Woburn Abbey. 563 



speaking harshly of him without reason, and of generating and nourishing 

 bad feelings on either side. It is as much the duty of a gardener, considered 

 as a man, to generate, nourish, and cultivate good and kind feelings in him- 

 self and others, but especially in his fellow-servants and master, as it is his 

 duty, professionally, to originate, nourish, and cultivate useful or orna- 

 mental plants in the gardens and scenery under his care. 



In our former notices respecting the hot-houses here, we called them iron 

 houses ; but Mr. Jones, who manufactures them, says they may as well be 

 called copper houses, the rafters being of iron, and the sashes of copper. The 

 peaches and vines in these houses have done as well as at Syon Gardens, 

 which is saying all that can be said. Not having been so long planted as at 

 Syon, they have not produced so much fruit ; but, in leaves and wood, the 

 plants cannot be surpassed. We hope to be able to give a similar account 

 of this garden to that which we have given of the Duke of Northumber- 

 land's operations in the kitchen-garden at Syon (p. 502.) A rockwork has 

 been formed in the pleasure-ground, which is as well as such things usually 

 are, or can be made, out of small loose stones ; but we must not omit to 

 state, that such works, with such stones, are not to our taste ; this at Wo- 

 burn is too much like a heap of small stones ; and if the plants among these 

 stones are not very constantly and carefully watched, the stones will soon be 

 entirely covered by the plants, and it will, by their luxuriance and confused 

 intermixture, become like a heap of earth or rubbish covered with weeds. 

 It wants rocky protuberances, large prominent masses of stone that will 

 furnish features for a landscape-painter, and make, on every observer, an 

 impression to be felt and remembered. Such rockworks a gardener will 

 find at Redleaf, near Tunbridge Wells (perhaps the most romantic, highly 

 enriched, and best kept small place in England); at Syon ; and at a few, 

 and but a very few, other places. Where large masses of rock are not to 

 be had, large conglomerations of small stones or brickbats, by means of 

 Roman cement, should be formed ; not, however, so as to resemble plum- 

 pudding stones, but of right-lined shapes, such as an artist hke Mr. Aglio, 

 now employed in fresco pictures on the walls of the fruit-room at Woburn, 

 would design by three or four strokes of his pencil, and would show also 

 how to dispose of them among smaller stones. In a very few months, such 

 masses would be covered with weather-stains, or this effect might be antici- 

 pated by art. 



There is a handsome flower-garden here, designed by the present duchess ; 

 and near it is the most magnificent sculpture gallery to be found in any 

 private house in England ; the lofty and ample conservatory, the heathery, 

 the botanic stoves, flower-houses, florist's garden, and a veranda of nearly 

 a quarter of a mile in length, leading to the tennis-court, dairy, &c. We 

 could not help contrasting the magnificence of the garden scenery and 

 orangery with the meagre effect of those we had lately seen at Windsor 

 (p. 605.); but we consoled ourselves by reflecting, that there being but one 

 king, his example could be but of little consequence ; whereas we have 

 many country gentlemen of knowledge and taste possessing seats of different 

 degrees of magnificence and beauty to raise and maintain the character of 

 the country. So long, indeed, as we have such noblemen as the Dukes of 

 Bedford, Northumberland, Portland, Buccleugh, Devonshire, &c., and such 

 commoners as Mr. Hope of Deepdene, Mr. Wells of Redleaf, Mr. Coke of 

 Holkham, Mr. Barclay, Mrs. Marryatt, &c., we need not fear the example 

 of a British king, of the late palace at Kew, the modern one at Pimlico, or 

 the gardens at these places, and at Windsor. What we greatly admire at 

 Woburn is, the perfect order and keeping of every part of the place, from 

 the Httle cast-iron margins of the squares of grasses (Vol. I. p. 1 1 5.), the box 

 edgings to the small beds of hardy heaths, or the hen-coops in the aviary, 

 to the approach roads, park wall, trees, and plantations. The order and 

 neatness are every where perfect, and this perfection is produced by division 



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