m 



^ound, lef elling, 8tc. laying turf, and makiug walki. — To enter 

 into particulars is needless, the prominent feature of his designs 

 is the introduction of an immensity of woods, and even to tha 

 very walls of the house he approximates Trees to the exclu- 

 tiion of the Flowers and Shrubs; he deprecates all borders, and 

 makes Turf usurp their place. — The Elm and the Grasses ara 

 all in all. So far he aimed at a beneficial revolution of taste, 

 his mode radically removes dipt evergreens, and flower bor- 

 ders worked in patterns, but though " in medio tutissimus," 

 how seldom does any one avoid extremes, Switzer certainly 

 does not. Let any one examine his plan which faces p. 44, 

 and he will find it nearly one mass of Trees, had it been en- 

 tirely so it would have been better, for the little enclosures 

 epriakled through it, if producing moderate pasturage, would 

 certainly be very unproductive under tillage. With regard to tha 

 form and disposition of his plots, there is little to admire, they 

 are a mere trifle better than in the most formal style of Garden- 

 ing which he deprecates, he still conducts us to the mansion 

 over three terraces in regular succession ; every pond, every 

 plantation, is in a regular geometrical figure; the walks aro 

 broken lines, or formal curves, ships are floating upon pigmy 

 pools of Water ; Statues of Heathen deities are scattered about 

 which as they can be little attractive for their execution, are 

 ridiculous as being misplaced. The description of these and 

 observations on the engraved plans, accompanying them, oc- 

 cupy the 6lh, Gtli,and 7th chapters ; the 8th contains a parti- 

 cular description of "Mr. Blathwayt's Gardens at Durham, 

 near the Bath in Gloucestershire," which is only a varied ar- 

 rangement of the formalities above described. At p. 129 com- 

 mences his " management and improvement, of land," in treat- 

 ing of which he purposes not merely to state what practices 

 are proper, but by plain arguments, " to demonstrate why it 

 is so." — Sect. 2. commences " of Summer Fallowing, &c.'* 

 his theory of benefit by which, being a mere chaos of viordi 

 nccdi no comment ; he ingists upon its bcinj advantageous, and 



