390 Gardening Visit to Paris, 



Had the surface of the ground had any character of regularity, 

 and had the trees been at such distances as to form an open 

 grove, and to allow the grass to grow beneath, this clearing away 

 of the undergrowth would have been justifiable, as creating an 

 artificial character well adapted to the geometrical style; but at 

 present the trees are too close to admit of the growth of grass, 

 and the surface is too irregular to admit of being reduced into 

 regularity without rooting up the trees in some places, and 

 burying them too deeply in others. All that can be done, there- 

 fore, with a wood, under such circumstances, is to cover the 

 ground with undergrowths, and especially with evergreens, such 

 as yew, holly, box, &c., thinning out the trees to such an extent 

 as to admit of this undergrowth growing with vigour. We 

 were anxious to know what was intended by clearing away the 

 undergrowth, but could not find the head gardener, and, for the 

 same reason, we were unable to see the king's private garden. 

 We afterwards learned that it had reference to the frequent 

 attempts on the life of the king ; undergrowth being favourable 

 to concealment. 



Here, as at some other royal palaces, the roads and court- 

 yards appear disproportionately large for the buildings, and the 

 latter are deficient in architectural display, and particularly in 

 light and shade. We should be inclined to try, if possible, and 

 narrow the roads and courts by broader margins of turf, and 

 where the courts are paved with stone, we would substitute wood 

 or asphalte. 



Sceaux. — In our ninth volume we have noticed several villas 

 at Sceaux, and especially those of the Admiral TstschigofF and 

 the Countess de Bruce ; but both these, and all the others 

 that we then saw, have changed proprietors. The excellent 

 effect of grouping the trees in the villa of M. Sartorius is visible 

 from the public road ; and presents a succession of scenery very 

 different from that of a villa having only the same number of spe- 

 cies as this one, but, instead of these species being grouped so as to 

 show one kind always prevailing in one place, presenting them 

 everywhere indiscriminately mixed, so that one part of the 

 plantations and shrubbery has exactly the same appearance as 

 every other. 



Verrieres. — The villa of M. Vilmorin is interesting as a beau- 

 tiful rural retreat, kept at all times in the highest order, and 

 also as exhibiting specimens of most of the horticultural and 

 agricultural seed-bearing plants which are to be procured in 

 the commercial house of Vilmorin, Andrieux, and Co. The 

 collection of wheats was very numerous, and also those of 

 barleys, peas, kidneybeans, and, in short, we may say, of [every 

 plant of which seeds are kept in the seed-shops, as well as of 

 potatoes of different kinds for their tubers. Among the newest 



