Chap. I.] 



THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 



13 



garden with stately and abundant yegetation is often more pleasing 

 than a so-called naturally designed garden in which the great 

 lines are laid down by persons who have no knowledge of or 

 feeling for what is right in the matter. It must not be supposed 

 that the right thing is not possible : a good deal of English work 



Rocky margin of island in Lago Maggiore. 



in this direction is irreproachable. The gentle and graceful 

 gradation which would generally recommend itself in our lowland 

 gardens is indeed easier to form and to keep in order than such 

 stiff embankments as those by the water here. These too clearly 

 bear the impress of the engineer and the navvy. 



More vicious still are the walks which run by the margin of 



l^^£^ 



Water margin in Loch Achray. 



the water on all sides, destroying the good effect which turf 

 running down to clear water generally produces. These walks are 

 a fatal error in a scene like this : from many points of view they 

 are offensive. There is no surer way of robbing garden-lake 

 scenery of its charms than by putting formal walks close to and 



