¥799.] - 
very colonade before his door, with green 
“paint. 
It is remarkable how often abfurdities 
of this kind occur in the country houfes 
of perfons long immured in large cities. 
In London, indeed, where the verdure of 
nature is excluded by brick walls, and 
the bright face of heaven blotted out with 
fmoke, greens and blues are acceptable 
decorations: they form a pleafing con- 
trafi to the dingy phenomena around.— 
But inthe country, where every bright and 
cheerful tint is poured out fpontaneoully, 
it is moft taftelefs infipidity to daub them 
over one’s houfe and turniture. Nor is it 
fuficient that we confult variety: con- 
trafts may be fo fudden as to do violence 
to the eye; and every thing that looks like 
finery fhould be carefully avoided. 
dinefs is no where to be endured but ina 
bank of flowers. Flaring \red bricks 
make abominable blotches ina landfcape ; 
and (to take a flying leap in purfuit of my 
digreffion) there are fome confiderable 
houfes in Monmouthfhire (particularly in 
the neighbourhood of Crickhowel) that 
may literally be faid to blufo for the bad 
tafte of their proprietors ; being painted all 
‘over with a fine delicate pink. ‘The out- 
fide of a rural manfion admits of no choice 
but dead whites and ftone colours (of 
which the latter fhould be preferred) ; and 
within, greys, and drabs, and more fober 
browns will harmonife beft with the fur- 
rounding f{cenery. 
The pleafant hamlet of Hereferd is fitu- 
ated inthe parifh of Shepperton, on one of 
the fine fweeping curves of the Thames, 
and commands a noble view of the {paci- 
ous park and plantations of Oatlands, 
which decorate the flopes and {wells of 
the oppofite banks. 
The pari/h of Shepperton, and indeed the 
whole country from thence to Staines, 
abounds with fertile and Juxuriant paf- 
tures: nor are the arable lands at all in- 
ferior. The affluence of nature, and the 
toil of man, confpire to produce one con- 
tinued feene of fertility; while from every 
eminence the manfions of opulence over- 
look the profpect with exultation. But 
man, aggregate man, feems little benefited 
by this abundance. Cottages (none of 
which have the advantage ot a cow) are 
very thinly {cattered ; and /ittle farm houfes 
are {till more rare. The few peafants we 
met lcoked (as the peafantry of England 
too generally do) careworn and toilworn ; 
and the children feem to be brought up 
in the moft oafifh tgnorance. In fhort, 
every thing has the appearance of that de- 
A Pedeftrian Tour in England and Wales. 
Gau- , 
617 
folating: monopoly which makes fertility 
itfelf a defert. 
Having breakfafted, at a farm-houle at 
Shepperton, on bread and milk, we pro- 
ceeded to Stames ; where (the weather being 
fine and the fun very powerful) we loitered 
away an hour or two with the rod and line; 
and purfued our route to Windfor. The 
enchanting {cenery of this route is too well 
known to ftand in need of defcription. 
Near Old Windfcr, and juit at the foot of 
Cooper’s Hill, our attention was arrefted 
by an elegant ftone building, newly ereéted 
by one of the clerks (as we were informed) 
or fecretaries of Warren Haftings ; and in 
which the ex-governor himfelf oceafionally 
refides. It is remarkable that in the 
courfe of my rambles I have flumbled ~ 
upon feveral elegant villas, in different 
parts of the country, of which I heard 
a fimilar account. 
At Windfor we only paufed to enjoy its 
fine extenfive fcenery, and call to mind 
Gray’s melancholy ode “on a profpect of 
Eton College 3’ and then crofled the 
Great Park, on our way to Sunning Hill, 
where we intended to fleep; our object 
being to regain the ftraight road to Briftel 
without delay. 
Windfor Great Park has little to re- 
commend it but the rows of majeftic 
trees at the entrance; which, though 
planted in ftraight lines (a direftion which 
nature abhors) have neverthelefs a very 
grand effe&. Thefe are, however, the 
only rows of trees I ever beheld with 
fatisfaction ; and the pleafure, in the pre- 
fent inftance, is only to be accounted for 
by the vaftneis of the objects, and that 
boundlefs continuity which fills the mind 
with an idea of fomething like infinitude : 
for the line is extended not only along the 
whole of a very fpactous plain, but up the 
diftant hill, over whofe fummit it appears 
to. curve; fo that nothing like termination 
is difcernible. That this is the true fo- 
lution, is evident as you advance: for the 
effect ceafes as the line is fhortened ; neither 
is the fame pleafurable fenfation renewed 
when, afcending the hill, you behold the 
fame length of avenue in an oppofite di- 
rection ; for the plain lying beneath, and 
the vifta being abruptly terminated by a 
row of houtes, the idea of infinitude 1s 
loft, and nothing remains but the difguft- 
ing tamenefs of parallel lines. 
We arrived at Sunning Hill jutt as the 
day was clofing; but no beds were to be 
there obtained; and our accommodation 
at the Red Lion “t Coav-Worth did not 
atone for the trouble of walking two miles 
further, 
