324 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



order that this may be attained, certain general rules, or first 

 principles, must be carefully studied, and not only so, but the 

 operator must be, by natural intuition and experience, able to 

 apply these principles in a careful and discriminating manner, so 

 as to produce the desired result. With the view, therefore, of 

 assisting in this inquiry, we would as briefly as possible notice a 

 few of the points which we deem necessary in order to ai'rive at 

 au approximation of the truth on this subject. 



The first matter of study is the principles of Taste, as leading 

 to the production of the Beautiful ; and, while it cannot be 

 expected that we can go into an exhaustive discussion on the 

 difTerent opinions that have been held on this subject, we may be 

 permitted to draw the attention of the reader to what we consider 

 are the more important points which seem to be germane to the 

 mattei', and which may be useful to the student. 



The natui'e and the principles of taste are subjects which have 

 been very fully treated by the following writers, — viz., Price, 

 Knight, Burke, Allison, and Bepton, and, as showing the complex 

 nature of the inquiry, it is a remarkable fact that no two of these 

 great men have absolutely agreed. Loudon, again, has condensed 

 the views of all the foregoing, and we would recommend his 

 works, along with those of Price, Bepton, and Gilpin, as the best 

 calculated to assist the student in the present inquiry, because 

 they ti'eat of the subject from a purely landscape point of view, 

 while most of the other writers have made it the subject of 

 philosophical or rather psychological study. 



Price devotes his inquiry to the definition of the picturesque ; 

 Burke endeavours (and has, perhaps, done more than any other) 

 to illustrate what is " the Sublime and Beautiful ; " and Knight 

 in many respects controverts the views of both, as well as some of 

 those of the more practical Bepton. Allison, on the other hand, 

 while clearly laying down lines of his own, summarising the 

 truth, and casting aside errors, has, in his admirable " Disser- 

 tation on the Nature and Principles of Taste," to a certain extent 

 finished the discussion, by carefully eliminating the docti'ines of 

 each from their fallacies, and bringing into clear relief what is 

 really the definition of true taste. This has been expressively and 

 succinctly given in a summary, which, for the benefit of the reader, 

 I will shortly recapitulate in as near as possible the words of the 

 author. The two primary objects of inquiry which he lays down 

 are — First, " The investigation of these qualities that produce the 



