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jects, such as monuments, statues, temples, kiosks, pagodas, obelisks, 

 fountains, vases, terraces, stiff avenues, and trim parterres, there is 

 nothing of the kind to be found upon all this ground , and except the 

 indication of a site for a simple block of stone, three or four feet 

 high, as an historical landmark (and this in a position where it could 

 not be observed from any of the drives or leading walks), no prop- 

 osition or suggestion for the introduction of anything of the kind 

 upon it has ever been presented to you, or appeared upon any of 

 your plans. There is not a single construction or artificial object 

 upon all this ground which is designed to attract the eye or arrest 

 attention. 



But the question will be asked if the scenery of the park is, after 

 all, only of a common-place, natural, rural character, why has its- 

 preparation needed so much more labor than a farmer ordinarily 

 bestows upon his woodlands and pastures 1 These may often be 

 found, in parts at least, much more beautiful than any pazt of the 

 park, and may be bought outright, with everything on them, for a 

 tithe of what has been spent in the construction of the park. It 

 may be answered, that the object of the larger part of the study, 

 skill, and labor expended, has been to reconcile the purpose of a 

 gradual and slow development of a special type of rural landscape, 

 with the constant convenient use of the ground as a place of recrea- 

 tion by a very great number of people ; and if it appears to have 

 been unnecessarily large, it is in part because the difficulty of main- 

 taining a natural and rustic character, and at the same time of keep- 

 ing the ground in neat and convenient order, under these circum- 

 stances, is much greater than is generally realized. The character of 

 the evidence which shows this difficulty may be indicated by a refer- 

 ence to what has passed under the eyes of many citizens of Brooklyn 

 upon the park. 



During the first two years of the work, interest in what was 

 promised, and curiosity as to the progress of construction, led many 

 to visit the site of the park, and, as much of the ground was con- 

 stantly crossed by trains of carts, and thus made dusty or miry, or 

 was freshly dug or manured, or otherwise rendered disagreeable by 

 the works in progress, most of these visitors were driven to find a 

 place of more quiet and comfort, in the uninclosed woods a little 

 on one side of the line of operations. In the parts of these to 

 which the largest numbers came, and where there was most 

 lounging, though constantly patrolled by the park keepers, and 

 though all convenient pains were taken to preserve order and 

 neatness, and prevent injury to the trees and shrubs, all of the 



