INTRODUCTION. 



modation required for particular classes of society, or particular 

 purposes of occupation, and the general principles of com- 

 position, as applied to the materials they work with ; they may 

 differ as to the kind of beauty of the edifice which they design, 

 but each will produce a beautiful edifice. In like manner, two 

 landscape gardeners, equally instructed in their art, might 

 give different plans for laying out the same ground, but both 

 plans would, nevertheless, be beautiful, though neither of them 

 might be suited to the ideas of a third person. Principles 

 that admit of a great variety of application will always display 

 great diversity of taste in the productions created from them. 

 A symmetrical building, in which all the parts on one side 

 have corresponding parts on the other, is understood by, and 

 gives satisfaction to the most ordinary observer : there is an 

 obvious reason for every thing, for there is but one principle 

 of guidance, symmetry : but, in an irregular edifice, the har- 

 mony of the parts is not so soon perceived ; there seems no 

 particular reason why they should not have been fewer or 

 more numerous, larger or smaller, farther apart or nearer, or 

 differently disposed relatively to one another. To perceive the 

 beauties of such an edifice, the mind must have undergone a 

 certain degree of instruction in the principles of composition. 

 Without this instruction, or with it to a limited extent, it is 

 easy to conceive how great must be the difference of opinion 

 as to the beauty of objects designed upon any but the very 

 lowest principles of art. Hence the great variety of opinions 

 as to the beauties produced by modern landscape gardening, 

 the principles of composition of which admit of infinite variety 

 of application in order to imitate nature ; compared with the 

 general approbation of the antient style of laying out grounds, 

 the principles of which were those of regularity or formality, 

 in order to produce works easily recognised as artificial. 



That a gardener should at once excel in landscape garden- 

 ing and in gardening as an art of culture, we consider impos- 

 sible : it is sufficient if he excel in one department ; for the 

 continued personal attention required for each, is such as to 

 preclude all hope of excelling in both. No gardener, how- 

 ever, ought to be limited in his knowledge to one department; 

 for even a moderate knowledge of landscape gardening will 

 be of use to the garden cultivator ; and a landscape gardener 

 without a knowledge of plant culture could never direct the 

 execution of his plans. This knowledge we hope our Maga- 

 zine will eventually increase ; and, at all events, we hope to 

 rouse the landed proprietors to a sense of the beauties of this 

 department of gardening. 



While devoting our attention to the advancement of garden- 

 b 4 



