I l l
If
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These quays are almost every where in a straight line, and the greatest part of those
situated on the new bed of the Rhône are shaded by an avenue of trees on each side of
the terre-plein, which serves as a delightful promenade for the inhabitants. The stones
with which these quays are built, were brought from Savoy, a distance not less than
forty miles ; a circumstance which must have made them works of great labour and
expense.
T h e various bridges which are thrown across the Rhône and the Saone have a good
effect ; the wooden ones in particular are worth notice, from their singular construction,
and boldness of execution. The one which leads to the village of Broteaux, on the left
bank of the Rhone, is particularly so. The stone bridge, La Guillotih-e, although of
ancient date, is still handsome, and makes a noble appearance. It consists of twenty
arches ; and, instead of being built in a straight line over the river, describes a kind
of curve, which, like that of St. Esprit, forms a convexity to oppose the current, and
doubtless for a similar reason, the bend being certainly better calculated to resist the
force of the Rhône, which is here excessively rapid. In the centre of the same bridge
stands a square tower, the gates of which are' shut every night at the same hour. This
tower originally served as the limit betwixt the Dauphiné and Lyonese provinces.
Among the public edifices which adorn this great city, are the hospitals and
maisoTis de charité : they are of vast extent, and display much elegance of external
symmetry. The Hotel Dieu in particular, which is built on the quay contiguous to the
Rhône, presents to the eye a complete piece of architecture, the pediment and cupola
being of a most excellent taste.
I cannot here pass over in silence the sentiment which affected me at the time, and
which I think must naturally be felt by every philanthropist, when he sees objects,
which, from their outward splendor, are too often apt to give us an exalted idea of
the grandeur and pleasure of life j but when viewed in a different light, and we are led,
by a long train of inscriptions and emblematical devices, to regard them as pompous
and beautiful outsides, including the sufferings of human nature, or serving as an
asylum for the wretched and infirm, oh, what a sudden depression does the mind feel !
Are we not then disposed to condemn such ill-placed pageantry, and to lament that, in
most countries, they are not, as in England, more adapted throughout to the principle
of their institution ? For myself, they commonly give me the idea of a well-dressed man
of fashion asking charity. And again, how greatly is it to be feared that, in attending
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too much to the external elegance of such establishments, their internal comforts and
conveniences, arc often neglected ! —ma n k i n d being in general too prone to sacrifice the
plain dictates of virtuous simplicity to a false show of ostentatious pomp and parade.
T h e squares in Lyons are numerous, and most of them handsome. In the centre of
the Place Belle-coiir or Royale, which is not only one of the largest in the city, but
deemed the most magnificent in France, stood a beautiful equestrian figure *, in bronze,
of Lewi s the Four teenth. The statues which represent the Rhône and the Saone, wi t h trophies
analogous to the subject which decorate its pedestal , were of excellent proportion,
and finely executed. The Place des Terreaux, although not so extensive, is by no means
inferior in point of beauty to that o( Belle-cour, being in fact more uniform and regular.
T):e Maison de Ville, which is one of the most superb buildings of the kind in
Europe, contributes not a little to its magnificence, as it occupies one whole side of
the square. There are besides these several others, but of less consequence, as la Bourse,
where the mercantil e people assemble, St. Jean, Comfort, &c.
Tliis noble city, which must, as before observed, furnish so much real satisfaction to
every traveler of taste, cannot however boast of being formidable in point of strength,
its fortifications consisting only of a few bastions or orillons, constructed on the side of
La Croix rousse, a part of the town so called ; and even these are in a most wretched
state. Yet has Lyons three forts, although in as ruinous a condition as the bastions,
and which, previous to the revolution, were used as state prisons. They might, however,
in case of emergency be easily repaired, and employed with advantage for the
defence of the city. That of Pierre Seize, or Pierre en Seize, is the most considerable,
and stands at the entrance of Lyons, towards the high road to Paris, on the continuation
of the mountain de Fourvihre.
F r om its extreme height and excellent situation, it commands not only that part of
the Saone which flows contiguous to the city, but the long and extensive suburbs of
Faise, and the hills on the opposite side of the river, where stands the famous monastery
of the Chartreux, so noted for the excellence of its paintings, which are much admired.
The other forts, or rather bastilles, are St. Jean, and Ste. Claire.
The arsenal is an extensive handsome building, well supplied with every species of
martial weapons, and situated on the banks of the Saone : but what does Infinite honour
to the inhabitants of this city, are their public libraries, many of which have been
Taken down at the commencement of tlie Revolution.