Xlii MJIMOIK. 



cuiturist." When in Hs neighborhood, these correspond- 

 ents came to visit him. -'They were anxious "to seethe 

 man who had. written books which , had enabled them to 

 make their hoifses beautiful, — which ha(i helped tHeir 

 wives in the flower-garden, and. had shown them how, with 

 little expense, to decorate their humble parlors, and add a 

 grace to the barrenness of daily life." AH this was better 

 than Queen Anne's " magnificent ring." . ..■ ;■. 



^Meanwhile, business in the , nursery, lookeid a little 

 threatening.' Moijey Was always dropping frdm the hosipi- 

 table hand of the owner. Expenses increased--^affairs 

 bettame . compHcated. It is not. the genius of men like 

 Downing to manage the finances very skilfully. "Every 

 tree that he sold fora dollar, cost him ten shillings ; " — 

 which is not a money-maJdng process. He was-' perhaps 

 too, lavish, too careless, too sanguine, " Had his i£icom% 

 been a milUon ■ a minute, he would always have been 

 in debt,'', says one who knew hiA weU:. Ihe composed 

 manner was &s unruffled as ever ; the .regal will preserved 

 the usual appeairance of things, but jn the winter - of 

 1,846-7 Mr. Downing was seriously embaferassedi It was 

 a very grave juncture, for it was likely that he would 

 be obliged to. -leave his house and begin life again, 'But 

 his. friends rallied to the rescue. .They assured , to him 

 hie house .and grounds ; and he, vrithout losing time, 

 -without repining, and with the old determinati6n, went to 

 work more industrioftsly than ever. His attention was 

 Unremitting to ,the "Horticulturist," and to all the projects ' 

 he had undertaken. His interest in the management of the 

 nursery, however, decreased^ and he deyoted himself with 

 more energy to rural architecture and landscape gardening, 

 untn he gradually discontinued altogether the raising of 

 trees foj; sde. His house was stiU the resort of the • moist 



