chiefly between London and Sheffield. 455 



and may be safely recommended as a most desirable conservatory shrub. 

 There are also some large bananas and palms, and many other fine stove plants 

 which where formerly under Mr. Marnock's care in the conservatory at 

 Britton Hall. In the stove, the Orchidaceae and ferns are planted on roots, 

 stumps of trees, and rockwork, so as to have a very picturesque effect, and the 

 vigour of the plants is equal to any thing which we have seen. In the open 

 air we found various green-house plants which had stood the winter, among 

 which Melaleuca squarrosa and some leptospermums seemed to be the 

 hardest. A part of the range of houses is of iron and curvilinear, and a part 

 is of wood in the ridge and furrow manner of Mr. Paxton. The sheds to 

 these houses and all the pits and preparatory structures, are most judiciously 

 contrived and managed; and though placed close behind the grand range, yet 

 owing to the steepness of the ground they enjoy enough of sun for every 

 requisite purpose. We observed here the fine effect of looking through the 

 glass windows of a conservatory, to young trees in the open ground not much 

 larger than those in the conservatory, and of the same general appearance. It 

 seemed to extend the conservatory, and the enjoyments it affords, to a com- 

 paratively unlimited space ; and to harmonise much better with what is within, 

 than the view of distant scenery. A distant landscape, seen from the terrace 

 walk in front of a conservatory or green-house, has always a very fine effect ; 

 but we do not recollect a single instance in which this is the case, where a 

 landscape is seen through the glass of a conservatory. The truth seems to be, 

 that the mind, in a conservatory or green-house, is so much occupied with the 

 new kind of scenery within, that it is disturbed by any circumstance which 

 obtrudes on it the ordinary kind of scenery without. The mind is as inca- 

 pable of attending to two subjects at one time, as the eye is incapable of 

 seeing more at any one time than is included under a certain angle. 



There is a noble broad terrace walk in front of the houses, and another which 

 proceeds from it at right angles down the slope ; and it may be useful to those 

 laying out walks on slopes, to state that the inclination of this terrace walk, 

 though at the rate of about five eighths of an inch to a foot, or about 

 1 in 20, is quite agreeable to walk on, both up and down, backwards 

 and forwards. In a practical point of view, this fact will be found of con- 

 siderable importance; for example, in laying out terraces or Italian gardens, 

 or public promenades. Judging from the view of the walk and the hot-houses 

 on the wrapper of Mr. Marnock's Magazine, we were not prepared to find 

 this the case. The whole of the garden was in good order, though the 

 number of men employed was only three ; a circumstance which may well 

 make us blush for the state of the metropolitan public gardens. The secret 

 of this economical and effective keeping is, that the mowing of the grass, the 

 hoeing of the dug clumps, and the weeding of the walks, is all let out to 

 common labourers ; so that the duties of the professional gardeners are con- 

 fined to the houses, the reserve gardens, and the planting out of the articles 

 in beds. There is very little training of plants against walls or trellises, which 

 is another source of the saving of professional labour. On the whole, as we 

 have said before, this garden is worthy of being taken as a model for the laying 

 out, planting, and mode of management of public botanic gardens. Mr. Mar- 

 nock has evidently an excellent taste in landscape-gardening ; and may be re- 

 garded, in this point of view, as a valuable acquisition to the part of the 

 country in which he is situated. We learn with regret, that, like other institu- 

 tions of the same kind, the Sheffield Garden is but indifferently supported ; 

 but, for the benefit of others, we hope sooner or later to give a plan of it in 

 this Magazine. 



. The Sheffield Cemetery consists of several acres of varied surface, on a bank 

 opposite to that on which the botanic garden is placed, and each contributes 

 to the effect of the other. It is laid out, as cemeteries on an irregular surface 

 necesstarily must be, with winding walks, and these are judiciously interspersed 

 with trees and shrubs by Mr. Marnock. In one precipitous part the sand- 

 stone rock is cut down perpendicularly, which may easily be formed into 



H h 4 



