636 ; OF THE PRESERVATION, &C. BOOK II. 



things himself, should be occasionally, say once or twice a year, 

 inspected by a designer,, whose province should be every thing 

 relating to planting, gardening, and picturesque improvement." 

 This I consider just as necessary to the proper preservation of 

 a country residence, as a land-steward is to an estate ; and I 

 am fully persuaded that the advantages which would result 

 from it, not only in stimulating sub-managers, as gardeners, 

 foresters, &c. to their duty, but also in shewing them more 

 clearly what that duty is, and pointing out errors committed, 

 or new improvements which might be adopted, or are adopted 

 in other places (and which the designer has the best opportuni- 

 ties of seeing), would far more than compensate the additional 

 expense. That gentlemen neglect this, while they carefully 

 provide themselves with land-stewards, can only be ac- 

 counted for by reflecting that the extensive culture and great 

 value of timber is of modern date, and that in those parts of 

 an estate appropriated to a rural residence the beauties of 

 nature are just beginning to be substituted for those of art. 

 And as these, when once made, were easily comprehended by 

 gardeners (for what could be easier than to trim hedges, prune 

 avenues, form straight or circular walks, or mow slopes, &c), 

 consequently they required no real taste, or diversified applica- 

 tion of principle,, to preserve them, as the beauties of nature do* 

 when thus mingled with utility. 



