66 The Gardens of America. 



setts. Rhinebeck is pleasantly situated on the Hudson, in Dutchess 

 County, about ninety miles above New York, and sixty below Albany, 

 there being abundance of communication by railroad or steamboat 

 from both places ; but I would strongly recommend to any one having 

 enough spare time, to take some one of the numerous day boats that ply 

 during the summer montlis, as a fine view can then be had of the ever- 

 varying scenery on the banks, and many objects of historical interest 

 seen and commented on, as the splendidly-equipped and unrivalled 

 river steamers of America speed on their course up the noble Hudson. 



Reaching Rhinebeck, a pleasant walk or drive (but by all means 

 the former, if blessed with good powers of locomotion) over an undu- 

 lating country brings you to ••' Ellerslie ; " and as I'eal merit is often con- 

 cealed under a modest exterior, so the entrance to this fine place is 

 by a plain, unpretending gateway, that gives little index of what is 

 inside ; indeed, the sliortness of the entrance-drive is about the only 

 drawback I saw, and I was pleased to hear of some pi'ospect of even 

 this being rectified ; but I have frequently walked along an approach 

 three miles in length, and found very little worth looking at when the 

 end was reached ; and here it cannot be more tlian three hundred yards 

 from the principal entrance gate to the mansion house ; but in that short 

 distance how much is achieved by the judicious management of land- 

 scape efTccts ! 



Leaving the mansion on the right, the drive winds past a Grecian 

 temple, and betwixt well-arranged groups of deciduous and ever- 

 green trees and shrubs, with fine rolling, well-kept lawns stretching 

 away, seemingly, into interminable distance. But leaving the drive for 

 the present, and under the guidance of tlie intelligent and enterprising 

 gardener, Mr. John Peattie, we ascend a broad flight of steps leading up 

 to a curvilinear, span-roofed Palm stove that very befittingly crowns the 

 elevated plateau. (Jn either sitle of the walk leading to the Palm stove 

 are some fine specimens in boxes of viburnum, escallonia, acacia, etc., 

 appropriately leatUng the way, as it were, to their more aristocratic 

 neighljors in-doors. 



We now enter the region of umbrageous foliage and waving palm 

 trees ; and, O, what a positive luxury it is for the eye to rest on such 



