734 
THE  TROPICAI 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  I,  1896. 
sublime, — that  is,  kinds  of  beauty  expressive  of  ani- 
mation—the  former  of  not  terrible,  the  latter  of 
terrible  powers. 
On  these  principles  of  the  boautifu’,  the  picturesque, 
and  the  sublime,  therefore,  two  points  in  the  scien- 
tific practice  of  landscape  gardening  fully  appear : — 
1.  Where  the  gardener  is  dealing  with  bright 
colours  merely  in  the  flower-garden,  supposing  it  10 
be  viewed  from  the  mansiou-houso  or  elsewhere 
as  a unity,  ho  should  place  colours  of  the  same 
tint  in  considerable  breadths,  so  as  to  give  a sufli- 
cient  area  of  colour  for  the  eye  to  rest  upon,  llis 
colours  should  not  be  placed  in  juxtaposition  in  too 
harmonious  tints,  and  he  may  adopt  with  advantage, 
provided  there  be  ample  nature  around,  the  geome- 
trical mode  of  gardening ; for  colour  is  not  capable 
either  of  the  picturesque  or  the  sublime.  No  higher 
order  of  beauty  than  that  which  is  merely  kaleidos- 
copic is  attainable  by  it. 
2.  In  the  landscape,  the  problem  is  to  establish 
or  preserve  unity  in  its  variety,  so  that  the  eye 
may  not  wander  at  large  and  go  adrift  in  beholding 
it,  and  ahmg  with  this  10  av'  id  all  obvious  symnieuy 
as  carefully  as  namre.  Nature  on  the  great  scale, 
i 1 the  present  epoch,  everywhere  displays  departiues 
from  symmetry.  Instead  of  a perfectly  spheiical 
globe,  with  a perfectly  smooth  surface  and  a circular 
orbit  in  the  heavens,  which  is  that  to  wdiich  the 
laws  of  nature  would  reduce  our  pianet,  if  the  action 
of  these  laws  were  completed,  the  surface  of  our 
globe  is  diversified  by  sea  and  Ian  1,  mountain  and 
valley,  river  and  lake.  It  is  expressive  of  great 
forces  by  no  means  composed  into  an  eternal  repose 
and  sameness,  but  operating  still  with  immense 
power  and  from  different  centres,  and  therefore  in 
seeming  (though  in  seeming  only)  contiict  with  each 
other.  It  is  in  smalt  individualised  objects  alone — 
in  crystals,  plants,  and  animals — that  t'.e  forces  of 
nature  are  iii  any  measure  balanced,  and  that 
symmetry  is  developed.  Hence,  as  has  been  said 
the  picturesqaeness  and  the  sublimity  nature;  for 
these  terms  bespeak  the  consciousness  of  a force 
operating  in  nature,  with  which,  though  it  be  very 
different  from  our  own,  we  may  yet  hold  communion. 
The  landscape  gardener,  therefore,  whilst  he  must 
not  neglect  a balance  and  even  a repetition  of  parts 
in  his  landscape,  must  be  on  his  guard  against 
allowing  any  obvious  symmetry  to  show  itself.  If 
he  do,  he  will  kill  his  couposition.  He  will  speak 
to  the  eye  only,  and  not  to  the  soul.  And  this 
state  of  things  the  architect  also  must  observe, 
though  within  limits  which  are  much  narrower  than 
those  of  the  landscape  gardener;  for  the  mansion- 
house  stands,  as  it  were,  midway  between  the  flower- 
gardeu  aird  the  landscape.  A large  amount  of  obvious 
symmetry  is  almost  indispensable  in  its  construciion. 
Symmetry  bespeaks  repose.  It  theicfore  fits  the 
mansion  for  being  a central  resting-place  for  the  eye. 
But  may  we  not  reduce  the  practi  c of  the  bemui- 
ful  in  the  landscape  to  principles  slill  more  speci- 
fic? Artists  are  continually  speaking  of  lines.  They 
find  that  all  the  expressiveness,  and  much  of  the 
beauty  of  their  creations,  arise  from  the  character 
of  the  lines  and  contours  which  they  impnrrt  to 
these  compositions.  Now,  this  is  only  what  is  to  be 
expected;  for  motion  is  the  first  sign  of  life,  ,iv.d 
a Hue  is  always  a symbol  of  motion,  'i'lie  eye,  in 
fact,  just  as  it  rests  on  an  area,  always  runs  along 
a line.  Hence  the  importance  of  the  lines  which 
give  the  contour  to  the  W'hole  landscape,  and  of 
the  forms  of  the  individual  objects  which  compo.-e 
it,  plainly  appears.  Hoes  our  theory,  then,  ‘‘  that 
the  laws  of  nature  are  the  principles  of  beauty,” 
throw  any  light  on  the  relative  value  of  different 
lines  in  imparting  beauty  ? Yes,  it  gives  specific 
diagrams.  It  defines  those  very  lines  on  which, 
according  to  its  own  piinciples,  all  beauty  must 
depend,  in  so  far  as  that  beauty  depends  upon  the 
lines  in  the  landscape  or  object,  and  not  on  colouis 
and  areas.  It  has  been  completely  ascertained  by 
natural  philosophy,  that  material  elements — elements 
possessing  inertia,  etc.,  and  masses  conqiosed  of 
such  elements — when  they  move  according  to  the 
laws  of  nalure,  and  developc  lines  by  their  motion, 
constantly  tend  to  move  in  one  or  rfher  of  that 
series  of  lines  which  is  named  the  conic  sections  ; 
and  when  natural  motions  leave  lines  behind  them, 
these  lines  are  traces,  more  or  less  extended  of  the 
conic  sections.  These  are  the  circular  line,  the 
elliptic  line  (to  w hich  we  may  add  the  spiral  as  a 
resultant  form,  w'hen  the  line  changes  its  plane), 
the  pi'vabolic  line,  the  hyperbolic  line,  and  the 
asyiiiprote  or  straight  line.  They  have  now  been 
named  in  the  order  in  which  t'  e physical  forces, 
in  producing  them,  grow  more  and  more  unbalanced 
or  intense,  and  consequently,  in  the  order  in 
which  they  grow'  more  and  more  expressive.  The 
circular  lino  and  the  elliptic  both  retuui  into  them- 
selves. They  lU'e  both  finite  like  our  minds,  aud 
therefore  commensurate  with  ourselves ; aud,  accor- 
dingly, such  is  the  exi^ression  which  they  impart  to 
objects  in  which  they  appear.  The  circle,  indeed, 
is  not  usuaily  included  among  the  conic  sectious, 
aud  it  need  hardly  l>e  included  among  expressive 
line.-;.  The  ciro'e  is  too  symmetrical,  But  it  is  far 
otherwise  with  the  elliptic  line.  Wherever  it  appears 
it  readers  the  object  which  displays  it  “graceful” 
and  very  pleasing  to  the  beholder,  when  he  does 
not  desire  to  be  thrown  into  emotion.  The  other 
lines,  again,  do  not  return  into  themselves.  They 
are  infinite.  They  bespeak  active  force  still  actua- 
ting them,  aud  their  expression  is  more  grand  aud 
severe.  They  are  the  parabola,  the  hyperbola  aud 
the  straight  line. 
But,  with  regard  to  all  those  lines,  it  must  be 
here  remarked  that  in  nature  a part  of  each  is 
usually  combined  with  another  part,  according  to 
the  law' of  sy  nmetry;  that  is,  placed  in  an  inverse 
position,  both  parts  together,  thus  giving  a w'aving 
line.  And  of  this  line  the  value,  as  an  element  of 
beauty  has  long  since  been  formally  recognised, 
aud  known  by  t m name  of  Hogarth’s  line  of  beauty. 
And  now  it  would  form  a most  pleasing  theme 
to  dilate  upon  each  of  these  lines  i i detail,  and 
to  show  how  exactly  they  maintain,  in  imparting 
beauty  and  expressiveness  to  nature,  the  function 
which  has  been  assigned  to  them.  But  this  w'ould 
imply  a considerable  lengthening  of  a communi- 
cation which  is  long  enough  already.  Let  us  merely 
glance  at  thcjn  in  reference  to  that  which  is  simpler 
than  the  landscape,  I mean  the  Ocean. 
Say,  then,  that  wo  are  gazing  upon  the  ocean 
first  wh.cn  it  is  perfectly  calm  aud  splendent  with 
silvery  radiance  in  tiio  beams  of  the  morning  sun; 
there  is  nothing  here  for  the  eye  to  rost  upon 
but  a boundless  plane  glassy  surface,  and  the  perfectly 
straight  bu'-  equally  boundless  horizon  line.  Tiia 
straight  line,  in  a word,  ruks  the  scene.  Tlie  ex- 
pression of  the  calm  ocean,  llierefore,  according  to 
our  theory,  ought  to  be  sublime.  It  o :ght  to  awake 
in  tlio  soul  of  the  beholder  the  plearing  Imt  awe- 
inspiring emotion  of  the  infini.o.  Now,  it  wdll  not 
be  denied  t!:at  this  is  precisely  tiio  c.'cpore.isi-Hi  of 
the  ocean  when  contemplated  in  a statu  of  repose. 
Sxy,  now,  that  in  some  distant  region  a siorm 
is  raging,  but  is  indicated  in  the  place  wh.ne  the 
beholder  stands  only  by  wlntt  is  so  well  kn  wnas 
a “ ground  swell.  ’ This  is  a mode  of  action  svliich 
does  not  ruffle  the  siufaco  of  t o sea,  but  which, 
instead  of  leaving  the  gl.assy  surface  .stiiiight  iimi 
level  fis  well  as  glassy,  has  heaved  it  into-  a state 
of  undulation  with  b ng  circular  arc  os  or  wat  os. 
and  wide  circul.ar  hollows  or  Iroimlis  between.  Here, 
tlien,  we  have  a chatigo  from  the  straight  lino  to 
tlie  circnlnr  line,  from  the  infinite  lino  to  that 
which  is  the  most  finite  of  all  iine.s.  T’ho  ch.engc, 
therefore,  ought,  according  to  our  thfory,  to  I e 
most  unfavonrablu  to  the  development  1 1 ]i!easing 
emotion  in  contemplating  tb.o  ocean.  And  is  not 
this  eminently  the  fact?  'Was  there  ovci-  a .spec- 
tator yet  wlio  admired  a giound  swell,  ctmipared 
w'illi  any  otlier  stale  of  thceccjui? 
But  lot  the  waves  bo  now  raised,  so  that  their 
6ummit.s  bespeak  a smaller  ladius  than  their  bases, 
— let  tlicin,  in  a word,  assume  a paraholic  form, 
and  wliat.  Ictus  ask,  is  tlie  t iTect  ? Mvury  one  feels 
that  more  life  has  been  infused  into  the  scene. 
And  now,  let  the  summit  of  the  wave  become 
still  more  acute,  until  at  last  it  turns  over  and 
falls  down  on  its  own  base  as  a breaker,  and  has 
