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PRACTICE OF FORMING 



BOOK II. 



CHAPTER II. 



OF FORMING THE DESIGN, OR GENERAL PLAN, WHETHER FOR 

 THE ENTIRE FORMATION, OR FARTHER IMPROVEMENT, OF 

 A COUNTRY RESIDENCE. 



Before any thing is fixed upon, relative either to the forma- 

 tion or improvement of a rural residence, or any of its parts, 

 principal or complex, a plan or ideal scheme of the whole 

 should be previously formed in the mind of the artist, and em- 

 bodied on paper for the inspection or mature consideration of 

 the proprietor and his friends. For this purpose, the situation 

 should be fully examined with respect to soil, visible beauty, 

 and prospect, and also the relative advantages and disadvan- 

 tages of climate, &c. The best method of acquiring such 

 knowledge is, to visit the place at different seasons, before 

 completing the design. In this manner, observation may em- 

 brace and reflection digest the emotions excited in the mind of 

 the artist by its diverse qualities. 



The ichnography, and bird's-eye views, of the present state 

 of the whole must first of all be delineated, and geometrical 

 sections made, where water, or similar works, may be sug- 



