Cashiobury Park. 281 



which prevails in the house. The execution was most substantial; 

 and, to give the appearance of age, it was painted over, and 

 splashed in imitation of moss and weather stains. The gates 

 were hung with Collinge's patent hinges, which open and shut 

 with the least possible friction, and remain stationary at whatever 

 point they may be left. In this last respect, they are not so desir- 

 able for gates in general as the common hinges, and mode of hing- 

 ing; by which the gate falls to, or falls back, of itself, and is only 

 at rest when perfectly shut, or opened to the greatest width. With 

 such gates as the present, however, and in all cases where a door 

 or a gate is likely to be carefully shut by the person who opens it, 

 Collinge's hinges are by far the best ; and it is highly gratifying 

 to see a nobleman alive to their merits and patronising them. 



Cashiobury House, and the scenery immediately surrounding 

 it, excite ideas of grandeur, combined with comfort and beauty, 

 such as cannot easily be communicated by words. The buildings 

 and garden scenery seem peculiarly well suited to each other : 

 both are venerable with age, extensive, rich in design, and gene- 

 rally in the highest order and keeping. We entered the pleasure- 

 ground by a small door near a Turkish pavilion, richly lined 

 with cloth, and carpeted and furnished with sofa and tables. 

 We then passed in front of the house, and entered on the other 

 side to a series of different sorts of flower-gardens. After pass- 

 ing through these in succession, the effect left on the mind was 

 that of having been carried through a labyrinth of beauty and 

 variety. So rapidly were we hurried along, that, after a first visit, 

 it is not easy to recall to the memory distinct pictures of what we 

 have seen, or the order in which we saw them. We shall merely 

 note a few particulars from recollection, promising ourselves, in 

 the beginning of next summer, the gratification of seeing this 

 place at leisure, when to its many other attractions will be added 

 the singing of innumerable birds. 



Much of the gardening and botanical interest of all pleasure- 

 grounds consists in the exotic trees and shrubs which they contain. 

 There are some fine specimens of this kind in these gardens : one 

 of the oldest plants of the Magnolm tripetala in England [in 

 1836, 14 ft. high]; a very large Magnoh'a grandiflora [one against 

 a wall, 50 ft. high] ; and some of M. conspicua in the open 

 air: but the largest plant was in the Chinese conservatory; 

 where, however, it has not a tenth part of the room requisite to 

 its attaining its full size There are some magnificent and ve- 

 nerable plants of jRhododendron, Azalea, and Andromeda. The 

 American plants, in general, are grouped together in dug masses, 

 surrounded by turf; and they have grown to such a size as to- 

 tally to cover the margin of the dug space around them, and 

 to form a broken picturesque outline on the turf. Roses and 

 ornamental flowers are also disposed in masses, much in the 

 same way as at Cobham Hall, in Kent. Some are enclosed by 



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