time of the evening, is one of the nobleft fights, that can be feen. The night I came away from Paris, a lady of quality, Madam M--when I took my leave of her, afked me, what I had seen in Paris that most pleased me; I answered her civilly, as I ought to do; but she would not take my compliment, but urged me for anfwer: I told her, (fince he would have it fo) that I just then came from feeing what pleased me beft; that was, the middle walk of the Tuilleries in June, betwixt eight and nine at night. I did not think that there was in the world a more agreeable place, than that alley at that hour, and that time of the year. And now we are got into the gardens of Paris I fhall give you a fhort taste of all of them of note, at least of fuch as I faw. This of the Tuilleries is vaftly great, has fhaded terraces on two fides, one along the river Seine, planted with trees, very diverting, with great parterres in the middle, and large fountains of water, which conftantly play; one end is the front of that magnificent palace the Louvre; the other is low, and for profpects, open to the fields. The reft is difpofed into alleys, and grafs-plots, and copfes of wood; with a great number of feats upon down in all parts, for the accommodation of the weary. In the Tuilleries there is one thing, which I much liked, and that was an amphitheatre of cut hedges, with the ftage, pits, and feats, and the fcenes leading into the ftage very pretty; from all fides clofe alleys leading into it. Nothing can be more pleasant, than this garden, where in the groves of wood the latter end of March, black-birds and throftles, and nightingales fing moft fweetly all the morning, and that as it were within the city; for no birding is fuffered here near this city, and the fields round the town, are all, every where, full of partridges, and hares, and other game. The garden of the palace of Luxenbourg is also vaftly great, and has fomething of champatre in it, like St. James's-park; it is alfo filled with people daily of good qua lity; but because the hard winters have destroyed many of the walks, by killing the pole hedges, it is not fo- frequented, as formerly; yet it hath its fountains and parterres, and fome well fhaded alleys; and for air, I prefer it before the Tuilleries, because it is feated upon a high ground next the fields, in the Fauxbourg of St. Ger mains. As to the King's phyfic garden, it is a very great piece of ground, well furnished with plants, and open alfo to walk in, to all people of note. There is great variety of ground in it, as woods, ponds, meadows, mounts, befides a vast level, by which it is fitted for the reception and growth of moft forts of plants. I first faw it in March with Dr. Tournefort, and Mr. Breman, a very understanding and painful gardener. The green-houses well stored with tender exotics, and the parterres with fimples; though but few of them then to be feen: yet by the trees and fhrubs, and some plants, which did not lose their heads, I could well judge of the furniture. Dr. Tournefort told me, that he fhewed a hundred plants every leffon, and he had in the fummer thirty leffons, which made three thoufand plants; befides the very early and late plants, which he reckoned could not be lefs than a thousand more. I took particular notice of these plants in the green-houses at that time: Jafminum Aforicum flore albo viridarii Regis Lufitanici. Marum Cortufii, which had been potted thirty years. Caryophyllus Creticus arborefcens. Smilax fructu nigro. Iris bulbofa florè luteo. Sym Symphytum minus Boraginis flore. Fraxinus Americana florida. Stachas folio ferrato Bauhini. This garden is endowed by the king and duke of Orleans, and has 2000l. a year fterling rents belonging to it, whereof 500l. is given to the chief physician who overlooks all, and the relt to the botanic reader, Dr. Tournefort, and under-gardeners, with lodgings for all. Mr. Breman told me, he had the beginning of April made an end of fowing his hot-beds, and had put into the ground two thoufand fpecies of feed. From the mount in the king's garden, on the other fide of the river, upon the declivity of a high ridge of hills, I had a fair view of the palace or country-houfe of Father la Chaise, the King's confeffor; it is very finely feated against the south fun, and well wooded on both fides. A fit feat for a contemplative perfon.. The garden of the Palais Royal, confidering it is in the middle of the town is very large, has two or three great bafins with their jet d'eaux, but not well kept; nor hath any thing elegant in it, but the good order and difpofition of its fhady walks and parterres. It is ever full of good company. The garden of the arfenal is much larger, and finer kept; has the profpects of the fields, and lies open to the ramparts. It is also much frequented for the beauty of its walks. There are alfo divers convents, which have fpacious and well kept gardens, which are always open and public to people of any note; as the Carthufians, which is vaft and champestre. The Celeftians, very fine and large; that of St. Genevieve, which is great, and very well kept; and the terrace for length and breadth is incomparable; extremely well planted with horse-chefnuts; having alfo on the fouth-fide upon the terrace, three or four fquare copfes of the fame trees; which have a marvellous effect for fhade in fummer. These private gardens I faw in Paris. D'Aumont. Its green-houfe opened into the dining-room: the orange trees feemed to have suffered, and had their leaves withered; for the room was too broad by half. The treillage, at the upper end of the garden, was very well adorned with gilding, and had in the middle a pavilion, in which was an old Roman ftatue of a young man, very well preferved. The fashion of the toga here was fo evident, that it might well pafs for a conviction to thofe, who have thought it to be a plaid, or a garment open before like a cloak. This treillage is performed with that variety of ornaments, that it resembles filegreen work, and is large. The painting of thefe works in green is not well performed. in all places alike; it is either too yellow, or of a fad dirty green, or fea green; few have hit the right grafs green colour. To do it well, it is to be primed in yellow, and then to be covered with Vert de Montagne or Lapis Armeniacus; of which last colour we have plenty in England, about Malham in Craven, in Yorkshire. This is the great benefit of treillage in cities, that befides the beauty of it to the eye, it takes away and hides the ill prospect of the neighbouring houses. Here are very many fig-trees well grown in fquare boxes; and parterres well stocked with flowers; each fort by themfelves; as tulips a-part; junkills a part; anemonies. a-part: ranunculuses a-part: daffadils a part. Puiffart. This garden is very neat, and open at the end to the Tuilleries. The treillage walk or arbour at the upper end is very fine, feventy paces long, and eight broad, 14 broad, hath three pavilions all open at the top. It is all of iron painted green, and coft fifteen thousand livres. The gardener was an artift; and had fome plants in cafes in good order, not to be feen elsewhere, as large rosemary bushes, jacobæa maritima, marum fyriacum, &c. The walls were well covered with fruit trees; he had not cut his peaches; when I asked him the reason, he told me, it was his way, not to cut them till after flowering, which he found by experience to improve the fruit; whereas he faid, the early cutting ftocked them, and impaired the fruit. The orangery here was the most beautiful room, for the bignefs, I had feen, paved with marble, and neatly wainscotted with oak, from the top to the bottom, after our English manner, I make no doubt it ferved to eat in in fummer, when cleared of trees. Bouvillier. I found not any thing more remarkable here, than the treillage at the end. Cormartin. The treillage in this garden was most admirable in the fashion of a triumphal arch; half of it was an aviary, with a fountain in it, well stored with birds. Here were large iron vafas upon pedestals, the first I had seen of the kind, painted over of a copper colour. Les Diguieres. This is the only house in Paris, I faw kept, in all the parts of it, with the most exact cleanliness and neatnefs, gardens and all. In the garden there were feveral pieces of treillage; that at the upper end was very noble, and coft ten thousand livres; another piece of it coft fix thoufand. And I faw a fmall one of iron leaves painted green, the only one of the kind. Here also were great vafas of treillage upon pedestals. The fountains in this garden were very curious, though fmall, with proper ornaments, which had a marvellous effect, when the spouts played off. The first court was fet about with cafes of extraordinary large laurus tinus, and in the gardens there were fome cut into fquare pyramids. A perfon of quality came into the garden to me, who with great civility conducted me up to the apartments. In the apartment of the duchefs, which was all of her own contrivance, and had an air of state and agreeableness beyond any thing I had feen, I obferved hanging down in the middle of the bed-chamber the finest chryftal candlestick in France: the pieces were all bought fingle by her, and the contrivance and fetting them together was her own: it coft twelve thousand crowns. But before I left the garden, in an obfcure parterre I saw the tomb of a cat, viz. a black cat couchant upon a white marble cushion, fringed with gold, and gold taffels hanging at the corners upon a fquare black marble pedestal. On one of the fides of that marble is writ in letters of gold: Cy gift Menine la plus amiable & la Plus aimee de toutes les chattes. On the other fide. Cy gift une chatte jolie: Sa maiftreffe, qui n'aimoit rien, I 2 This This is not the first inftance of this kind of folly; I have feen fomething of it in Eng. land, and have read much more in history. If you blame me for tranfcribing this epitaph, I will fubmit; but I could never have. forgiven myself, if I had tranfcribed the many fine infcriptions I met with at Paris, though in most elegant and truly Roman words; others in pure court French. may read them in the Description of Paris. You De Lorge. We had the good fortune here to find the marfhal himself walking in his garden; who entertained us with great civility, viz. the dean of Winchester and myfelf. This garden was not finished, and the house itself was but building; but it is one of the finest in Paris, and has the advantage of a most free and extended profpect of the fields and Montmartre: at the end of the garden rifes a terrace equal with the rampart. That which was in this house and garden very commodious and noble, was that betwixt the two courts the coaches drive through a stately hall upon pillars, and might land on either fide, up a step or two, which lead to the ftaircafes and other apartments; and then in the furtheft court, which is only divided from the garden by high palifadoes of iron, they turn, and take up the company again; fo that no weather offends them. Which is much wanting here; and more with us at London, where we most need it. This hall is open upon arches to the garden, and the ftair-cafe itself is fo contrived, that you enjoy a full profpect of the garden and Montmartre in defcending. The marfhal very obligingly fhewed us his own apartment; for all the rest of the houfe was full of workmen; and in his bed-chamber his little red damafk field-bed, which he lay in now, and which alfo ferved him, when he commanded upon the Rhine. He fhewed us his great fafh windows; how eafily they might be lifted up and down, and stood at any height; which contrivance of pullies he faid he had out of England, by a small model brought on purpose from thence: there being nothing of this poife in windows in France before. He also had us into a fet of fmall closets or rooms, after the English fashion, very prettily furnished, neatly kept, and retired, with his English keys to them, as he told us; and from thence we descended a back pair of stairs. We did all we could to hinder him from seeing us take coach: he fent his page after us, to invite us fome day to eat with him. Hostel Pelletier. The garden here was very neat, with a treillage at the end, after the manner of a triumphal arch, but not very high, nor well painted; yet its beauty and finishings differ much from any I had feen before. In the two niches were placed great iron vafas or flower-pots, right before the middle of a bafin of water, which was fet a playing for our entertainment, which is a compliment the French are willing to oblige ftrangers with. In the orangery were very large trees, and two pair of myrtles in cafes, cut globewife, the best and biggest I had feen: large bufhes in pots of Marum Syriacum. Great ftore of tulips, anemonies, ranunculufes, and other flowers in beds, in the parterre, each by themselves. Alfo anemonies and ranunculufes in little earthen pots, as with us; but in very light mould. Great and very fair laurus tinuses in cafes. And, which was fingular, along one of the garden walls were planted Abel trees, whofe tops were disposed and spread by an iron treillage into arches at equal distances, which had a very good effect. The garden of the Hoftel-fullie had nothing remarkable in it. The best piece of treillage of iron bars and wood intermixed, is that in the garden of feu Mons Louvois. And this is one of the neatest gardens in Paris. The whole upper end is adorned with a noble treillage after the manner of a triumphal arch; it cost a great fum of money. There are four statues difpofed on pedestals under it, which have a good effect; these are antique, rarely good. One of the first empreffes, a Diana, an Apollo, &c. Here the walks are hard gravel, but not rolled. On one fide of the treillage is a large aviary well stored with birds. The walls of the green-house are matted; and large pans of iron hang down in the middle of the house, at equal diftances, to every window one; they have pullies to let them down, or run them up to what height they pleafe. This way may very well correct the moistness of the air, which the breath of the plants caufe, and fufficiently warm them. Hot beds puff up plants; yet a warm air over their heads may be as useful to refresh and nourish them in winter. The last private garden I faw was that of Mr. Furnier, a few days before we left the town, nothing could be prettier. At the upper end a noble treillage, two great vafas of iron, painted of a brass colour, and gilt. Here I saw an apple tree potted, as the figs and oranges used to be; it was the white queenen, (or calvil d'efte,) the stem of the bignefs only of my thumb, full of fruit the first of June. Many pots of Sedum Pyramidale, now a most elegant ornament. But nothing is here fo pompous as double red and striped stocks; which they multiply with care, and their pains are justly rewarded; with a thousand other things, which my fhort turn in the garden would not give me leave to remember. There are great numbers of these private gardens in Paris, which deserve seeing; but the season of the year not much favouring our curiofity, we did not much enquire after them. Hitherto I have given a fhort account of what I faw moftly in Paris, as to the people, abroad and at home; the country round about it, is full of populous and neat towns, and many palaces of the king and princes of the blood, which are not to be equalled with any thing we have in England. But I am unwilling to lead you any further, it being much out of my way and humour to go to court; but because it was my fortune to be at Verfailles, St. Cloud, Marli, and Meudon, I will venture to fay fomething of each. These four royal palaces and their gardens poffefs a barren and hilly country, as big as most counties in England; two of them, Meudon and St. Cloud, have the profpect of Paris under them; but the former hath it much more open and fully than the latter. This district may be faid to be les Berceau des Roys, or the nursery of kings; for the chief of the blood royal are lodged here, viz. the king, Monseigneur the dauphin, and the three grandfons, the dukes of Burgundy, d'Anjou, and Berry, Monfieur or the king's brother, and his fon the duke of Chartres, and Mademoiselle his daughter. All these are, or will be (as it is easy to guess by the growth and proportions of the youngest) very large and well fhaped beautiful people. The other branch of the blood royal, of the houfe of Bourbon, as the prince of Conde, the duke of Bourbon, and the princeffes his daughters, the prince of Conti, are all of less stature, but very well shaped and handsome. The duke du Maine and the conte de Touloufe I did not fee; but the princess dowager of Conti often, who is without dispute one of the most graceful and handsomest women |