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1544. The point o f sight from which objects are to be seen should be ascertained before-
any attempt is made to lay out pleasure-gi-ounds; as the same objects which look well
from one point of view may appear ridiculous when seen from another. Th u s^y . 262.
is the ground plan of a piece of ground which is to be laid out as a mixed garden and
pleasure ground, in which there are the following details: a, a largo tree, whiclq being
a prominent feature in the grounds, the principal walk is made to approach it ; a
boundary fence, with trees planted a t regular parallel distances; c, an iron fence to
divide the paddock from the g a rd en ; d, a piece of w a te r; e e e e, pedestals with vases;
f a fountain; g, a summer-house upon the high g ro u n d ; h, a sundial in the centre of
the law n ; i, a pigeon-house opposite the end of a w a lk ; k, a gm’den seat placed near
an open space between the slnubs, for the convenience of viewing the prospect, where
the children of the family fi-equently feed their favourite cow or ass, which consequently
keeps upon the spot when any one is near the s e a t; /, a rustic basket in the centre of a
flower-bed; mm, a seat at each end of the lawn ; n, a macaw and stand ; o, cow-house,
ACCIDENTAL ACCOMPANIMENTS.
262
&c. ; and p p p p p , various flower-borders. Fig. 263. is a view taken from the point A,
iu which the objects composing it are placed in very ludicrous positions, one over
another. Eor example, the lady in the central walk appears to support on her head a
circular bed of flowers, with a rustic basket containing fiowers and a forest tree. The
lady seated in the garden chair a little to the left, and in the foreground, supports, fii’St a
pedestal and vase, next a lady, chair, cow, and tree ; and so on with the rest. To the
eye of taste, this arrangement of scenery is quite as offensive as discord is to the ear of
a musician. The best way of detecting similar errors is by reflecting the landscape fi-om
the principal points of view in a small convex mirror ; by which means it will he brought
within the compass of the eye, seen as a painted landscape in a frame, and any errors in
its composition detected. Fig. 264. shows the same landscape viewed from a lower point
of sight, in which every object takes its proper place. In laying out a piece of ground
with a view to produce the best effect, care should he taken to bring forward all the most
prominent objects with a background by no means complex, hut produced either hy