394 Gefieral Results of a Gardening Tour : — 



and, among other things, a picture gallery, which will be 

 one of the largest in the kingdom. Exclusive of the valley, 

 which we would not meddle with, the great faults of the place 

 are, the number of roads in front of the house, and the 

 manner in which the house is appi'oached. There is not one 

 of the approach roads that forms a good line, either in regard 

 to direction or slope ; and yet there never was a situation 

 which afforded so many opportunities for displaying that great- 

 est of all beauties in road-making, viz. the art of conducting 

 roads on the sides of hills, so as to attain any given height 

 on any given surface, by an almost imperceptible and uniform 

 ascent. Great errors in all the approaches are, their passing 

 through the garden so as to destroy its seclusion, and their 

 giving an imperfect view of the valley before arriving at the 

 house. The approach ought to ascend by a different line to 

 the level of the table land, and enter by a hall connected with 

 the sculpture tower, so as to give no idea of the garden scenery 

 till it was first seen from the windows, or from the terrace. 

 The stables ought to be removed, and also the various cart and 

 carriage roads in front of the house. Unless something of 

 this kind be done, Alton Towers, notwithstanding the extent 

 of its architecture, its picture gallery, and its entrance through 

 a long, lofty, richly planted, and selectly decorated conservatory 

 of surpassing beauty, will always be an unsatisfactory place. 

 We have great hopes, however, from the present earl, who is 

 open to reason, and, we believe, desirous of doing that which 

 will permanently improve the place. 



It gives us pleasure to observe that the valley is kept in 

 excellent order by Mr. Miller, a reading and scientific gar- 

 dener.* For this purpose, a number of M^omen are constantly 

 employed in weeding, sweeping, picking up dead leaves and 

 insects, cutting off decayed flowers, and tying up straggling 

 shoots, &c. ; a practice which we cannot but highly connnend. 

 On certain occasions, these women are put into Swiss dresses, 

 which must add to the singularity of effect. The plants in 

 the conservatories are in their utmost beauty, chiefly through 

 frequent removal. The conservatory at the house, with its 

 plants, trays of choice flowers, sculptures, candelabras, vases 

 of alabaster, stained glass windows at the extreme ends, 



* Mr. Miller showed us in his dwelling, which, by the b}', is unworthy of 

 Alton Towers, or of a good upper servant any where, an excellent plan for 

 a kitchen-garden, in which the walks are flag-stones, as suggested by us in 

 a former Number. We may here mention, as a curious fact, that his pre- 

 decessor, Mr. Lunn, before he left Alton, abjured the Protestant religion, 

 and became a Catholic. We before mentioned the Duke of Norfolk's gar- 

 dener, as the only Scotch Catholic gardener we had ever heard of: Mr, Lunn 

 is the only Protestant gardener we ever heard of who turned Catholic 



