86 Frederick Law Olmsted 



contamination. Thus, with a few strokes and at small ex- 

 pense he transformed the place from a very dirty, disagree- 

 able farmyard to a gentleman's house. This was his first 

 attempt at anything of the sort, and it was as successful as 

 anything he ever did." 



Mr. Kingsbury preserved a letter which his friend wrote 

 him in the fall of 1848, pursuing the subject of landscape 

 surroundings : 



I am glad you are disposed to notice such things as Har- 

 ral's house so much. The effect such things have on the 

 taste of a community, and through that on their hearts and 

 lives the elevation, I believe is very much underestimated. 



I do exceedingly enjoy the view from my house, some- 

 times it is "wondrous beautiful"; just now for instance in 

 this charming sleepy autumn haze, I cannot attempt to 

 describe it, constantly changing, always renewedly interest- 

 ing. I can tell you a few features always present. The water 

 view extends over just half the circle. From the immediate 

 opposite front, to the left of the arc, it is bounded by the 

 horizon, dark blue ocean, with forever distant sails coming 

 up or sinking as they bid good-bye to America. Then all 

 over that quarter at all distances are all sorts of vessels at 

 anchor or under sail and in all variety constantly shifting. 

 On the extreme right, across the water (Raritan Bay), the 

 horizon is broken by the hills of Jersey some twelve miles off, 

 I suppose. They sweep off gradually growing into something 

 like mountains as they curve round facing us; yet to the 

 front, suddenly and abruptly they end in a precipitous cliff 

 similar to their relations, the Palisades of N. River. This is 

 the Highland of Navesink, and we can just discern a cluster 

 of white towers upon its brink, the fixed and revolving lights 

 and the Telegraph Station. 



A little beyond it (on the circle's edge) you imagine the 

 horizon is half broken by a long yellowish white streak. It 

 is the sand and spray or foam of Sandy Hook, and the three 

 singularly distinct sails are nothing but its three white light- 



