The Baron d'Espagnac has at his hôtel in the Rue d'Aguesseau a selection of paintings which may be considered one of the most recherchée in Paris; a landscape by Dominichino is quite a gem, and he has scarcely a painting in his numerous collection but must be admired; his copy of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps the best that has ever been executed, and affords a most exact idea of the original, which is now, alas! nearly if not entirely defaced. To see these, as well as many other very excellent private collections, it is merely necessary to write to the owner and the request is immediately granted.
Mr. Rickets, an English gentleman living at No. 9, Rue Royale, has about 400 pictures, amongst which are some of considerable merit and particularly interesting, either for the execution, the subjects, or certain associations connected with them; this selection presents a singular variety of styles, wherein may be recognised all the most celebrated schools; some of the smaller pictures are executed with the most exquisite delicacy and require long examination to form an adequate appreciation of their merit. This collection is only accessible through the medium of an introduction. As many purchasers of pictures often want them cleaned and restored, I would recommend them to a countryman for that purpose, M. Penley, No. 11, Rue Romford, whose efforts I have seen effect a complete resuscitation upon a dingy and almost incomprehensible subject.
CHAPTER XIV.
The concluding Chapter; application of capital, information for travellers, prices of provisions.
One of the first measures to be adopted on arriving in France, is to acquire the knowledge of the value of the coin, which is indeed rather intricate; first a sou, or what we should call a halfpenny, is four liards or five centimes; then there are two sou pieces, which resemble our penny pieces; there is likewise a little dingy looking copper coin, with an N upon one side and 10 centimes on the other, that is also two sous; they once had a little silver wash upon them, but it has now disappeared. Next there is a little piece which looks like a bad farthing, rather whitish from the silver not being quite worn away, which passes for a sou and a half or six liards. We then rise to a quarter franc, or 5 sous, which is a very neat little silver coin; next the half franc, then a fifteen sous piece, which is copper washed over with silver, with a head of Louis on one side and a figure on the other; double the size but exactly similar is the 30 sous piece; the franc is 20 sous, the two francs 40 sous, both of which are neat silver coin, as also the 5 francs piece. The gold circulation consists in ten, twenty, and forty franc pieces. There are no notes in Paris for less than 500 francs, which are of the Bank of France; the visiter on arriving in Paris will require to change his English money, and there are many money changers; I have had transactions with most of them, but have found Madame Emerique, of No. 32, Palais-Royal, Galerie Montpensier, (there is an entrance also Rue Montpensier, No. 22,) the most liberal and just of any, and I am quite certain that any stranger might go there with a total ignorance of the value of the money he presented, and would receive the full amount according to the state of exchange at the time. Much credit is due to Madame Emerique from our country-people with regard to her conduct respecting stolen Bank of England notes; she takes great pains to obtain a list of such as are stolen, that she may not be unconsciously accessary in aiding the success of crime, by giving the value for that which had been obtained by theft, and adopts every means that the presenters should be detained; if all the money changers were as particular in that respect, thieves would derive no benefit in coming over to France with their stolen notes. The office of Madame Emerique has been the longest established of any, and the high respectability of her family and connexions are a certain guarantee for the foreigner against being imposed upon. The number of hôtels in Paris is immense; as I always frequent the same which I have known for nearly 20 years, of course I can recommend it, both as regards the extreme respectability of the persons by whom it is kept and the moderation of the charges; it is situated at No. 71, Rue Richelieu, and is called the Hôtel de Valois, Baths abound in Paris, but the Bains Chinois, Boulevart des Italiens, are of the oldest date, and have been visited by the most illustrious persons. Amongst the rest, the proprietor declares that William the Fourth attended them at the time he was sojourning incognito at Paris. Amongst the numerous list of Bankers, those which are most frequented by the English are Madame Luc Callaghan and Son, No. 40, Rue de la Ferme-des-Mathurins; Monsieur le Baron Rothschild, Rue Laffitte, and Messrs. Laffitte, Blount and Comp., No. 52, Rue Basse-du-Rempart.
Amongst the multitude of interesting spots which surround Paris, Versailles is pre-eminent, not only for the grandeur of the palace, the beauty of the gardens, etc., but it has now received so many objects of art, and its collection of pictures is so immense, that it may be considered the Museum of France; but there are so many works written upon it, and its description must be so voluminous to render it any justice, that I must content myself with referring my readers to those publications which have already appeared on the subject. St. Cloud, St. Germains, St. Denis and Fontainebleau are too remarkable to be lightly touched, particularly the two latter, upon which there are publications giving the most ample details of all which they contain that is interesting; those works therefore I must also recommend for the visiter's perusal.
Before I bid adieu to my readers, I must not omit to mention an institution formed in Paris, which does honour to the English character; it is entitled the British Charitable Fund, and was founded in 1822, under the patronage of the British Ambassador, and is entirely supported by voluntary contributions, for the purpose of relieving old and distressed British subjects, or of sending them to their native country; suffice it to say, that there have been within the last ten years 11,500 persons relieved, and 2,571 sent to Great Britain.
There are quite a host of steam-boat establishments, having their agents and offices in Paris, but that for which the agency has been confided to M. Chauteauneuf, No. 8, Boulevart Montmartre, embraces so wide a field that I consider in recommending my readers to him, I afford them the opportunity of obtaining all the information they can require upon the subject; the Company could not have selected any one more capable of fulfilling the duties of such an office, as besides his extreme civility and attention to all applicants, he speaks many different languages, as French, English, Spanish, Italian, etc. The boats for which he is agent proceed from Dunkirk to St. Petersburg, touching direct at Copenhagen, and privileged by the Emperor of Russia; the passage is effected in 6 or 7 days. Dunkirk to Hamburg in 36 or 40 hours, corresponding with all the steamers on the Baltic and the Elbe. Dunkirk to Rotterdam in 10 or 12 hours, communicating with all the navigation upon the Rhine. Boulogne to London by the Commercial Steam Company. Antwerp to New York, touching at Southampton; Marseilles to Nice, Genoa, Leghorn, Civita Vecchia, Naples, Sicily, Malta and the Levant, by the steamers of the Neapolitan Company. The above vessels are fitted up in the most efficient and solid manner, with English machinery. At Lyons there is a corresponding office for the navigation of the interior, held by Messrs. Jackson, Dufour, and Comp., No. 7, Quai St. Clair. M. Chateauneuf is very obliging in explaining all the details of the different tarifs of the custom duties of the various countries with which the steamers communicate.
A very great convenience exists in Paris, which I think much wanted in London, and that is what are termed Cabinets de Lecture, where you may read all the principal papers and periodical pamphlets for the small expense of 3 sous; some are higher, where English newspapers are taken, when the price is five sous; they are mostly circulating libraries at the same time. But those who wish to see all or the greater part of the London and some provincial and foreign papers, will find them at Galignani's, and at an English reading room established in the Rue Neuve St. Augustin, No. 55, near the Rue de la Paix; at both these establishments the admittance is ten sous. The only English newspaper at present published in Paris is by Galignani, which contains extracts judiciously selected from the French and English papers, besides other useful information.