49 



1 perfectly remember, when I was about Avenues 

 ten years old, that my father (a man of 

 such general observation, that no innova- 

 tion or novelty escaped him) remarked 

 to me the change which was then taking 

 place in ornamental planting; and then, 

 although little supposing how much it 

 Mould become the future study of my hfe, 

 I recollect his observing the discovery 

 made by some ingenious planter (perhaps 

 Kent or Brown) that the straight line 

 might be preserved in appearance from 

 the ends of a vista or avenue, without ac- 

 tually filling up all the sides; and thus 

 alternate openings of views to the coun- 

 try might be obtained, without losing the 

 grandeur of the straight line, which was 

 then deemed indispensable. He also ob- 

 served, that perhaps this would lead to 

 the abolishing of avenues; and 1 believe . 

 few were planted after that date, viz. the 

 midddle of the last century. 



About this time a total change in the Natural 



,. , . ,1 Xa 11 Plaiitins:. 



fashion took place. It was asserted, that 

 nature must be our only model, and that 

 nature abhorred a straight line: it was 



