of Napoleon, but as those victories were ultimately crowned by defeat,
it is more consistent to consider the Triumphal Arch as a triumph of art
than of arms; as certainly the magnificence and sublimity of the design
is only to be equalled by the exquisite beauty of the execution. Having
passed this noble monument and splendid specimen of architectural
talent, the Champs Elysées extend in all their beauty to the view of the
beholder, presenting a fine broad road with rows of lofty trees on
either side, whilst handsome buildings and superb fountains are
occasionally visible from behind the foliage; and one of the latter,
which rises exactly in the centre, has a most happy effect; from this
circle several roads diverge in different directions, displaying various
objects of interest, but none of so high an order as that of the
Hospital of Invalids, for aged and wounded soldiers, the whole expanse
of which is seen in the distance at the end of a long wide avenue of
trees. From the Triumphal Arch on either side extends a row of
ornamental lamps for nearly a mile, which when lighted have the most
brilliant effect; and when it is considered how very small the
distances are between each lamp, I believe the assertion to be correct,
that there is not another such display of gas anywhere to be found.
Arrived at the Place Louis Quinze, or Place de la Concorde, as it is now
called, such a coup d'oeil is presented as remains unrivalled in
Europe, or indeed, in any part of the world. On one side, at the end of
a handsome and regular street, called the Rue Royale, rises in majestic
height the Madeleine, with its noble columns crowned by its sculptured
entablature in mezzo relievo, and adorned by its numerous statues, yet
preserving a chaste simplicity throughout the whole. On the opposite
side facing it, in a direct line at the end of a bridge, is the Chamber
of Deputies, resembling a Roman temple; its style is severe and its
_tout ensemble_ has an air of heavy grandeur, which is consistent with
an edifice in which are to be discussed the affairs of so great a