2 General Resulls of a Gardening Tour : — 



surface, the park and pleasure-ground. An excellent kitchen- 

 garden is already walled round, and the gardener's house, 

 about to be commenced, we were informed, will be the 

 first in Scotland, not only as a commodious and complete 

 dwelling, but as a specimen of cottage Gothic architecture. 

 The designer of the garden, Mr. Hannay, is the present head 

 gardener at Drumlanrig ; and the architect of the house is 

 Mr. Burn of Edinburgh. As far as we saw the new line of 

 approach, it did not appear to us at all satisfactory ; because 

 we could not conceive how the ascent to the house by it could 

 be rendered either easy to travel over, or agreeable to the 

 eye. Judging from a hasty glance, we should say that the 

 best way to procure two approaches of perfectly easy ascent 

 and descent, of great beauty and variety in the views seen 

 from it, and of striking effect on arriving at the house, would 

 be, to commence two or three miles to the right and left, and 

 to lead from the present public road, a private one, on a 

 luiiform but very gentle slope, along the side of the range of 

 hills at the back, or what is, we believe, the south side of the 

 present flower-gardens. We would there form a court-yard 

 to the palace, instead of the present one on the western front, 

 reserving the extensive prospect from the north front to be 

 obtained by the stranger first from the windows. As pleasure- 

 ground, we would follow up the present style of the place, 

 and form such additions and variations as would place two 

 ranges of terrace-gardens on each side of the east, west, and 

 north fronts. The beautiful terrace-gardens already existing 

 show with how much effect this might be done. Whether we 

 might not change the course of the river in some places, or 

 produce ramifications from it, in such a way as to show more 

 water from the palace windows, we did not take time enough 

 to consider ; but, at all events, we think we ascertained the 

 practicability of diverting a part of its waters in such a way as 

 to produce a powerful waterfall in one place, and a lake in 

 another. We have great pleasure in stating that the flower- 

 gardens were in the highest order and keeping, and the grass 

 edgings to the walks entirely to our mind. Mr. Hannay we 

 found fully concurring in all that we had said on that subject in 

 our October article. (Vol. VII. p. Si-i.) Some instruction, as 

 well as amusement, may perhaps be obtained by the reader, 

 from the perusal of what the celebrated Gilpin said of this 

 place, then called Queensberry House, in his Observations 

 relative chiejitj to Picturesque Beauty in Scotland, ^^c, published 

 in 1776. " The garden front of Queensberry House," he 

 observes, " opens on a very delightful piece of scenery. The 

 ground falls from it, near a quarter of a mile, in a steep 



