124 Steuart's Planter'' s Guide. 



Guide has supplied a theme from which he gives a rapid yet 

 faithful sketch of the art of landscape-gardening. He is perfectly 

 cognizant of all that has been done, said, and written on the sub- 

 ject. The artificial splendour of the Italian, and the simplicity 

 of the Dutch styles he properly appreciates, or no less pro- 

 perly depreciates; exposes the tameness of Kent and Brown; 

 detects the wavering of Repton, in his defence of his " great 

 self-taught master," in his controversy with the accomplished 

 and accurate Price ; and lashes the feeble disciples of the 

 latter, in their puerile attempts to form the in^egularity of na- 

 ture, by bounding their groups and young groves by crinkum 

 crankum and distorted outlines. If the reviewer is a young 

 man, he has borrowed largely of Sir Uvedale Price : he ap- 

 pears covered with the same armour, and attacks with the 

 same weapons, adopts his principles in design, but does not 

 condescend to teach the execution ; but, as the reviewer pro- 

 mises to resume the subject, we hope the difficulty of applying 

 Price's principles to practice will not be forgotten. Condensed 

 as this sketch is, it contains much excellent matter; like the 

 risino-or setting sun shinins into the entrace of a grotto, it has 

 *' lit up" objects, and gems, and forms, which before were lost in 

 obscurity, or which only gleamed feebly in darkness. His 

 ideas of the embellishment suitable for a palace or baronial hall 

 are sterling, and rationally defined; his admiration of sculptured 

 forms, of the dignity of straight lines *, and his opinion of how 

 far they are admissible in high-wrought scenery, are judiciously 

 correct; and, indeed, his conceptions of the whole subject are 

 of so valuable a cast, that we may safely predict, if he were 

 inclined to " make a book," enriched with such ideas of fine 

 taste, and brightened by the pleasing sallies of his excursive 

 fancy, it would be a high treat, and as valuable as acceptable. 



1 have much satisfaction., and am indeed not a little proud, 

 to state that I most cordially agree with the reviewer in all 

 he has said in commendation of the Allanton system, wherever 

 that system is practicable. 



That Sir Henry's discovery will be a nullity to many pro- 

 prietors of land, and even of fine thriving wood is, however, 

 undeniable. Every one having plantations may not have trees 

 suitable for transplantation. As soon as the thriving strip- 

 lings of a young wood begin to crush each other, a wish con- 

 stantly presses itself on the owner to have power to transplant 

 the interior supernumeraries : but such are unsuitable, both in 



* When Mrs, Siddons sat to the late Sir Joshua Reynolds for her por- 

 trait, she remonstrated against his bringing down one of her ringlets too 

 low. Sir Joshua answered, " Madam, pray allow me the dignity of one 

 straight line." 



