The E?7ibelUshmeni of Dwellings. 439 



Art. II. On the EmhelUsliment of Divelling Houses and 

 their Enclosures. By Wilson Flagg. 



The majority of writers on rural improvements are Eng- 

 lishmen, and have written with reference to the wants of the 

 wealthy alone. Their rules can only be carried into effect 

 by men of vast pecuniary resources, and are almost without 

 any use to those of moderate means. We have but few men 

 of such wealth in this country, and it is not desirable that 

 they should be greatly multiplied. When treating of the 

 improvement of landscape, in this country, one should write 

 for the masses, for men who are either poor or only moder- 

 ately wealthy. It ought to be shown in what manner the most 

 pleasing and desirable effects may be produced, by stating 

 rules and principles which can be adopted and carried out by 

 the poorest man in the country, who owns a house and an 

 acre of land. Such rules would encourage the whole people 

 to unite harmoniously in this great work, instead of leaving 

 every place neglected that is not owned by one of the princes 

 of the land. 



It is the object of my present essay to treat of the advan- 

 tages of consulting picturesque rather than beautiful effects, 

 in the embellishment of our dwellings and their enclosures. 

 Most writers, when considering the style and decorations of 

 a dwelling, have reference only to absolute beauty, and pic- 

 turesque effects have been almost entirely overlooked. They 

 speak of harmony, symmetry, proportions and colors, because 

 these are constituents of the beautiful ; but that combination 

 of simplicity, neatness, naturalness, and certain other qualities, 

 which, by suggesting agreeable thoughts or awakening pleas- 

 ant emotions, constitute the picturesque, are either omitted or 

 obtain but a few passing remarks. All this neglect arises 

 from narrow and imperfect conceptions of the nature of these 

 qualities as applied to improvements in landscape and archi- 

 tecture. The difference between the beautiful and the pic- 

 turesque is not correctly understood by many professed writers 

 on the subject. Even the late Mr. Downing overlooked the 



