LANDSCAPE AND ECONOMIC PLANTING. 325 



emotions of taste ; " Secondly, " The nature of the faculty by 

 which these emotions are received." 



It will be obvious that the two qualities or objects should be 

 considered together, for he says, " We can never ascertain what is 

 beauty without having clear notions of the state of mind which it 

 produces, and in its power of producing which its essence consists; 

 and it is utterly impossible to ascertain what is the nature of the 

 effect produced by beauty on the mind, till we can decide what 

 ai-e the common properties that are found in all the objects that 

 produce it." 



It would therefore appear that the view Allison held was, that 

 the feelings which actuate our minds from the contemplation of 

 beauty are not engendered by any physical or absolute quality 

 in the objects we contemplate, but by the association in our 

 imaginations of them with other objects which are interesting or 

 affecting, such as love, pity, fear, veneration, or some other 

 common or lively emotion of the mind. 



The fundamental principle of this theory is, that all objects are 

 beautiful or tasteful, or even sublime, which suggest to our minds 

 some simple emotion, such as love, pity, terror, or any other social 

 or self affection of our natui-e, and that the beauty we ascribe to 

 them consists in the power they have by association, or other- 

 wise, of reminding us of the proper objects of these familiar 

 affections, or of some other similar emotion which we have felt on 

 a former occasion when identical feelings of the heart and mind 

 were evoked. We are by no means prepared to give this theory 

 an unqualified assent, because there are various arguments that 

 may be advanced against it in its bare and skeleton form ; but as 

 a safe basis from which to start, we think it may with certain 

 qualifications be generally admitted. 



It may be said now, however, what has this to do with the main 

 object of this paper 1 the doctrine is so speculative that it may be 

 deemed as quite inapplicable. We will endeavour to show how it 

 is completely germane, and thoroughly in keeping with our present 

 object. There can be no doubt that in creating beautiful objects 

 in the landscape, or in making the objects around us pleasing to 

 the eye, all the qualities enumerated above must be understood 

 and, if possible, so arranged as to evoke the emotions necessary to 

 to constitute beauty or good taste. At one time smoothness and 

 regularity may draw forth a feeling of pleasure, at another time 

 ruggedness and irregulai'ity may have the same effect ; but these 



