BTJ 



[ 133 ] 



BEI 



larger, and of various forms, so as to re- 

 duce the amount of bricklayers' labour, 

 which is one of the most costly items in 

 thrt construction of garden-buildings. 



BEIDGES, says Mr. "Whateley, are in- 

 consistent with the nature of a lake, but 

 characteristic of a river. They are, on 

 that account, used to disguise the termi- 

 nation of the former ; but the deception 

 has been so often practised that it no 

 longer deceives, and a bolder aim at the 

 same effect will now be more successful. 

 If the end can be turned just out of 

 sight, a bridge at some distance raises a 

 'belief, while the water beyond it removes 

 every doubt of the continuation of the 

 river. The supposition immediately oc- 

 curs, that if a disguise had been intended, 

 the bridge would have been placed further 

 hack, and the disregard thus shown to 

 one deception gains credit for the other. 

 As a bridge is not a mere appendage 

 to a river, but a kind of property which 

 denotes its character, the connexion be- 

 tween them must be attended to. From 

 the want of it, the single wooden arch, 

 once much in fashion, seemed generally 

 misplaced. Elevated, without occasion, 

 so much above it, it was totally detached 

 from the river, and often seen straggling 

 in the air without a glimpse of the water 

 to account for it ; and the ostentation of 

 it, as an ornamental object, diverted all 

 that train of ideas which its use as a 

 communication might suggest. The 

 vastness of Walton Bridge cannot, with- 

 out affectation, be mimicked in a garden 

 where the magnificent idea of inducting 

 the Thames under one arch is wanting; 

 and where the structure itself, reduced 

 to a narrow scale, retains no pretension 

 to greatness. Unless the situation makes 

 such a height necessary, or the point of 

 view be greatly above it, or wood or 

 aising ground, instead of sky, behind it, 

 lall up the vacancy of the arch, it seems 

 an effort without a cause, forced and 

 preposterous. 



The vulgar footbridge of planks, only 

 guarded on one hand by a common rail, 

 and supported by a few ordinary piles, is 

 often more proper. It is perfect as a 

 communication, because it pretends to 

 nothing further; it is the utmost sim- 

 plicity of cultivated nature; and, if the 

 banks from which it starts he of a 

 moderate height, its elevation preserves 

 it from meanness. No other species 

 of bridge so effectually characterizes a 



river. It seems too plain for an orna- 

 ment, too obscure for a disguise ; it must 

 be for use, it can be a passage only. 

 It is, therefore, spoiled if adorned ; it is 

 disfigured if only painted of any other 

 than a dusky colour. But, being thus 

 incapable of all decoration and import- 

 ance, it is often too humble for a great, 

 and too simple for an elegant, scene. A 

 stone bridge is generally more suitable 

 to either; but in that, also, an extraor- 

 dinary elevation is seldom becoming, un- 

 less the grandeur compensates for the 

 distance at which it leaves the water 

 below. 



A gentle rise and easy sweep more 

 closely preserve the relation. A certain 

 degree of union should also he formed 

 between the banks and the bridge, that 

 it may seem to rise out of the hanks, not 

 barely to be imposed upon them. It 

 ought not, generally, to swell much above 

 their level; the parapet-wall should be 

 brought down near to the ground, or end 

 against some swell ; and the size and the 

 uniformity of the abutments should be 

 broken by hillocks or thickets about 

 them. Every expedient should be used 

 to mark the connexion of the building, 

 both with the ground from which it starts, 

 and the water which it crosses. 



In wild and romantic scenes may be 

 introduced a ruined stone "bridge, of 

 which some arches may be still stand- 

 ing; and the loss of those which have 

 fallen may be supplied by a few planks, 

 with a rail thrown over the vacancy. It 

 is a picturesque object it suits the situ- 

 ation and the antiquity of the passage. 

 The care taken to keep it still open, 

 though the original huilding is decayed, 

 the apparent necessity which thence re- 

 sults for a communication, give it an 

 imposing air of reality. 



BRILLANTA'ISIA. (In honour of M. 

 Brillaint. Nat. ord., Acanthads [Acan- 

 thaceee]. Linn., 2-Diandria 1-Monogy- 

 nia.) 



Stove evergreen. For culture, see BARLB'BIA. 

 B. Owarie'nsis (Owarian). 3. Purple. March. 

 Western Africa. 1853. 



BEINING. See STEEPING. 



BBI'ZA. (From ftrizo, to nod. Nat. 

 ord., Grasses [Graminacese]. Linn., 8- 

 Triandria 2-Digynia.) 



This genus includes our Quaking-grass, or 

 Lady's-tresses, B. ma'xima and mi'nor. These, 

 with the two others we here enumerate, are the 

 only ones having any pretensions to being orna- 

 mental. Seed in early spring; common soil. 



