Parima
or PARIME SIERRA, a mountain range situated in the N. E. of Venezuela. In general it is composed of bare plateaus, and its highest peaks rise to a height of about 8,000 feet. The PARIS Essequibo, Orinoco, and Rio Branco have their rise in this range.
PARIS (anciently, (anciently, Lutetia Parisitram, orum) , the capital of France and of the department of the Seine. The city lies in the Seine valley surrounded by heights, those on the N. being Charonne La Villette, the Buttes-Chaumont and Montmartre, those on the S. St. Geneviève, Montrouge, and the Butte-aux- Cailles. Through the valleys between these heights the river runs from E. to W., inclosing two islands, upon which part of the city is built. It is navigable by small steamers. The quays or embankments, which extend along the Seine on both sides, being built of solid masonry, protect the city from inundation and form excellent promenades. The river, which within the city is fully 530 feet in width, is crossed by numerous bridges, the more important being Pont Neuf, Pont des Arts, Pont du Carr Pont Royal, Pont de l'Alma, etc. The Carrousel, city is surrounded by a line of fortifications which measures 22 miles; outside of this is the enceinte, while beyond that again are the detached forts. These now form two main lines of defense.
The inner line consists of 16 forts, the outer line of 18 forts, besides redoubts; the area thus inclosed measuring 430 square miles, with an encircling line of 77 miles. The climate of Paris is temperate and agreeable. The city is divided into 20 arrondissements, at the head of which is a maire. Each arrondissement is divided into four quarters, each of which sends a member to the municipal council. The council discuss and vote the budget of the city. At the head is the prefect of the Seine and the prefect of police. The water supply of the the city is derived from the Seine and the Marne, from the Ourcq canal, from artesian wells, and from springs.
Streets, Boulevards, Etc. -The houses of Paris are almost all built of white calcareous stone, and their general height is from five to six stories, arranged in separate tenements. Many of the modand are highly enriched in the Renais street buildings have mansard sance manner. In the older parts of the city the streets are narrow and irregular, but in the newer districts the avenues are straight, wide, and well paved.
What are known as "the boulevards" include the interior, exterior, and military. That which is specifically called "The Boulevard" extends, in an irregular Irregular arc on the N. side of the Seine, from the Place de la Bastille in the E. to the Place de la Madeleine in the W. It includes the Boulevards du Temple, St. Martin, St. Denis, des Italiens, Capuchins, Made- PARIS leine, etc., and its length of nearly 3 miles forms the most stirring part of the city. Here may be noted also the magnificent triumphal arches of Porte St. Denis and Porte St. Martin, the former of which is 72 feet in height. On the S. side of the Seine the boulevards are neither so numerous nor so extensive, the best known being the Boulevard St.
Germain, which extends from Pont Sully to the Pont de la Concorde. The exterior boulevards are so named because they are outside the old city limits; and PARIS Place de la Concorde, one of the largest and most elegant squares in Europe, sur rounded by fine buildings and adorned by an Egyptian obelisk, fountains, and statues; Place de l'Etoile, in which is situated the Arc de Triomphe, a splendid structure, 152 feet in height; the Place Vendôme, with column to Napoleon I.; Places des Victoires, with equestrian statues of Louis XIV.; Place de la Bastille, with the Column of July; Place de la République, with colossal statue of the Republic; etc. Within the city are situ- Vendôme, extensive, THE PANTHEON AT PARIS the military boulevards, still farther out, extend round the fortifications. After the boulevards mentioned the best streets are the Rue de Rivoli, Rue Castiglione, Rue de la Paix, Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, the Rue des Pyramides, and 12 fine avenues radiating from the Place de l'Etoile. There are six passenger stations for the railways to the various parts of the country, and a railway around the city (the ceinture), by means of which interchange of traffic between the different lines is effected. There are also tramway lines to Versailles, St.
Cloud, and other places in the suburbs, and an underground electric road.
Squares, Parks, Etc. -The most notable public squares or places are the ated the gardens of the Tuileries, which are adorned with numerous statues and fountains; fountains; the gardens of the Luxembourg, in which are fine conservatories of rare plants; the Jardin des Plantes, in which are the zoölogical gardens, hothouses, museums, laboratories, etc., which have made this scientific institution famous; the Buttes-Chaumont Gardens, in which an extensive old quarry has been turned to good account in enhancing the beauty of the situation; the Parc Monceaux; and the Champs Elysées, the latter being a favorite holiday resort of all classes. But the most extensive parks are outside the city. Of these the Bois de Boulogne, on the W., covers an area of 2,150 acres, gives an extensive PARIS view toward St. Cloud and Mont Valérien, comprises the race courses of Longchamps and Auteuil, and in it are situated lakes, an aquarium, conservatories, etc. The Bois de Vincennes, on the E., even larger, is similarly adorned with artificial lakes and streams, and its high plateau offers a fine view over the surrounding country. The most celebrated and extensive cemetery in Paris is Père la Chaise (106½ acres), finely situated and having many important monuments. The Catacombs are ancient quarries which extend under a portion of the S. part of the city, and in them are deposited the bones removed from old cemeteries now built over.
Churches. Of the churches of Paris the most celebrated is the cathedral of Notre Dame, situated on one of the is lands of the Seine, called the Ile de la Cité. It is a vast cruciform structure, with a lofty W. front, flanked by two square towers, the walls sustained by many flying buttresses, and the E. end octagonal. The whole length of the church is 426 feet, its breadth 164 feet.
The foundation of Notre Dame belongs to the 6th century; the present edifice dates from 1163; but was restored in 1845. The interior decorations are all modern. The church of La Madeleine, a modern structure in the style of a great Roman temple, entirely surrounded by massive Corinthian columns, stands on an elevated basement fronting the N. end of the Rue Royale; the church of St.
Geneviève, built about the close of the 18th century, was after its completion set apart, under the title of the Panthéon, as the burying place of illustrious Frenchmen; St. Eustache (1532-1637), a strange mixture of degenerate Gothic and Renaissance architecture; St. Germain l'Auxerrois, dating from the 15th and 16th centuries; St. Gervais; St.
Roch; St. Sulpice; Notre Dame de Lorette; St. Vincent de Paul; etc. On the very summit of Montmartre is the church of the Sacred Heart, a vast structure in mediæval style, estimated to cost $4,800,- 000. The Protestant churches are the Oratoire and Visitation, and chapels belonging to English, Scotch, and American denominations. There are also a Greek chapel and several synagogues.
Palaces and Public Buildings. - Notable among the public buildings of Paris are its palaces. The Louvre, a great series of buildings within which are two large courts, is now devoted to a museum which comprises splendid collections of sculpture, paintings, engravings, bronzes, pottery, Egyptian and Assyrian antiquities, etc. (see LOUVRE); the palace of the Tuileries, the main front of which PARIS was destroyed in 1871 by the Communists, has since been restored, with the exception of its principal façade, the ruins of which have been removed and its site converted into a garden; the Palais du Luxembourg, on the S. side of the river, has very extensive gardens attached to it, and contains the Musée du Luxembourg, appropriated to the works of modern French artists; the Palais Royal is a famed resort; the Palais de l'Elysée, situated on the Rue St. Honoré, with a large garden, is now the residence of the President of the Republic; the Palais du Corps Législatif, or Chambre des Députés, is the building in which the Chamber of Deputies meets; the Palais de l'Industrie, built for the first international exhibition in 1855, is used for the annual salon of modern paintings, etc. The City Hall is situated in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, formerly Place de Grève, on the right bank of the river. It was destroyed by the Communists in 1871, but has now been reerected on the same site with even greater magnificence. It is a very rich example of Renaissance architecture.
The Hôtel des Invalides, built in 1670, with a lofty dome, is now used as a retreat for disabled soldiers and is capable of accommodating 5,000. It contains the burial place of the first Napoleon. The Court House is an irregular mass of buildings occupying the greater part of the W. extremity of the Ile de la Cité. Opposite the Court House is the Tribunal de Commerce, a quadrangular building inclosing a large court roofed with glass. The Mint (Hôtel des Monnaies) fronts the Quai Conti, on the S. side of the Seine, and contains an immense collection of coins and medals. The other principal government buildings are the Treasury (Hôtel des Finances), in the Rue de Rivoli; the Record Office (Hôtel des Archives Nationales). The Exchange (La Bourse) was completed in 1826; it is in the form of a parallelogram, 212 feet by 126 feet, surrounded by a range of 66 columns. A distinctive feature are the extensive markets, among the most important of which are the Halles Centrales, where fish, poultry, butcher meat and garden produce are sold. A notable and unique structure is the Eiffel Tower, built in connection with the Paris Exhibition of 1889, and which is to have a permanent existence. It is a structure of iron lattice-work, 984 feet high, and having three stages stages or platforms. It is as yet the highest building in the world.
Education, Libraries, Etc. The chief institution of higher education is the academy of the Sorbonne, where are the PARIS university "faculties" (see FRANCE, section Education) of literature and science, while those of law and medicine are in separate buildings. There are, besides, numerous courses of lectures in science, philology, and philosophy delivered in the Collége de France, and courses of chemistry, natural history, etc., in the museum of the Jardin des Plantes. Among other Parisian schools are the secondary schools or lycées, the most important of which are Descartes (formerly Louis le Grand), St. Louis, Corneille (formerly Collége Henry IV.), Charlemagne, Fontanes (formerly Condorcet), De Vanves; the Ecole Polytechnique for military and civil engineers, etc.; Ecole des Beaux-Arts; School of Oriental Languages; Conservatoire des Arts-et-Métiers, and the Conservatoire de Musique. Of the libraries the most important is the Bibliothèque Nationale, the largest in the world. The number of printed volumes which it contains is estimated at 2,500,000, besides 3,000,000 pamphlets, manuscript volumes, historical documents, etc. The other libraries are those of the Arsenal St. Geneviève, Mazarin, De la Ville, De l'Institut, and De l'Université (the Sorbonne). There are also libraries subsidized by the municipality in all the arrondissements. Among museums, besides the Louvre and the Luxembourg, there may be noted the Musée d'Artillerie, in the Hôtel des Invalides, containing suits of ancient armor, arms, etc.; the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers; the Trocadéro Palace, containing curiosities brought home by French travelers, casts from choice specimens of architecture, etc.; and the Cluny Museum, containing an extensive collection of the products of the art and artistic handicrafts of the Middle Ages.
The chief of the learned societies is the Institute of France.
Hospitals. There are many hospitals in Paris devoted to the gratuitous treatment of the indigent sick and injured; and also numerous establishments of a benevolent nature, such as the Hôtel de Invalides, or asylum for old soldiers, the lunatic asylum (Maison des Aliénés, Charenton), blind asylums; the deaf and dumb institute (Institution des Sourds- Muets); two hospitals at Vincennes for wounded and convalescent artisans; the crèches, in which infants are received for the day at a small charge; and the ouvroirs, in which aged people are supplied with work. Theaters. The theaters of Paris are exceedingly numerous. The most important are the Opera House, a gorgeous edifice of great size; the Opéra- Comique, the Théâtre Français, the PARIS Odéon; the Théâtre de la Gaîte, for vaudevilles and melodramas; Théâtre des Folies Dramatiques, Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre du Vaudeville, Théâtre des Variétés, Théâtre de la Porte-St.- Martin, and the Théâtre de l'Ambigu Comique.
Industries and Trade. - The most important manufactures are articles of jewelry and the precious us metals, metals, trinkets of various kinds, fine hardware, paper hangings, saddlery, and other articles of leather, cabinet work, carriages, various articles of dress, silk and woolen tissues, particularly shawls and carpets, Gobelin tapestry, lace, embroidery, artificial flowers, combs, machines, scientific instruments, types, books, engravings, refined sugar, tobacco (a government_monopoly), chemical products, etc. That which is distinctively Parisian is the making of all kinds of small ornamental articles, which are called articles de Paris. A large trade is carried on by the Seine both above and below Paris, as well as by canals.
Population. According to approximate estimates the population of Paris was, in 1474, 150,000; under Henry II. (1547-1559), 210,000; in 1590, 200,000; under Louis XIV. (1643-1715), 492,600; in 1856 (before the annexation of the suburbs), 1,174,346; 1861 (after the annexation), 1,667,841; 1881, 2,269,023; 1886, 2,256,050; 1896, 2,536,834; 1906, 2,763,393; 1911, 2,888,110; 1920, 3,- 300,000.
History. The first appearance of Paris in history is on the occasion of Cæsar's conquest of Gaul, when the small tribe of the Parisii were found inhabiting the banks of the Seine, and occupying the island now called Ile de la Cité. It was a fortified town in A. D. 360, when the soldiers of Julian here summoned him to fill the imperial throne.
In the beginning of the 5th century it suffered much from the northern hordes, and ultimately fell into the hands of the Franks, headed by Clovis, who made it his capital in 508. In 987 a new dynasty was established in the person of Hugo Capet, from whose reign downward Paris has continued to be the residence of the kings of France. In 1437 and 1438, under Charles VII., Paris was ravaged by pestilence and famine, and such was the desolation that wolves appeared in herds and prowled about the streets.
Under Louis XI. a course of prosperity again commenced. In the reign of Louis XIV. the Paris walls were leveled to the ground after having stood for about 300 years, and what are now the principal boulevards were formed on their site (1670). Only the Bastille was left (till PARIS 1789), and in place of the four principal gates of the old walls, four triumphal arches were erected, two of which, the Porte St. Denis and Porte St. Martin, still stand. Many of the finest edifices of Paris were destroyed during the Revolution, but the work of embellishment was resumed by the directory, and continued by all subsequent governments.
The reign of Napoleon III. is specially noteworthy in this respect; during it Paris was opened up by spacious streets and beautified to an extent surpassing all that had hitherto been effected by any of his predecessors. The most recent events in the history of Paris are the siege of the city by the Germans in the War of 1870-1871, and the subsequent siege carried on by the French national government in order to wrest the city from the hands of the Commune. Paris has been the scene of international exhibitions in 1855, 1867, 1878, 1889, and 1900. During the World War Paris was subjected to repeated air raids from German aeroplanes, and to bombardment from a great gun 70 miles distant. The aggregate loss of life and damage to property was relatively small. See WORLD WAR.