to the south will take us into the Place du Chatelet, where we can breathe a little fresh air; here stood the celebrated Chatelet, at once a court of justice and prison of olden time.  In the middle is a fountain, from which rises a column representing a palm-tree, and upon it are inscribed the victories of Napoleon.  Amongst other allegorical decorations, the statues of Justice, Strength, Prudence, and Vigilance adorn the pedestal, and joining hands encircle the column, the whole surmounted by a statue of Victory.  At No. 1, upon the Place, is the chamber of notaries, where landed property and houses are sold by auction.

We must now return to the Rue St. Denis, and follow it until we come to the Rue de la Ferronnerie, which is to the left, into which we must proceed, and shall find that the second turning to the left is the Rue des Dechargeurs, and at No. 11 is an edifice of the seventeenth century, which is now the Depot general des Bonneteries (Hosiery) de France.

Returning a few steps northward, brings us to the corner of the Rue St. Honore, and against No. 3 is a bust of Henry IV, and a stone with a latin inscription, indicating that it was exactly opposite that spot that he was stabbed by Ravaillac.  The street was very narrow at that period, and at the moment when the deed was perpetrated, the carriage of Henri IV was stopped by a number of carts which choked up the passage.  A little street nearly opposite, takes into the Marche des Innocents, which occupies an immense space formerly the cemetry of the Innocents.  In the middle of the area is a fountain built by Pierre Lescot, in 1551, and is decidedly a most beautiful object, which is not sufficiently noticed by strangers, as it is surrounded by a crowded market and not at all hours easy of approach; the court-yard of a palace would be a more appropriate situation for this elegant edifice, and I particularly request my readers to pay it a visit.  Around this fountain is certainly the largest and most frequented market in Paris, not only each description of vegetables, poultry, and almost all kind of eatables are sold here, but cloth, a large building being purposely constructed for that object 400 feet in length; another division is for every description of herbs, the northern side is devoted to potatoes and onions; a triangular building a little farther, is on purpose for butter, eggs, and cheese, whilst another edifice is for fish.  At a short distance, in the Rue Mauconseil is the great hall for the sale of leather, which was formerly the Hotel de Bourgogne, where the players used to perform scriptural pieces in the 15th century.  To the west of the Marche des Innocents is the curious street de la Tonnellerie, an open passage running, through the ground floors of some of the houses, inhabited mostly by dealers in rags, cloth, and old furniture; in this street is the bread market, where it is sold cheaper than at the bakers in Paris.  At the south end of the street at No. 3, is the site of the house where Moliere was born, which was held by his father who was an upholsterer and valet de chambre to Louis XII; against the house is a bust of the author, with an inscription specifying the event.