Large Private Places 41 



contrasted greens of wood and lawn are not sufficient 

 to gratify the eye ; it requires other objects, and those 

 of different colours, such as rocks, water, and cattle ; 

 but where these natural objects cannot easily be had, 

 the variety may be obtained by artificial means, such 

 as a building, a tent, or a road ; and, perhaps, there is 

 no object more useful in such countries than a good- 

 coloured gravel road, gracefully winding, and of course 

 describing those gentle swells of the ground which are 

 hardly perceptible from the uniform colour of grass- 

 land. The approach-road to the house will be a feature 

 on the lawn, both as seen from thence and also from 

 the high ground about the park. Cattle might be more 

 frequently introduced than seems to be the custom of 

 this country, especially sheep, than which nothing con- 

 tributes more to enliven a lawn and even to improve 

 and fertilize its verdure ; and though some objections 

 may arise, from the nature of the soil, they are by no 

 means insurmountable. 



Castle Hill. A scene, however beautiful in itself, 

 will soon lose its interest unless it is enlivened by mov- 

 ing objects. [Plate v.] This may be effected by sunk 

 fences ; and from the shape of the ground, there is 

 another material use in having cattle to feed the lawn 

 before the windows. The eye forms a very inaccurate 

 judgement of extent, unless there be some standard by 

 which it can be measured ; bushes and trees are of 

 such various sizes that it is impossible to use them as 

 a measure of distance ; but the size of a horse, a sheep, 

 or a cow varies so little that we immediately judge of 

 their distance from their apparent diminution, accord- 

 ing to the distance at which they are placed ; and as 

 they occasionally change their situation, they break 

 that surface over which the eye passes, without observ- 



