them in one of these lanes; some feeding on the patches of turf, that in the wider parts are intermixed with the fern and the bushes; some lying in the niches they have worn in the banks among the roots of trees, and to which they have made many sidelong paths; some reposing in these deep recesses, their bowers,

O'er-canopied with luscious eglantine.

Near the house, picturesque beauty must in many cases be sacrificed to neatness; but it is a sacrifice, and one which should not wantonly be made. A gravel walk cannot have the playful variety of a bye road; there must be a border to the gravel, and that and the sweeps must in great measure be regular, and consequently formal: I am convinced, however, that many of the circumstances which give variety and spirit to a wild spot, might be successfully imitated in a dressed place; but it must be done by attending to the principles, not by copying the particulars. It is not necessary to model á gravel walk,

or drive, after a sheep track or a cart.rut, though very useful hints may be taken from them both; and without having waterdocks or thistles before one's door, their effect in a painter's fore-ground may be produced by plants that are considered as ornamental. I am equally persuaded that a dressed appearance might be given to one of these lanes, without destroying its peculiar and characteristic beauties.

I have said little of the superior variety and effect of light and shade in scenes of this kind, as they of course must follow variety of forms and of masses, and intricacy of disposition: I wished to avoid all detail that did not appear to me necessary to explain or illustrate some general principles; but when general principles are put crudely without examples, they not only are dry, but obscure, and make no impression.

There are several ways in which a spot of this kind near a gentleman's place, would probably be improved; for even in the monotony of what is called improve

ment, there is a variety of bad. Some, perhaps, would cut down the old pollards, clear the rubbish, and leave only the maiden trees standing; some might plant up the whole; others grub up every thing, and make a shrubbery on each side; others put clumps of shrubs, or of firs; but there is one improvement which I am afraid almost all who had not been used to look at objects with a painter's eye would adopt, and which alone would entirely destroy its character; that is smoothing and levelling the ground. The moment this mechanical common-place operation, by which Mr. Brown and his followers have gained so much credit, is begun, adieu to all that the painter admires—to all intricacies, to all the beautiful varieties of form, tint, and light and shade; every deep recess---every bold projection---the fantastic roots of trees---the winding paths of sheep ---all must go; in a few hours, the rash hand of false taste completely demolishes, what time only, and a thousand lucky accidents can mature, so as to make it become

the admiration and study of a Ruysdal or a Gainsborough; and reduces it to such a thing, as an Oilman in Thames-street may at any time contract for by the yard at Islington or Mile-End.

I had lately an opportunity of observing the progress of improvement in one lane, and the effect of it in another, both unfortunately bordering on gentlemen's pleasure grounds. The first had on one side a high bank full of the beauties I have described; I was particularly struck with a beech which stood single on one part of it, and with the effect and character which its spreading roots gave, both to the bank and to the tree itself: the sheep also had made their sidelong paths to this spot, and often lay in the little compartments between the roots. One day I found a great many labourers wheeling mould to this place; by degrees they filled up all inequalities, and completely covered the roots and pathways; one would have supposed they were working for my Uncle Toby, under the

direction of Corporal Trim*, for they had converted this varied bank into a perfect glacis, only the gazons were omitted. They had however worked up the mould they had wheeled into a sort of a mortar, and had laid it as smooth from top to bottom as a mason could have done with his trowel. From the number of men employed, the

* These worthy pioneers, their employment, and their employers, are very aptly described in two verses of Tasso, and especially if the word guastatori* be taken in its most obvious sense:

Inanzi i guastatori avea mandati,

I vuoti luoghi empir', & spianar gli erti.

This is a most complete receipt for spoiling a picturesque spot; and one might suppose, from this military style having been so generally adopted, and every thing laid open, that our improvers are fearful of an enemy being in ambuscade among the bushes of a gravel pit, or lurking in some intricate group of trees. In that respect, it must be owned, the clump has infinite merit; for it may be reconnoitred from every point, and seen through in every direction.