Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Getty Research Institute h|ttps://archive.org/details/descriptionofvie00burf_15 PANORAMA, LEICESTER SQUARE EXPLANATION of a View of ROUEN and the SURROUNDING COUNTf now exhibiting at the An ancient portion ot Ko now pulled down, for splendid buildings Tower of the Great Clock The Cathedral Promenade de Boildeau The Exchange Hotel d’Angleterre Theatre des Arts Hue Grand Port 1. Grand Cours 2. Terminus of the Paris Railway 3. Railway Hotel 4. Ambi 7. Stone Bridge 8. Faubourg St. Sever 9. Place St. Sever 10. Chateau of Canteleu 11. Caserne St. Sever 12. Suspension Bridge 13. Remains of the old Bridge of Boats 14. lie du Petit Gay 15. Quai du Havre 16. Custom House 17. Post Office 18. Guard House and Lodge of Louis le Brune :gu Comique 5. Statue of Corneille 6. Rue Lafayette ftHw:. 39. Church of Bonsecours 40. Gas Works 41. lie de la Croix 36. St. Catherine’s Hill 37. Site of Fort St. Catherine 38. Village of Bonsecours 33. Steam-boat Station, for Elboeuf 34. River Seine 35. St. Paul 30. Church of St. Maclou 31. Church of St. Ouen 32. Cours Dauphin 27. Quai de Paris 28. Place de Paris 29. Rue Malpalu [[[ 1 i It 1 r i DESCRIPTION OF A VIEW OF t THE CITY OF ROUEN, AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY, NOW EXHIBITING AT THE PANORAMA, LEICESTER SQUARE. PAINTED BY THE PROPRIETOR, ROBERT BURFORD, FROM DRAWINGS TAKEN BY HIMSELF, IN 1845, ASSISTED BY H. C. SELOUS. LONDON: PRINTED BY GEO. NICHOLS, EARl’s COURT, LEICESTER SQUARE. 1846. / IN THE LARGE CIRCLE IS A VIEW 01 NANKING, AND IN THE SMALL CIRCLE IS A VIEW OF ATHENS. ADMISSION TO EACH VIEW, ONE SHILLING. ROUEN. There are but few amongst the numerous fine and remarkable cities of France, that present greater claims to the notice of the observant and in¬ telligent traveller, than the ancient city of Rouen. From its beautiful and picturesque situation, majestic and romantic aspect, its present com¬ mercial position, and its many historical and national associations— especially in connection with England, as the cradle of our monarchy and leading aristocracy, the last resting place of some of our early kings, and the scene of our first struggles against France—it is unquestionably entitled to rank amongst the most interesting of the cities of Europe, and in its combined features is scarcely excelled. Situated on the right bank of the Seine—at this spot a noble river more than a thousand feet in width—in the midst of undulating hills teeming with natural wealth, and diversified by scenery of surpassing loveliness, its aspect commands attention, whilst its famed cathedral and churches, its narrow streets, and the many curious edifices in the most fantastic style, the triumph of religious and civil ar¬ chitecture of the middle ages, which strike the eye in every direction, present objects well calculated to gratify curiosity. The present Panorama, taken from the stone bridge, embraces an extensive and comprehensive view of the city, suburbs, and surrounding country. Towards the north Rouen is seen in its full extent; the line of fine modern buildings on the quays forming a splendid terrace, and par¬ tially hiding the more ancient part, the dense mass of houses of strange and picturesque forms on the slope of the hill behind, above which rise, in venerable magnificence, the noble towers of the cathedral, St. Ouen, St. Maclou, and other fine churches. To the right, the high hill of St. Catherine, the boldest and most abrupt feature of the landscape, presents its steep and nearly perpendicular side of bare chalk, spotted in a few places with vegetation and cottages, whilst a mixture of country houses, gardens, and manufactories, at its base, make a pleasing variety, and contrast well with the noble trees of the Cours Dauphin, which add a character of magnifi¬ cence to the scene. In front is the river Seine, smooth and tranquil, spanned by its two bridges—the one a light and elegant suspension, the other, from which the view is taken, a handsome structure of solid masonry, in the centre of which a fine bronze statue of Corneille forms a prominent object. The river, crowded with ships of considerable burthen, imparts a pleasing variety and animation, and the quays, covered with all sorts of merchandise, and a busy population, exhibit marks of active in¬ dustry and luxurious opulence, and the full activity of commerce and life. Towards the south, the opposite bank of the river is occupied by the ex¬ tensive and populous suburb of St. Sever; the unpretending steeple of its old church rising amidst numerous tall smoking chimnies of the large manufactories by which it is surrounded. The terminus of the Paris rail¬ way is also seen in this quarter, as well as the entrance to the grand cours, the fashionable drive and promenade, the greater part of which is obscured by the trees on the lie de la croix. Above and below the city, the Seine is seen broad and full of islands, gracefully meandering, until lost in the distance, through the richest meadows, and the most fertile and beautiful country, plentifully studded with villages and villas, embosomed in wood- 4 and orchards. In the extreme distance on every side, the horizon melts into an undulating line of the beautiful and picturesque hills of Normandy. Rouen, according to Ptolemy, by whom it is first mentioned, was anci¬ ently called Rotomagus ; in his time it was the capital of the country of the Velocasses. Under the Romans, although it was an important place, and became celebrated in the early days of Christianity, yet it remained very small. In the sixth century, being conquered by Clovis, it became a French town, and was made the capital of Normandy, when that king¬ dom was formed by the Danes and other northern people, who invaded France in 905. From this period it was the scene of fire and carnage, until Prince Rollo, the first duke, obtained a grant of it from Charles the Simple, in 912, together with other parts of Neustria. William the Con¬ queror, the seventh duke, annexed it as a province to the crown of Eng¬ land, and it remained so until regained by Philip the Second of France, in 1204. In 1419, it was taken by Henry the Fifth ofEngland, and was reconquered thirty years after by Charles the Seventh. During this period (1431), the heroic and unfortunate Maid of Orleans, the deliverer of her country and the terror of the English, was cruelly burnt to death by them in the public market place. In 1562 it suffered severely from the fury of the Huguenots, and in 1591 it sustained a memorable siege of several months by Henry the Fourth, during the wars of the league. It is now the first city of the department of the lower Seine, the chief place of the fourteenth military division, the see of an archbishop, and ranks the fifth city ofFrance. Rouen stands on a gentle declivity, on the north bank of the Seine, bounded at one extremity by the valley of Deville, at the other by that of D’Arnetal. The city proper, from east to west, is something less than a mile in length, and is four and half in circumference; but including its six faubourgs, St. Sever, Caucboise, Bouvreuil, St. Hillair, Martainville, and Beauvoisine, it measures considerably more than seven miles; it contains 480 streets, and about 17,000 houses. As in most towns of great antiquity, the streets are narrow and crooked, indeed so much so, that in many, carriages cannot pass each other; yet in spite of the nar¬ rowness, dirt, and wretched pavement, inseparable from a continental town, there is a striking air of architectural elegance and taste: the cathedral and churches present the perfection of the Gothic style, and the houses of the oldest parts are rare specimens of art and ngenuity, many chefs d’ceuvres of as high excellence as their age was capable of producing; they are mostly built of wood, each story projecting over the one below, so that light and sunshine are nearly ex¬ cluded from the streets; the frames of the doors and windows, and the wood work with which their fronts are intersected, being ornamented with rich carvings of grotesque heads, flowers, and fanciful devices. In tra¬ versing the city, some relic of antiquity strikes the eye at every turn—a mouldering church, a pointed arch, or a mutilated statue, especially of the Virgin, (for the people of Rouen did all they could, by erecting her image at the corner of every street, and in the front of almost every house, to gain for their city the title of 11 La ville de la saint.e Vierge’)\ these all carry the imagination back some four or five centuries in the history of society, and forcibly reminds us of other times, other customs, and other wmys of thinking. 5 Previous to the great revolution, Rouen contained thirty-seven churches, and about as many convents and religious communities of both sexes; the number is at present reduced to six parochial, one Protestant, and eight other churches; the remainder have either been totally destroyed, or having passed into the hands of individuals, have been applied to vari¬ ous useful purposes, such as stores, manufactories, &c. And this is not the only change in the stronghold of the Norman princes that this great political convulsion caused : up to that period, it was a place of ramparts, towers, and fortified gates; it is now the emporium of commerce ; the ramparts which resisted Henry the Fifth of England, and Henry the Fourth of France, are replaced by Boulevards planted with trees, forming agreeable promenades, enclosing the most ancient part of the city in a semicircle; all emblems of strife have disappeared, and the ancient phy¬ siognomy of the whole is completely altered. It is now one of the most important of the manufacturing places in the kingdom, the focus of the cotton trade, and is generally termed the Manchester of France. Spin¬ ning and weaving mills, dying, printing, and bleaching works, are most plentifully distributed, not only in the town and environs, but over the surrounding vallies, in a circuit of many miles, which are greatly promoted by three streams, the Robec, the Aubette, and the Reuelle, that fall into the Seine at Rouen. Although the exportation of the first spinning ma¬ chines constructed in England were prohibited under pain of death, yet little jennies were imported into Rouen by an English company, so early as 1776. In the department of the lower Seine in 1834, there were 280 spinning works in which were 21,000 hands, giving employment to at least 100,000 weavers and other artizans—a number greatly increased since that time. The hospitals of Rouen have long been the pride of the inhabitants; they consist of the Hospice generale , including an establishment for found¬ lings ; the Hotel Dieu, and a lunatic asylum ; containing together more than 3000 individuals. The other public establishments are the Tribu¬ nals, Custom House, Exchange, two Theatres, three Museums, a public Library, College, large and small Seminary, public Schools, Botanical Garden, Markets, &c. The population of Rouen is estimated at above 93,000. The higher and better classes, both on the promenades and within doors, display the latest French fashions in all their elegance; but the middling and lower still adhere to that distinctive national costume, especially the enormous cap, that characterises them in the plates of old Froissart and Monstrelet; the high well-starched pyramid of muslin that was fashionable in those days, unnatural and ungraceful as it is, still graces their heads, the hair is gathered into an enormous club behind, whilst long stiff stays, short bund¬ ling petticoats, and a host of gaudy trinkets, complete their hideous dress. Mr. B URFORD feels it his duty to state, as an erroneous impression is entertained by some portion of the Public, that the Panoramic Views are a species of scene-painting , coloured in distemper , or other inferior manner, that such is not the case—that they are all painted in the finest oil, colour, and varnish, that can be procured; and in the same manner as a gallery picture. DESCRIPTION OP THE ENGRAVING. 1.—Grand Cours. The Grand Cours, or Cours de la Reine —the entrance to which only is seen, the remainder being- hidden by the trees on the island—is one of the finest in France ; it stretches eastward along the bank of the Seine, to the length of 674 fathoms; four rows of stately elms divide it into three roads, the widest in the centre, being appropriated to carriages, the others to pedestrians only. The promenades, which commence on Holy Thursday, display all the fashion and elegance of Rouen, from the highest to the lowest grades. 2.—Terminus of the Paris Railway. The railroad to Paris is eighty-five miles in length, which is travelled six times a day, in four or five hours. Through its whole course, by the banks of the Seine, which river it crosses four times, it passes through a succession of the most beautiful and picturesque scenery. It was commenced in 1841, and was opened in 1843, by the Dukes de Nemours and Montpensier, with much ceremony. Mr. Locke, an Englishman, was the engineer; the major part of the shareholders were English capitalists; the contractors for the work, and a number of the workmen, were also English; and the engines were made by an English company at Rouen. *2;.—Ambigu Comique. A small theatre, for equestrian and other performances ; a stage is erected in front, on which the performers occasionally make their appearance. 5.—Statue of Corneille. The statue of the illustrious Pierre Corneille was erected to his memory by the subscriptions of his fellow citizens. It is of bronze, twelve feet in height, cast by H. Gonon of Paris, from the model of David; it stands on a pedestal of white Carrara marble, resting on a basement of granite, making the whole nearly thirty feet. The first stone was laid by the king in 1833, and the statue was inaugurated, with great pomp, in October, 1834. 7.—Stone Bridge. The Pont Royal crosses the Seine to the suburb of St. Sever. It is a hand¬ some stone bridge, or rather two separate bridges, for, instead of crossing the river in a direct line, it forms an angle, the point of which rests on the western end of the small island of La Croix. Each portion is composed of three arches, the central ones being about 100 feet in span, the lateral somewhat less ; the whole length is 900 feet. The first bridge at this place was built by the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I., in 11 67 . It lasted to the middle of the fifteenth century, when it was destroyed, and was replaced by a bridge of boats. The present structure was opened in 1829. 8.—Faubourg St. Sever. A populous manufacturing suburb, as may be seen by the many tall chimneys of large cotton works; and most of the inhabitants are workmen employed therein. In St. Sever is the public slaughter-house, a most extensive estab¬ lishment, erected in 1835, at an expense of 970,000 francs. It contains several 7 avenues planted with trees, and watered by a canal, where are melting, scalding, and tripe houses, and every necessary requisite. In the ancient monastery of St. Yon, suppressed at the revolution, a lunatic asylum was established in 1820, under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, capable of holding 600 persons ; and in the ancient park of the Trianon, formerly containing the extensive hot houses and rare collection of dahlias, of Mr. Calvert, a distin¬ guished English florist, are now the botanical gardens. The Church of St. Sever is a plain unpretending edifice, offering neither in architecture, ornament, or antiquity, any thing worthy notice. In the reign of Richard I.,some ecclesiastics obtained permission to transfer the remains of St. Sever, bishop of Avranches, from Mount St. Michael to Rouen ; when they arrived at this spot, the shrine which contained the bones of the bishop became so heavy, that it was found impossible to carry it farther, until they vowed to build a church on the spot for their reception ; this church was replaced in 1538, by the present. 11. —Caserne St. Sever. These fine barracks, on the Quai aux Meules , and Place St. Sever, will contain 1000 men; a second barracks at St. Sever, in the ancient priory of Bonne Nouvelle, so named by Queen Matilda, who there received the news of the victory of Hastings, will contain 300 cavalry, or 600 infantry. 12. —Suspension Bridge. A light and elegant bridge, of singular construction, which superseded the ancient bridge of boats. It was erected and opened in 1836, in less than two years from its commencement, at a cost of 750,000 francs. An opening is left in the centre, between the supporting piers, over which rises a cast iron arch, to the height of eighty-two feet above the river, to allow masted vessels to pass through. The contractors were the Messrs. Seguin, brothers, civil engineers, and Pierre Colin, to whom the tolls are granted for 99 years. 16.—Custom House. A large building, not very remarkable for its architectural beauty, fronting the Quai du Havre, which is the route to Dieppe and Havre. It was com¬ menced in 1835, and completed in three years. David, the celebrated sculptor, has adorned the fagade with two very fine groups in bas-relief, nine feet in height, one representing Commerce, the other Navigation. The great entrance as well as other parts of the front, are also sculptured with the emblems of commerce. The rectangular court of the interior is covered with a cupola of cast iron, and is adorned with a fine bas-relief, by Couston, representing Mer¬ cury with the attributes of Commerce. The Entrepot reel, at the back, as well as the various offices and warehouses, are commodious and well arranged. 13.—Guard House and Lodge of Louis Le Brune. At the end of the suspension bridge, to the right of the spectator, are two lodges, the nearest a guard house—the other the house of a person named Louis le Brune, erected for him by the city, as a testimonial for his courage and devotedness, he having, at the risk of his own life, saved the lives of more than thirty persons, who, but for him, would have perished in the Seine. On a later occasion, however, he was not so fortunate ; for whilst bathing, as it is supposed, his head striking against a pile or stone in the river, he was killed. 20 .— Exchange. In early days the merchants of Rouen met to transact business in the Cathe¬ dral. In 1493, this practice was discontinued, and a large room, now the Salle des procureurs, in the palace of Justice, given to them. 3 hey subsequently ob¬ tained a piece of ground for the purpose, but this having been taken to improve 8 the quay, they removed in 1827 to the present site, near the foot of the suspen¬ sion bridge. It is merely a large open space surrounded by iron pallisades. In wet weather the merchants resort to la bourse d convert , a long gallery on the ground floor of the tribunal of commerce (formerly la co?tsulte), a large building in the rear of the open exchange, erected, from the plans of Blondel, in 1735. It was in one of the many tine apartments of this handsome edifice, that Buonaparte and Marie Louise, a very short time before their deposition, received from the inhabitants of Rouen the oath of allegiance. The rows of trees, on the quay in front, are the fashionable promenades of the cours Boildeau, and la bourse, where a good band plays when the evenings are fine; the former is ornamented by a fine statue in bronze, by Danton, of Boildeau, the composer, who was a native of Rouen. S3.—Hue Grand Port. A very narrow street, but one of the chief thoroughfares through the city; it leads to the cathedral, and contains most of the best and largest shops. At a very short distance from the quay is the theatre of arts, erected in 1774, which will hold 1800 persons. A second theatre, not quite so large, called the theatre Frangaise, opened in 1793, stands in the old market place. 25.—'Tower of the Great Clock. The Grasse Horlogc is a large ornamental clock, in a street called by the same name, one of the narrowest and most picturesque in all Rouen. It stands above an arch called the porte massacre , and presents a face on each side orna¬ mented with sculpture. It was erected 1527. The belfry, erected in the 13th century, is a high tower on the side of the street, having on the top a platform, surrounded by an iron railing, above which rises a dome and small steeple. The bell, named the Rouvel, better known as the silver bell, was cast in 1447. It was the tocsin of the revolution, and still rings the curfew each night at nine o’clock ; it is also sounded on occasions of public rejoicings or calamities. 2-©.—Catkedral. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a most interesting and beautiful florid Gothic building, so vast in its proportions, so grand, so noble, and so varied in its rich, elaborate, and profuse decorations, that it impresses the mind with astonishment and admiration. The most elegant, rich, and fantastic devices abound in all parts, and there is scarcely a stone, however small or obscure, but is covered with carving. The west front opens on a spacious parvis , in which is held the fruit and flower market, to which it presents a width of 170 feet, forming a centre, flanked by two towers of dissimilar form and architec¬ ture, although nearly of equal height. The basement of the central portion is occupied by three wide doorways, deep in retiring mouldings and pillars, filled with figures of saints and martyrs. The central portal, which is by far the largest, projects like a porch beyond the others, and is surmounted by a gor¬ geous pyramidical canopy of open stone work, having in its centre tbe great dial, tbe top of which partly conceals a noble rose window behind. This portal as well as the upper part of the fagade, equally characterized by airy magnificence, and terminating in an open screen of elegant tracery, filled like the niches below, to which they correspond, with statues of saints, apostles, bishops, &c., was erected at the expense of the Cardinal Georges D’Amboise, wbo laid the first stone in 1509. The lateral doors are of a different 9tyle of architecture, and are supposed to be of the eleventh century. Over each of the portals is a curious bas-relief; that of the centre displays the genealogical tree of Christ; the southern, the Virgin surrounded by saints ; and the northern, Herod’s feast, in which Salome, the daughter of Herodias, is represented in the act of tumbling head over heels. 9 The southern tower, called the Tour de Beurre, from having been built with the money paid for an indulgence, granted by Innocent VIII. to eat butter in lent, is 230 feet in height, and is a beautiful specimen of florid Gothic in its greatest style of luxuriant perfection ; being enriched on every side with pinnacles and statues, and terminating in a splendid octagon crown of open stone work. This tower was commenced by Archbishop Croixmare in 1485, and was completed in 1507, by the Cardinal D’Amboise 1., who was so pleased with it, that he determined to present it at his own expense, with the largest bell in France. This bell was thirty feet in circumference, ten feet in height, and weighed 36,000 pounds; great religious ceremonies were observed at the casting, and thefounder, Jean Le Machon of Chartres, is said to have died from excess of joy at its completion. In 1786, when Louis XVI. visited Rome, it was cracked, and at the revolution of 1703, it was, together with the eleven bells of the northern tower, and the four of the pyramid, condemned to the furnace, to be cast into cannon. The northern tower, called the tower of St. Romain, by whom it is said to have been built, is considered the oldest part of the cathedral; the lower part is very ancient; the upper, terminating in a pointed roof, was completed in 1447. The great doors of the transepts are finely ornamented with sculpture, and the rose windows are magnificent; that on the north called the portailes des Libraires , has two lofty towers with gigantic open windows much decorated. It was commenced in 1478, and not completed for two hundred years. The southern transept is nearly of the same age and style, but in better preservation. The sculpture is from the history of Joseph; amongst the figures is one hang¬ ing, said to be the effigy of a baker, who was executed for using false weights, and whose confiscated property paid for the erection of the porch ; it however most probably represents Pharoah’s chief butler. The square central tower which rises at the intersection of the cross, is the work of the year 1200, and replaced the original tower and spire, erected 1117 , which were destroyed by lightning. Two spires of wood have since shared the same fate, the last in September, 1822, when great part of the roof was also destroyed. To prevent a similar catastrophe, an extraordinary and peculiarly French measure has been resorted to. An imitation of the former spire, which was remarkable for its light and airy appearance, has been entirely formed of cast iron ; and this awful pile, which rises 180 feet above the tower, and weighs 1,200,000 pounds, has been placed on the ancient work, and being powerfully calculated to attract electricity, should vibration take place and the mass fall, the devastation it must produce would be terrific. At its summit is a lanthorn and small gallery for meteorological observations. The length of the cathedral is 450 feet, the height of the nave 189, and the tower and spire 486 feet. It has seven entrances, is lighted by 130 windows, and contains 25 chapels. The iuterior, in the early pointed style, is bold and regular ; pleasing from its just proportions, and imposing from its magnitude. The perspective is striking, and the eye ranges through long vistas of lofty pillars and pointed arches, everywhere embellished with the solemn imagery and appendages of the Catholic church, to the splendid altar in the lady chapel, which forms an admirable termination to the building and the prospect. The church was founded by Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, brother to Richard, the second Duke of Normandy, in 990, on the foundation of one dating so early as 260, but it was not finished until 1062, when, in the presence of William the Conqueror, it was dedicated to the Virgin. This church was partly destroyed by fire in 1200, and was rebuilt by King John of England; but of this but little remains, the present edifice being mostly the work of the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. During the revolt of the Huguenots, it suf¬ fered very severely, and the Vandals of the revolution of 1793, with barbarous ferocity, despoiled what the hand of time and the fury of fanaticism had spared; and confounded in one common destruction, the beauties of the arts, and the records of former times, and turned the building into a sulphur and gunpow- 10 der manufactory. The annual income of the establishment before this period was .£100,000 sterling, and the chapter was very numerous. The number is now much diminished, and the funds are supplied by the government. The chapels are still rich in historical recollections ; in that of the Virgin, is the statue that formerly decorated the tomb of Richard, Coeur de Lion, and the chest containing his heart; two tombs of Archbishops of the Amboise family, and two of the De Brezes. Other tombs, or inscriptions where they formerly stood, record the names of Rollo, the first Norman Duke ; William Longsword, his son; Henry, brother to Richard Coeur de Lion; William, son to Geoffrey Plantagenet; the Regent, John Duke of Bedford; Charles V., of France, &c. The library, formerly one of the richest in France, disappeared at the revo¬ lution. The noble room which contained it, remains in its original state, and is approached from the north transept by a singularly delicate and beautiful staircase, the balustrades of which are of elegant fillagree work in stone. At the east end of the cathedral stands the palace of the Archbishop, a large building, neither handsome nor conspicuous, erected in the fifteenth century; two or three large rooms are decorated with a few good paintings. %1 —Quai de Paris. A noble quay, between the two bridges, bordered by many large handsome houses, hotels, &c., immediately behind which are situated the “ Halles ,” or great markets, erected in the thirteenth century, and considered the most im¬ portant in France. The most considerable, as well as the most ancient is, the linen exchange, 272 feet in length, by 50 in breadth, the roof supported on pillars ; those for cotton and worsted stuffs, are each 200 feet in length, and that for corn more than 300. They occupy an immense square, the open portions of which form markets for old linen, crockery, glass, vegetables, &c. SB 9 s— flue Malpalu. One of the principal and most ancient streets of the city. The fine church of St. Maclou stands in it, and it terminates in the old garden of the abbey of St. Ouen. Many of the ancient houses in this street are being detroyed, for the purpose of erecting a wide handsome street from the quay, quite across the city. 30.—St. Maclou. A fine specimen of florid Gothic, the third church in architectural rank and size in Rouen. It was built by voluntary subscription, or rather by payment of indulgences from the archbishop, and was completed in 1512. The western front has a triple porch of great elegance, and the superbly carved doors, espe¬ cially one towards the Rue Martainville, produced in the reign of Henry III., by the famous Jean Goujou, the Corregio of sculpture, are the admiration of the world. The detail, delicacy, and precision of the innumerable figures illustrating passages from scripture, and ornaments, are truly astonishing. The central tower bears a close resemblance to that of the cathedral ; it now appears truncated, but was originally surmounted by a spire of such beauty, that Italian artists frequently came to copy it. It was injured by a hurricane in 1705, and removed thirty years after. The interior bears a close resem¬ blance to the cathedral, but is, of course, much smaller, being not more than 150 feet in length: the tower is about 150 feet in height. This church was nearly destroyed at the revolution, the whole of the lead having been stripped from it to make bullets. In the interior, near the west end, is a beautiful staircase of stone fillagree, and the windows contain much fine stained glass. 33l.—St. Ouen. The noblest specimen in France, or perhaps in the world, of the pure style of pointed architecture, of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It surpasses the cathedral in size, purity, harmony of execution, and judicious decoration. Its great beauty saved it from destruction at the revolution, although it was 11 despoiled and desecrated, being’ first used as a manufactory, and having had many forges erected therein for making arms, and afterwards turned into a magazine for forage. It was also the scene of the decadary feasts; and a great public breakfast was given therein, to the first levy of the conscription. It also suffered severely in the sixteenth century, from the Huguenots, who made three large fires in the nave, to burn the remains of St. Ouen, St. Nicase, and St. Remy, together with the pulpit, organ, and stalls ; they also tore down the shrines, images, &c., yet the building itself escaped ; and it is worthy of remark, that the whole of the gorgeous stained glass, with which almost every window is filled, escaped the ravages of both periods. The royal abbey of Benedictines, to which the church belonged, was founded by Clothaire, in 533, and enjoyed the veneration of the faithful for many years. The church itself was dedicated to the twelve apostles; but in 689, the body of St. Ouen, which was deposited in it, performed so many miracles, that it was rededicated to him. The present edifice was commenced in 1318, by the twenty-fourth abbot, Jean Roussel; the choir and transepts were finished in twenty-one years, and the nave and central tower in the fifteenth century; but the west front has never been completed, the flanking towers, which were to have been magnificent, being raised to the height of fifty feet only. It is impossible that any description can convey an adequate idea of the lightness yet boldness of the build¬ ing ; the triple tiers of windows seem to leave no solid wall; the central tower, wholly composed of open arches and tracery, terminating in an octagonal crown of fleur de lys ; and the flying buttresses, the crocketted pinnacles, and the balustrades of various quatrefoils, are so light, graceful, and beautiful, that it is scarcely possible to believe that stone could be so highly wrought, rivalling, as it does, the delicacy of paper, and the fineness of lace. The southern porch, called des Marmozet •?, from the figures of animals carved upon it, is a gem of Gothic work not to be surpassed; the sculpture on it repre¬ senting the death, entombment, and apotheosis of the Virgin, is of the highest character. The length of the church is 450 feet, the height, 100 feet, and the height of the tower, 260 feet. The interior is a model of the Gothic style, exceedingly impressive, but light, almost to a fault; indeed, if it were entirely of cast iron, it could not appear more unsubstantial. There is nothing to interrupt or offend the sight, nothing obtrusive or inappropriate ; clustered pillars of delicate symmetry, on which the lofty carved roof scarcely appears to rest, stretch in long perspective to the eastern window, a noble expanse of stained glass, through the storied panes of which a rich glow of light streams on the fine carving, painting, and gilding, that meets the eye in every direction. The chapels, eleven in number, are not so rich in historical remains as those of the cathedral; there is, how¬ ever, one tomb that deserves notice, that of Bonneville, the master mason of the Church in 1440, who designed and executed the fine rose windows of the south transept; his apprentice, however, having excited his jealousy, by forming a more exquisite specimen for that opposite, he murdered him; he was executed for the crime, buried in the church, and on his tomb the monks have placed effigies of himself and his apprentice. A holy water vase, near the west entrance, termed the magic mirror, when full of water reflects, in a most perfect manner, the whole roof of this beau¬ tiful church. The vessel stands on the precise spot, where alone this optical effect could be produced, and was, it is said, placed there by accident. The ancient Abbey House, the residence of the kings of France when they visited Rouen, was demolished in 1816. The garden is a public promenade. The buildings, formerly the monastery, are now the Hotel de Ville ; the ground and first floors being occupied by offices connected therewith, whilst the second floor is appropriated to the reception of the public library and museum; the former containing about 40,000 volumes and 11,000 manuscripts, principally collected from the suppressed monasteries, and some few purchases and gifts; and the latter about 300 paintings, collected from the same sources; they were both opened in 1S09. Some new buildings, recently added, contain halls for the municipal meetings, and the apartments of the Royal Academy. 12 32.—Cours Dauphin. A raised causeway, planted with an avenue of fine trees, forming an agreeable promenade; having the Seine on one side, and the Champ de Mars, with extensive barracks, on the other. The main road to Evreux and Paris passes through it. It was formerly a vast meadow, first planted in 1729, and called the chemin neiif, hut was altered to its present name in honor of the birth of the Dauphin, son to Louis XV. At the extremity of the Cours are some mineral springs, called the waters of St. Paul. 3'3:.—River Seine. The source of the Seine is near the hamlet of Envergeraux, about two and a half leagues from the village of St. Seine, in Burgundy. After a winding course of more than 200 leagues through a country of surpassing loveliness, the sinuosities in many places so great that it approaches nearly to a perfect circle; it fall's into the sea between Havre and Honfleur. At Rouen it is 1068 feet across, and of sufficient depth to allow the city to he classed amongst the principal ports of France, as from 2000 to 2500 vessels of various sizes anchor there annually. Several small streams, whose banks are lined by mills of va¬ rious kinds, after traversing the neighbouring rallies, fall into it near Rouen; of these two pass through the city, and may be seen discharging their waters, the Robec close by the Stone Bridge, and the Aubette at the entrance of the cours Dauphin. Steam boats communicate with Paris daily, making the passage up in eigh¬ teen hours ; also to Havre in eight; hut they are prohibited from stopping at intermediate places. The tide reaches some short distance beyond Rouen. 35.—Et. Paul. A new church, built in the form of an ancient basilica. The very ancient church removed for its erection was one of the oldest and most curious in Rouen. It was formerly a temple dedicated to Adonis; and a portion of the original edifice, well preserved, now forms the sacristy. 36.—St. Catherine’s Hill. An escarped chalk hill, rising to the height of 380 feet above the Seine; on the summit are traces of the brick foundations of bastions, &c., the remains of a fortress of considerable size and strength, of Roman origin. This fort was of great importance in the defence of the city; and occasionally also a source of annoyance, as in 1562, when it was seized by the Huguenots, and held several days against the whole army of Charles IX. In 1591, the Mar¬ quis Villars and the soldiers of the League, defended it against Henry IV., during six months ; by whom, however, it was afterwards captured, and dis¬ mantled. The Abbey of St. Tfinite, du Mont , and the ancient chapel of St. Michael’s Priory, which were adjacent, were destroyed about the same time as the fortress. The view, commanded by the hill of the town, surrounding country, and the windings of the Seine, is very fine. 3fcl.— lie de la Croix. A long narrow island in the Seine, equidistant from the two banks; at its eastern end, a double bridge, similar to that at the western, is in course of erection, over which the continuation of the Paris railroad to Havre will pass. Geo. Nichols, Printer, Earl’s Court, Leicester Square.