and is formed from pai-t of the remains of the grounds belonging to the magmiicent
chateau o fth e Due de Penthièvres, which was destroyed at the first revolution. I t is
principally resorted to as a place of dancing, on Sundays aud other hohdays, and is
weU calculated for that purpose, from the openness of its areas of tu rf in some placft,
and of smooth sand in others. There is besides au open pavüion, or salle de dame, tor
use during inclement weather or hot sunsliine.
241. 7'he plan o f die garden o f Sceaux may be comidered a very good representative oj
all others ofthe festive kind in France; for tho forms and dispositions of ai’chitectmal ait
are but few, and they necessarily produce great sameness when compared with the
unlimited fonns of nature, or even with the imitations of those foms. But for a fertive
garden the variety and intricacy of natural sceneiy is by no means so weU adapted as
the simple and determinate forms, and the ample space, of the geometnc or architcc-
tm-al style. Hence it is that, by a species of instinct, the result of necessity, this style
has been adopted, at least as far as we know, in all the gai’dens of tins description in
Public gardens are common in almost aU the towns in Fran ce; aud a sliort
description is given below of some of the most remarkable.
The nrinrival 'ûvhlic garden o f Roucn contains only about two acres, but it is laid out with great care,
and planted with the rarest trees, s h rf ts , and flowers which can be procured m f t a t
In 1828, we obsen
azaleas, kalmias, i
flowers which it contained, was open to the public every day. In th em o st ornamental part
were a basin and fountain, with water-lilies, flowering-rush, sagittanas, &c., and gold fish ; around which
was a collection of chrysanthemums in pots. Near this was a parte rre of roses and other flowers, and a
sundial (méridien à detonation). (Gartf. A/ag., vol. v. p f t9M __ « fW p i c a W
Promenade and public gardens at Rheims. “ Ju st out of Rheims, observes Wood, t f t r e JS a One
public promenade, planted with several rows of good-sized trees, with many diverging
From th e highest gate of the town down to the water side, and is really a very p le a s p t place m itself,
and particularly so in a country so generally bare as this is. B e y ftd the tw o S ls - “ uSe
called Trianon; here a ball was given one evening, the price of admission to which was two soft, u n t
mise décente” was essential, but a person might be admitted in a jacket and trousers. {Letters o f an
' ' ’ÿ f S Y f j r d i J J Straslmrg, called the Constadt, consists of three or four acres laid out in alleys,
in th e ancient style, and planted with catalpas, gleditschias, sophoras, robmias, tulip trees, planes,
American oaks and acers. The catalpas and gleditschias flower beautifully ; and when we saw them, m
1828, were conspicuous from their long seed-pods. The honour of projecting and plan ü ift this garftn^
or, ¿8 it may be called, public arboretum, belongs to Professor Hermann, a distingufthed naturalisé
Connected with th e garden is an extensive public orangery, which is used as a coffee-room, and for
public meetings, assemblies, and balls. In 1828, the orange trees were most luxuriant, and were finely
'^ ^'AtL vo -^ tk lrl^k re public ccffee-houses and gardens, on ascending terraces from th e R h fte , which are
much C e n t e d . flm y contain orangeries,Vmmer-houses. and Chinese p i l lio n s ; and one of thein
has a saloon 150 feet long, and 40 feet broad, splendidly ornamented with looking-glasses, &c. {Duppa s
^^ThejySdic garden at Nismes may be termed an architectural one. It includes the ruins of the
of Diana, and a fountain, with a copious spring of delightful water, which su p p lie fth e fo-am.^^^^ '^^^^
garden,” says Wood, “ is the finest thing of th e sort I have ever seen. The columns and f t lu s tr f te s
which adorn the fountain, and the basins made for th e re c e p f tn of its waters, extend all th r o f th i t ,
and there is an abundance of stone seats, vases, and statues. T f t character of a rt is f tw f t r e io j t , b f t
it is a beautiful character of art, and th e more so, because all the parts are consistent, and fte r e is no
appearance of pretence or affectation. Every thing is part of one design ; whereas, in England where
WP have such ornaments, they are too detached, and seem to have dropped from th e clouds, r a t f t r than
to belong to the scene. Even a t the Tuileries th e principle of distribution is by no means sufficiently
apparent ; they want more architecture to support them. T h e trees here are of a good size, and uncut,
p llc e Z um ip eU e r , is a large square, in a commanding situation, planted m th trees,
and laid out with straight gravel walks. In the centre was an equestrian statue of Louis XIV w h fti
was destroyed when the French hated kings with the same enthusiasm as tftV had o f te idolised t f tm .
Voltaire w L so pleased with this place, th a t he suggested a plan to arrange the f t s t s of all th e illustrions
men who had adorned France in the age of Louis XIV ., around his equestrian statue, pour inspirer aux
siècles à venir, une émulation eternelle.” {Duppas Obs^&.c.,-p.di3.) . i.,,,..*!, „
There are several public promenades at Marseilles. T h e cours is more than There are several public promenades i a mile in length in a
straight lin e ; it is very broad, and has hanasome nuuses uu cauu »me, ...
before them. Between each of these rows is a carriage road, and the centre forms the
Thftre are stalls among the trees, heaped with fru it and flowers, &c.; and abundance of fi
Î S ’a’r k Æ f o r the fine trees and fountains svhich adorn its stre^ets. The trees are generaily
elms but different from ours, the leaves being extremely narrow, and th e branches so long p d drooping
th a t they hang almost down to the ground from th e top of the tree, which is of extraordinary height.
winds round th e town: outside th e town, between rows of trees, there is
also a promenade on the bridge, which is very long, extending some distance beyond the bed of the
river. (/Wd., p.94.)
243. Garden cemeteries are not uncommon in France ; and if they ai-e not always
ornamented with sepulchral vases, monumental statues, and mausoleums, they arc, at
least, generally planted with trees aud shrubs, and have the graves ftco rated with flowers.
The most celebrated of those in Pai-is is called the Cemctei’y of P ère la Chaise.
The Cemetei-y o f P ère la Chaise. T h e space walled in contains about seventy acres: the ground ori-
cinally belonged to a Jesuit, named P ère la Chaise, who was th e confesftr o f Louis XIV ., and from
Ih Sm the cemetery takes its name. When au act was passed by th e French legis ature to prohib
burying within th e precincts of towns, this trac t of ground was set apart for its present purpose ; and it
m o n u m e / t s ^ tS / e rS d ^ w i th i î ? “T h i s b S /g r o u ^ d * ’™!^^^ **
----- V«. ouliic me stuiies, give tne whole an air of frinnrer« «rUîreS, .. • k-uimcii» mscrioea
destination o fth e place. Some of tho g r a v e r a r eK o « S ^w S i very incongruous with the solemn
weeping willows, lilacs, honeysuckles &c w itT a v «-»ses,
f t g e r monuments a r e \ e r y L n d som e & ?7 ) T h ™ ^ ^ ^
high : about 255. English are paid for a c i o n grave anrf Fom m this cernetery is rather
to erect a permanent mausoleum In 1848 manv nf Vhû « k pounds required for permission
fook shelter in the cemetery, and defended it ag a iL t the insurgents who
Paris, but Père la Chaise is considei-5^the bert cemeteries in
2« . 77« im tu r a l m -E n g li s h s tyle o f la iu h e a p e -g a r dm in g is neither generally understood
nor duly appreciated m France ; chiefly, we belieye, because the whole kingdom
as far as we have either heard or observed, does not contain a single good e x L p le ’
T ta re is no want of romantic scenery in various districts ; but there is ahnost e fe iy
where a want of close green turf, of erergreen shrabs, and of good adhesive grayel
These naturto defects ai-e aggravated, rather than concealed, by the excess of art ■
too many walks ; by too many seats aud buildings ; and by too meagi-e a distribution oi
trees and evergreen shrubs. The defects of nature can never be altogether overcome •
more especially the want of dark green tu rf ; but we do not object to sanded instead of
giavel wallcs, provided they have not deep harsh edges, and are neither too nmnerotis
nor too perpetually serpentining, without real or apparent cause, Iu general the walks
in contmentto imitations of the English manner of laying out groi n fs me too c lS ;
together, and so much alike in them hncs of direction, that, in flat ¿ o u n rm o i e e sS !
cially, the effect IS monotonous. In the pai'k of Madame do Cayla (p. 8 1 fig 51 j which
IS on an even surface, and sparingly though soientifically spri.îkleLvith w?od, toe Z T
tiphcity of walks which every where meet the eye of the spectator destroys ahke gran-
f n Z ' f l s L T “*®' ? ” surfaces, like that of the park of M. D o Z a t
(p. 82. fig 52.), a greater number of walks in proportion to the actual extent of surfiice
IS admissible than on levels ; because both the quantity of suiface and of wood appear
much gi eater than they really ai-e. The cause of this appearance is, that a rising surface
presents a lai-gcr angle to tho eye than a level one. ® surtace
245. T!k improvement o f landscape gardening in France wUl proceed rapidlv in connection
with other improvements ; and, above aU things, when France and Brhaiii s ta ll
bo so far as.similated in the price of the necessaiios of life as to admit of the gardeners
and amateurs of both countries visiting each other ; not for a few days or weeks! confined
to the neighbourhood of London, or the neighboimhood of Pai-is ; bnt for mouths or yeai-s
to be spent in visitmg the finest gai-dens in the provinces. The tm-f of France m iih t 1«
very much unproved by employing a proper selection of grasses, and by previouslv cultivating
and manuring tt a soil ; improved, indeed, to an extent that few could believe
vriio have not seen the effect produced by tt a mixtures of grass seeds for laivns used by
Mr. Smctar 111 England, and by M. Vihnoriii in Fi'ance. I f the two particulars we
they woiüd by that means retain more moisture in the soil, so as to continue grotaim
and consequently green during summer. The same selection of gi-asscs, which we shall
give in the proper place (see Lawns, Index), wiU insure an iinifoi-mity of growth in lawns
and pastiires, instead of tliat coai’seness and tuftiness, wliicli are now almost every where
common m lawms on dry soils. The invention of a mowing machine, which operates
better on dry grass tta ii on a moist smface, wiU also contribute greatly to the improve-
mcnt of the lawns in France, and in otlier countries with very diy wai-m summers Tlie
sands and gravels of France ai’c generally^loose, and very disagreeable to walk ¿n ; by