THE VILLAS AND GARDENS OF NEWPORT. 



Few places afford more pleasure to one who is interested 

 in ornamental plantations than Newport. Separate from the 

 delightfulness of its situation, the salubrity of its climate, the 

 coolness of its summer breezes, and the grandeur of its ocean 

 views, — which are enough to render it the resort of all who 

 love a seaside residence, — its villas and gardens are suffi- 

 ciently attractive to aflbrd a week's delight to any one who 

 takes the least interest in rural or architectural improvement. 

 . Within four or five years Newport has become one of the 

 most fashionable watering places on the Atlantic coast, and 

 not only have its hotels been annually crowded, spacious as 

 they are, but a great many of the most beautiful sites have 

 been purchased, and some of the finest houses erected that 

 are anywhere to be seen out of our larger cities. How great 

 the number of these villas is we are not aware, but they are 

 scattered profusely about, and, built on retired avenues and 

 surrounded and almost embowered in trees, as some of them 

 are, it would be difficult to see but a portion of them in an 

 ordinary visit. 



A recent trip to see some of our friends here, surprised us 

 with the rapidity at which many of the residences have 

 grcfwn up : where, only three or four years ago, there was a 

 treeless pasture, beautiful lawns, winding walks, and elegant 

 gardens now appear. And down to the very edge of the 

 sea, in some places, the rocky shore has been converted into 

 beautiful embankments of the richest turf, and trees and 

 shrubs scattered in profusion over its surface. 



The climate of Newport is greatly tempered in its severity 

 during winter by its proximity to the ocean, and some trees 

 and shrubs seem to succeed better here than in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of Boston. Many of the rare evergreens, like 

 the Deodar, have grown finely, though the last winter de- 

 stroyed a few, as will be seen in our notes. There is no 



VOL. XXI. NO. IX. 51 



