CHAP. X.J 
ROCK-WORK. 
333 
put upon it. The walls and foundations are 
built of the red sandstone of the country; 
and the other materials have been collected 
from various quarters., chiefly from Wales.’' 
The part that represents the outer circle of 
rocks* is principally composed of the red 
sandstone of the neighbourhood* in which 
little niches have been made for plants* and 
filled with exactly the kind of soil in which 
alpine .plants grow naturally; viz.* broken 
fragments of stones* clean-washed river 
gravel* and the debris of decaying moss* and 
other plants* crumbling rocks* &c. The 
plants are all strictly alpine—the only liberty 
taken, being the mingling of the alpine plants 
of hot and cold countries* or rather of dif¬ 
ferent elevations* together; and this is con¬ 
trived very ingeniously* by placing fragments 
of dark-stone to absorb the heat* round those 
that require most warmth* and fragments of 
white stone to reflect the heat* round those 
that require to be kept cool. In all the trees 
and shrubs planted among the rocks* the 
same care is taken to keep up the illusion: 
they are all alpine plants; and dwarf species* 
or those of very slow growth* are generally 
