570 



LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



Grounds* 



Ait of lay- and > uc-h other particulars he will be able to procure from 

 ing out topographical and county surveys, uncl similar works, af- 

 ter a residence lit' a few days or weeks, according to the 

 extent <>f the subject and season of the year, (spring, be- 

 fore the leaves expand, being the most favourable time,) 

 every requisite information ; and to establish in his me- 

 mory every thing relating to the situation and vicinity. 

 He is i then, and not before, to embody andmature his ideas 

 of improvement, directing his attention first to the situ- 

 ation and aspect of the house and offices, the extent of 

 the p.-irk, and the emplacement of the kitchen garden; 

 next to the general masses of wood, and then suc- 

 cessively to the breadth of lawn, the situation and cha- 

 racter of w.-'ter. the pleasure ground, farm, and other 

 details. Before making up his mind on any part of the 

 subject, he will often find it of importance to have sec- 

 tions taken of the grounds in different directions, levels 

 of springs and rills, &c. and most frequently he will 

 have occasion for stakes, for marking out lines on the 

 ground ; of flag-staffs or poles, from 6 to 50 feet high, 

 to represent the effect of trees, and other objects ; of 

 strips of white sheeting, to shew the effect of water, by 

 forming a white outline on a perfect level ; of frames 

 partially covered with boards, to shew the effect of 

 buildings ; and he may even require boring irons, or 

 pits dug, in order to inquire into the nature of the sub- 

 soil. Being furnished with a plan of the present state 

 of the groui'ds, such for example as of Plate CCCXLVI. 

 which, represents Plate CCCXLIV. in its previous state, 

 he will, s he makes up his mind on particular im- 

 provements, mark them down on this map in pencil ; 

 and when the whole is finally adjusted, he will put 

 them in red, or in any distinguishing colour, as is done 

 in Plate CCCXLVI. by dotted lines. And on one or 

 more general or panoramic views, as well as on the 

 particular views which he may have taken on dif- 

 ferent spots, he will also mark in red the outlines 

 that will be made by the improvements adapted to 

 the different situations. In addition to these, he will 

 shew the effect, by geometrical sections taken in dif- 

 ferent directions across the grounds, several of which, 

 to shew the ground's surface, appear in PlateCCCXLVI. 

 His next operation is to make a vertical profile, such 

 as Plate CCCXLV. shewing the effect of the whole, 

 supposing the alterations to be fifteen or twenty years 

 completed, with such corresponding, panoramic, or 

 general views, as are contained in Plate CCCXLIV. 

 and with particular landscapes. It remains for him to 

 give reasons in writing for all that he proposes ; a prac- 

 tice which no employer or artist should ever omit to 

 have done, as such opinions remain as data, to be refer- 

 red to concerning the management and future effects, 

 as well as in point of present or future justification of 

 the taste, both of the artist and proprietor. This may 

 be done in the following order : 1 . Recapitulating the 

 given instructions; 2. The characteristic of, features and 

 other details of the given situation and vicinage ; 3. A 

 description of, with the reasons for, the general outline 

 of improvement ; 4. The description of, with the reasons 

 for the detail ; 5. An outline of the future management ; 

 6'. Directions for the execution ; and 7. An estimate of 

 the expence. 



In all these discussions, proper references will be 

 made to the maps and sketches. Simple language will 

 of course be employed in describing future effects ; but, 

 above all, siihple sketches, which shall owe little of their 

 effect to shading, and none to colouring, or finishing, 

 are essentially necessary. 



Mr. Girardin seems to have been the first who sug- 



gested this mode of obtaining an opinion systematically ; Art of lay. 

 and his remarks on the fallacious effect of beautiful draw- i"K o\\i 

 ings instead of outlines, are w*ll deserving" of attention. ^ Groundi 

 " Vous tucherey, meme quo cette esquissc ne jpjt qu'un ""^"^ 

 simple trait, et ne presente d'abord que les formes prin- 

 cipales des objets, et la disposition _generale des grandes 

 masses de votre ensemble. L'n dessein bien fiuie ne 

 manquera pas de vous seduire par I'agrement de la 

 louche d'un habile artiste; vous vous determineriez 

 d'apres un dessein dont vous ne reussiriez peut-etre pas 

 u obtenir 1'effect dans la nature, et il faut bien mieux 

 avoir a gagner quYi pcrdre dans Pexecution." 



Mr. Itcpton has the merit of first employing this sys- 

 tem elegantly and extensively in Engjand, and of 

 adopting, instead of one entire landscape to shew the 

 previous state, and another to shew the effect of the 

 alterations, a slip of paper of the size and shape of those 

 parts of the landscape which require alteration. This 

 is fixed at one edge of the entire landscape, and lies 

 flat over part of it, so that when lifted up it shews ihe full 

 effect. It must be confessed, however, that, though an 

 elegant mode, it is not perfectly fair, since the view in 

 which the cut paper forms a part can never look so 

 well as the other, even from the mere circumstance of the 

 bounding line of the paper. For some cases, however, 

 it may be used, though in general it will be found, that 

 two entire landscapes afford the most impartial means 

 of judging of the effects of an improvement. The dis- 

 cussion and sketches of the place, and improvements be- 

 ing finished, and bound in a book, the ground or work- 

 ing plan, Plate CCCXLIV. is to be put on canvass, or 

 copied on parchment, for the common use of the gar- 

 dener, or whoever sets out the work ; and the profile, 

 Plate CCCXLV. put on rollers, to be preserved along 

 with the red-hook of the place. These being delivered to 

 the proprietor, he will determine, after mature delibera- 

 tion, whether or not he will adopt the whole, or any part 

 of the improvements, previously consulting those friends, 

 whose taste or judgment he considers adequate to form- 

 ing a judicious opinion on the whole, or on any one 

 part of the subject. " Lorsque 1'esquisse de votre en- 

 semble sera faite, alors vous reflecherez, vous concerte- 

 rez, vous discuterez avec des gens de gout 1'ordonnance 

 generate de la disposition qu'elle vous presente." 



In this example of forming a plan, we have chosen 

 a dull and nearly flat site where nothing has been done ; 

 but it is evident, that the same general principles are 

 applicable to such places as are to be altered, diminished, 

 or enlarged. 



SECT. II. Of carrying a Plan into execution. 



Whether this must be done by contractors, or by the Of carryinj 

 proprietor at his own risk, must depend on circum- a P lan im 

 stances, both respecting the knowledge, taste, and lei- exccutlon - 

 sure of the proprietor, and the nature and extenl of 

 the improvements. Where an entire hew house and 

 grounds are to be created, an eminent substantial con- 

 tractor for the buildings, and another for the ground 

 operations, will be found the most speedy and certain 

 as to expence ; the work, in both cases, being liable 

 to be regularly examined at stated periods by a neutral 

 surveyor, accompanied by the original designer of the 

 improvements. 



If this mode is not adopted, the whole, or greater 

 part, my be done under the eye of the owner and his 

 steward; various, and as many parts as possible, being 

 let by the job. We shall take a cursory view of the 

 chief objects of alteration or addition, and indicate 

 some things in each, which may in most cases be more 



