CRITIQUE ON THE SEPTEMBER HORTICULTURIST. 



BY JEFFREYS, NEW-YORK. 



The Leader — Cockneyism in the Country. 

 — It is related of Beau Brummel that, 

 dining with a lady in the country, when 

 asked by her if he ate vegetables, answer- 

 ed, with his usual nonchalance, that he 

 recollected of once having eaten a pea ! 

 And Brummel was no bad type of his class 

 in our day, who affect great taste in rural 

 matters, to the merits of which they are as 

 much strangers as their great prototype 

 professed he was to the vegetable. In 

 fact, it is one of the grievances of the 

 time, that, in the neighborhood of our large 

 cities and towns, the most wanton abuse 

 of correct taste, and senseless squander of 

 money, is perpetrated by many who affect 

 country life, in the planning and erection 

 of their dwellings, and the disposition of 

 their grounds. Nor do we see a ready 

 cure for all this mischief, so long as so 

 many "fancy'' architects, who know no- 

 thing of the true requirements of country 

 life in a dwelling, are deluging the land 

 with their absurd gimcracks, under the 

 names of designs for cottage ornet's, villas, 

 and the like ; and while those who want 

 the buildings will submit to their exac- 

 tions. 



In the amusing and witty papers of 

 " Salmagundi," the sage Linkum Fidelius 

 is quoted for the definition of a word, thus : 

 " Style is — style ;" and such definition may 

 most qnly apply to the multitude of models 

 now extant for country houses, without any 

 further reason for their outre appearance 

 than that — it's the "style." Of what style 

 they are, it would puzzle a " Philadelphia 

 lawyer" to tell ; for they might be worship- 

 ped by any one without profanation, — being 

 in "the likeness" of nothing ever heard, 



seen, or dreamed of. We may infer from 

 the lamentations of ancient Solomon, that 

 in his " vanity of vanities" he had encoun- 

 tered the fantastic ebullition of his Israel- 

 ites — a row of cottage ornees. 



But seriously, is this absurdity always to 

 continue ? Have we no leading mind in 

 America, who can guide the public taste 

 into the construction of proper and conve- 

 nient houses, mansions, or villas, if you 

 please, in a style that shall comport with 

 the condition, circumstances, and require- 

 ments of the American people? If not, 

 the sooner some one of the right spirit can 

 set himself about it, the better. He would 

 be truly a benefactor to his countrymen. 

 There are several styles of architecture, 

 suited to the different localities and cli- 

 mates of North America, all proper and 

 right in themselves, which would beauti- 

 fully comport with true taste, and the en- 

 tire convenience of the occupant, and yet 

 be economical, and in keeping with every- 

 thing around them. To an American, about 

 to build in the country, it is a consideration 

 of some importance to know, that after 

 erecting his dwelling, it is three to one that 

 not a child of his own will occupy it for 

 twenty years after him ; and that if any 

 considerable amount of extraordinary ex- 

 pense is incurred in its construction, such 

 expense will be a dead loss to those who 

 succeed him ; or, as is much oftener the 

 case, to himself, when disposed of. This 

 is a country not of entails, but of change, — 

 of division of estates ; and more particu- 

 larly in fancy property, — as country seats, 

 and residences of cky people usually are — 

 they change hands almost as often as stocks, 

 and articles of merchandise. Consequently 



