EMBELLISHMENTS. 401 



fountain can be maintained in a residence, the centre of the 

 flower-garden, or the neighbourhood of the piazza or terrace- 

 walk is, we think, much the most appropriate situation for 

 it. There the liquid element, dancing and sparkling in 

 the sunshine, is an agreeable feature in the scene, as view- 

 ed from the windows of the rooms ; and the falling wa- 

 tery spray suggesting ideas of coolness is no less delightful 

 in the surrounding stillness, of a summer evening. 



After all that we have said respecting architectural and 

 rustic decorations of the grounds, we must admit that it re- 

 quires a great deal of good taste and judgment, to introduce 

 and distribute them so as to be in good keeping with the 

 scenery of country residences. A neat villa residence, when 

 the house, with afew tasteful groups of flowers and shrubs, and 

 a pretty lawn with clusters and groups of luxuriant trees, 

 are all in high keeping and evincing high order, is far more 

 beautiful and pleasing than the same place, or even one of 

 much larger extent, where a profusion of statues, vases, and 

 fountains, or rockwork and rustic seats are distributed through- 

 out the garden and grounds, while the latter, in themselves, 

 evince a slovenly degree of keeping, and a crude and meagre 

 knowledge of design in Landscape Gardening. 



Unity of expression^ is the maxim and guide in this de- 

 partment of the art, as in every other. Decorations can 

 never be introduced with good effect, when they are at va- 

 riance with the character of surrounding objects. A beauti- 

 ful Grecian villa, may with the greatest propriety, receive the 

 decorative accompaniments of elegant vases, sundials, or 

 statues, should the proprietor choose to display his wealth 

 and taste in this manner ; but these decorations would be to- 

 tally misapplied in the case of a plain square edifice, evinc- 

 ing no architectural style in itself. 



51 



