242 



trasting itself with hay-ricks, corn stacks, and dovecots, in the garden of 

 some old farm-house ; which, though little remains of its former greatness, 

 might originally have been the residence of the lord of the manor, or of some 

 titled person. When, however, any of these old-fashioned red-brick resi- 

 dences are to be met with in their original state, their terraces adorned 

 with vases and figures ; their gardens in the old geometric style, with costly 

 iron palisading, &c. ; a few venerable cedars will generally form a highly 

 grand and picturesque addition to the scene. Cedars will not bear to be 

 planted too thickly, or too close together : they should be placed by twos 

 and threes, in conspicuous situations, such as on small mounds, or by the side 

 of water, next to bridges or temples; sometimes on lawns, or rising grounds, 

 that command extensive prospects, where they may serve as a foreground ; 

 but they must not be made common by being seen at every turn. Too many 

 cedars, in any situation, will always destro)' their own effect : they are of such 

 an exclusive character, that they are more calculated to act upon a scene as 

 figures do in landscape composition, than to form the basis of it. A red- 

 coated soldier or two would enliven a view, but a file of them would be any 



2277 



thintr but picturesque : unless, indeed, in a battle scene, where tliey formed 

 the principal feature. So it should he with the cedars : if they must be to- 

 gether, let them form a grove; they would then have a character ot gloomy 

 magnificence, which might be a very fine addition to a residence. 1 should 

 ima<'ine that such a grove of full-grown cedars would be highly interesting 

 and^attractive. We will just suppose that the banks of an artificial river or 

 lake were bounded on one side by grassy hills, planted with a few evergreens 

 and birches, and that the other side was a gentle slope, covered with a grove 

 of cedars; that a winding and almost natural path conducted you among their 



7 R 4- 



