388 PICTURESQUE IMPROVEMENT. BOOK I- 



placing piers or buttresses in proper situations. Sometimes the 

 course of a river may be entirely changed, from a distant, to a 

 near and more interesting situation* ; and then there will be 

 no loss of ground, nor any occasion for floodgates. Examples 

 of imitations of rivers abound in almost every made place of 

 any consequence, and to them applies every objection which I 

 have mentioned or may afterwards advance. In form, direc- 

 tion, margin, and accompaniments, they are, without one sin- 

 gle exception as far as I have seen, altogether unnatural, and 

 undeserving particular criticism. With regard to situation, a 

 few may be excepted, as those at Oatlands and Llanarth ; the 

 last of which is shewn in Plate XV. but in every other respect 

 they are as absurd as any. The form and direction of this river 

 in Plate XV. fig. 1., as well as the margin and accompani- 

 ments, are at present altering from my plans and directions ; 

 and the object of the alteration is, to give it the effect of fig. 2. 

 It is partly a natural river ; but has been much injured by art, 

 as is evident from fig. 1. 



3. The margin and accompaniments.— "There are two argu- 

 ments, which clearly shew that the margins of every piece of 

 water, whatever may be its character, ought to be broken and 

 diversified. The first is, that thereby intricacy, variety, and 



* See Embanking, page 214. 



