Hungerton Hall, Belton. 571 



in the pit, admits of the cultivation of a greater variety of the most esteemed 

 sorts, and obtains an immense power of succession. 



The following are the kinds of grapes grown : — Purple Constantia, White 

 Constantia, Grizzly Frontignan, Muscat of Alexandria, Stillwell's Sweetwater, 

 West's St. Peter, Black Damascus, Black Tripoli, Black Hamburg, White 

 Portugal, Syrian. 



In the plant stoves, palms of various kinds, dracasnas, musas, bamboos, 

 and various fragrant-flowered climbers, are bringing forward in pots and tubs 

 for the conservatory at the new Manor House. 



An experiment has been tried in one of these houses by reversing the posi- 

 tion of the sash-bar, so that the rabbet is on the under side, and the insertion 

 of the panes is made from that side instead of from the outside, as in the usual 

 manner. The advantage of this mode is, that the putty is not exposed to the 

 weather, but sufficient time has not yet elapsed to determine its value. The 

 difficulty that appears to be most likely to establish itself respecting the reverse 

 glazing is, that of the execution of it, and the repair, supposing that the 

 lights are not movable but fixed. In the first instance, it is feared that the 

 pane cannot ,be made to retain its position, but will fall, or at least move 

 slightly from its place, from its own weight, before the putty is sufficiently set 

 or hardened to retain it. In repairing, the workman is not so conveniently 

 placed ; he is hke a painter of ceilings, and ought to be laid on his back. Pro- 

 bably Mr. Paxton's mode of having a groove in the sash~bar, as hereinafter 

 described, may ultimately be found preferable. 



Belton, near Grantham ; Earl Brownlow. — May 2\. We passed to this 

 place from Harlaxton, through Grantham, and a very miserable village, which 

 we could not help wishing had belonged to Mr. Gregory. The wretched 

 hovels exhibited not only a want of taste in their exteriors and surrounding 

 gardens, but even a want of repair and the appearance of common comforts. 

 Belton we have always understood to be one of the best kept places in Eng- 

 land, and we certainly found it so, though the family had been absent some 

 months, and were not expected till July. We entered by the kitchen-garden, 

 which was originally planned by, and built under the direction of, Mr. Webb. 

 The pine stoves and vineries are wide, with a fixed roof formed by bars with- 

 out rafters, resting on a horizontal iron rail, supported by iron pillars, rising 

 from the middle of the tan pits. The only inconvenience that the gardener, 

 Mr. Ingram, finds from these pillars, is, that he is in danger of breaking the long 

 stiff shoots of the vines, when he removes them from the rafters to lay them 

 down to rest on the top of the front wall, in Mr. Strutt's manner. The 

 grounds have few natural inequalities ; but the river Witham runs through 

 them, and this feature has been made the most of, especially near the house, 

 which is a fine old French mansion, with stately avenues. Among the old 

 trees are some good specimens, especially of elm and Scotch pine. There is 

 a rustic bridge leading over a piece of water to what may be called a fancy 

 cottage, which is covered over with rustic trelliswork for climbers, and these 

 climbers are planted in rustic boxes, which project from the outside of the 

 parapet of the bridge. The idea is comparatively new, and the effect good. In 

 the church, the tower of which forms a fine object from the walk in the 

 pleasure-grounds which leads to it, are some fine sculptural monuments of 

 the Brownlow family, and in the churchyard are several to their servants ; 

 kindness and consideration to them being apparently hereditary in the family. 

 One tombstone is to the memory of a gardener, who had been 54 years in the 

 family, and died in 1710. The place has two defects which might easily be 

 remedied. The first is, that there is no master walk so conducted as to dis- 

 play the main features of the place; and the second, that the kitchen-garden 

 cannot be entered without crossing a public road, and also, if we are not 

 mistaken, a farm road. A tunnel or tunnels would at once remove the latter 

 objection, and facilitate the removal of the former. 



The home farm-offices are very complete ; we entered the poultry-house, which 

 is a square room, well hghted, and heated by an open fireplace. There is a range 



p p 2 



