TREATMENT OF WATER. 291 



sides, without any, or but few surrounding trees, carefully- 

 gravelled along the edge of the water, or what is still worse, 

 walled up, slope away in a tame, dull, uninteresting grass 

 field. In the natural method, the outline is varied, sometimes 

 receding from the eye, at others stealing out, and inviting the 

 gaze — the banks here slope off gently with a gravelly beach, 

 and there rise abruptly in different heights, abounding with 

 hollows, projections, and eminences, showing various colour- 

 ed rocks and soils, intermingled with a luxuriant vegetation 

 of all sizes and forms, corresponding to the different situations. 

 Instead of allowing the sun to pour down in one blaze of 

 light, without any objects to soften it with their shade, the 

 thick overhanging groups and masses of trees cast here and 

 there deep cool shadows. Stealing through the leaves and 

 branches, the sun-beams quiver and play upon the surface of 

 the flood, and are reflected back in dancing light, while their 

 full glow upon the broader and more open portions of the 

 lake is relieved and brought into harmony by the cooler and 

 softer tints mirrored in the water from the surrounding hues 

 and tints of banks, rocks, and vegetation. 



Natural brooks and rivulets can often be improved great- 

 ly by a few trifling alterations or additions, when they chance 

 to come within the bounds of a country residence. Occa- 

 sionally, they can be diverted from their original beds if they 

 should run through distant and unfrequented parts of the 

 demesne, and brought through nearer portions of the pleas^ 

 ure-grounds or lawn. This however, can only be done, with 

 propriety, when there is a natural indication in the grounds 

 through which it is proposed to divert it — as a succession 

 or hollows, etc., to form the future channel. Sometimes, a 

 brisk little brook can be divided into two smaller ones for 



