Introduction 33 



arrangement without in some way destroying the fine 

 quality of the old, natural beauty. 



The success of the problem of the proper disposition 

 and location of gardens and decorations adjoining the 

 house or other buildings largely depends on the success- 

 ful blending of the natural forms, whether old or new, 

 with the strictly architectural conceptions. This is 

 probably one of the most difficult undertakings in the 

 whole province of the art of landscape gardening. 

 There are many details which need to be studied in 

 order to enable a student to solve landscape gardening 

 problems, but this perhaps is the most difficult one. 



Thomas Whately says: 



"These mischiefs, however, were occasioned, not 

 by the use but the perversion of art; it excluded 

 instead of improving upon nature, and thereby de- 

 stroyed the very end it was called in to promote. 

 So strange an abuse probably arose from an idea 

 of some necessary correspondence between the man- 

 sion, and the scene it immediately commanded; the 

 forms therefore of both were determined by the 

 same rules; and terraces, canals, and avenues were 

 but so many variations of the plan of the building. 

 The regularity thus established spread afterwards to 

 more distant quarters ; there indeed the absurdity was 

 acknowledged, as soon as a more natural disposition 

 appeared, but a prejudice in favour of art, as it is 

 called, just about the house still remains. If, by the 

 term, regularity is intended the principle is equally 



