LANDSCAPE DESIGNING 
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A PAPEE BEAD BEEOEE THE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OP QUEENSLAND, ON THUESBAY, THE ?TH 
AUGUST, BY MB. WALTEB HILL. 
The term Landscape Designing has been adopted 
to distinguish a profession, the principles of which, 
though volumes have been written about it, are 
not fully understood. The purpose of the pro- 
fession is to assist those who have little or no 
taste themselves, in so arranging plantations and 
shrubberies, conducting roads of approach, form- 
ing rides and walks, placing buildings, &c., as to 
satisfy the taste of others who may have any in 
such things. This definition, homely as it may 
appear, is in reality the marrow of the matter, 
and at once declares that those who may adopt 
the profession must have the taste required to 
such a degree as to induce confidence to be placed 
in them. Then comes the question-- who is to 
judge of the qualifications of a landscape de- 
signer ? Of course persons who have, at least, as 
much taste as the professor. Hence, were a gen- 
tleman admitting himself not to have sufficient 
taste of his own to enable him to dispense with 
the help of a landscape designer, to require it, 
it may be asked — to whom should he ap- 
ply for guidance ? To a skilful professor. It 
is common, in requiring the character of a ser- 
vant, to apply to the master whom he last served. 
It is evident, however, that in the case of a land- 
scape designer, we should not apply for informa- 
tion to the employer, because he has, by the very 
act of employment, declared himself unfit to give 
*ny opinion. If the gentleman he requested to 
judge for himself by looking at what has been 
accomplished, this is absurd : because he has con- 
fessed himself to have no knowledge of such mat- 
ters, no taste ; and consequently to he unable to 
judge of any such work. There is considerable 
difficulty to be overcome in any attempt to teach 
landscape designing as an art ; because it is 
icarcely a tiling to be taught in the common ac- 
ceptation of the term, but rather a thing to be 
sought for and brought out. There must be an 
inward impulse in the pppil ; a quick perception 
of form, colour, and relative position ; of rnagni- j 
tude, and of the harmony of things in general ; 
and all this is no less necessary in the teacher, j 
Besides, according to my idea, landscape design- 
ing is not a tiling to be taught, even to those 
possessing the necessary talent, without a direct 
appeal to Nature. A certain amount of materials 
is given to be worked upon, and the question is, 
how to make the mcst cf it ? But unless the 
materials be present to our senses, it is impossible 
to point out the various means by which they 
may be made available to the utmost extent. 
We have the dead flat, the undulating surface, 
the hilly, the mountainous, and the rocky coun- 
try, and endless mixtures and modifications of 
these, and land and w ater. Vv T e have not merely 
one window to look from, but many, having va- 
rious aspects, and innumerable points of view out 
of doors, to consider. 
The matter which requires the greatest skill is 
to contrive to make one thing serve many pur- 
poses— one tree or bush to fall in with advantage 
to many points of view. I have seen (according 
to my own notions) very good artificial landscapes 
made out of indifferent subjects, and tolerable 
subjects made hideous by attempt at embellish- 
ment. I have seen admirable subjects spoiled, 
others rendered splendid. Though I have hid 
to deal with seme of the best subjects in Nat ure, 
and found my work admired, (whether the ad- 
miration was real or false, matters not), I am 
not so conceited, or so ignorant of the constitu- 
tion of human nature, as to sot my taste up as a 
standard. I have often had to revise my nun 
work, and to make corrections and additions ; 
and some painful necessity has occurred to me in 
my time, such as that of felling a fine tree, be- 
cause, though, while young, it perfoimccl an im- 
portant part, it had grown too large for its station 
in the landscape. 
I have said enough, perhaps, to show that what 
is called landscape designing cannot be taught in 
the closet ; and, though rules have been laid dow n 
on paper, that they cannot be applied with any 
degree of certainty. I do not affirm that the pro- 
fession is not needed ; it is a usetul one, provided 
he that practises the art has a love for it. If re- 
