J 28 GEOGRAPHY. 



by arcades of 180 arches, containing the most brilliant shops, &c.; the Palace 

 of the Bourse, and of the Chamber of Commerce, 208 feet long, adorned 

 with sixty-six Corinthian columns; the Library Building, containing, according 

 to different estimates, from 700,000 to 1,000,000 volumes, and over 80,000 

 manuscripts, 150,000 coins, and one million and a half of engravings and 

 charts ; the great church of St Eustache, with painted glass windows ; the 

 beautiful Magdalene Church, 318 feet long, 138 feet broad ; the Hospital of 

 St. Louis, with 800 beds ; the City Hall or Hotel de Ville. The largest 

 and most beautiful square is the Place de la Concorde (formerly Place 

 Louis XV., and Place de la Revolution), 780 feet long, and adorned with 

 the Obelisk of Luxor, a mass of granite 45 feet high ; other beautiful 

 squares are the Place du Carrousel, before the Tuileries, with a magnificent 

 triumphal arch 45 feet high ; the Champs Elysees, which leads to the 

 triumphal Arch de I'Etoile, 152 feet long, 138 broad, and 80 feet high; the 

 Place V^endome, 450 feet long, with the Victor's column of bronze, 140 feet 

 high, and 12 thick, having the statue of Napoleon on the top, access to which 

 is gained by 176 steps ; the Place Royale, with the equestrian statue of Louis 

 XIII. ; the Place de la Bastille, with the July column of bronze, 158 feet 

 high, and 10 feet thick ; the Place Louvois, the Place du Chatelet, and the 

 Marche des Innocens, all with beautiful fountains ; the Place des Victoires, 

 with the statue of Louis XIV., &c. 



h. The Ancient City, or Cit4 consists of three islands of the Seine. On 

 the largest of these. Cite in a restricted sense, or He du Palais, is situated 

 the grand church of Notre Dame, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, 390 

 feet long, 144 feet broad, with a dome 162 feet high, and two tow^ers of 204 

 feet. Here are also the Palace of the Archbishop ; the Palais de Justice ; 

 the prison Conciergerie ; and the Hospital Hotel Dieu, which contains 

 1500 beds in twenty-three rooms. The two other islands are termed St. 

 Louis and Louviers. 



c. In the inconsiderable portion of the city on the south bank of the 

 Seine (Universite), are the Museum of Natural History and the Botanic 

 Garden (Jardin des Plantes), with the richest menagerie in the world ; the 

 Castle of Luxemburg, with a large and beautiful garden ; the Pantheon, or 

 the former church of St. Genoveva, 340 feet long, with a superb dome, 

 supported by 130 columns ; the Hospital Salpetriere, for 5000 old women, 

 and the Insane Asylum Bicetre, for 3000 insane persons ; the Manufactory 

 of the Gobelins ; the Palace of the Chamber of Deputies, with a beautiful 

 hall with columns and extensive gardens, which end in a terrace 1500 feet 

 long ; the Observatory, wath a platform 85 feet high ; the Hotel des 

 Monnaies or the Mint Building, 360 feet long ; the Military School, now 

 Barracks, consisting of six buildings with fifteen courts, 1320 feet long, and 

 780 feet broad ; the Hospital of the Invalides, with a beautiful church, in 

 which is situated the tomb of Napoleon. The Champ de Mars is an 

 extensive square at the west end of the city, 2700 feet long and 900 feet 

 broad, serving for military parades. 



The most important of the bridges over the Seine are the bridge of Jena, 

 a stone bridge 460 feet long, the bridge or Pont de la Concorde, 600 feet 

 128 



