32 



water; but without some variety of tint in 

 their accompaniments, rivers, either in na- 

 ture or painting, would be most insipid 

 objects. If therefore an artist were de- 

 sired to paint a scene, in which a river was 

 to be the principal feature, and were told 

 at the same time, that for the banks of 

 it he must make use of no other colour 

 than grass green, I imagine he would 

 hardly undertake it, even if he should be 

 allowed to differ so far from Mr. Brown, 

 as to vary the form, as well as the light and 

 shadow of those banks.* He certainly 

 would wish to make use of such a diver- 

 sity of tints as might create variety and 

 interest, without glare and confusion ; and 

 the improver, instead of being more re- 



# Mr. Brown and kis followers have confined them- 

 selves to the most strict and absolute monotony, in form, 

 colour, and light and shadow. I trust that some years 

 hence it will appear quite surprising, that professors of the 

 art of laying out grounds should have received large sums 

 of money, for having planned and executed what they 

 called artificial rivers ; but from which they had studiously 

 excluded almost every circumstance of a natural one, ex- 

 cept what they could not get rid of — the two elements of 

 earth and water. 



