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93»; There are numerous small town gardens in Paris, and many houses have gardens
o V t t e r o L In a work entitled Le Jardinier des Fenêtres the author dn-eots
liow a eonsidenihle eollcetion of plants may be grown on the roofs sowinn
botany he says, hut many of tho operations ot gardening, such as planting, sowing
nraftinir striking hy cuttings, pruning, training. See., may be thus taught, so as to givo
L rso n fw lio piiss their youth in towns in acquiring an indeijcndftcy, such a knowledge
of countiw in L c rs as may lead them to retire there, when the objects oi their mdustey
h w L e e ? oUa nod Tlmrc are also town gardens entirely of an architectural character.
O n e oi t o e t X om e s t of these which we happened to see hi 1828, was that oi a young
S i t e t a Lïio unfortunately spent his whole fortune in creating it. The garden was in
a dilapidated state ; but the house {fS - « • ) “ tolerable repair.
236. There are several small villas in Ae neighbourhood f “ u r wortoy r f notice
All these, as weU as the public gai-den of that place, wore fomp d out of tho p aik o
renthièvrcs. Next in interest to the grounds of Admiral Tchitchagoff wore those of
M Van d em arcq ; the former depended chiefly ou art, tho latter on nature. They consisted
of twenty or thirty acres, with considerable diversity of suriacc. They were laid
out during the consulate for MademoiseUo Mars, tho celebrated actress by toe a rd iite a
C C d f who laid out Malmaison. The place was not without .“ "X ^Lm osT o S
but it was deficient in small groups ; and when we saw it, in 1828, it wm, like most o tou
Fi-ench villas, very badly kept. Tho yiUa formerly hclongmg to the Countess J Biueo
is chiefly remarkable for its greenhouses anil its exotics ; that oi M. Comte toi the
arohitcctm-al remains of tho palace of Pcntliièvrcs j and th a t of M. Sartons is a good
deal in the English manner. This last place, in 1840, wm found y®YP'®ft.™Yrsìble
by tho growth of tho trees -, the exccUcnt effect produced hy grouping them being visible
garderw at Rouen arc kept in good order, and for the most part
contain collections of orange tre es; that of Mi'. Itogh. an Englishman
humh-cd trees, which, in 1823, produced 1400 lbs. oi blossoms ; which sei , on an avoiago
of years at throe francs per pound. The sum produced is supposed to pay som^e
thiiig mmo than tho expense of keeping tho trees; a circumstance which accounts for
the number of orange trees in France. The villa o f the Ahbé Gossler was in the Rue
du Nord. The situation is one of the highest in the town ; and from a pavilion on tho
top of the house were seen the whole of the town and an extensive rcacli of the river.
The garden contained above an acre, suiToundcd by a wall, and somewhat varied in surface
by nature, but much more so by the art and taste of the abbé. Before the principal
front of the house was a small lawn, bordered hy groups of trees, whicli completely concealed
the town, and formed a varied outline to the sky and the distance. All except
this lawn was in the artificial style suited to a walled garden, and consisted of teiTaccd
slopes, espaliers, hedges, dwaif fruit trees, vines, shrubs, fanciful little railings, and a
line of posts and chains. Tlicrc was an orangery ; and among a variety of curious contrivances
about the house was a painting of a portière and a watch-dog, calculated to
surprise a stranger on entering from the street. This villa is now destroyed.
2 3 8 . The public gardens arid promenades of France are numerous and well arranged.
Most of the to-wns, being fortified, have no suburbs ; and the instant a rambler passes the
barrière, he finds himself in the open and cultivated country. Except in Normandy
and some parts of Touraine, there arc no hedgerows, or shady fields intersected by
paths ; consequently very few towns have any country walks. The mildness of the
climate makes the people enjoy passing mucli of their time in the open air, and their
social disposition inclines them to congregate together. Public gardens and promenades
thus become necessary appendages to every town in France ; particularly as the groivth
and beauty of the jilants and trees which they contain arc not liable to be injured, as
with us, by a dense atmosphere loaded with coal smoke : and what can be a greater
luxury than to find iu the centre of a large city a beautiful public garden with its open
scenes of gaiety and bustle ; the distant hum of men licai'd in the stillness of its thick
and shaôy gi’ovcs ; its lengthened perspectives of trees, vistas, statues, and fountains ; its
cofice and rcfrcsliments ; its music and dancing on certain occasions ; and, finally, the
sprinkling of mind whicli is thrown over the whole by the scattered stations of those
who hfrc out chairs and periodical literature ! It would take too much space to mention
even a small proportion of the public gardens in France ; but as they all ai-e nearly alike,
a few will serve to give a clcai- idea of the rest.
2 3 9 . I'he principal promeiiades and public gardens o f Paris are those of the Tuileries
and of the Luxembourg; but those of the Palais Royal, Tivoli, &c., may also be
reckoned among the number of jiublic gardens, ns the Boulevards, the Champs Elysecs,
and the Bois dc Boulogne, may among the promenades.
The gardens ofthe Tuileries arc invaluable from their situation in the centre of Paris, and from their
being open a t all times to th e public. They have open airy walks for winter, and shady walks and deep
yet airy groves for summer; flower-borders, in which a constant succession of showy flowering plants
IS kept up ; lawns kept green by daily watering ; fountains, which however do not play so fr(*qaently or
80 magnificently as they should; and a number of very beautiful statues. During tho summer, the
principal walks arc bordered by lofty orange trees in tubs.
The gardens of the Luxembourg resemble, in general character, those of the T uilerics ; but near tho - 1 . . . _________________________ _ ., r.I- \___;perhaps, more ornamo ____ - ................................. *J ? A .1 ...1.: .1-
strikes a stranger, a t first sight, is the ascent from th e platform in front of the palace to th e central
avenue. This ascent is much too near for dignity of effect. Had it been considerably greater, it would
have had a character of its own, and might have proved a feature of in tere st; as it is, it militates against
the idea of frceilom of choice as to situation, or of liberty to extend operations on every side; and,
consequently, against general grandeur of expression. T h e avenue is long and flat, and its termination
is bad; a commonplace observatory tower in the horizon, backed by the sky. Notwithstanding these
disadvantages, the groves, or hosqutis, as they are called, are good of their kind, and constitute great
luxuries in the midst of a crowded city. The gardens of tlie Luxembourg are celebrated for the cultivation
of fruit trees, vines, and roses. In one of the quarters there is a compartment for experiments
belonging to the Royal Agricultural Society.
The garden ofthe Palais Royal deserves to be mentioned for th e beautiful verdure of its turf, which is
maintæncd by nightly watering during the summer season. T h e garden itself somewhat resembles
tliosc in tho squares of I.ondon. In the centre is a fountain, and a sundial (méridien à detonation), for
indicating mid-day by the firing of a small cannon, the gunpowder being ignited by the concentration of
th e sun’s rays. In IK-IO, this was tho best kept public garden in Paris. The beds were richly stocked
with flowers regularly placed, each plant forming a largo mass, aud kept quite distinct, though nearly
touching the adjoining plant. The width of the bed admits only of two rows, and there are always two
plants of the same kind placed opposite each other. T h e number of kinds of plants employed is,
perhaps, not above a dozen, but they are finely grown, and produce a most brilliant (‘llbct.
Tivoli was called the Parisian Vauxhall ; it was, however, very inferior to its London prototype, both
in extent and variety. The principal attraction consisted in sliding in a car with great velocity down
inclined planes called tho Montagnes Russes. T h e gardens of Beaujeu, and many others, were of a
similar description. AU are now destroyed.
The Guingtoettcs are public gardens for tho lower orders, and are generally neatly kept gardens, with
alcoves, ftc., within thickets of young elms. These alcoves are usually complete bowers, cut in the
trees, and have each a little table, on which the people take refreshment. The number of each alcove is
suspended by a wire from the trees ; and almost every garden has a saloon appropriated for dancing aud
The Boulevards consist of two belts or zones which encircle Paris, one within th e other. They were
planted with fine trees of the small-lcavcd elm, but many of these were cut down during the Revolution
of .lulv, 1830, and the remainder during the Revolution of 1848. .
The Champs Eli/sccs partake of the mingled characteristics of Hyde Park and Kensington (.ardons.
The ground is planted with trees, which are cut into alleys, in various directions. I he grand avenue is
vorv lino: th e view being terminated a t one end by the palace and gardens ot the lu ilc n c s , and at the
other by the triumphal arch a t the Barrière do I’Ktoile. T h e alleys iu the Champii Elyseos were decorated
about 184(), by the erection of eight new fountains, and by the erection of a large Inulding c a ftd
the Jardin d’lliv e r {Jig. 65.), which was placed between th e Rond Pont and tlie Avenue Morboeut 1 ho
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