THE BOOK OF THE EOYAL 



1^ 



out plants. They lie on tte sloping glacis stretching up from 

 the side of each of the four canals, and are designed so as to 

 represent natural objects, such as the Rose, the Thistle, the 

 Shamrock, and the Leek. 



The gravels of which they are composed are as foUow, 

 viz. : — 



White Derbyshire spar, for the white. 

 Blue John, or purple fluor fspav, for the purple. 

 "Welsh slate, for the pale blue. 

 Pounded red brick, for the red. 

 Pounded ycUow brick, for the yellow. 

 Mixtures of the two last, for a lighter red or a darker 

 yellow. 



Fragments of coloured glass, uniform or mixed, for various 

 other colours, which are less HberaUy distributed. 

 In addition to these, besides other small plots, mainly used 

 as coloured walks or frames in which plants are set, there are 

 seven large compartments in which the coloured gravel beds or 

 paths form only portions of the compartments, and are intended 

 to relieve their barrenness of flowers in winter, and combine 

 with them in summer. To our taste the best of these are four 

 beds, two on each side, on the level in front of the MUanese 

 Arcades. These are traced in a continuous geometrical design, 

 as a twisted ribbon or succession of circles, similar to designs, 

 if not the same, as seen executed in marble on the floors of 

 some of the churches in Italy. 



The three larger composite beds are, — a circular one to the 

 south of the central basin, and a triangular one on each side of 

 the middle walk. These are enclosed in an edging of artificial 



