UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS UBRARY AT URBANA.CHAMPAIGN AN ESSAY ON LANDSCAPE GARDENING. By JOHN DALRYMPLE, Esq. AUTHOR OF "an ESSAY TOWARDS A GENERAL HISTORY OF FEUDAL PROPERTY IN GREAT BRITAIN." " God Almighty first planted a garden ; and in- deed it is the purest of human pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man ; without which, buildings and palaces are but gross handy - works." F. Bacon ViscourU St. Alhansj Essays. " C'est aux Anglais que I'art du jardinage doit le plus haut degr^ de perfection." M. Miilin, Diet, des Beatup-Arts, GREENTWICH: PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR,, BY W. RICHARDSON.. March,. 1823,. [QSnttttri in tfte Utqi^itv ISoofe of m Company of J&tattonrr^ in iionlion*] ^ MEMORANDUM .X) C ^ The following Essay on Landscape Gardening is printed from the MS. of John Dalrymple, Esq. author of an '^Es- say towards a general history of Feudal Property in Great Britain.^' It was procured from Mr. Dalrymple for Mr. Shenstone, through the medium of Mr. Dodsley, about the year 1760 ; Mr, Shen- stone presented it to the Rev. Thomas Evans, afterwards Archdeacon of IVor- cester ; and at the dispersion of the libra- ry of that gentleman in 1815, it became the property of the Editor. Bolton Corney. Greenwich, ISth March, 1823. Communicated to me by Mr. Dodsley ; and written by Mr. Dalrymple, a Scotch Advocate, the ingenious Author of the Feudal Tenures; and who was married about a week ago to the only Daughter of the Earl of Oxenford. March. 18. 1760. PT. Shenstone. m^ (BULWimm^^ Every work of art proposes for ils end either utility, or along with utility the raising certain plea- sing sentiments in the human mind. Works which propose the last end tor their aim have most dignity in them, and therefore the arts by which they are produced have a higher appellation. When we speak of an art in which mere utility is intended, we term it a mechanical art ; when we speak of an art which joins pleasure to utility, we call it one of the fine arts. The art of laying out gardens has, within little more than an hundred jears in Europe, and within a much less time in great Britain, started up from being one of the former, to be one of the latter spe- cies of these arts. In all ages men have known the use of fruits, flowers, and herbs, for the pleasure of the sat^ics', it is almost only in our age, that they have introduced into gardens one half of the pleasing ob- jects of art and nature, for the entertainment of the i?nagincition. B 6 As one of the ends of all the fine arts consists m raising certain pleasing sentiments in the human mind, so it seems to be an essential requisite of these senti- ments, that they should not only have each of them something precise and characteristical, but that they should have likewise some common alliance among themselves. The first bar of a piece of music, the first row of pillars in a house, or tlie first nwvemcnt in a dance, all determine the particular cadence, ele- vation, or measure of the different wholes of which each makes a part. In this respect, the art of laying out gardens has not as yet arrived at the same degree of taste to which some of the other arts have. Many gardens contain a disposition of grounds, and an assemblage of objects, which create many pleasing sentiments in the mind ; but it has scarce been the aim of any gar- dener to raise a train of precise characteristical senti- ments in the parts, and of allying and similar ones in the whole. This deficiency in the art of gardening, as w€ practise it, is the more inexcusable, as nature herself seems to have stamped certain distinct seutiuients, upon the view of different dispositions of grounds. There seem in nature to be four different dispo- sitions of grounds, distinct from each other, and which create distinct and separate sentiments. The first situation is that of a highland coun- try, consisting of great and steep mountains, rocks, lakes, impetuous rivers, &c. Such a place is INVERARY. The sentiment which a situation like this creates in the breast of a beholder is obviously, and everyone feels it, that of grandeur. The next, is what one may call a romantic dis- position of grounds, consisting of sunk vallies, woods hanging over them, smooth rivers, the banks steep but accessible, and the rocks appearing high, not so much from their own height, as from the trees which crown, and the wild birds that are continually hover- ing over them. Such a situation is generally desti- tute of prospect ; but then in return, both the whole and parts of it, being very precisely marked, give the same room to the imas^ination of the gardener, that they give to that of the landscape painter. Places like this we have on the banks of many of our small fivers in the low countries of Scotland. The senti- ment which such a situation seems to flatter, is that of composure of mind, and perhaps even of melan- choly. A third disposition is that of grounds running by gentle falls and risings easily into each other. In situations of this kind are placed many of the En- glish modern gardens, and particularly those which KENT delighted in laying out. Such a situation as this, is generally attended with great verdure, culti- vation, and populousness ; and naturally creates in the miiid thai sentiment of cheerfulness which society and action are apt to create. The last situation is that of a dead ilat. A situ- ation of this kind may, from its verdure, or from ifcj extent, or from its contrast with other grounds which, surround it, create some particular sentiment; but merely considered in itself, it appears to create lit- tle or none. Nature not only raises these different sentiments^ upon the view of these different situations; but she gives a love and attachment for one or the other of them, according to the different tempers of men. A man who is fond of great projects, or great exploits; or who has a hii;li regard for the splendor of his ances- tors, will love the first situation. The ancient nobil- ity and gentry of wales and Scotland are ob- served to be fond, beyond the rest of mankind, of their seats. A man in misfortunes will naturally re- tire to the second situation : and for this reason many of the convents abroad are observed to be built in such places. A cheerful gay temper will na- turally love the third; and a person of no taste or feeling will as readily be pleased with the sameness, and (if I may use the expression) uninterestinguess of the last situation.. 8 The phlegm of a citizen is as much seen in cut- ling down the pleasing inequahties of ground, and throwing his whole garden into the dead flat of a bowling green, as the love of art and show and ex- pense of LOUIS the XIV. is to be seen in the unnatu- ral wonders of Versailles. Now as nature has created these sentiments, upon the view of these situations; and further has created a love in different tempers for one or other of them ; it would appear to be the perfection of art, to second these her operations. For this reason, the natural objects must be heightened in such a man- ner, as to mark more distinctly the genius of the situation, where it has one ; and next, the artificial objects brought into it, must be such as create senti- ments similar to those which are created by it. This last rule admits only of this one exception ; that where the sentiment created by the natural situation is not agreeable in itself, the aim of the objects brought into it, ought to be to soften and temper that sentiment. 'J'he objects, either natural or artificial, which rnler into the composition of a garden, are chiefly four : buildings, grounds, water, and trees. Let us now observe of what use these instru- ments may be made, according to the four capital si- tuations in nature. First I The slenderness of an ionic or corin- Sifuatmn. \ thian pillar, placed at the side of a va^t mountain, would create a lidiculous comparison; and therefore in a highland situation, the principal liouse should be in the form of a castle. The ele- gance and fineness of execution belonging to the GRECIAN architecture, would be here totally mis- placed. If in that castle, added to the greatness and solid appearance of the main building, there should shoot up in the middle a gothic tower, pierced and of hardy execution, a sentiment similar to the senti- ment of terror, added to that of grandeur, would still more correspond to the natural genius of the place. The other buildings through the garden should cor- respond to this one ; they should have that great- ness and hardiness in thera, which the GOTHIC archi- tecture above all other gives. If a bridge is to be built, it should consist of one vast bold arch, instead of two or three elegant small ones ; and if it has one or two ornaments it should have no more. The other buildings through the garden, should in general be rather of the square than of the round form. This last Ibrni has in it too much of elegance and lightness.. But as the sameness of continual squares would tire, buildings consisting of many sides have not the ele- gance of the round, and yet along with the solidity^ of the square form, have a kind of magic appearance, that perhaps is more corresponding to the nature of the sentiment to be raised, than this last form itself.. Of the effect of these many-siHed squares, there- is a fine instance in Mil. aisleby's Gothic octagon,, when surveyed from tlie low parts of the garden at STUDLEY.^ Though the gothic architecture should in such a place be in general preferred to the Gre- cian, yet in particular spots it may be improper: in that case the doPvIC, or even the more rustic TUSCAN order, would be proper to supply its place. The disposition of planting and water should cor- respond to the same greatness of matter and man- ner in the buildings. If a piece of water is to be made, it should be a lake, not :i pond ; it should be thrown into one great sheet, like the lake at Blen- heim, in an agreeable and natural shape, but with- out symmetry, instead of being split into a dozen basins, and those of \\himsical forms, like MR. aisle- by's at studley. The rapidity and noise of the rivers, should be increased by artificial bulwarks and impediments, as is done at invehary ; and the falls of water should, either by the interposition of rocks, or of new streams brought over them, be made to look more like cataracts than cascades. If a planta- tion is to be made, it should cover the whole side and top of a mountain : it should consist of the greatt b3. 10 forest trees ; such of the exotic evergreens hs will grow there, will particularly add to the uncouth ap- pearance of the place ; and they should all he ])lant- ed irregularly. As tiiere should be a greatness in the fjuantity of the plantation, so should there be a great- ness in the view of particular trees ; and therefore, whenever there is a tree remarkably larije, •«!! the otiier trees should be cleared out around it, and some art used to draw the eye towards it, that the specta- tor may be amazed, not only wilh the greatness of the whole distribution of objects, but with the like great appearance of the particular objects themselves. Though every one will allow that straight lines, whether of trees or water, arc contrary to the freedom of this situation ; yet there is so much state in the ap- proach to a great house by a great avenue, that we almost imagine a great avenue to be a necessary ap- pendage to a GOTHIC house : the constant custom of seeins: them toijelher too, makes us more easily vield to that notion. Perhaps other contrivances in planting might be fallen upon, to preserve the state of approach, and yet to avoid the stiffness and symmetry of a regu- lar avenue. There is im attempt of this kind in the walk to the gothic tower at claremont ; but it is awkwardly executed. It consists of an avenue be- twixt two thickets, towards the outlines of which runs a serpentine line, and the trees of the line which shoot farthest into the walk make the avenue. But as the tre^s are thick planted, as the curves are of (Mie measure, and as the outer trees are at too regular dis- tances, it has the effect of a double symmetry ; one of the regular surpentine lines, and another of the regu- lar straight line: by this means it has all the stiti'ness of an ordinary avenue, and none of its majesty. But whatever may be said in favor of the straight line in an avenue to such a house, nothing surely can be said in defence of the straight line of any length in the conduct of water. In such a situation, the water in- stead of going in a long straight line, or in the small serpentine, should go in great and irregular sweeps^ 11 sometimes rusliiiig for some little space with fury in the straight line ; and at other times resting itself as it were in the calmer curve. The chief natural defect of a highlandsituation is that, behig generally ill inhabited, it has too much the appearance of dead life : that appearance, added to the vastness of the objects, creates a kind of des- pair in the mind, which considers itself as nothing amidst that stupendous and solitary scene it beholds. In a cheerful situation it does not seem so necessary to call the mind to objects of life ; the gay appear- ance of the ground there, creates that enlivening sen- timent, which in a highland situation must be bor- rowed from the introduction of objects of life. We think with a kind of pleasure of living in juan fer- NANDES, or TINIAN ; though there was not a living soul in the islands ; but we think with horror of living all alone in the pass of killicranky, or the braes of LOCHABER. For this reason all the improvements made upon natural objects, and all the objects of art brought into such a garden, ought to have a relation to, and call the mind to a remembrance of, living objects. In this hght, the view of the castle on the top of DUNEQUECK, at INVERARY, has d much finer etiect than that of a ruin in such a place could have had ; and the thought of the building over the spring, in the way to essen hossen, which has a relation to upland life, has a much better effect than even a tem- ple in such a place to any imaginary deity could have. For the same reason, in such a situation, what- ever buildings are erected should be in conspicuous places, to create a notion of life and populousness ; and to make them still more observable, they should be of a very white colour, and supported by a body of green behind, to give them the more relief. Though the httle finishings of art on the face of the ground, would in such a situation be lost ; yet the great efforts of art would please, because that very art is a sign of cultivation and populousness. 12 For this reason, though it would be lost labour to- smooth much, or to raise gentle unevennesses on this ground ; yet it would be proper to give it the highest degree of verdure it is capable of; and whenever the ground naturally forms itself into a concave or con- vex form, that concave or convex should be increased or marked by all the assistance of art. There is scarce a nobler appearance whatever, than that of a natural amphitheatre, whether of grass or of wood. BoxHiLL in SURRY, for the convex form ; the banks of the lake at Blenheim, for the dressed concave; and a great sweep of wood in the way to essen HOSSEN, for the uncultivated concave, are the no- blest examples I have any where seen. From the same desire of shewing the great ef- forts of art, the tops of the mountains should be co- vered with planting. There is nothing more desolate and dreary than the top of one of our mountains : covering it with a plantation will take off from that appearance. In our climate trees seldom grow natu- rally on the tops of mountains; and therefore when we see them, we readily guess they are the produce of art. To point out this more strongly, if the top of a mountain run into a ridge, we might plant it in clumps, detached obviously by art from each other; or if it run to a point, we might make the planta- tion in the form of a regular circle. For the same reason that objects relating to life should be introduced into tliis situation, and that the appearance of the great efforts of art should not be totally concealed, particular care should be taken to mark and throw open all the natural cascades ; these though they have not a relation to human life, yet by their motion and sound, rouse and animate the attention from that stupor which the view of great and dreary objects creates. There is a fine gradation of inanimate objects up almost into objects of life : a barren hill has a very dead appearance; covered with waving woods, it has a more animated, show ; but if a. 13 cascade is seen tumbling down that hill through these woods, it becomes still more enlivened. I have been told, that in the dreariest situations in SWITZERLAND, some of the gentlemen have, by the management of water, given a beauty to the face of their country, which our gayest gardens have not. Auy one will be ready to believe this, who has gone through the walk of essen hossen. In the lower part of the walk, there have been great stones thrown of design into the brook; in the upper part there have been none : the consequence of this difference is, that the under part is infinitely more animated and agreeable than the upper part. The two best landscape painters in the world, NICOLAS PoussiN and salvator ROSA, both delighted in painting the great scenes of nature, but they took different routes, salvator rosa chose terrible and noble natural situations ; but his firs were scathed with thunder, or blown over by storms ; his grass was arid ; his streams not rushing down hills, but stagnant in pools; no view of houses, nor scarce any of life, was to be seen : a raven perched on the trunk of a tree, a magician under the shade of a mountain, the murder of a traveller amidst rocks by robbers, were the only signs of life in his landscapes. l*oussiN, on the other hand, added all the beauty of verdure, all the vivaciiy of water, to his great situ- ations ; and interspersed amongst them not only living objects, but at the bottoms and on the sides of the hills, views of temples and palaces of a Babylonish architecture, which by their uncouth appearance cor- responded to tlie sentiment he means to create. In the situation of the one we can suppose a philosopher or a hero to have lived ; the s>ituations of the other, we cannot suppose any thing but a demon to have inhabited. Perhaps the landscapes of poussin are the best instructors which a gardener of genius and taste can follow, for this first branch of the natural division of grounds. 14 Second The next situation is what I may be al- Situation. lowed to call a romantic one : the sen- timent to be created by it, is that of composure of mind, and perhaps even of melancholy. The view of a highland country, if desert, cre- ates a disagreeable horror; the view of a romantic si- tuation, if retired, creates an agreeable one. The cause of the difference is this: in a very great situa- tion, the country is so vast as to bear no proportion to the littleness of a single person ; he is sensible of the comparison ; and, when alone, falls into a kind of despair. Whereas, in a romantic retired situation, the parts not being so great, there is no dispropor- tion betwixt it and the single inhabitant; he is apt to consider it as no more than subservient to him, and that thought, with the natural melancholy which such a situation creates in him, makes him desire to see none other in it. For that reason, in the first highland disposition of grounds, it was necessary to call the mind to life and motion ; but in this romantic situation on the contrary, it is proper, in order to compose the mind,, to remove it in a good measure from both. For this reason, the views of ruins are much more proper for this situation, than those of houses intended for use; at the same time, if it is necessary to have buildings of the latter kind, they ought to be of the GOTHIC architecture. With regard to the architecture of ruins, they are full as proper to be of the GRECIAN form ; for as nothing is more cheerful than the elegance of a Grecian building when en- tire, so scarce any thing strikes with a more pleasing melancholy than such a building in ruins. Its once gay condition, makes its present state more mournful. The buildings which are not intended for use, should be such as are subservient to thepurposeseither of re- ligion or grief; as a cloister, a chapel, a spire, a hermi- tage ; or a pyramid, an obelisk, a monument, SfC. With regard to the colour of all these buildings, it ought to be far from the dazzling white of tliose in the for- 15 mer situation : stone of a dark colour, or brick, would perhaps be more proper ; but as these, particularly the last, are disagreeable, the dazzling stone might he concealed by the mounting of ivy or moss along the walls. Corresponding to the same taste in the buildings, the plantations should consist of evergreen groves, and the trees be set very near to each other. Our ancestors the druids inhabited thick groves. One of the finest passages in lucan, is the religious horror which seized CiESAR's array in cuttingd^jwn a^cred grove; and all the magical diescriptions of tasso pass in such places. The closeness of the trees to each other, will produce a mel^ichdy whistling of the wind, whicfe the more open method of planting does not. Those trees should be planted in the quincunx order, arrd sometimes produce long straight walks, with broad and high arches at the top, like the inside of a gothic cathedral. The quincunx order in planting, from the sameness, never rouses the at- tention except on first sight ; and a long arched walk, from its dimness and length, composes the mind at once to meditations, at the same time that the simpli- city of its figure prevents the mind from being over xlisturbed in them. To these solemn walks the river should be made to contribute a solemn silence. For this reason it should be protected from the winds, all obstructions should be removed from the course of its current, and it should be deepened, and made to run more smoothly thaw it is naturally Inclined to do. It should he made to lose itself at the end in a thick wood : the fancy naturally pierces into these recesses, and follows the river with awe in its unknown course. For the same reason, this silent river should be shaded with trees hanging over it: all the world is sensible of the beauty of the weeping willow hanging over a smooth stream, so that the banks ot it cannot be seen. There was a fine instance ot this beauty on the banks of MR. pelham's serpentine river at esher; but as 16 most of that place was intended for cheerfulness, these nillows are now cut down, and the banks smoothed into a more cheerful green. I am sensible that the straight line, especially in water, is almost always disagreeable; yet if that line be at all pardon- able, perhaps it is pardonable here. The serpentine line contains so great variety as to disturb the mind continually in its meditations; whereas a melancholy mind is flattered in its indolence, by saunteiing along the sides of a canal that is always the same. For the same reason, the small streams should be made to run purling over pebbles, and the cascades be made to fall in one regular sheet, instead of being broken by obstructions. It is generally thought that cascades create an enlivening sentiment, and no doubt they do, when left to their own natural irregularity, or when that irregularity is increased ; but when they are brought over in regular sheets, the continued same- ness of the noise, and motion, and look, composes the mind also to an even continued tenor of thought. We love to read or sleep by the side of a purling brook, or a smooth cascade ; but we are roused as at the sound of a trumpet, by the sight of a rough cata- ract. It is diflTicult to give directions for the manage- ment of the ground in such situations: smoothing into a flat is alwajs against taste; and yet perhaps here it would flatter the indolence of the mind. Na- ture at least seems to favor this, by generally throwing t!ie bottoms of such situations into a flat ; and surely throwing the grounds into pleasing irregularities would amuse too much. The wide bottoms, which should be exposed in a highland situation, should here be concealed ; nor should tlie open lawns of a cheer- ful situation be admitted. The best disposition is to throw the ground into smooth walks, followhig the course of the waters and hills: a solitary walk in a deep valley, by the side of a sniooth water, and co- vere