 The principal composers for this opera have been 

 Nicole, Mehul, Berton, Gre"try, Dalayrac, Monsigny, 

 Boyeldieu, Blangini, Solie, Dezedes, &c.; the prin- 

 cipal writers Etienne and Hoffman, Bouilly, Nan- 

 teuil, Sedaine, Duval, Dupaty, Scribe, &c. Among 

 the best actors are Martin, whose performances, in 

 his own department, are inimitable ; Chenard, Juliet, 

 Ponchard, Huet, Darancourt,Castel; and Mesdames 

 Boulanger, Ponchard, Paul, Pradher, Rigaud, &c. 

 4. D Odeon, or Second Theatre Francais, in the 

 suburb St Germain, near the Luxembourg, was built 

 in 1791, under the superintendence of Peyre and 

 Wailly. It was then called the Theatre Francait, 

 as the first company to which that name had been 

 given performed in it. In 1799, it was burnt, but 

 was rebuilt, and occupied by a second company, set 

 up to rival the first French theatre ; it was then 

 called Theatre de VOdeon, In 1818, it was again 



