THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 24. 
! oo 
' hereditary for generations. Here we pass through a 
plantation of Oaks of some five-and-tvventy summers, 
that we imagine to he ten or fifteen years older; and 
I there we get among noble specimens, the remains of a 
| similar plantation, inserted by a tree-loving ancestor, 
j nearly three hundred years ago. This, of itself, would 
1 produce a variety in the woodland scenery; greatly 
] increased when, ns in tiie present case, no one system of 
I planting has been adhered to, and the ground is so 
; nicely diversified and undulated. Not far from Mr. 
Judd’s cottage, we get into one of these young planta¬ 
tions, the height and straightness of which rather 
astonish us. There seems to be little proofs of early 
pruning; and I attribute their mounting upwards as 
straight as lines chiefly to two causes: first, their 
standing thick at first, prevents the side-branches ex- 
! tending, or they drop off before they are of any size; 
j and, secondly, there would appear to be here, and in 
j other places, such as Middleton House, the Earl of 
| Jersey’s, where the trees of all kinds grow very upright 
and straight, a peculiar density in the atmosphere, which, 
taken in connection with the vital powers of extension, 
j may greatly promote this straight, upward tendency. 
: If there should be anything in this latter idea, the close- 
| planting would also seem to be somewhat necessary; as 
fine specimens of old Oaks are scattered singly, or thinly, 
in groups, second to but few or none in England, for 
size in diameter of bole; but having, as such trees 
generally have, largo, extended heads, with the main 
i bole divided into many secondary arms. For procuring, 
not fine-headed specimens, for park scenery, but good, 
valuable timber, concentrated in one trunk, that proves 
“ its value at the sale and the saw-pit,” there seems to 
he yet a spice of truth in the old adage, that advises, 
“ to plant thick, and then quick.” 
Crossing the approach, and nearing the north-west 
boundary of the park, we enter a beautiful avenue of 
trees, many of which are of large dimensions. A door in 
'j the boundary-wall is opened, a beautiful walk is before 
you, shaded with an avenue of young trees, leading 
I westwards towards the village church. How solemnizing 
such scenes of natural beauty must be to the reflecting 
' mind! Would that there was more reflection, and there 
woidd be more solemnity where most demanded. Pro- 
! ceeding onwards, the old avenue ends, and a young 
I plantation begins, where, apparently, an old one had 
stood, the remains of which are called the Heronry. I 
wish I could have measured the height of these noble 
Oaks on which the Herons build their nests. I question 
if there are any more lofty to be easily seen, and then 
such boles—straight as an arrow from base to summit. 
Proceeding eastward, near the northern boundary we 
pass through fine germs of Oaks, not yet arrived at the 
j standard of those in the Heronry, though fine trees, 
and planted, as commemorative stones testify, about 
two hundred years ago. We presently come in a 
line with the mansion, and the avenue-style is again 
introduced, slightly broken with out-jutting groups. 
Passing a large enclosure, suitable for kennel and 
menagerie, we turn to the south, pass the east side 
of the pleasure-ground, cross the approach, and get 
on the rising grounds to the south aud north of 
Harlestone, where there are many splendid single speci¬ 
mens of Thorns, and many young Limes, and other 
trees in single specimens, with the browsing line as the 
base, and the heads as fino specimens of a flattened 
’ cone as if they were regularly pruned all over twice a 
year. From this elevated plateau, a fine view is 
obtained of two Gothic arches to the eastward, standing 
separately and solitarily in their ruined grandeur, the re- 
i mains of the once proud castle of Holmeby, or Holdenby, 
where, after the decisive battle of Nazeby, his flight 
: from Oxford, and his surrender to the Scottish army, 
Charles the First was sont to reside by the English 
parliament, more as a prisoner than a king. With 
many tilings to love and admire, a thorough disregard 
of truthfulness was the ruin aud the bane of that un¬ 
fortunate, but unmartyred monarch. What a lesson do 
theso ruins preach to our rising race, ever to bo sincere 
and true! What a homily do they present, as to tho 
ultimate destiny of all despotism ! 
Getting back to Mr. Judd's cottage, wo then catch a 
sight of the parish church, situated on an eminence to 
the north-east, with grass, trees, and shrubs fringing 
the foreground, and the valley lying between,—the most 
beautiful and picturesque view of scenery wo obtained 
from the whole demesne, and which, tho removal of a 
few branches will bring within the sweep of the win¬ 
dows of the cottage. An idea of the splendid timber 
contained in this noble park may be gained from the 
fact, that an Oak tree, blown down some years ago, 
realized, within a fraction, L300 ; nearly a third of that 
amount, L’90, being procured for the bark alone. 
Pleasure Grounds. —Our readers will now be enabled 
to form some idea of this demesne. The south or 
1 ontrauco front of the mansion resembles the lower part 
of the letter H. the entrance being in the centre. Fill 
up tho upper part of the H> and you have the block 
of buildings before you. The whole of the north side, 
and about half of the west side on tho ground-floor, 
are appropriated to the library. A new wing has 
been lately added at tbe north-east corner, as an 
! extension of the library, thus giving the pile three legs 
or wings of the H- As far as l recollect, this low 
wing is in a different style from the rest of the build¬ 
ing; and for convenience inside there is no window 
on the east side, next the pleasure ground, which gives 
it there a dull dead-wall appearance, which might so far 
be easily remedied by fixing in the wall a window or 
windows of fluted or ground glass. I should look over 
any want of unity in style as respects this north-cast 
wing, if the other leg to the H was put on at the 
north-west corner, in the shape of a nice architectural 
conservatory, communicating with the library. This, 
no doubt, will some day be done, and tbe space thus 
enclosed would constitute a piece of fine, green, level 
lawn, with a few upright shrubs, or a geometric flower- 
garden, in tbe old English or Italian style. 
The mansion, in ancient times, had been surrounded 
by a moat, with its attendant drawbridges, and other 
sources of defence. As times got more peaceful the 
ugly moat was dispensed with, but the water, fed by 
a brisk running rivulet, bad been directed to the 
supplying various pools and lakes in the pleasure- 
grounds. These, with such a supply of water as to 
keep them in active motion, would have been great 
objects of interest and beauty; but tbe limited supply 
transformed them into so many receptacles of malarian 
diseases, that few strangers could visit Althorpo 
without contracting severe colds and other ailments. 
The present noble proprietor has had tho waters of 
this rivulet conveyed through the grounds by means 
of a deep culvert, and has had the whole of the lakes 
or reservoirs emptied and drained. In improving 
one of these operations, Mr. Judd confirmed me in a 
rather unfortunate idea, namely, that we have much 
to learn and unlearn about draining. Before some of 
these reservoirs could be rendered dry it was necessary to 
have drains twenty feet deep. It was generally supposed 
that less than the third of that depth would have been 
amply sufficient. Part of these lakes are levelled, and 
now form part of the lawn ; others are merely left in a 
scolloped, undulating form, especially when contiguous to 
fine groups and avenues of trees, aud aro planted thickly 
with the common Laurel, designed to be kept in a dwarf, 
green, carpet-like form; and what seems to have been 
the central lake in the pleasure-ground has a walk round 
it as before, and is planted with groups of the commoner 
