Ornamental Fountains. 103 
gold-fish are sporting over a bottom embeded with shells and 
aquatic plants, and surrounded by four tritons sitting on the edge, 
and each throwing up a jet of water like a burnished silver wire, 
to the height of six or seven feet, and meeting another jet from 
the centre, the whole falls into a little basin which forms the cap 
of a highly ornamented column, of three or four feet high, from 
which trickles over the edge, falling down on three female figures 
of great beauty, which surrounded the column, and thence return 
to the fountain. A few tasteful gardens scattered about the 
country, each exhibiting such a fountain would do much towards 
awakening a better taste in rural matters. 
In Chambers' Edinburgh Journal we find the following: 
Water Jokes in Gardens. — At Easton, in Oxfordshire, in the 
gardens of a certain worshipful gentleman, are the most artistic 
water ingenuities it has been our lot to meet a description of as 
existing in this country. They even drew down the marked 
approbation of royalty itself. On approaching the spot, a venera- 
ble hermit rose from the ground, and after entertaining one with 
a " neat and appropriate speech," sank down again like a Jack- 
in-a-box. There was a small rocky island in the midst of a lake, 
which was full of watery tricks. The visitor was politely re- 
quested to walk up and view this spot; and after satisfying his 
curiosity and proceeding to walk down again, the fountaineer 
would bob down, turn a cock, and send, we dare not say how 
many, jets d'eau flying on all sides of the victim, one stream 
having for its object his legs, another his loins, and another his 
head. After this funny reception, he was conducted to look at a 
spaniel hunting a duck, by the force of water; the automata 
diving and pursuing each other by turns. Beyond was the grotto; 
a hedge of sparkling jets of water rose from the ground to guard 
it, mimic cascades foamed down its tiny cataracts, and countless 
streams shot up, and appeared to lose themselves by being caught 
in their return, and not suffered to fall down again. Here too, 
a nightingale discoursed very liquid music, and an arched jet of 
water played with one another, and now and then with the visitor, 
all hope of egress being destroyed by the sudden pouring down a 
