í i
d„,.r Ü. the grotto loads to a s.nal. Dtohon and other conv—
to have been intended either to serve as f t ,, i¡„ , tho external character of a ch a p e l:
b at partially covered with T h e C én e se buildings, ornamental cottages, rustic ftidges,
with hieroglyphics, too numerous to be ^ collected. T h e stables, the Chinese
and fanciful' cattle-sheds and shecpcots, arc too numera . externally; but, to an eye not
toe
llavnig been with t f t a^^^^ under the influence of the jardinomanic, wherever lie went,
long, to use the Prince de I f tn e s f tr a s e , ui uc principal management of
the gardens m f t i oftcc^^s^^ S S u O ^M Bodin’s re tirem W t¿ Fromont, in 1814
th e gardens of the and so as to combine the picturesque scenery of
beyoft th e b o u n d a ry . In v im o u s g B P p ro p ag a tw l f t f t t i t i c ia l
which seed nigs ot Amemft^^s^^^^ house were numerous pits and frames, in which the more
methods. In the CamAihfl Azillca índica, and numerous other greenhouse, and
popular exotics, such as the " ’tj, effecting this, one of the principal modes employed
liothouse plants, were increased by i " r a i s e d are sent to all countries.
W.1S licrtoceous “ 6™“ ^ ¡5 „ collectioB of fino spocimens, intondod principally
S r ‘o L a S o“ > t a i ; t o . d t i o n fijf to e ^— ¿J, » ¿ r a ? S S 'L r ¿ . e 4 h e r ; l f f
given up on tlie fall of th a t monarch, tn IWJU. sellinir off th e trees and shrubs as fast as he
S ' « S th ¥ „ r¿ tem™ S n f th a t in 1848 to e gardens might he said to he in a state ot
S e r S V o y u f e W r t L stands on®an eminence, which protrudes holdy from the
range of hills which skirt the north side of ‘he valley. T h e S f e r S S S ^ t o S ' S i h s
S S S i i F S i S S S S S S‘Stow„4i¥«4SS S S S
L f t t S S f e S g S h 'e S K ^
gardens, o r f ta r f t , /J e n utterly n eg b itcd ' for upwards of thirty years, and though
s - ' s ; 4 ¥ 7 f ; d i i 5 d t S £ « ~
'h"s“' t o r ‘”& .X S r o S t o S u m e r o u ; apartments, of spacious dimcmions. on the ground-lloor.
we found that a number of them liad never been finished ; and th at a very few of tho bed-rooms were
what in England would be considered habitable.
The château de (iuavillc, the seat of the Prince de Montmorency, near Koiien, is a large, plain, modern
edifice, approached through a broad avenue of lime trees, descending ra the r than ascending; the effect
of the whole, to an Englisli eye, is the reverse of grandeur, dignity, order, neatness, and habitableuess.
It put us in mind of some of th e wretched châteaus which wc have seen in Poland and Russia; and,
with evc'ry desire to be pleased and to commend, we could really find nothing either in the house or
grounds on which we could bestow our approbation. The house is surrounded by a very broad sandy
area, on which arc placed a profusion of old orange trees and pomegranates, and a number o fthe commoner
greenhouse plants of the last century; few of them well grown, r idea, at all ornamental. On what
may be called the garden front of the house, was au open avenue of grass, perhaps i5() feet wide ; and on
each side was a wood, in some places open like a grove, and in others thicker,, like liki an artificial ................
planta-
tion ; in the thick parts, tho Pin do Bordeaux (Plnus
. itiina), which the gardener informed us was
greatly " to to be preferred to the Pin d’Ecosse (P . sylvestris),Ivcstris), or the sapin sapin
épicier (y/'bies commùnis) ;
because 1 sli shrubs and grass - c.grew much better under -............... it, and the cones, which —, arc - .... thick, and from six to
w
eight inches long, made an excellent fuel for the poor, being picked up by them as they fell from the
trees, so tliat the jiropriotor of the wood sustained no injury. There arc various walks, straight, ami
winding, both in the woods and in the grove. In th e latter, near the house, are several swings of different
kinds, very completely equipped, for ladies and gentlemen ; and roundabouts, which tho gardeiuir
informed us were much used by th e younger part of tliefamily. There was also a skittle-ground, a place
for playing a t bowls, and a sort of rustic house, containing a table nearly as large as a billiard-table, but
fitted up like a bagatelle-board, for jiluying at trou madame. Tliose contrivances for amusement sc(>med
to be very judiciously placed under the shade of the trees, which wore a t the same time so lofty, so
naked-stommed, and so far apart, as to create or admit a gentle cooling breeze. Directly in front of
th e house, on the centre of the grass avenue ju st mentioned, is a méridien à detonation, the cannon
three feet long. Beyond the wood there is a small meadow with winding walks à ¿’Anglaise, which we
looked at over the tu rf fence, but did not enter. (Gai-d. Mag. vol. v. p. G41.)
229. A s specimens o f town gardens in Paris, wc sliall give the plan of the garden
ol' M. Boursault, that of tlio lilysee Bourbon, and tliat of Bel Kespiro.
230. The garden o f M. Boursault, which is now destroyed, was situated in the Bue
Blanche ; and, for its size and situation, was one of the richest, not only in France, but in
Europe. It contained less than two acres, and was surrounded on cvciy side hy high
houses. The winter garden comprised a range of architectural conservatories, ornamented
with columns of marble iu the Corinthian order ; another range of upright gUiss
at an angle of nineteen degrees, as in Holland, and with opacpic roofs containing rooms
Î ' 'II
used for various garden purposes. A t a time when gardening pursuits in France were
confined to few, and when rare plants were only to be procured at an enormous expense,
M. Boursault collected the most costly exotics to be found in Europe, iiotAvithstanding
all intercourse with Britain was prohibited. There were indeed many fine specimens of
plants, whieh, though they have been for many years familiar to British gardening, were,
before the peace of 1815, not to be found in France beyond the precincts of M. Bonr-
sault’s garden. Wc saw this garden in 1815, again in 1819, and again in 1828 ; and
always found it in the very highest order and keeping. Through the kindness of the
proprietor, we were favoured with the ground plan ( f g . 57.), and wc employed an artist
in 1828, to take the two views ( f g s . 55. and 56.). The first of these views shows a
large plant of Araucaria excelsa, then thirty feet high ; and the second, the style of the
largest of the hothouses. The ground plan ( f g . 57.) was made for us by M. David,
M. Boursault’s vciy intelligent gardener, who also supplied us with a list of the iirincipal
trees. Some of the finest streets in Paris arc now built upon the site of this garden. About
1833 the plants wore sold, and the large Araucaria ( f g . 55.) was removed to the Jardin
des Ifiantes ; whence it was again removed to the Jard in d’lliv er on the fonnation of
that garden in 1847. It was sold for 10,000 francs (about 400/.), when disposed of
after the death of M. Boursault.
G 3