Chapter XXXI: Letter XXIX

The manufactory of “_Gobelins_,” the observatory, “_les Enfans
trouvés_,” “_Champ de Mars_,” les _Invalides_, and the temple
of Mars, containing the colours taken from different nations,
and the tomb of _Turenne_.—_Le Musée des Monumens françois_,
or collection of monuments.—List of the most esteemed of
these.—Note to this letter contains the account of a dinner at
the first consul’s.

Paris, may the 5th, 1802 (15 floréal).

MY DEAR SIR,

As my stay at Paris draws towards a conclusion, I have occupied the three or four last days in visiting those objects of curiosity, which as yet I had neglected to see.

The manufactory of _Gobelins_ deserves all its celebrity. The colours, the design, and the execution of the tapestry made here, are equal to the productions of the finest painting. I was shown some specimens, which were uncommonly beautiful, particularly two pieces, one of which represented the assassination of the admiral _Coligni_, and the other the heroic conduct of the _président Molé_, copied from the picture at Versailles, an account of which I have already given.

There are ninety persons now employed, of whom I saw several at work. It is astonishing with what facility they seem to perform the most difficult tasks, but I am told that the art is not learnt without much time and considerable attention. The apprenticeship requires six years, and at least eighteen are necessary to make a proficient. The workmen are not locked up within the walls of the manufactory, as was the case during the monarchy, but they are kept under the constant “surveillance[77] of the police.” Most of the pieces now in hand have been ordered by the first consul, and are destined to form the ornament of St. Cloud, and other public buildings.

From the _Gobelins_, situate in the most distant part of the Fauxbourg St. Germain, I drove along the new Boulevard to the observatory. I found here only some common sized telescopes, on which I observed with pride the respectable name of “Dollond,” of London. I was informed that a magnificent instrument of this kind is preparing on the plan of Herschel, which is to be twenty-two feet long, with a speculum of platina. It is to be moved on a platform, for the purpose of making observations, by means of a machine invented for the purpose. I ascended the top of the building, and the view thence, which commands all Paris, is grand and striking.

Near the observatory is the nursery of that humane establishment called “les Enfans trouvés,” which is still kept up on the old philanthropic plan. Orphan children, deprived by death of their parents, or abandoned by them, are received here without question, recommendation, or inquiry, and are nursed with tenderness, well fed, properly educated, and lastly, qualified for some trade or profession, in which they are afterwards placed at the expense of the public. Their infancy is passed in the building shown to me; they are, at a certain age, sent into the country, for the benefit of the air, and then return to the principal hospital of the institution at Paris, where their education is completed. Their number is seldom less than a thousand.

I shall continue to speak of the different objects I have lately seen, in the same order in which I visited them.

The _Champ de Mars_, where, on the 14th of july, 1790, I was present, when the unfortunate Lewis XVI received and repeated the oath of fidelity to that constitution which was so soon violated, has still the remains of that vast amphitheatre, made by the activity and zeal of the parisians in the course of fourteen days, and on which were seated nearly a million of people. I recollected all the spots, where the principal authorities were placed on that memorable day; and it will be needless for me to repeat the innumerable reflections which were created by a remembrance of the extraordinary and many-coloured events which have since occurred. The _École Militaire_, which is now a barrack for the _consular horse guards_, forms the front and principal ornament of the _Champ de Mars_, which is terminated on the other side by the river _Seine_. _L’École Militaire_ was built, in 1751, from a plan of Gabriel. It has a handsome _façade_, and a lofty dome, with a dial, and the figures of Time and Astronomy.

The building of “les Invalides” presents one of the most striking objects of Paris. Besides the beauty of its construction, its handsome entrance, its four courts, its celebrated clock, its lofty dome, and elegant pillars, it contains, in the principal hall, or chapel, now called “le Temple de Mars,” the colours, or ensigns, taken during the war, by the republican armies, from the different powers opposed to France. This beautiful room at least a hundred feet long, is lined on all sides with the badges of triumph, many of which bear, from their tattered appearance, the most convincing proofs of not having been obtained without considerable difficulty. Among the innumerable colours of all nations, I perceived, with pride, that there were only two or three english; and these, from their size, had belonged to some ship, perhaps to a merchantman, or to that man of war, which, after sharing the glories of Aboukir, was taken by five french vessels of the line, after a resistance no less honourable than her former success. In the centre of this spacious apartment, to the right, surrounded by the trophies of his successors and countrymen, is placed the tomb of _Turenne_. This monument was removed to the Temple of Mars by the present government, and placed here, with considerable pomp, after having been saved from the fury of jacobinical rage, and preserved, by the care of _le Noir_, in the “_Musée des Monuments françois_.”

The circumstance which I have just mentioned, naturally leads me to speak of the last named institution, which I visited yesterday for the second time. On my arrival at Paris, I went to see _le Musée des Monuments françois_; and not being as much struck with the exhibition as I expected, from its great renown, I purposely postponed speaking of it, till I had had an opportunity of examining it again with all the attention it deserved. After several hours employed in this second view, I continue of my former opinion, that the spot[78], in which these monuments are collected, is infinitely too small; that the garden, meant to be the tranquil site of sepulchral honours, and the calm retreat of departed grandeur, is on so limited a scale, is so surrounded with adjoining houses, and altogether so ill arranged, that, instead of presenting the model of

“Those deep solitudes ...
Where heav’nly pensive Contemplation dwells,
And ever musing Melancholy reigns,”

it might easily be mistaken for the working yard of a statuary, or the pleasure ground of a tasteless citizen, decked out with Cupids, Mercuries, and Fauns.

It must, however, be acknowledged, that “_le Noir_,” by whose care this establishment was formed, deserves great credit for the courage with which he rescued the many precious monuments here deposited, from the barbarous and undiscriminating fury of revolutionary vandalism, for the perseverance and attention which has marked his conduct in the arrangement, and for the plan (whether successful or not, I shall not pretend to examine) of presenting complete and exact representations of the art of building in the different ages. Among the innumerable tombs, crowded together in this collection, of which a catalogue, in large octavo, is sold at the door, I observed many of great beauty, taste, and symmetry. Kings, poets, _belles_, philosophers, and painters, torn from the graves, in which, for centuries past, their remains had tranquilly reposed, would have had no stone to record their past celebrity, if this institution had not existed. The arts, too, are highly indebted to the founder, for the specimens of sculpture, many of them _chefs d’œuvre_, which are here seen in all their original perfection. Models, too, of ancient and celtic buildings are added to those of french architecture.

_Le Noir’s_ favourite plan of having a chapel for each century, ornamented with all the appropriate decorations, and containing the tombs of contemporary persons, is in part executed, and three or four ages have already their respective temples, completed in the taste of the times which belonged to them. These chapels have been much admired by persons, whose knowledge on such subjects entitle them to respect; and it would, therefore, be presumptuous in me to give a dissenting voice. I shall be pardoned, however, for remarking, that there appeared, in the whole arrangement, a kind of quackery, which prevented my feeling that unalloyed satisfaction which I had been led to expect; and that, in spite of my better judgment, I felt an inclination to laugh, when perhaps my tears ought to have flowed.

As every body must rejoice at the preservation of these monuments, whatever opinions he may entertain about the arrangement, I cannot help regretting, that they are not deposited in a place more worthy of containing them. Since the restoration of religion has removed every obstacle which could be started to such a project, would it not be worthy of the present government, decidedly the friend and protector of the arts, to order that all these precious specimens of sculpture should become the ornament of one or more of the principal churches of Paris, the present naked state of which is an additional argument in favour of the measure? What splendour would they not both receive and confer, in being removed either to _Notre Dame_, _St. Sulpice_, or _St. Généviève_?

To satisfy the curiosity which I know you entertain on such subjects, I examined, with attention, the principal objects, and marked in my catalogue those which seemed most deserving of notice. The following is the list:

No. 5. The tomb of Dagobert, with the figures of Nautilda his wife,
and Clovis his son.

94. The tomb of Lewis XII.

99. The Monument, or sepulchral Chapel, of Francis the First,
with Claude his wife.—(Destroyed in the revolution, and
restored by le Noir.)

105. Monument erected in honour of Ann of Montmorency.

111. A group of Graces.

113. Statue of Henry the Fourth of France, assassinated in 1610,
clad in a military dress. The artist was _Francavilla_,
or _Francevelle_, as he was otherwise called. The
catalogue mentions, that judging from the body, found
at St. Denys in 1793, and which was yet perfect, one
should suppose that this was a striking likeness.

115. Statue of _Claude Catherine de Clermont Tonnere_.

121. Statue in black marble, representing David after the death
of Goliath, by _Peter Francavilla_, in 1580.

146. Monument erected in honour of _Charles the Fifth_, taken
from _St. Germain-des-Prés_. His medallion, in bronze, is
by John Cousin.

174. The Mausoleum of the _Cardinal de Richelieu_, taken from the
_Sorbonne_.—This celebrated group of figures, after a
design by _le Brun_, was executed by _Girardon_, and
considered as his _chef-d’œuvre_.

187. The Mausoleum of _Cardinal Mazarin_, taken from the college
of that name. This monument, of white marble, is the work
of _Coyzevox_.

189. Statue of Ann of Austria, taken from the _Pont au Change_.
Executed by _Guillain_.

200. Monument, erected to _John Baptiste Colbert_, the celebrated
minister.

263. Monument, in marble, erected to the memory of _Charles le
Brun_, one of the most celebrated painters of the french
school. Taken from _St. Nicholas de Chardonnet_.

205. A group of Figures in black marble, representing _Francis
Michael Letellier Marquis de Louvois_, minister of state,
who died in 1691.—This was the work of _Girardon_.

207. This Monument, called _la Pyramide_, or the pillar of
_Longueville_, was erected by _Anne Généviève de
Bourbon_, duchess of _Longueville_, and was meant
in honour both of the first and second duke of that
name.

208. This is a Monument formed by _le Noir_, from the ruins of
that which formerly stood in _la place des Victoires_.
He has placed on the pedestal a figure of Abundance and
Equality.

210. A colossal Statue, taken from _les Invalides_, representing
_Charlemagne_. Executed by _Coyzevox_.

211. A colossal Statue of _Lewis the Eleventh_, in black marble,
executed by _Couston_. Taken from _les Invalides_.

214. A Statue of _Lewis the Fourteenth_, in black marble, by
_Michel Anguier_. The king is in a Roman dress.

218. A much admired Statue, by _Sarrasin_, of _St. Denys_ praying.
Taken from the abbey of _Montmartre_.

220 or 449. This fine Monument, executed under the immediate
orders and design of the celebrated architect _Bullant_,
was taken from _St. Martin_, at _Montmorency_, and was
erected in honour of _Ann de Montmorency_.

286. The marble Bust of _Lewis de Bourbon Condé_, called the
great _Condé_, from the chisel of _Coyzevox_.

384. This is a modern Monument, in honour of modern events, and
of living characters. It is the work of _Foucon_, and it
is meant to represent, allegorically, the peace of
Luneville, and to record the glory of _Bonaparte_.

448. This is a beautiful Statue, in black marble, of _Francis
the First_ on his death bed. Two thousand modern goths,
not content with mutilating this _chef-d’œuvre_, have
ventured to record their barbarity in writing on the
monument itself, or rather on what remains, their
dishonoured names, several of which are still apparent.
The convention, afterwards found it necessary to pass a
law, condemning to ten years imprisonment, in chains, the
mutilators or destroyers of the works of art.

The following are in the garden:

No. 467. From the _Chateau d’Anet_, a beautiful group, representing
Diana with a stag, accompanied by her dogs, _Procyon_ and
_Sirius_—supposed to be the work of _John Gougeon_, made
for the fountain in the park of _Diana_ of _Poitiers_, at
_Anet_.

471. Statue, in black marble, and on his knees, of Lewis II. Taken
from the church of _Notre Dame de Cléry_, where it was
dreadfully mutilated by the fury of the inhabitants. It
was the work of _Michael Bourdin_, of _Orleans_, who, not
satisfied with the price which he received for it, stole
a silver lamp from the church, for which crime he was
afterwards executed at _Orleans_.

507. A sepulchral Urn, containing the ashes of the celebrated
_René Descartes_, who died in Sweden, in the year 1650.

508. The Tomb of _Molière_, containing the body of that celebrated
dramatic writer. The following inscription appears:

“Molière & Thalie reposent dans ce tombeau[79].”

The whole is surrounded with myrtles, roses, and cypress
trees.

509. The tomb of J. de la Fontaine, containing his body.

510. This is a Monument with four fronts. It contains the busts
of _Molière_, _John la Fontaine_, _Boileau_, and _Racine_,
who were intimate friends, and sometimes lived together at
_Auteuil_.

511. The Tomb which, for some time, contained the mummy of
_Turenne_, first preserved in the _Musée de l’Histoire
Naturelle_, then removed to this spot, and lastly placed,
as I have before observed, in the Temple of Mars.

555. Sepulchral Urn, containing the ashes of the celebrated
_Boileau_, with this inscription:

“_Nicholas Boileau_ est dans ce tombeau[80].”

And above:

“Ainsi que mes chagrins, mes beaux jours sont passés,
Je ne sens plus l’aigreur de ma bile première,
Et laisse aux froids rimeurs, une libre carrière[81].”

_Boileau_, Epist. 5. à M. _Guilléraques_.

There are, doubtless, besides those which I have enumerated, many tombs deserving of notice; but I have specified these, on account of the celebrity of the artists, or that of the persons whose memory the monuments were intended to record. I send you a very imperfect account, yet it is the result of a six hours’ visit, made with no little care and attention.

_Le Noir’s_ catalogue, which, I understand, is now translating into english, concludes with a curious account of the state in which the bodies of the former kings of France were found at _St. Denys_, when, in the year 1793, the national convention, with a savage disregard of decency, and with a contempt for departed grandeur scarcely credible, ordered that the kings, princes, and other great men, who had for fifteen hundred years lain in peace at _St. Denys_, should be dragged from their tombs, in order that the lead, of which their coffins were made, should be converted into ball.

You will be surprised to hear, that the celebrated _Turenne_, preserved like a mummy, was instantly recognized by the resemblance which he still bore to his busts and pictures; and Henry the fourth was yet so perfect, (though he died in 1610), that not a feature was altered.

This account is already of such a length, that I shall make no apology for abruptly concluding it.

I am, &c.

_POSTSCRIPT._

Returning home to day, at half past four o’clock, from viewing some of the sights, (which I have mentioned in my letter), we found a messenger waiting with a note from the _Thuilleries_. It proved to be an invitation to Mrs. ⸺, from the first consul, asking her to dinner the same day at five. She dressed as quickly as possible, and drove to the palace. She is just returned; and from her statement, I send you the following short account.

The entertainment was extremely elegant, and the sight very striking. More than two hundred persons sat down to table in a splendid apartment. The company consisted, besides the family of Bonaparte, of the ministers, the ambassadors, several generals, senators, counsellors of state, and other constituted authorities. The number of women present was by no means in proportion to that of the men, and did not exceed fifteen. All the english ladies, who had been presented to madame Bonaparte, were invited (though not their husbands) to this entertainment; but it happened, that only two remained at Paris.

The dinner was served entirely on plate and _Sèvre china_, the latter bearing the letter B on every dish, and every plate; and the _plateau_ was covered with moss, out of which arose innumerable natural flowers, the odour of which perfumed the whole room.

The first consul and madame Bonaparte conducted themselves with much ease, and spoke very affably to those around them.

The servants were numerous, splendidly dressed, and highly attentive. The dinner lasted more than two hours.