1798.] 
a {mall lake which is now become a ftag- 
nant pool, extends a lawn, over which are 
irregularly {cattered a number of fmall 
thickets, allowing in their intervals a 
beautiful view of the country. On the 
right hana, tall clumps of poplars and 
planes half conceal the profpect of Little 
Trianon. Through the openings of this 
dark grove is feen an artificial rock of 
lime-ftone, from which heretofore iffued 
avith loud noife a cafcade, whofe waters 
flowed into the lake. It was in this pa- 
vilion that the queen ufually breakfafted, 
while the notes of rural mufic foothed her 
ears from the furrounding bower. The 
decorations of the leffer parlour exhibit a 
mafter-piece of painting iz frefco: it is 
icarcely poffible any where to find fupe- 
rior execution in that kind of painting, 
ora more tafteful and judicious feleStion 
of ornaments : they confift in feftoons of 
flowers, groups of fruit, trophies relative 
to the arts of peace, light arabefques, 
poetic fancies, difplaying at once an en- 
chanting contraft, together with the moft 
happy compofition and invention—each 
piece highly finifhed even in its minuteft 
parts. ‘They prefent with accurate pre- 
cifion that charaéter of fimple nature and 
rural peace which is fuited to this apart- 
, ment. The colours are {till as freth as 
when firft laid on; and the infpector care- 
fully takes every poffible precaution to 
peelerve thele paintings from being in- 
jured by the dampnefs of the air. 
_ On quitting this pavilion, a winding 
path leads through a grove, 2nd a plan- 
fation of flowering fhrubs, to a gentle 
flops, whence the eye commands the plain, 
an irregular lake with ruins on its mar- 
gin, and at the extremity a {mall hamlet 
half concealed in the wood. It confifts of 
eight houfes, calculated to reprefent the 
occupations of rural life—a mill, a barn, 
a {cnool-houle, a dairy, and other houfes, 
fuch as are ufeqd by the peafantry. 
Hach of thefe was herotofore delightfully 
furnifred ; and this hamlet was the fecret 
{cene of the private pleafures of the royal 
family, who here indulged in innocent and 
childifh amufements ; the king being ha- 
bited in the drefs of a miller, the queen 
an that-of a country gii!; Monficur (now 
Louis XVIII.) aéting as the {chool- 
malter ; and the family uled to pafs feve- 
ral days at the hamlet, dreffed in that 
ftyle. 
tion: the windows are for the moft part 
broken, the ftair-cafes half deftroyed, and 
fovered with the creeping fhoots of wild 
wine and ivy. It no longer refembles the 
fmiling abode of the lappy admirers cf 
PiGure of Ver fuilles fince the Revalution. 
At prejent it is a fcene of defola- 
417 
rural life, but rather the gloomy lurking- 
place of a band of robbers. 
The fituation of the Temple of Love 
{till prefents one of the mot charming 
fights in this park: it is feparated from 
the lodge of Little Trianon by a Jawn in- 
terfected by clumps of trees and clutters 
of fhrubs, and rifes half in fight above the 
encircling bower. ‘Twelve fluted columns 
ot the Corinthian order, and of elegant 
workmanfhip, fupport a cupola richly or- 
namented, under which ftood the charm- 
ing ftatue of Love, by Bouchardon, which 
has fince been transterred to the mufeum 
at Verfailles, 
Various fmaller buildings in the park 
are entirely demolifhed, or threatened with 
approaching ruin ; having neither doors, 
nor roofs, nor windows, and even a part 
of their walls being already pulled down. 
The frightful picture of deftruction and 
death has, in thefe once beautiful re- 
treats, fucceeded that of creative genius 
and well-regulated art. 
The palace of Great Trianon ftill ex- 
ifts, as in a favage wildernefs: but it has 
been firipped of all its paintings, and is 
alfo falling into ruin. The marble colon- 
nades alone feem dilpofed to brave the 
hand of deftruction. 
Thefe parts of the garden which form 
the immediate inclofure of the palace of 
Verfailles, are kept in gogd order, and are 
carefully preferved entire and unaltered. 
‘The water- works—not indeed all, but tle 
chief part of thera—are in good condition. 
‘The itatues, the groups, the vales, re~ 
main in their former {tations ; and care 
has ‘been taken to repair the damages they 
had fuffered from mutilation. ‘The fhock- 
ing {pectacle of the half-broken fatues 
has beenremoved from fight ; and there now, 
appear few victims of barbarilin, except 
fome bufts of Roman emperors, of which 
the nofes have been broken off, and a few 
vafes that have been injured in their. bafio- 
relievoss Theroyal ftatues that have been 
{pared, are ornamented with very ina} + 
propriate attributes. That of LouisX1V. 
which is in the great room of the Oran- 
gery, wears a cap of liberty, inftead of 
his flowing periwig, which has been ch’- 
feled off, and a’pike in lieu of lis com- _ 
mander’s truncheon: and left the public 
fhould miftake this new god of war in 
mafquerade, the folowing infcription has 
been placed on the pedettal—** The Gai- 
lic Mars, proteétor of the liberty of the 
world.’ ‘The fame metamorphofis his 
been effected in the coloffal baffo rilevo, 
by Couttou, reprefenting Louis XIV. cn 
horicback, in the great gallery cf the pz- 
Jace 
