At a short distance from the latter is the garden of Prince D'Esling; the neatness of this little spot, which was very gay with dahlias and other autumnal flowers, was very pleasing. There is also cultivated here a very extensive collection of pine-apples evidently for sale, as at this season of the year, there must have been nearly two hundred fruit, and some thousands of young plants, which for health and well-swelled fruit were but little inferior to any in England. The largest fruit was grown in a low span-roofed house, and planted out into the beds into a mixture of sandy peat; the house was six feet six inches high, with a foot path in the centre, and the beds for plants along each side. The succession pines are grown in wooden frames with dung linings around them, and were in great vigour of health. The Providence and Montsserats were extensively cultivated. A very complete stove for exotic plants is also here. The Aristolochia Braziliensis was beautifully in flower, and the other plants in a very healthy state.
I next visited the Pantheon, a noble edifice, with magnificent architectural columns, and cornice: it is reckoned one of the finest erections in Paris.
Oct. 7th. Went at six o'clock this morning to see the fruit and vegetable market: the display of pears, grapes, and wallnuts was very fine, there were also a number of peaches, but these were rather of an inferior size to those grown on the open walls in England. The fruit market was really so crowded with baskets of pears and women that it was with much difficulty that I could pass through it: there was an abundant display of vegetables. Cardoons were now brought to market, and a few bunches of small asparagus; celery appeared in great abundance and of good quality; various baskets of the Alpine strawberry and a few pretty good looking melons were also to be had.
I started at eight o'clock for Versailles, passing through a beautiful part of the country, well planted with numerous handsomely erected villas, and the road winding along for a considerable distance by the river Seine.
On my arrival I proceeded to the gardens, where I was quite astonished at the extent of these magnificent grounds; there were numerous groups of sculpture and bronze, and fountains ornamented with various figures, such as sea monsters, dolphins, &c. which spout the water into the basons, the effect of which, when the water-works are playing, must be grand in the extreme.
The various terraces, parterres, and avenues, the latter leading in every direction, with their beautiful groups of sculpture, are very grand.
Under the south terrace is situated the orangery, and from the terrace walk we look down upon at least several hundred magnificent trees, which for number and vigour of health, were undoubtedly surpassed by none that I had previously met with on the continent; I am, however, inclined to think that there were some at Sans-souci fully as large.
The orange-houses are all formed under the south terrace, and appear like arched cellars, with only glass windows in front; I could perceive no means of applying artificial heat, but the windows were furnished with shutters, which appeared to be the only protection they had against frost; they were busy at this time removing trees to their winter quarters.
From the orangery I proceeded through various other parts of the grounds, and also to the Grand Trianon, which is situated about two English miles from the palace of Versailles; the grounds attached to it are laid out according to the English style of gardening, with fine pieces of water, rock-work, temples, and rustic erections. They contain a fine assortment of hardy trees and shrubs, planted on the grass, which gave it the appearance of an arboretum, but there seemed to be no regular arrangement of the plants. There is a green-house attached to these grounds, and a good show of autumnal flowers in front of it, such as dahlias and other annuals. The gardener was not at home. On my return from the garden I took another route through the grounds attached to Versailles; but to attempt to describe them would have required much longer time than my cursory visit would permit, or to enumerate the different objects of interest and magnificence that are dispersed throughout them. I then visited the kitchen garden department, which consists of an extensive piece of ground, subdivided into numerous divisions by walls, on which are trained vines and peaches; the Fontainbleau grape appeared to ripen and swell its fruit remarkably well, and was very abundant in its production; it seemed to be more generally cultivated than any other sort; in front of the vine-wall it is also grown to a trellising, and produced very fine fruit considering its being grown out of doors. In one of the compartments devoted to the peach trees I observed the Royale peach extending over a space of wall forty-two feet long, and from eighteen to twenty feet high; it was in excellent health, and regularly furnished with fine bearing shoots. In another compartment is a collection of standard pear trees.
The forcing ground contains numerous low houses and pits for the growth of the pine, vine, and peach. The pine-apple in this establishment was remarkably well grown and fine fruit, and little if any inferior to those that I have seen. The fruiting plants were also planted out into beds in light sandy peat soil, which evidently suited them well. The succession pines at this time were undergoing a shifting and disrooting,—a practice not generally adopted at this season in England.