Horticultural Society. 311 



of Mr. Lenne's paper, that he has not clear ideas of what 

 English gardening is, or ought to be. The littlenesses he 

 alludes to at the above places are the flower-gardens, which 

 form a description of scenery altogether apart from landscape. 

 A foreigner, to become acquainted with our gardening, would 

 require to remain some years in the country, and to make 

 himself master of the language. 



ie The reason why English gentlemen are so fond of 

 their country-seats, is owing to the foggy atmosphere of 

 London, and the smoke of sea-coal." The public parks' of 

 the metropolis he considers every way inferior to those on 

 the continent, and seemingly much more intended for the 

 grazing of cattle than for the enjoyment of man. He justly 

 observes, that the public walks of the continental towns, such 

 as the Tuillerie-garden of Paris, the Prater of Vienna, and 

 the Thiergarten at Berlin, have decided advantages over those 

 of London. " To enjoy the latter it is necessary to be a man 

 of fortune, and take exercise on horseback or in a carriage, 

 for, excepting in St. James's Park and Kensington-gardens, 

 there is neither a seat nor a shelter for the pedestrian." The 

 Regent's Park he . describes as particularly deficient in these 

 respects, and observes that in the distant parts of it there ought 

 not only to be seats, arbours, and bowers of shelter, but places 

 of refreshment and amusement. He notices the trifold fence 

 of the circus at the end of Regent's Street, and the double fences 

 and locked gates of most of the squares, as truly English. These 

 things, he says, made him reflect on the liberality of his king, 

 and other German princes, who generously throw open their 

 gardens to the public at every hour of the day ; " and often," he 

 adds, "when viewing them, I thought of the gardens of Pots- 

 dam, so richly ornamented ; open at all times to all manner of 

 persons ; and the perfect preservation of which, shows that the 

 people properly appreciate the favour of their monarch." The 

 royal gardens of Kew and Windsor he does not estimate high- 

 ly ; though he mistakes the object of Sir William Chambers in 

 laying out the pleasure-grounds at Kew, which was that of 

 making the most of a dull and limited space, without reference 

 to the external views. This could be done no otherwise than 

 by the frequent introduction of buildings, and the judicious 

 disposition of exotic trees and shrubs. To have moved earth, 

 or introduced water, would have done more ; but at an ex- 

 pence deemed too great for royalty. Mr. L. falls into the 

 usual mistake of strangers, and of one or two of us at home, 

 in considering the collection of plants in the botanic garden 

 at Kew as the first in Europe. It was once so, but now 

 there are more complete collections in some of the London 



