eriods; altogether it is a most interesting building and is
connected with many sad historical associations, it was the bell of this
church that tolled the signal for the massacre of the protestants on the
night of St. Bartholomew; in a little street adjoining the south side of
the church, is a house with a picturesque turret, supposed to have
belonged to some building attached to the church; there is a very
remarkable piece of carve-work in wood and some interesting pictures
within the church; we will now leave its tranquil vaulted aisles, and
quitting by the western porch, the most beautiful facade of the Louvre
rises before us, which was erected in the reign of Louis XIV, after a
design by Claude Perrault.

[Illustration: Champin del. Lith. Rigo Freres Cie
St. Germain l'Auxerrois.]

The Louvre has been so often described in works of so many different
natures, descending the different grades from histories to pamphlets,
that I shall not fatigue my readers with a too detailed review of its
wonders, but endeavour to give them some impression of its grandeur,
with as little prolixity as possible. I have already, in the historical
sketch of Paris, touched upon its foundation, and the various epochs at
which the different parts of the building were erected, and certainly
let any one place himself in the middle of the grand court, and behold
the four sides, and see if he can call to mind any thing equal to it,
take it, for its all in all; I am well aware that there is rather a
redundancy of ornament to satisfy the purest taste, and in that respect
there is undoubtedly a deviation from perfection, but the approach is
sufficiently near to excite the warmest admiration. Each side is 408
feet, and although there is a degree of uniformity, taken _en masse_,
preserved, with two of the facades particularly, yet on examination the
ornaments are found to be different, each side requires much close study
after a _coup-d'oeil_ has been taken of the whole, and the more it is
inspected, the more beautiful will it be found; the statues and
different devices are by five different sculptors, the most celebrated
of their day, the order of the pillars is generally corinthian, but
there are some, which are composite. The external facades are by no
means burthened with ornament, the north and western sides being
perfectly plain, the south side has a noble effect, and faces the quay,
having plenty of room to admit of its being properly viewed