550 



LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



History. \V e trust we have said enough to prove, that every 

 > -y style of gardening must be considered relatively to 

 the state of society, and of the country where it is em. 

 ployed ; and that the ancient and modern styles, view- 

 ed in this light, are each perfectly natural, and equally 

 meriting adoption, according to relative circumstances ; 

 less than from any positive beauty, or advantages of ei- 

 ther manner. We are consequently of opinion, that 

 the ancient style, divested of some ingredients which 

 relate to warm climates, and purified from the extrava- 

 gances of extremes in decoration, would be in much 

 better taste in some situations in the Highlands of Scot- 

 land, and the south of Ireland, than the modern style ; 

 and that this style cannot, for a long series of years, 

 afford any other satisfaction on the continent, than 

 what arises from the temporary interest of novelty and 

 accidental association. It may never be altogether lost 

 sight of, in subsequent arrangements ; but whenever 

 the influence of fashion has subsided, the beauties of 

 the ancient style will be desired, as fulfilling better the 

 objects in view, till landed property, in these countries, 

 becomes enclosed, subdivided, and cultivated, as it is in 

 England. 



Part of the prevailing antipathy to the ancient style, 

 . proceeds from a generally entertained idea, that the 



modern is an improvement on it ; but the truth is, the 

 two styles arc as essentially and entirely different in 

 principle, as painting and architecture, the one being 

 an imitative, and the other an inventive art. 



Landscape gardening agrees with ansient gardening 

 in no other circumstance, than as employing the same 

 materials. It is an imitative art like painting or poe- 

 try, and is governed by the same laws. The ancient 

 style is an inventive and mixed art, like architecture, 

 and governed by the same principles. The beauties 

 which architecture and geometric gardening aimed at, 

 were those of art and utility, in which art was every 

 where avowed. The modern style of gardening, and 

 the arts of poetry and painting imitate nature ; and, in 

 doing so, the art employed is studiously concealed. 

 Those arts, therefore, can never be compared, whose 

 means are so different; and to say that landscape garden, 

 ing is an improvement on geometric gardening, is a si. 

 milar misapplication of language, as to say that a lawn 

 is an improvement of a corn-field, because it is substi- 

 tuted in its place. It is absurd, therefore, to despise 

 the ancient style, because it has not the same beauties 

 as the modern, toj;which it never aspired. It has beau- 

 ties of a different kind, equally perfect in their kind as 

 those of the modern style. The question therefore is 

 not, whether we shall admit occasional specimens of ob- 

 solete gardening, for the sake of antiquity, but whether 

 we shall admit specimens of a different style, from that 

 in general use, but equally perfect in its kind. 



If we have extended this chapter to a length that may 

 seem uncalled for in a work of this kind, we are not, 

 as we think, without weighty arguments in our justi- 

 fication. The disgust excited in men of taste, first by 

 the excess of buildings, which distinguished our imi- 

 tations of the Chinese style, and subsequently by the 

 tame insipidity of that of Brown and his followers, 

 which nothing but their novelty, and the overcoming 

 force of fashion could render tolerable, has given rise 

 to a number of critical works on the subject, of great 

 merit and taste. These, especially the writings of Mr. 

 Price, have been very generally circulated ; and while 

 they have produced a salutary scepticism in the minds 

 of the patrons of art, have excited, in almost every de- 

 scription of artists, such an indiscriminate and exclu- 



sive admiration of the picturesque, as is scarcely com- History, 

 patihle with admitting that there is any other species of """V^ 

 beauty, or any occasion in matters of taste, for the as- 

 sistance of good sense. The retired courtfry gentle- 

 man, puzzled with so many different opinions, is thus 

 deterred from improving, lest he expose himself to the 

 critical severities of a picturesque traveller, or to the ri- 

 dicule of the common sense of his neighbours. 



The historical view we have now given, points out 

 the picturesque as only one beauty among a number ; 

 and though of a superior class, yet not to be adopted 

 indiscriminately or exclusively. Another motire with 

 us has been, to expose and root out if possible, the 

 strong and most unphilosophical opinions which are 

 entertained of the ancient style, by shewing, that they 

 are founded in prejudice and a limited view of the sub- 

 ject. Proprietors we know to be frequently deterred 

 from the improvement of their seats, because to do so 

 in such a way as to obtain the approbation of the popu- 

 lar taste, the first step would be, to remove certain ter- 

 races, avenues, and other remains of the ancient style, 

 which they justly venerate. A third reason is, to pre- 

 vent our forming erroneous expectations of our conti- 

 nental neighbours on the subject of English gardening. 

 It is almost the universal practice at present, to criticise 

 the gardens of the continent, with a reference to gene- 

 ral nature, or the English style ; and thus to condemn 

 the whole of them as absurd and in bad taste. We have, 

 we think, shewn, that the contrary is true, and that the 

 imitation of the English style in many parts of the conti- 

 nent, displays a worse taste than the continuation of the 

 ancient system of improvement. A fourth reason is, to 

 account for the share of attention which we mean to be- 

 stow on the ancient style in the succeeding chapters of 

 this article ; convinced as we are, that it merits occasional 

 adoption in this country. If what we have submitted 

 has the intended effect, the result will be a greater har- 

 mony of opinion among artists and professors, greater 

 decision of judgment in matters of taste among country 

 gentlemen, and more liberal views towards our conti- 

 nental neighbours. 



CHAP. II. 



OF THE OBJECTS OF GARDENING, AND OF THE PRINCI 

 PLES BY WHICH THESE OBJECTS ARE ATTAINED. 



FROM the remarks in the preceding chapter, the Object of 

 reader will be prepared to include under the objects of Gardening, 

 gardening, as a generic term, all the various purposes, 

 useful as well as ornamental, of a country residence : 

 " Gardens and buildings, (Lord Kames observes,) may 

 be destined for use solely, for beauty, solely, or for both. 

 Such variety of destination, bestows upon these arts a 

 great command of beauties, complex not less than vari- 

 ous. Hence the difficulty of forming an accurate taste 

 in gardening, and architecture ; and hence, that differ- 

 ence or wavering of tt;ste in these arts, greater than 

 in any art that has but a single destination." (Ele- 

 ments of Criticism, 4th edit. vol. ii. 431.) Not to con- 

 sider the subject with a view to these different beauties, 

 but to treat it merely as " the art of creating land- 

 scapes," would thus embrace only a small part of the 

 art of laying out grounds, and leave incomplete a sub- 

 ject which contributes to the immediate comfort and 

 happiness of a great body of the enlightened and opu. 

 lent in this and in every country ; an art 



