Gardens and Grounds of M. Doublaf, 137 



a somewhat irregular piece of ground [e), said to have been 

 laid out under the direction of Soult himself. This last scene 

 displays some apparently natural rocks and stones on the 

 margin of the stream, and contains some groups of American 

 shrubs. The Duchess d'Augouleme, having coveted this 

 place, obtained it with some difficulty from Soult ; and she 

 has the merit of having added to the house {i) a large con- 

 servatory and an aviary [f), and also a dairy establishment 

 {g) and a poultry yard (Ji). Notwithstanding the duchess's 

 desire for the place, we were (in 1828) informed that she 

 passed only one night at it, during the whole time it was in 

 her possession. The kitchen-garden here {k) is on an elevated 

 platform, and, when we saw it, the walks were beautifully 

 bordered with /beris serapervirens, which makes a large but 

 very handsome edging. In some of the pits were a few finely 

 grown pine-apples. Taken altogether, Villeneuve I'Etang 

 affi^rds an example of a situation highly favourable for the 

 natural style, but mangled by a description of art without 

 either the expression of purpose or the expression of style. 



The Gardens and Pleasure-grounds of M. Douhlat, at Epi~ 

 nal, have the reputation of being the finest specimen of 

 English gardening in France. Their merits are great, though 

 they depend more on the natural beauties of the situation, and 

 on the surrounding scenery, than on the exercise of an}' style 

 of art. M. Doublat's grounds consist of a rocky hill {Jig. 28. a), 

 rising abruptly from the town of Epinal to the height of 

 300 ft. or 400 ft., and stretching away to the east in the form 

 of a narrow ridge, of a mile in length, gradually declining 

 till it terminates in the vale of the Moselle. This hill and its 

 continuous ridge bear a remarkable resemblance to those on 

 which Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town are built. The 

 town of Epinal [b b) embraces the hill on three sides ; the 

 Moselle passes through the town, and forms the northern 

 boundary to the ridge; and a public road, accompanied by a 

 small tributaiy stream, constitutes the western boundary. 

 M. Doublat, the proprietor, a banker in Epinal, and the 

 receiver-general for the department des Vosges, assisted by 

 M. Grillot and his son, architects of Nancy and Epinal, began 

 to plant and improve this demesne about 1793, and have con- 

 tinued doing so ever since. The great merit of the place, so 

 far as art is concerned, is, that the planting is done in groups 

 and masses, in which one species always prevails in one place ; 

 and in which the trees ai-e disposed in a free natural-looking 

 manner; and not in heavy, lumpish, formal shapes, as in 

 some of M. Sckell's works in the English garden at Munich. 



As leading Features of the Grounds at JSp/;?a/, we may direct 



