SECLUSION, 



203 



already inculcated. These may fall apjDropriately under 

 the following heads : — 



(1.) Seclusion. — This is a quality more or less desi- 

 rable in all small residences ; and in the vicinity of large 

 cities it may be regarded as indispensable. Of course it 

 does not consist in the exclusion of light and air ; neither 

 does it suppose the shutting-out of fine views^ whether 

 at hand or at a distance. It is rather the protection of 

 the family from that exposure to pubhc gaze which 

 would prevent them from using any part of their grounds 

 as freely and comfortably as they would their drawing- 

 room. A certain amount of privacy^ at leasts is essential 

 to that rural feeling which is a principal charm in retire- 

 ment from the bustle of city life. Some individuals, 

 indeed^ seem to have a particular fancy for displaying 

 their flower-beds and lawns to the eyes of the public ; — 

 a taste, we humbly think, more suited to hotel establish- 

 ments than to the abodes of private families. We 

 would have the greater portion of the villa grounds to 

 be possessed of the characters of complete seclusion. 

 At the same time the error arising from the excess of 

 this quality — the dull, gloomy insipidity caused by over- 

 planting, and an over-affectation of privacy — ^is to be 

 carefully guarded against. On level or gently sloping 

 surfaces the proper amount of seclusion may generally 

 be obtained by building the boundary walls from eight 

 to ten feet high. On surfaces with a considerable decli- 

 vity such walls will be found insufficient ; and as no con- 

 siderable addition can be made to their height, nor 

 indeed, if added, would prove effectual, the object aimed 

 at must be attained by planting trees and shrubs, which 

 will have to grow for several years before they afford 

 the desired shelter. As the size of villa residences 



