PARIS 277 tions of its dome and tower, respectively 197 and 262 feet in height. Tieatres. Theatres. Of the many buildings in Paris devoted to theatrical entertainments there is only one, at once the largest and the most beautiful, which is of real archi tectural importance the Grand Ope ra, or national academy of music and dancing. The opera house, which covers 2-| acres, is the finest theatre in the world. The process of erection, directed by Charles Gamier, lasted from 1861 to 1875, required 673,295 days work, and cost 1,440,000. The front is decorated on the ground story by allegorical groups (music by Guillaume ; lyrical poetry by Jouffroy; lyrical drama by Perraud ; and dancing by Carpeaux) and allegorical statues. In the first story a row of coupled Corinthian columns (each consisting of a single block) forms an open gallery, above which are seven busts of famous musicians, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. Above the architrave of the front appears the dome which covers the auditorium, and behind that rises the vast pediment above the stage decorated at the corners with enormous groups. On the summit of the pediment an Apollo, raising aloft his lyre, is seen against the sky and forms the culminating point of the whole edifice. The sides are not so richly decorated as the front, but each has in the centre an elegant cylindrical pavilion with a carriage entrance. Behind are the build ings occupied by the managers and staff. The interior is decorated throughout in the most gorgeous manner with massive gilding, flamboyant scroll-work, statues, paintings, &c. The grand vestibule with statues of Lully, Rameau, Gluck, and Handel, the grand staircase (an indubitable masterpiece), the avant-foyer or corridor leading to the foyer, and the, foyer or crush-room itself are especially worthy of mention. This last, which is 197 feet long, 43 broad, and 59 high, has its ceiling brilliantly painted by Baudry, whose work, however, can hardly be appreciated properly from the excess of light. The auditorium is seated for 2156; its ceiling is painted by Lenepveu. Behind the stage is the foyer de la danse or green-room for the ballet, adorned with large allegorical panels and portraits of the most eminent danseuses. The comic opera has a theatre to itself, L Ope ra Co- mique ; and operettas are played at La Renaissance, Les Bouffes, Les Folios Dramatiques, and Dejazet. The Thratre Frangais and the Ode"on represent the works of the classical dramatists, as well as modern pieces tragic or comic. Comedy and vaudevilles are played at the Gymnase and the Vaudeville ; and the Palais Royal, the
r arie tes, and the Nouveantes devote themselves especi
ally to farce. Pieces of the popular class, fairy scenes and spectacular displays, are the main attraction of the Chatelet, the Gaiete, the Porte St Martin, and the Ambigu. The Chateau d Eau now gives popular operatic performances. Equestrian entertainments are supplied by the hippodrome and three circuses. The cafe concerts which during the summer season abound in the Champs Elysdes remove in winter to the Boulevard de Strasbourg and the Montmartre and Poissonniere faubourgs, where there are also some permanent establishments of the kind. Several companies give concerts of classical music on stated days in the winter season ; the finest are those of the Conservatoire and the Chateau d Eau, Chatelet, and Cirque theatres. rron- Arrondissements. The city is divided into twenty arrondisse- isse- ments. Only the first twelve belonged to Paris previous to 1860 ; lents. the others correspond to the old suburban communes then annexed. The first four arrondissements occupy the space on the right of the river, extending from the Place de la Concorde to the Bastille, and from the Seine to the line of the Grands Boulevards ; the 5th, 6th, and 7th arrondissements lie opposite them on the left side ; the 8th, 9th 10th, llth, and 12th surround the first four arrondisse ments on the north; the 13th, 14th, and 15th are formed out of the old suburban communes of the left side ; and the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th out of the old surburban communes of the right side. Population and Vital Statistics. The growth of the population Popula- during the last six hundred years is shown in the following table tion. (I.):- Years. Population. Years. Population. 1292 215,861 1841 935,261 1553 260,000 1846 1,053,897 1718 509,000 1851 1,053,262 1 1755 576,000 1856 1,174,346 1784 660,000 1861 1,696,741 2 1800 547.756 1 1866 1,825,274 1817 713,966 1872 1,851,792 1831 785,862 1876 1,988,806 1836 868,438 1881 2,269,023 The figures for December 1881, like the rest of those in the table, represent the number of people legally domiciled at Paris at the date given, but the number actually present in the city at last census was only 2,239,928 (1,113,326 males and 1,126,602 females). The following table (II.) shows the distribution of the population in the several arrondissements : Number and Name of AiTondUsernent. Area in Acres. Inhabitants. Houses. Births (1881). Deaths (1881). No. of Inhabit ants per Acre. 1. Louvre 470 241 287 387 015 521 996 941 526 706 892 1,803 1,544 1,147 1,782 1,752 1,100 1,282 1,398 1,287
- 5,390
76,394 94,254 103,700 114,444 97,735 83,327 89,004 122,896 1(9,809 209,246 102,435 91,315 91,713 100,079 60,702 143,187 178,836 117,885 126,917 2,104 2,278 2,380 2,404 3,208 2,746 2,441 3,393 3,480 3,773 5,539 4,181 3,933 4,372 5,229 4,406 5,366 6,166 4,033 5,522 1,605 1,873 2,434 2,724 3,033 2,188 1,796 1 ,403 2,597 3,879 6,472 2,984 2,883 3,071 2,915 1,265 3,637 5,426 3,682 4,007 1,428 1,452 2,000 2,473 2,780 1,989 1,994 1,372 1,887 3,646 5,654 2,864 3,154 2,782 2,981 1,265 3,214 4,804 3,490 3,875 160 317 328 268 186 188 84 95 234 22(5 235 79 59 80 57 35 130 139 84 T9 2. Uours-e 3. Temple 4. Hotel de Ville 5. Piinthdon 0. Luxembourg 7. Palais-Bourbon 8. Klysee 0. Opera 10. St Laurent 11. Popincourt 12. Keuilly 13. Gobelins 14. Observatoire IS. Vaugirard 16. Passy 17. Batiguollcs 18. Montmartre 19. Buttes-Chaumont.. 20. Mdnilmontanf 19.177 2,209,928 77,014 50,874 57,000 117 The number of births and of deaths in Paris during the five years 1876-80278,785 births and 252,500 deaths apparently shows nothing exceptional as compared with the rest of France. It is to be observed, however, that the population is composed to a larger extent than usual of adults, young children being sent to the country, and old men withdrawing. The number of marriages, 20,993 for 1881, with an average of 18,427 for the five previous years, is rather small for the proportion of marriageable persons. Of the 1,113,326 males in 1881, 621,569 were unmarried, 440,022 married, and 51,735 widowers; of the 1,126,602 females, 557,054 were unmarried, 446,297 married, and 123,251 widows. The sub joined table (III.) shows the proportion of individuals of the various ages specified, in each 10,000 of the inhabitants, according to the census of 1881. It will be seen that the proportion was greater in Paris from 20 to 55, and smaller below and above those ages. Number of Persons Number of Pers-ns Age. In Paris. In France. Age. In Paris. In France. Oto 5 711 976 50 to 55 554 546 5 , 10 642 867 55 60 391 483 10 , 15 671 869 60 65 297 415 15 , 20 849 858 65 70 186 317 20 , 25 1,118 874 70 75 119 222 25 . 30 1,010 709 75 80 67 140 30 , 35 966 707 80 85 22 62 35 , 40 901 682 85 90 9 18 40 , 45 800 641 90 . 95 2 7 45 , 50 675 604 95 , 100
3 The following table shows the occupations of the population in 1881: 1 The decrease between 1784 and 1800 was due to the Reign of Terror, and that between 1846 and 1851 to the Revolution of 1848. a The increase in 1861 is largely due to the incorporation of the suburban districts.
