NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



495 



He hastens to visit it, stands before it, all filled 

 with veneration, exclaims, with the bard of Manma, 

 translated hy Dryden, 



"Jnve's own tree, 

 That holds the world in sovereignty!" 



He sketches it, gives you a copy of it in his "Land- 

 scape Gardening," together with his classical and 

 scientific account of the king of the American for 

 est. He journeys up the beautiful valley of the 

 Connecticut to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, whose 

 streets are lined with the sugar maple, "clean, 

 cool, smooth and umbrageous. 1 ' He there in- 

 creases liis love and admiration of the American 

 maple, the beauty of whose vernal bloom is sur- 

 passed only by the unrivalled hues of its autumnal 

 foliage, dyed with the tints of departing day. 



By scenes like these, and by scientific reflection 

 thereon, he prepares himself to give those last and 

 well directed blows at the "heavenly" tree, the 

 Ailanthus, and also at the Abele Poplar — both of 

 which he kills off in a most celestial manner, to 

 make room for the more deserving and truly Ameri- 

 can Maples, Oaks, Elms and Ashes, for the Mag- 

 nolia, the Tulip and others. Of the latter, how 

 beautifully he speaks in the last leader from his 

 pen, in a manner so easy and flowing, and so 

 characteristic of the man. "We mean the Tulip 

 tree or the Liriodendron. What can be more 

 beautiful than its trunk, finely proportioned, and 

 smooth as a Grecian column? What more artis- 

 tic than its leaf, cut like an arabesque in a Moorish 

 palace? What more clean and lustrous than its 

 tuft of foliage, dark green and rich as deepest 

 emerald? AVhat more lily-like and spacious than 

 its blossoms, golden and brown shaded ? And 

 what fairer and more queenly than its whole figure, 

 stately and regal as that of Zenobia ?" 



In the progress of his journey, he reaches the 

 commercial metropolis of New England. It is the 

 annual exhihition of the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society in that city. He enters its Hall, is 

 greeted with a cordial welcome, and invited to ex- 

 amine its collection, particularly the extensive 

 show of pears. In a subsequent discussion with 

 its fruit committee, he proposes to them a ques- 

 tion in his direct, practical and impressive man- 

 ner, — "Will each of you please to give me the 

 names of the best three varieties of the pear, to- 

 gether with your reasons for that preference?" 

 He obtains their opinions, and publishes the same, 

 puts the public at once in possession of their long 

 and dear-bought experience. 



The same practical and studious habit is re- 

 markably exemplified in his foreign travels. Un- 

 like other tourists, who first visit the tower of 

 London or Westminster Abbey, he hastens from 

 the parks of that city to Chat worth, then to Wo- 

 burn Abbey, Warwick Castle, and other places 

 where agriculture, horticulture, architecture and 

 all the fine arts have for ages vied with each other 

 in whatsoever is ornamental in embellishment and 

 princely in wealth, and where are scenes of natu- 

 ral and artistic be a tty and grandeur, which at- 

 tract the chief masters of the world. He is re- 

 ceived and entertained with kindness and partiali 

 ty by the Earl of Hardwicke, the Dukes of Devon- 

 shire and Bedford, and others with whom he 

 formed many warm friendships in the mother 

 country. From these places, where wealth, art, 

 nature and genius have congregated whatever is 

 most beautiful to the eye, most approved in taste, 



or most impressive to sensibility, he prosecuti s 

 his journey ; everywhere observing, noting and 

 studying the objects and scenes about him. To 

 him not a tree, a plant, a leaf, a blossom, but con- 

 tained a folio volume. 



We have necessarily amplified this part of our 

 subject in order to give a correct view of the man- 

 ner and extent of his education, of the peculiarities 

 of his style, and of the formation of his character, 

 and to furnish the materials for a just apprecia- 

 tion of his worth, and for- a philosophical judgment 

 of himself and of his works. 



Mr. Downing was just what we have represent- 

 ed, a self-taught man. His name will appear in 

 all coming time, emblazoned upon the roll of 

 fame, among such worthies of that class as Roger 

 Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, David Rittenhouse, 

 Benjamin West, and Nathaniel Bowditch. He 

 was not, perhaps, so profoundly scientific, yet he 

 was well grounded in vegetable physiology, and in 

 the first principles of the arts to which his life was 

 devoted. Being the sovereign of his own powers 

 and acquisitions, he could instantly bring them to 

 bear on the subject of his investigation or dis- 

 course. 



In his character we find that assemblage of vir- 

 tues commonly called amiableness . On this de- 

 pended the suavity of his manners, the sincerity 

 of his friendship, and the freedom of his hospitali- 

 ty. His guests always received a hearty welcome, 

 and found at his residence a quiet home. Here 

 Miss Bremer, whose fame in letters is like that of 

 the Swedish nightingale in song, wrote the in- 

 troduction to one of her works; and in speaking 

 of his kindness and hospitality, she says: "I 

 never shall forget, nor ever be able fully to ac- 

 knowledge them, feeling as I here do, at this mo- 

 ment, all the blessings of a perfect home." ^ 



He also possessed, what is rarely found in com- 

 bination with these qualities, keen perception,^ great 

 energy, decision and boldness. Blessed with an 

 almost intuitive perception of character, he read 

 men at a glance. When he was in London, he 

 desired an assistant, who would return with him 

 to America and aid him in the architectural de- 

 partment of his business. He visits the architect- 

 ural exhibition in that city, and seeks an introduc- 

 tion to the Secretary of that association, to whom 

 he reveals his object, and by whom he is intro- 

 duced to Mr. Calvert Vaux, as a gentleman well 

 qualified for the place. They exchange references; 

 and so readily did he inspire confidence in this 

 stranger, and also perceive that he might safely 

 repose the same in him, that on their interview 

 the next morning, he concludes a contract, agrees 

 upon the precise time when they will start from 

 Liverpool for America, hastens to Paris to com- 

 plete his unfinished business, fulfills his engage- 

 ment, and in two weeks they are unitedly prose- 

 cuting their labors at Newburg. Such was his ac- 

 tivity, promptness and despatch. 



The increasing extent of his business would 

 have employed several common men ; his corres- 

 pondence alone would have occupied a private 

 secretary ; yet the number and urgency of his du- 

 ties never depressed him, never confused him, 

 never made him in a hurry, because he was al- 

 ways the master, never the slave of his business. 



Having once thoroughly investigated a subject, 

 he rested with confidence in his conclusions, and 

 published the same with a boldness which arrested 



