To the north of the Luxembourg gardens is the church and semi wiry of se,-Selpla. The church, built on the Kite of a former rede em...11nel edifice in 161‘, is a superb building, 337 feet long, and flanked by two towers 210 feet high. Between the towers, mounted upon a stylobate, is a beautiful portico, composed of light Doric columns 40 feet high, above which is a gallery and !oohs colonnade, with columns 3v feet in height, the whole surmounted by a balustrade. In bunt of the church le a bountiful fountain by Visconti. The seminary is a large plain building, with accommodations for above 200 cede 'Latina students.
The Chamber of the Legislative Body of the French empire, formerly the Chamber of I)eputiee, and originally part of the Palate Bourbon, is remarkable for its splendid facade towards the river and the Place-de-la-Coneorde. The whole extent of this aide of the building Le 234 feet,136 feet of which form an advancing central mass faced by a Corinthian portico of 12 columns, supporting a pediment covered with basereliefs and mounted on a stylobate of 23 steps 100 feet wide, and flanked by pedeetala and statues. Notwithstanding that it is only a single Intercolupin in depth, this portico makes an exceedingly majestic appearance. The legislative chamber, which is behind the portico, is a semicircle lighted from above, and surrounded by an leak colonnade.
Along the 1.ze of quays, between the Chamber of Deputies and the Mint, are many noble structures, among which may be mentioned the Pekes of the Legion of Honour ; the Palakel'Orsay, one of the finest. edifices in the capital, now occupied by tho Council of State and dependent °Mete ; the Palailedel'Inatitut, which contains the Mau rine library (120,000 volumes and 4500 manuscripts), and the library of the Institnte ; and the Palais-des-Beaux-Arta, on the roof of the amphitheatre of which is Paul do le Roche's beautiful picture repro. renting the differeut School' of Painting. The Iustitute, the principal of the learned societies of France, occupies the building of the former College dea-QuatreeNatious.
The 116telelesellounaiee, or mint, on the Qnai Conti, near the south end of the Pont-Neuf, Is a noble structure of palatial aspect. It has two front, of nearly the same extent, 376 feet, one towards the Quid, the other in the Itue-Gu6negaud. The former is in three divisions, the centre one of which has an Ionic order of six columns above the basement, crowned by an attic, against which are statues over the coloinna and panels between them. There are two aeries of windows
in the height of the order, and 27 on a floor. The whole is marked by great nobleness and simplicity, and is pure in taste.
Tho IlOtelale-Ville, the splendid residence of the prefect of the Seine, the chief of the municipality of I'aris, was commenced under Francois L, and completed in 1606; but it has received since then many additions and alterations, and the whole building has been recently restored. Its plan is a rectangle, with 25 windows in its length on the east and west facade.% and 19 windows on the north and Death facades. Four square pavilions, three stories high, flank the four angles, and two intermediate pavilions rise in the middle of the longest sides, besides the graceful bell-tower that springs up above the principal entrance. Between the pavilions the building is only two lights high, crowned by a lofty flat-roofed attic, in front of which are niches with statues of illustrious magistrates, and ou the south f is with allegorical figures representing Commerce, Ste. T e apartments of the H6tel-de-Ville are furnished and decorated with unexampled splendour.
The Halleaux-B16,, or corn-market, is a rotunda whose external diameter is 225 feet, containing within a circular arcade of 25 arches, leaving a clear central space 127 feet in diameter, which was originally an open court, lent was afterwards covered in by a dome of iron and copper, with a skylight in tho centre, similar to the opening in the dome of the Pantheon at Rome. The Hallo-aux-Vine, or wino market, to the north of the Jardin-des-Plantes, consists of seven largo riles of building separating streets named after the most celebrated French wines. The venetian contain about 450,000 casks. Nearly opposite the Ilalle-aux-Vine on the right bank of the Seine, aro the vast buildings of the Arsenal, which contain a library, and some memorials of Sully and Henri IV. t • and the great Reserve Granary, facing the 13oulevard-Bourslon, which always contains four months' consumption of flour and grain for the capital, and is 2160 feet long by 64 feet in breadth. Behind the Halle-aux-Vins, opposite the north west angle of the Jardineles-Plantee, is the 116pitalek-la-Pitio, which snakes up COO beds • and immediately went of the hospital is tho prison of Sainte-1'0,4k.