as a
most noble and imposing building; it was Louis XV who laid the first
stone in 1764, near the spot where stood the ancient but ruined church
of St. Genevieve. It is affirmed that he was persuaded by Madame de
Pompadour to erect this monument as a thanksgiving after his having had
a severe illness. The architect was Soufflot, the style is purely
Grecian. Twenty-two fluted Corinthian columns, 60 feet in height and 6
in diameter, sustain the portico, and 32 the great dome, above which is
a lantern terminated by a figure in bronze 17 feet high. There is a
great deal of sculpture about the building, some allegorical, others
portraiture; its total height is 282 feet. The exterior is in the form
of a Grecian cross. The paintings are by the Barons Gros, and Gerard;
although a most noble structure, yet it is not consistently grand in all
its bearings. Monuments of the great men of France are now erected here;
and amongst the rest the immortal Lafayette. The stranger is recommended
to ascend the dome, from which a most amusing view is afforded. The
vaults beneath are extremely curious and interesting; whatever the
faults of this edifice may be, there is a solemnity about it which takes
great possession of the mind, particularly when there is a funeral and
the light of the torches are seen glimmering amongst the priests in the
"long drawn aisle," as they slowly and solemnly wend their way.

In the Rue des Postes, No. 26, is the seminary for young men destined for
missionaries to the colonies; a bas relief representing a missionary
preaching, above the pediment of the church, is the only striking
object. At No. 3, Rue de Fourcy, is the Irish college, rather a handsome
building, with some trees about it which add to the effect. Many Irish
of distinction are buried here and it is still kept up, there being
about 100 students; the regulations are the same as in the English
Universities, about 25 priests are sent out from here to their own
country every year. In the rue des Fosses St. Victor is the Scotch
College (vide page 78), it is now a sort of school, but the tablet over
the door with College des Ecossais inscribed still remains, and there
are many interesting monuments of Scotch nobility. Next door is the
Convent of English Augustin Nuns, the only religious house never
molested during the Revolution; it contains a small chapel with some
English tombs, the inmates now occupy themselves with the education of
their young countr