Beaufort^ Belladnim^ Relic. 555 



most of them common. A summer-house, with a rosary in front 

 of it, on an eminence, commands a view of nearly the whole. 

 We noticed two good specimens of purple beech, and some fine 

 Lombardy poplars and weeping birch. The whole of this beau- 

 tiful place was in the highest order ; scarcely a weed was to be 

 seen, and the grass was smooth like velvet. Mr. Bane now 

 showed us a near way to Belladrum ; and we rode off highly 

 pleased. 



We entered the park at Belladrum by a handsome iron gate. 

 The approach led through plantations of larches, and then of 

 Scotch pine : they seem to be kept thin and pruned. We were 

 sorry to find that Mr. Westwood, the gardener, was from home ; 

 more especially as I had never heard whether he had filled up, 

 and returned to you, the return paper I had sent him. We 

 went over the grounds with one of the lads. The vegetables, 

 fruits, and flowers were, in our opinion, too much mixed at this 

 place; though we do not object to a moderate quantity of espalier 

 trees and flower-borders in a vegetable garden. We saw good 

 crops of grapes in three vineries, facing east, south, and west ; 

 and in a little house were some pines with a few small fruit on 

 them : but plants with showy flowers appear to be here the chief 

 object ; and in a flower-garden, walled round, there was a most 

 beautiful display of dahlias, Fuchs?« microphylla, globosa, gra- 

 cilis, &c. ; Petunia phoenicea ; 5'enecio elegans flore pleno ; Ver- 

 bena chamaedriftMia, venosa, &c. ; and several very fine varieties 

 of pelargonium. In one part was an aquarium with a few plants ; 

 but, owing to some defect in the embankment, it was not near 

 full of water. A small children's garden was very neat; and we 

 were told that two of the sons were very fond of, and had ac- 

 quired a considerable proficiency in, botany. Mr. Westwood 

 not being at home, we did not go near the house, which is a 

 beautiful modern structure, richly furnished. The park is well 

 wooded, and in first-rate order. We noticed two very fine Eng- 

 lish elms : one of them, at a foot from the ground, was 2^ ft. in 

 diameter ; and we estimated the height at 90 ft. 



We now went to Relic, and soon found that we ought to have 

 taken a whole day to see its beauty. We found almost all the 

 plants we had seen at Belladrum; and in a small green-house, 

 and in frames, were some seedling plants from Persia, sent home 

 by the proprietor, Mr. Fraser ; but the grand object of attraction 

 was the great variety of trees and shrubs that had attained a 

 good size; most of them, with few exceptions, planted by the 

 late proprietor, General Fraser, who collected a number of the 

 seeds himself in America. We went up one of the most ro- 

 mantic dens anywhere to be met with, on purpose to see the Old 

 Ash, at Robeg, the measurement of which we got. This den, or 

 dell, is planted on both sides ; and, amongst the more common 



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