/ 
W A T 
Had great regard to the natural fituation of the ground, ■ 
lb as to lead the Water through the natural hollows 
of the ground, whereby the great expence of digging 
is faved ; and by contriving to make the head in fome 
narrow part of the ground, it may be done at a much 
lets expence T and will be better lecured, than where 
the head is of great extent; therefore it is better 
either to moreen the extent of the Water, or to carry 
it farther, according to the natural fituation of the 
ground, than to terminate it where it may occafion 
great expence ; and it is always obferved, that where 
there is the greateft expence in the making of thefe 
large heads, the whole will appear Ids beautiful than 
where nature is chiefly confulted; for nothing can be 
more unfightly, than thofe extenfive heads which are 
ibmetimes made to pieces of Water, which rife fix or 
eight feet, and fometimes much more, above the 
furface of the ground, whereby the Water is hid 
from the fight, to thofe perfons who are fituated on 
that fide of the head, and a large bank of earth Units 
up the -view ; and fometimes thefe heads are fo fitu- 
ated, as to appear in fight of the houfe, or from a 
principal part of The gardens, which is a very great 
ahfurdity. 
Since the take has been altered in the difpofition of 
gardens, and that a more natural method has been 
purfued by perfons of judgment, there have been 
great improvements made in the diftribution of Wa- 
ters, fo as to render it truly ornamental to the feats 
where they are placed ; but there are fome, who, by 
pretending to imitate or copy from thefe works, have 
erred as much in making fo many fhort unnatural 
turns in their Water, as thofe before-mentioned have 
dene by their regular (Irak fides ; for in what is ufu- 
aliy termed ferpentine rivers, nothing is more com- 
mon than to fee a finall furface of Water twilled in 
fo many fhort turns, as that many of them appear at 
one view •, and thefe windings are often made like 
parts of circles, with fuch an air of ftiflnefs, as to 
render them equally difagreeable with any the moft 
ftud'ied figures, to perfons of good take. Another 
thing is alfo common to thefe unnatural pieces of 
Water, which is, their being made of the fame width 
in every part, which fhould always be avoided ; for 
nothing is more beautiful, than to fee the Water ex- 
tend to a large furface in fome places, and to have 
it in others more contra&ed ; and this may be gene- 
rally done at a much lefs expence than the other, 
where the natural fite of the ground is well confidered, 
which fhould be done with the utmoft care, before 
any work of this fort is begun, for want of which 
many perfons have repented after having been at great 
expence. 
There is alfo another material thing to be obferved, 
in the fituation of large pieces of Water, which is, 
never to extend them fo near to the houfe, as that 
they may annoy it, by the damp, which the vapours 
exhaling from the Water may occafion, efpecially 
when expofed to the wind, which will drive the va- 
pours toward the houfe, and thereby render the ha- 
bitation unhealthy, and deftroy the furniture ; there- 
fore it is much better to walk out to fee the Water, 
than to facrifice the habitation for the pleafure of fee- 
in o- the Water from the houfe : nor fliould the Water 
be fo fituated, as that the furface may be level with 
the floor of the houfe, for there is generally fome 
moifture, which will percolate through the veins of the 
earth, enough to occafion fo much damp, as to render 
the lower part of the houfe unwholefome ; and where 
there is a confiderable damp in the foundation of a 
houfe, part of it will afeend upward, and render the 
apartments fo, therefore great care fliould be had as 
to this. 
Where perfons are not fo happily fituated as to 
have the command of a conftant running Water, 
but yet from fome neighbouring refervoirs or ponds 
can be fupplied with it, there may be fome agree- 
able pieces of Water contrived, both for ufe and 
beauty, efpecially where there is a large fupply ; 
for otherwife it will be better to contract the de- 
W A T 
fign ; for nothing can be more ridiculous than that of 
having either ponds or riyers defigned, where they 
cannot be fupplied with Water in the dry fe-afons, 
when there is the greateft want of it, both for ufe 
and pleafure. 
In thofe places where there is a great fcarcity of Wa- 
ter, there, fhould be large refervoirs contrived, into 
which the Water which defeends from the hills and 
riling grounds may be led ; fo that a large body of 
Water may be collected during the rainy feafon, for 
a fupply in time of drought ; thefe refervoirs, when 
large, may contain as much Water as may be necefla- 
ry for the ufe of the houfe and gardens ; but thefe 
can rarely fupply Water enough for beauty, therefore 
in fuch fituations it fhould not be attempted. 
As Water never appears fo well as when it is fituated 
near woods, fo in the contrivance of rivers, or pieces ' 
of Water, they fhould be fo placed as to have plant- 
ing near, that the contrail between the wood and 
Water may appear as perfeeft as poflible ; and in fome 
places where the Water can be feen through the 
open groves, between the Hems of large trees, it 
will add greatly to the beauty of the place ; but 
where the Water is defigned to terminate, the head 
fhould be as much concealed as poflible, by clofe 
plantations of evergreen trees, which ^may be faced 
with Alders and Weeping Willows, planted clofe on 
the fides of the Water, fo as that their branches may 
hang over; and if the Water is contraded, and led 
through thefe trees with a gentle winding, it may 
feem to run much farther, and to communicate with 
a larger body of Water at a diflance ; in the con- 
triving of which, the greateft art is to make, it ap- 
pear as natural as poflible ; for the lefs art there ap- 
pears in thefe things, the longer they will pleafe, and 
the more they will be efteemed by perfons of good 
judgment. 
WATSONI A. 
The title of this genus is given to it in honour of my 
learned friend Dr. William Watfon, F. R. S. whofe 
knowledge in the fcience of botany juftly demands 
this tribute. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath a ■permanent flpaiha ( or floe at h) which 
divides into two parts almofl to the bottom ; it is of one 
petal. The tube is long , a little curved , and J wells at 
the upper part ; the rim is cut into fix obtufle fegments 
which fpread. open. It has three long fender ft amina which 
are terminated by proftrate oblong Jummits , and a roundijh 
three-cornered germen , fuppotting a fender ftyle a little 
longer than the ft amina, crowned by three bifid ftigmas. 
The germen afterward turns to a round! fo three-cornered 
capfule having three cells , opening with three valves , each 
containing three or four roundifo feeds. 
This genus belongs to the firft fedion of Linnaeus’s 
third clafs, the flower having three male and one fe- , 
male part. It differs from the Gladiolus, in having 
a tubulous flower of one petal, and from Crinum, in 
having: but three ftamina. 
This has been titled by Dr. Trew, Meriana flore ru- 
bello, before he had been acquainted with the name 
which I had applied to it ; but he has fince informed 
me by a letter, that as I had raifed the plant from 
feeds, he would fupprefs his title, and adopt mine, 
who he thought had the moft right to give it; and that 
he rather chufes to do fo, becaufe the figure he has 
publifhed of it was drawn from the plant in the Chel- 
fea Garden. 
The Species are, 
1. Watsonia ( Meriana ) floribus infundibuliformibm, 
fubasqualibus. JVatfonia with funnel-Jhaped flozvers 
whofe petals are equal. Meriana flore rubella. Trew. 
tab. 40. Meriana with red flowers. 
2. Watsonia ( Humilis ) foiiis gladiolatis, floribus ma* 
joribus. Dwarf Watfonia, with fword-foaped leaves and 
large flowers. 
Thefe plants are natives in the country about the Cape 
of Good Hope. The root of the firft fort is bulbous, 
compreffed, and fbaped like a kidney, and is cover- 
ed with a fibrous brown fkin*. The leaves are fword- 
jfhaped. 
