St. Leonard's Hill^ Virginia Water. 653 



scenes of George the Fourth, it entirely disappointed us. 

 We have before (Vol. III. p. 124.) noticed such parts as were 

 occasionally shown to the public ; but we now walked down 

 the grassy margin of one side of the lake, and partly up the 

 other, so as to examine every thing. To those who have 

 never seen lakes in a country of hills and rocks, Virginia 

 Water may be something: to us, it was tame and spiritless. 

 Still, as far as nature is concerned, it would be unreasonable 

 to expect any other style of beauty in the given description of 

 country ; but, when we hear it so highly spoken of as it has 

 been in the newspapers as a garden scene, we expect to find 

 that art has been called in to heighten what nature had indi- 

 cated. For example, here is a winding lake, upwards of a 

 mile in length, with various bays, recesses, prominences, sinuo- 

 sities, and creeks, with every where a tame smooth grassy 

 margin ; the grounds on each side gently rising, and covered 

 more or less with woods, natural or artificial. Now, what 

 would be the additions which art would make to such a scene, 

 in order to enhance its interest ? First, the artist would arrange 

 the turf and the wood on the margin of the water, so as to 

 produce variety; and to admit of roads or walks, either of turf 

 or gravel, so as to display the whole to the greatest advantage 

 to a spectator walking or riding round the lake. Next, he 

 would add such islands as might be necessary to throw the 

 lake into agreeable shapes, and to vary its outline. Then he 

 would relieve the margin of the water from the tame and 

 spiritless effect produced by green grass joining into blue 

 water. Afterwards, he would introduce different sorts of trees 

 and shrubs, instead of the common sorts already existing, 

 unless these were entirely indigenous, and it were intended to 

 keep up a character of indigenous beauty : and, lastly, he 

 would add architectural ornaments, such as a fishing-house, 

 boat-house, covered seats, rocks, sculptures, or other objects. 

 Instead of this, a tame drive has been formed round the lake, 

 so conducted as to produce as little variety as can well be con- 

 ceived. Nothing but a common-place mixture of trees has 

 been planted ; no islands have been added ; and no relief, by 

 the introduction of stones or gravel, or even old roots or 

 trunks of trees, has been afforded to the smooth grassy mar- 

 gin of the water. As to architectural ornaments, a gorgeous 

 Chinese fishing-house has been built ; having a highly enriched 

 roof with gilt ornaments, set down amidst the common woods 

 of the country, and with nothing exotic around it. In another 

 place, a quantity of the Elgin marbles, consisting chiefly of 

 shafts of columns, with fragments of capitals and architraves, 

 and some Flemish and other statues, have been set down 



