The Seine

The Seine flows 7 miles (taking five hours) through Paris. As it enters and a it leaves the city it is crossed by a viaduct used by the circular railway and for ordinary traffic; that of Point du Jour has two stories of arches. Two bridges, the Pont des Arts and the Passerelle de Passy, are for foot passengers only; all the others are for carriages as well. The most famous is the Pont Neuf, the two portions of which rest on the extremity of the island called La Cite where the river is at its widest (961 feet). On the embankment below Pont Neuf stands the statue of Henry IV., the people’s king. Between La Cite and the lef tback the width of the lesser channel is reduced to 161 feet. The whole river has a width of 532 feet as it enters Paris and of 440 as it leaves it. As it descends it passes under the bridges of Tolbiac, Bercy, and Austrerlitz (built of stone), that of Sully (of iron), those of Marie and Louis Philippe between lle St Louis and the right bank; that of Les Tournelles between lle St Louis and the left bank; that of St Louis between lle St Louis and La Cite; and Pont d’Arcole, a very elegant structure connecting La Cite with Place de l"Hotel de Ville. La Ciote besides communicates with the right bank by the bridges of Notre Dame and Au Change; with the left bank by that of the Archeveche, the so-called Pont au Double, the Petit Pont, and Pont St Michel. Below Pont Neuf come the Pont des Arts, Pont du Carrousel (of iron), Pont Royal (a fine stone structure leading to the Tuileries), and those named after Solferino, La Concord, the Invalides, Alma, Jena (opposite the Champ de Mars), Passy, and Grenlle.

The houses of Paris nowhere abut directly on the river banks, which in their whole extent from the bridge of Austrelitz to passy are protected by broad embankments or "quays." At the foot of these lie several ports for the discharge of goods:- on the right side Bercy for wines, La Rapee for timber, the Port de l’Arsenal at the mouth of the St Martin Cnal, the Port de l’Hotel de Ville for fruits, and the Port St Nicholas or du Louvre (steamboats for London); on the left bank Port de la Gare for timber, St Bernard for wines, and those named after La Tournelle, the Saints Peres, the Invalides, and Grenelle.





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