JET FOUNTAINS. 



201 



still more questionable taste to elaborate artificial 

 sheets of water in sight of the sea, a fine inland lake, 

 or navigable river. In these cases, the grand of na- 

 ture invariably overpowers the puny efforts of art. 

 We can not help associating the same feelings with 

 jets d^eau; they do not harmonize at all with marine, 

 and scarcely with lake scenery. If they must be intro- 

 duced into such localities, let them be so placed that 

 there may be no apparent' competition between the 

 tiny murmurs of their falling waters and the hoarser 

 surge of the shore. In ordinary weather, there is as 

 much spray from the curl of a wave over a small rock 

 or considerable stone as from the finest fountain or 

 jet dj'eau. A young friend, who had recently inspected 

 a water-power of this description playing in a flower- 

 garden near the sea, favored us with the following 

 lines descriptive of such artistic efforts : 



Old Father Ocean merely smiled, 

 To see this puny, earth-born child 

 Send up its tiny stream of spray, 

 To spurt and splutter for a day. 



Note. — Jet fountains, and Jets d'Eau, we consider 

 beneath the simple dignity of the park, or the exten- 

 sive pleasure-ground. They are so entirely artificial 

 in their character, and useless during our frosty months, 

 that they may be classed with Spanish and Italian ar- 

 chitecture, out-of-door statuary, and peacocks — from 

 which, in fact, they should seldom be separated. 

 Fountains and jets d'eau are sometimes desirable, 

 and may be constructed with good effect Under invit 

 ing circumstances. They are exceedingly troublesome 

 to keep in repair, where heavy winter frosts prevail. 



