THEIR GENERAL ARRANGEMENT. 



697 



finish any of their walks en cul de sac, 

 carefully avoiding all unpleasant dis- 

 appointment ; but if, at any time, the 

 nature of the situation obliges them to it, 

 they always terminate at some interesting 

 object, which lessens the disappointment, 

 and takes off the idea of a childish con- 

 ceit. 



" In their crooked walks, they carefully 

 avoid all sudden or unnatural windings, 

 particularly the regular serpentine curves, 

 of which our English gardeners are so 

 fond ; observing that these eternal, uni- 

 form, undulating lines are of all things 

 the most unnatural, the most affected, 

 and the most tiresome to pursue. Having 

 nature in view, they seldom turn their 

 walks, without some apparent excuse — 

 to avoid impediments either naturally 

 existing, or raised by art to improve the 

 scenery. A mountain, a precipice, a deep 

 valley, a marsh, a piece of rugged ground, 

 a building, or some old venerable plant, 

 afford a striking reason for turning aside ; 

 and if a river, the sea, a wide-extended 

 lake, or a terrace commanding rich pro- 

 spects, present themselves, they hold it 

 judicious to follow them in all their wind- 

 ings, so as to protract all the enjoyments 

 which those noble objects procure. But 

 on a plain, either open or formed of groves 

 and thickets, where no impediments oblige, 

 and no curiosity invites, to follow a wind- 

 ing path they think it absurd, saying 

 that the road must either have been made 

 by art, or been worn by the constant pas- 

 sage of travellers ; in either of which 

 cases, it cannot be supposed that men 

 would go by a crooked line, when they 

 could arrive by a straight one. In general 

 they are very sparing of their twists, 

 which are always easy, and so managed 

 that not more than one curve is observ- 

 able at the same time. 



" They likewise take care to avoid an 

 exact parallelism in these walks, both 

 with regard to the trees which border 

 them and the ground of which they are 

 composed. The usual width given to the 

 walk is from 8 to 20, or even 30 feet, 

 according to the extent of the plantation ; 

 but the trees on each side are, in many 

 places, more distant, large spaces being 

 left open, and covered with grass and wild- 

 flowers, or with fern, broom, briars, and 

 underwood." 



Such are some of the data upon which 



VOL. I. 



the Chinese act in the disposal of their 

 grounds, when an imitation of natural 

 scenery is intended. An English author 

 on landscape-gardening, on the subject of 

 walks, observes : " Wherever paths are 

 turned, they should lead to the beauties 

 of the scenery. Hilly or mountainous 

 walks should have gradual and regular 

 ascents, — at times amidst broken rocks, 

 interspersed with alpine shrubs; then 

 winding through the umbrageous planta- 

 tions to the sequestered vale, treading the 

 banks of a gentle stream, embellished 

 with appropriate plants; then toward a 

 piece of statuary, on the border of a 

 shady grove ; or to the Temple of Peace, 

 to a cascade, or where a river falls and 

 foams along its rocky bed. In short, 

 such walks, if judiciously directed, lead 

 wherever any object may be seen to excite 

 admiration, or tranquillise the mind to 

 calm reflection. The edge of a precipice 

 or of a torrent is to be avoided, unless 

 they be well guarded ; and seldom should 

 those views be seen which are calculated 

 to disturb that tranquillity of mind which 

 is best disposed to receive impressions 

 pleasing and satisfactory." 



If the grounds are broken into deep 

 glens, or even simple dingles of a few 

 yards in breadth, with water permanently 

 or occasionally in them, it will afford an 

 opportunity for displaying artificial rock- 

 work and cascades, which latter, in many 

 cases, may easily be made to perform their 

 part, by having reservoirs in the higher 

 parts of the grounds, which, if sufficiently 

 capacious, will afford a supply of water to 

 operate on the cascades when required. 



Embankments should be avoided in 

 forming the walks, and the communica- 

 tion kept up by the introduction of rustic 

 bridges. 



To lay out a garden in either of the 

 picturesque styles, in a tame alluvial 

 meadow, or on ground having no natural 

 features in association with this style, is 

 a most difficult task. Under such cir- 

 cumstances, it would be better to adopt 

 either the gardenesque style or the geome- 

 trical, the latter depending entirely on the 

 character of the mansion. 



Mounds may be thrown up, ravines 

 dug, and abrupt undulations may be 

 formed by man; but all his art can never 

 give, upon an extended scale, such a 

 character to such a field as nature has 



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