MR. PRESIDENT, - Having in the preceding lectures treated of villas, I shall now direct the attention of the young student to the consideration of ornamental buildings suited to parks and pleasure grounds; and, as decorative gardening is part of the practice of the architect and is, in fact, so treated on the continent, it may not be improper to say a few words on that subject.

Gardening or, as it is sometimes called, decorative landscape gardening, if not an art, is an imitation of nature which has the power of giving highly finished touches: happy finishings to the picture the architect has begun.

Gardening is particularly associated with architectural decoration; not only does much of the effect of the mansion house itself depend upon the propriety and suitableness of the surrounding scenery, but likewise of the various buildings that custom now requires for the adornment of extensive parks and pleasure grounds. Buildings, whether for use or decoration only, when well adapted and appropriately disposed, in situations corresponding with the natural or artificial scenery, extent, and character of the place, cannot fail to heighten the general effect of the prospect, and give interest and variety to the whole domain.

The scenery of every different place requires its architecture to partake of its character and features. The landscape and buildings connected therewith, whether for use or ornament, must mutually assist each other: the taste and effect of ornamental buildings depend very much on the landscape about them.

Architecture being thus identified with gardening, it becomes a necessary part of the education of an architect that he should be well acquainted with the principles of modern decorative landscape gardening.

For this purpose it may not be useless to the young student briefly to trace gardening to its state antecedent to that period when

Sir Francis Bacon, in one of his Essays observes that ‘planting a Garden is a goodly prospect, tempting to the view; the purest of human pleasures, the greatest refreshment of the spirit of Man; without which Buildings and Palaces are but gross handy-works. ‘