THE SPEINQ GARDEN AT BELVOIR. 233 



in the right place at Belvoir. I remember a general 

 disappointment and lamentation when Mr. Ingram 

 did not succeed his father in the royal gardens at 

 Windsor, and we, his friends and brethren, murmured 

 in our tents ; but now the winter of our discontent is 

 not only over, but made glorious summer when we go to 

 Belvoir and see in that fair scene a work which he could 

 not have achieved even in the beautiful home and under 

 the gracious encouragements of our beloved Queen. 



Belvoir etait toujours belle voir ever beautiful in 

 its stately site upon its wooded hills, but the gardens 

 (always excepting the vegetable kingdom of eight 

 acres, walled round) were comparatively small when 

 Mr. Ingram went to them. Gradually, year after 

 year, by an amount of persevering labour, done by 

 his own staff, which few would have faced, with an 

 occasional remonstrance from his kind and generous 

 employer, the duke, " I suppose you won't be satisfied 

 until you get to Knipton " (a village about three miles 

 away), he has developed his plans, carted countless 

 tons of stone and soil up the steeps, cleared his 

 ground, dug and planted, turned the sombre grove 

 into a glowing garden, and " made the desert smile." 



What flowers does he grow ? All those which come 

 to us in the sweet spring-tide, and having a natural 

 grace and aptitude (not to dwell upon their delicious 

 fragrance), which is not to be seen in our summer 

 bedding-out. The viola and the primulas, in all their 

 infinite varieties ; anemones, brilliant as a guards- 

 man's jacket, or white as his helmet's plume ; 

 hyacinths, in their size, and scent, and brightness, as 

 happy as though they were in Holland ; the narcissus, 



