Versailles
a cit tal of the department of Seine-et-Oise; on a plain 11 miles S. W. of Paris. A city more of pleasure than of industry, mea es of a luxurious court, long accustomed to find its sustenance in the expenditures and subsequently a place of residence for many foreigners, attracted there by the and subsequently a place of residence for pared with that in Paris, it has few manufactures and little trade. The town covers a large area in proportion to its many foreigners, attracted there by the salubrity of the climate, the fine prome- nades, and the economy of living, as com- pared with that in Paris, it has few lar construction, consisting of long and straight streets, crossing at right angles.
It is the see of a bishop, and contains a public library of 50,000 volumes, many palatial edifices, public fountains, spacious squares, and elm-planted avenues. The great attraction of Versailles is its palace, and the history of this structure may be said to be the history of the town.
Louis XIII. built a hunting lodge here, afterward extended into a château. The site occupied by the palace is known to have been that of the ancient priory of St. Julien. Louis XIV. devoted enormous sums to its embellishment, or rather reconstruction, under the care of Mansard; and Louis XV., altered the arrangement of the interior. Here was signed in 1783 VERSE the peace of Versailles between England and the United States. Under Louis XVI. Versailles continued to be one of 1789. At this date the population was the usual residences of the court down 100,000; the palace and its park, the perto the period of the Revolution, which fection of formal landscape gardening, great event had its beginning here in the have been the model of many capitals. meeting of the States-General in May, Louis Philippe transformed the palace of Louis XIV. into a museum, to contain trophies of the victories of France. The approach to the palace is by the Place pictures of events in French history, por- traits of French heroes, etc. The most interesting are the pictures by David latter of which are a large equestrian figure of Louis XIV. and other statues.
The entire length of the palace is nearly 1,400 feet. The collections embrace pictures of events in French history, portraits of French heroes, etc. The most interesting are the pictures by David which illustrate the career of Napoleon, those by Horace Vernet, and some by Ary Scheffer and Delacroix. The gardens, with their broad terraces and long alleys, are imposing, but formal; the the conclusion of peace in 1871 Ver- sailles was the center of all the opera- tions of the Germans. On September 20 King William and the Crown Prince From the middle of September, 1870, till the conclusion of peace in 1871 Versailles was the center of all the operaror of Germany. On Jan. 28 the capitutions of the Germans. On September entered the town; and there, on Jan. 18, 20 King William and the Crown Prince after the peace it was the seat of the rs of the army dur- 1871, the former was proclaimed Empelation of Paris was signed in Versailles; National Assembly and government till 1879, and headquarters of the army dur- ing the Commune. The Treaty of Peace which ended the World War was negoti- 1879, and headquarters ing the Commune. The Treaty of Peace ated and signed at Versailles. See PEACE TREATY. Pop. about 60,000.
TREATY. Pop. about 60,000. form of speech or composition, usually VERSE, a measured and cadenced form of speech or composition, usually dences is a comparatively modern invenadopted in poetry. It seems to be the natural language of passion, yet it has unquestionably been improved and developed by art. The use of rhymed cadences is a comparatively modern invention. classified the varieties of verse, and anaa certain number of metrical feet dislytically distinguished the possible divisions of words into bars of accented and unaccented syllables. The term is also applied to a line of poetry consisting of as hexameter, pentameter, etc. Blank posed according to the rules of the species of poetry which the author intends verse in which the lines usually consist to compose. Verses are of various kinds, verse is verse in which the lines do not end in rhymes. Heroic verse is rhymed VERST of 10 syllables, or in English in five accented syllables, constituting five feet.