170 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE.  [1839, 
to us as the place where the Stuarts kept their petty 
court so many years. Itis 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 Are de l’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 
Mme. 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 
