WALKS. 



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WALKS. 



an object by exciting his curiosity and 

 inducing him to advance to see what 

 is beyond. Where one walk abuts 

 upon or joins another at a nearly 

 right angle, it becomes subject to the 

 same laws as a straight walk, and op- 

 posite to the abutting point or place of 

 junction there ought to be a seat, a 

 statue, or some other object, partly to 

 form a termination to the abutting or 

 joining walk, and partly to serve as an 

 obvious reason why the one walk 

 joins to the other at that point rather 

 than elsewhere. At the same time, 

 other reasons for the junction at that 

 point may exist or may be created ; 

 for example, the surface of the 

 ground may be favourable, or trees 

 and shrubs may be planted so as to 

 render it apparently impossible to 

 join anywhere else. It has been 

 said, that in laying out winding walks, 

 nature should be imitated, and the 

 tracks of sheep in pastures, or of wild 

 animals on commons have been held 

 up as examples : — 



" The milkmaid's careless step 



Has, thro' yon pasture green, from stile 

 to stile, 



Imprest a kindred curve ; the scudding 

 hare 



Draws to her dew-sprent seat, o'er tbymy 

 heaths, 



A path as gently waving." 



But to imitate such walks would 

 be to copy vulgar nature ; and there- 

 fore art refines on these lines by ren- 

 dering them more definite and elegant. 

 In short, by exhibiting in them a 

 choice of form or line for its own 

 sake ; because of the various lines or 

 parts of lines found in accidental 

 footpaths, or in the tracks of hares, 

 some must be more agreeable to the 

 eye than others, and it is only these 

 agreeable parts which are to be imi- 

 tated, and combined in garden scenery. 

 All this is founded on the recognition 

 of a principle, which is, or ought to 

 be, the foundation of all the fine arts ; 



viz., that nature is to be imitated, not 

 to be copied . To copy nature exactly 

 as she appears before us is the pro- 

 vince of common art, and may be 

 pleasing to many minds; but to minds 

 of culture and refinement, nature re- 

 quires to be copied in such a manner 

 or in such a medium as to show art. 

 If this were not the case, and if we 

 were to copy foot-paths exactly, then 

 we should, of course, not gravel them, 

 or define them by regular edges. 

 Hence, when one walk joins another, 

 the angles of junction should never 

 be rounded off in that extreme de- 

 gree which is found in public roads ; 

 where in turning out of one path into 

 another, an obtuse or rounded angle 

 seldom fails to be found. The ap- 

 pearance of such an angle in garden 

 scenery, whether in carriage-roads or 

 foot-walks, destroys all allusion to 

 high art ; and hence, in all gardens 

 containing winding walks which are 

 much frequented, the junctions of 

 these walks with others should be 

 protected by trees and shrubs, or by 

 vases or other architectural objects, 

 in such a manner as to render this 

 rounding of the angles of junction 

 impossible. 



The construction of walks, more 

 especially on soils which are not na- 

 turally dry, and on surfaces which are 

 not level or nearly so, requires con- 

 siderable skill. The inclination of 

 the walk from one point to another 

 should be so arranged as to carry off 

 the surface water from rain or melting 

 snows along the edges of the walks, 

 and the underground water by drains 

 beneath the surface. In even sur- 

 faces, even though not level, this is 

 attended with little difficulty ; and 

 one drain under the centre of the 

 walk, or on one side of it, will suffice, 

 for a considerable length, without any 

 branch drains to carry off the water 

 which accumulates ; but where the 

 surface rises and falls alternately, it 



