254 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. XVI. 



subjects for such places are numerous enough from Wistaria to 

 Clematis montana. 



In Paris there are, besides the suburban gardens, numerous 

 pretty gardens in the city itself, of one of which, thanks to the 

 courtesy of its owner, Madame Haine, an illustration is here given. 

 Enclosed by high walls and buildings, with large trees, a lawn of 

 freshest grass, Acanthuses and Yuccas on the turf, bold Pansies in 

 masses, carpets of the ever welcome Ivy and the Periwinkle beneath 

 the trees, and numerous Wallflowers, it had, on the April day when 

 sketched, many charms not usually associated with crowded cities. 

 In Paris one frequently finds an oasis of trees and flowers and grass 

 hidden by high buildings from the noisy street. In such nooks, 

 finer trees are often found than grow in the public squares. 

 Paris is far richer than London in these pleasant city-ga;rdtenSi 

 Some town-gardens in London, such as that of Montagu House, 

 may be named as examples of what a town-garden may be made 

 even in London, but they are too rare. The main blemish 'in the 

 small French gardens is the water, which never ought to be 

 present at all in such places in a so-called ornamental state. It 

 is another instance of the futility of forming artificial water in 

 any form in the small garden, and it is wonderful that people can 

 tolerate cemented tubs of unclean water in spots that might be 

 wholly beautiful with flowers and grass. Cement-margined 

 puddles of this sort, and larger, abound, sometimes associated 

 with very droll rock- work. Sometimes, on the other hand, a 

 little rock-garden is fairly well constructed, but contrasted with 

 the vilest margin of black asphalte to the water-basin. 



A disagreeable feature of the Paris garden is the mirror-globe, 

 which is a burnished nuisance in so many otherwise pleasant 

 gardens. I once hoped that this object would never be introduced 

 to English gardens, but lately a very large one was seen in one of 

 our new provincial parks. Lately also a misguided gentleman in 

 the north-western district of London, not content with one or two 

 of these mirror-globes, made himself an avenue of them of various 

 colours. Each huge globe rests on a terra-cotta vase, and the 

 avenue on each side, from the gate to the house, is bordered by 

 vases with mirror-globes. The effect is as good as could be 

 desired for a Shoreditch theatre. Such an object may perhaps 

 amuse children, but surely one is merely expressing the sentiments 



