On the Portraits of English Authors on Gardening Part 6

for so he calls Dr. Johnson. Mr. Boswell, speaking of Johnson's preface, says, "We cannot contemplate without wonder, the vigorous and splendid thoughts which so highly distinguish that performance;" and on the Dictionary he observes, that "the world contemplated with wonder, so stupendous a work, achieved by one man, while other countries had thought such undertakings fit only for whole academies." Linnaeus and Haller styled Ray's History of Plants, _opus immensi laboris_. One may justly apply the same words to this Dictionary. It was well for Mr.

Mason that he escaped (what Miss Seward called) "the dead-doing broadside of Dr. Johnson's satire." George Mason omits no opportunity of censuring Mr. Whateley's Observations on Modern Gardening. In the above Essay, he censures him in seven different pages, and in his distinct chapter or division on this book of Mr. Whateley's, (consisting of thirteen pages) there are no less than thirty-three additional sneers, or faults, found with his opinions. He does not acknowledge in him one single solitary merit, except at page 191. In page 160, he nearly, if not quite, calls him a _fool_, and declares that _vanity_ is the pa.s.sion to which he is constantly sacrificing.[56] It would be an insult to any one who has read Mr. Whateley's work, to endeavour to clear him from such a virulent and ill-founded attack. Neither Dr. Johnson, with all his deep learning, nor Mr. Whateley, with all the cultivated fancy of a rich scholastic mind, would either of them have been able to comprehend, or to understand, or even to make head or tail of the first half of Mr.

George Mason's poem, with which he closes the above edition of his Essay. As he has been so caustically severe against Dr. Johnson, it cannot be ungenerous if one applies to the above part of his own poem, the language of a French critic on another subject:--"Le style en est dur, et scabreux. Il semble que l'auteur a rama.s.se les termes les plus extraordinaires pour se rendre inintelligible." Percy, Bishop of Dromore, in vol. x. page 602, of the British Critic, has given a critique of Mr. Mason's edition of Hoccleve, in which he chastises its injustice, arrogance, and ignorance. Mr. Mason has been more liberal in warmly praising Kent, and Shenstone, in acknowledging the great taste and elegance of Mr. Thomas Warton, when the latter notices Milton's line of

_Bosom'd high in tufted trees,_

which picturesque remark of Mr. Warton's could not have been excelled even by the nice and critical pen of the late Sir U. Price; and when he informs us, in more than one instance, of the great Earl of Chatham's "turning his mind to the embellishment of rural nature."

THOMAS WHATELEY, on whose "Observations on Modern Gardening," the Encyclopaedia of Gardening (that most comprehensive a.s.semblage of every thing delightful and curious in this art,) observes, "It is remarkable, that so little is known of a writer, the beauty of whose style, and the justness of whose taste, are universally acknowledged." The same work further says, "his excellent book, so frequently referred to by all succeeding writers on garden scenery, ought to be in the hands of every man of taste." And the same work still further observes, that "its style has been p.r.o.nounced by Ensor, inimitable, and the descriptions with which his investigations are accompanied, have been largely copied, and amply praised by Alison, in his work On Taste. The book was soon translated into the continental languages, and is judiciously praised in the _Mercure de France_, _Journal Encyclopedique_, and Weiland's _Journal_. G. Mason alone dissents from the general opinion, enlarging on the very few faults or peculiarities which are to be found in the book. Wheatley, or Whately (for so little is known of this eminent man, that we have never been able to ascertain satisfactorily the orthography of his name,) was proprietor of Nonsuch Park, in Surrey; and was secretary to the Earl of Suffolk. He published only this work, soon after which he died. After his death, some remarks on Shakspeare, from his pen, were published in a small 12mo." A second edition of this elegant little work was published in 1808, by Parson, Oxford; or Rivington, St. Paul's; in which, the advertis.e.m.e.nt to the reader informs us, that "the respectable author intended to have gone through eight or ten of the princ.i.p.al characters of Shakspeare, but suspended his design, in order to finish his Observations on Modern Gardening, first published in the year 1770; immediately after which time, _he was engaged in such an active scene of public life_, as left him but little leisure to attend to the Belles Lettres; and in the year 1772 he died."[57]

His remarks on some of the characters of Shakspeare (whom, in his _Observations_, he calls _the great master of nature_) breathe in many of his pages, that fire, which he could have caught only from those of the great poet. Such was his eagerness to complete his _Observations_, that he for a short while "suspended his design" of examining other characters of the poet, when the bright effusions of his genius "fled up to the stars from whence they came." This elegant little work is merely a fragment, nay, even an unfinished fragment. It must, then, cause deep regret, that death should so prematurely have deprived us of that rich treasure of animated thoughts, which, no doubt, would have sprung from his further tracing the poet's deep and piercing knowledge of the human heart. One may safely apply to Mr. Whateley, what he himself applies to the poet:--"He had a genius to express all that his penetration could discover." The Journal Encyclopedique, Juilliet, 1771, when speaking of the French translation of Whateley's Observations, says, "On ne peut gueres se faire une idee de ces jardins, si l'on n'a ete a Londres.

Accoutumes a la symetrie des notres, nous n'imaginons pas qu'on puisse etablir une forme irreguliere, comme une regle princ.i.p.ale: cependant ceux qui sentent combien la n.o.ble simplicite de la nature est superieure a tous les rafinemens symetriques de l'art, donneront peuetetre la preference aux jardins Anglois. C'est l'effet que doit produire la lecture de cet ouvrage, qui quoique destine aux amateurs et aux compositeurs des jardins, offre aux gens de gout, aux artistes et sur-tout aux peintres, des observations fines et singulieres sur plusieurs effets de perspective et sur les arts en general; aux philosophes, des reflections justes sur les affections de notre ame; aux poetes, des descriptions exactes, quoique vives, des plus beaux jardins d'Angleterre dans tous les genres, qui decelent dans l'Auteur un oeil infiment exerce, une grande connoissance des beaux arts, une belle imagination et un esprit accoutume a penser."

The "bloom of an orchard, the festivity of a hay field, and the carols of harvest home," could not have met with a more cheerful and benevolent pen than Mr. Whateley's; a love of country pervades many of his pages; nor could any one have traced the placid scenery, or rich magnificence of nature, with a happier pen than when he records the walk to the cottage at Claremont, the grandeur and majesty of the scene at _Blenheim_, or _Stowe_, _Persfield_, _Wotton_ in the vale of Aylesbury--the rugged, savage, and craggy points of _Middleton Dale_, "a chasm rent in the mountain by some convulsion of nature, beyond the memory of man, or perhaps before the island was peopled," with its many rills, springs, rivulets, and water-falls--the vast cliffs of rocks at _Matlock_, _Bath_, that "scene of romantic magnificence; from such scenes, probably, was conceived the wild imagination, in ancient mythology, of the giants piling _Pelion_ upon _Ossa_; the loftiness of the rocks, and the character of the _Derwent_, a torrent in which force and fury prevail; the cascades in it are innumerable; before the water is recovered from one fall, it is hurried down another; and its agitation being thus increased by repeated shocks, it pushes on with restless violence to the next, where it dashes against fragments of rocks, or foams among heaps of stones which the stream has driven together"--the dusky gloom at the iron forge, "close to the cascade of the Weir, (between _Ross_ and _Monmouth_) where the agitation of the current is increased by large fragments of rocks, which have been swept down by floods from the banks, or s.h.i.+vered by tempests from the brow; and the sullen sound, at stated intervals, from the strokes of the great hammers in the forge, deadens the roar of the water-fall"--the solitude, the loveliness, and the stillness of _Dovedale_, "the whole of which has the air of enchantment; grotesque as chance can cast, wild as nature can produce"--the monkish tomb-stones, and the monuments of benefactors long since forgotten, which appear above the green sward, at _Tintern Abbey_, with its maimed effigies, and sculpture worn with age and weather--his view to the approach to Lord _Cadogan's_, near _Reading_--his feeling and enchanting description of the _Leasowes_--"the wonderful efforts which art has made at _Pains.h.i.+ll_ to rival nature;" where the ma.s.sy richness of its hanging wood "gives an air of grandeur to the whole"--the _Tinian_, and other lawns, and n.o.ble and magnificent views in that vast sylvan scene _Hagley_, where, in a spot which once delighted Mr. Pope, is inscribed an urn to his memory, "which, when shewn by a gleam of moonlight through the trees, fixes that thoughtfulness and composure to which the mind is insensibly led by the rest of this elegant scene."

His section "Of the Seasons," where he descants on the _spirit_ of the morning, the _excess_ of noon, or the _temperance_ of evening," must strike every one by its felicity of style; and the reader may judge of the rich pages which this book contains, even from what he says of water:--"It accommodates itself to every situation; is the most interesting object in a landscape, and the happiest circ.u.mstance in a retired recess; captivates the eye at a distance, invites approach, and is delightful when near; it refreshes an open exposure; it animates a shade; cheers the dreariness of a waste, and enriches the most crowded view; in form, in style, and in extent, may be made equal to the greatest compositions, or adapted to the least; it may spread in a calm expanse to soothe the tranquillity of a peaceful scene; or hurrying along a devious course, add splendour to a gay, and extravagance to a romantic, situation. So various are the characters which water can a.s.sume, that there is scarcely an idea in which it may not concur, or an impression which it cannot enforce; a deep stagnated pool, dank and dark with shades which it dimly reflects, befits the seat of melancholy; even a river, if it be sunk between two dismal banks, and dull both in motion and colour, is like a hollow eye which deadens the countenance; and over a sluggard, silent stream, creeping heavily along all together, hangs a gloom, which no art can dissipate, nor even the suns.h.i.+ne disperse. A gently murmuring rill, clear and shallow, just gurgling, just dimpling, imposing silence, suits with solitude, and leads to meditation; a brisker current, which wantons in little eddies over a bright sandy bottom, or babbles among pebbles, spreads cheerfulness all around; a greater rapidity, and more agitation, to a certain degree are animating; but in excess, instead of wakening, they alarm the senses; the roar and the rage of a torrent, its force, its violence, its impetuosity, tend to inspire terror; that terror, which, whether as cause or effect, is so nearly allied to sublimity."[58]

DANIEL MALTHUS, ESQ. purchased, in 1759, the Rookery, near Dorking, noted for its beauties of hill, dale, wood, and water; he sold it in 1768. He translated Gerardin, _De la Composition des Paysages_, 12mo.

1783, to which he prefixed a preface, being, chiefly, remarks on what the gardens of the Greeks and Romans were; a view of Rosseau's tomb is prefixed. Mr. Malthus justly observes, that this Essay "is full of the most insinuating eloquence, that it is wrote by the friend of Rousseau, and from scenes which realize some of its most beautiful descriptions."

He further observes, that "trifling as this enquiry will appear in itself, it may add something towards the benevolent purpose of M.

d'Ernonville, which is to make men sensible of the exhaustless charms of nature, to lead them back to their simple and original tastes, to promote the variety and resources of a country life, and to unite its usefulness with its embellishment."[59]

JOHN KENNEDY published a Treatise upon Planting, Gardening, &c. 8vo.

_York_, 1776.

N. SWINDEN, "an ingenious gardener and seedsman at Brentford-End,"

wrote The Beauties of Flora Displayed; 8vo. 1778.

SAMUEL FULMER wrote The Young Gardener's Best Companion for the Kitchen, and Fruit Garden; 12mo. 1781.

CHARLES BRYANT published Flora Dietetica; or, the History of Esculent Plants: 8vo. 1785. Also, a Dictionary of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, and Plants; 8vo. _Norwich_, 1790.

JOSEPH HEELEY, ESQ. author of Letters on the Beauties of Hagley, Envil, and the Leasowes; with Critical Remarks on the Modern Taste in Gardening; 1777, 2 vols. 12mo.

THOMAS KYLE, or KEIL, "one of the first gardeners in Scotland, of his time," published a Treatise on the Management of the Peach and Nectarine Trees: to which is added, the Method of Raising and Forcing Vines; 8vo.

_Edinb._ 1785. A second edition in 1787.

WILLIAM MARSHALL, ESQ. who, in his "Planting and Rural Ornament," has very properly transcribed the whole of that masterly production of Mr.

Walpole's pen, his _History of the Modern Taste in Gardening_. He observes, that "a pen guided by so masterly a hand, must ever be productive of information and entertainment, when employed upon a subject so truly interesting. Desirous of conveying to our readers all the information which we can compress, with propriety, within the limits of our plan, we wished to have given the _substance_ of this valuable paper; but finding it already in the language of simplicity, and being aware of the mischiefs which generally ensue in _meddling_ with the productions of genius, we had only one alternative: either wholly to transcribe, or wholly to reject." Mr. Marshall, alluding to the above work of his, says, "Wheatley, Mason, and Nature, with some Experience, and much Observation, are the princ.i.p.al sources from which this part of our work was drawn; it was planned, and in part written, among the magnificent scenes of nature, in Monmouths.h.i.+re, Herefords.h.i.+re, and Gloucesters.h.i.+re, where the rich and the romantic are happily blended, in a manner unparalleled in any other part of the island." In this same work is preserved, Mr. Gray's letter on the scenery of _Grasmere Water_.

His descriptions of many trees and shrubs are extremely interesting; and he has rendered them more so by his frequent quotations from Mr.

Hanbury. He also published, in 8vo. The Rural Economy of the Southern Counties; 2 vols.--of the Midland Counties, 2 vols.--of Gloucesters.h.i.+re, 2 vols.--of Norfolk, 2 vols.--of Yorks.h.i.+re, 2 vols.--Agriculture of the Southern Counties, 2 vols.--Minutes of Agriculture--and a Review of the Landscape, a didactic poem--and of an Essay on the Picturesque. The Encyclop. of Gardening, after relating varied information respecting him, says, that he "finally retired to a considerable property he possessed in his native county, in the Vale of Cleveland, in 1808, where he died, at an advanced age, in 1819. He was a man of little education, but of a strong and steady mind: and pursued, in the most consistent manner, from the year 1780 to his death, the plan he originally laid down; that of collecting and condensing the agricultural practices of the different counties of England, with a view to a general work on Landed Property, which he published; another on Agriculture, which he did not live to complete, and a _Rural Inst.i.tute_, in which he was supplanted by the Board of Agriculture." His observations on the _Larch_, in vol. i. of his "Planting and Rural Ornament," and the zeal with which he recommends the planting of it on the infertile heathy flats of Surrey, Suss.e.x, and Hamps.h.i.+re, on the bleak and barren heights of Yorks.h.i.+re, Westmoreland, Cornwall, and Devon, and on the Welch and Salopean hills; and the powerful language with which he enforces its valuable qualities, merit the attention of every man of property.

WILLIAM SPEECHLY. He wrote Hints on Domestic Rural Economy; 8vo. On the Culture of the Vine and Pine Apple, with Hints on the Formation of Vineyards in England. On the Culture of the Pine Apple, and the Management of the Hot-House; 8vo. He made a tour in Holland, chiefly to observe the Dutch mode of cultivating the Pine, and the Grape. Mr.

Loudon, in his Encyclop. calls him "the Moses of modern British vine dressers;" and in the Gardener's Magazine for January, 1828, has given an interesting and honourable character of him. He died at Great Milton, in 1819, aged eighty-six.[60] Marshall, in his Planting and Rural Ornament, has given us Mr. Speechley's sensible letter on the Duke of Portland's Plantations. Mr. Johnson says "he perhaps surpa.s.sed every practical gardener of his age."

PHILIP LE BROCQ, chaplain to the Duke of Gloucester, wrote,

1, A Description of Certain Methods of Planting, Training, and Managing all Kinds of Fruit Trees, Vines, &c. London, 8vo. 1786.

2, Sketch of a Plan for making the New Forest, a Real Forest.

_Stockdale_, 8vo. 1793.

WALTER NICHOL, whom Mr. Loudon, in his Encyclopaedia, calls an author of merit, and informs us that Mr. Nichol, "in the year 1810, undertook an extensive journey through England, for the purpose of visiting the princ.i.p.al seats and plantations, with a view, on his return, to compose the _Planter's Calendar_. This work had scarcely commenced, when he was seized with an illness which carried him off suddenly, in March, 1811."

His works appear to be the following:--

The Gardener's Kalendar; or, Monthly Directory of every Branch of Horticulture; 8vo.

The Planter's Kalendar; or, the Nurseryman's and Forester's Guide; 8vo.

The Villa Garden Directory; or, Monthly Index of Work to be done in Gardens, Shrubberies, &c.; 12mo.

Scotch Forcing Gardener; 8vo.

The Practical Planter.

Mr. Johnson says "his works are of the first authority, and rank as the equals of those of Abercrombie, being the result of long practice during an enlightened era of our art."

JAMES MADDOCK, of the Society of Friends, and commercial florist, at Walworth, where, about the middle of last century, he established the florist garden there, now belonging to Milliken and Curtis. He died about 1806. He published the Florist's Directory, and Complete Treatise on the Culture of Flowers; 8vo. 1792. New editions in 1810 and 1822.

THOMAS S. D. BUCKNALL, Esq. published the Orchardist; extracted from the Society's Trans. for the Encouragement of Arts, &c.; _with additions_.

8vo. 1797.

I had omitted the following, for which I am indebted to Mr. Johnson's History of English Gardening:--

RICHARD RICHARDSON. De cultu Hortorum, Carmen. 4to. London, 1669.

Of either of the above enumerated Authors on Gardening, I have not been able to discover any Portrait.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Of the following we _have_ Portraits:--

LEONARD MASCALL'S portrait appears at the bottom of the curious t.i.tle page to his "Government of Cattle," 4to. and is _scarce_. He published, in 1572, "The New Art of Planting and Grafting;" 4to. and in 12mo.

Another edition in 1652.

DR. WILLIAM BULLEYN practised physic at Durham. He died in 1576. He had the misfortune to lose great part of his library by s.h.i.+pwreck. He was thrown into prison for debt, where he wrote a great part of his medical treatises. Bishop Tanner says he was a man of acute judgment, and true piety. He was universally esteemed as a polished scholar, and as a man of probity, benevolence, and piety. I gather the following from Dr.

Pulteney:--"Of Dr. Bulleyn there is a profile with a long beard, before his "Government of Health," and a whole length of him, in wood, prefixed to the "Bulwarke of Defence;" which book is a collection of most of his works. He was an ancestor of the late Dr. Stukely, who, in 1722, was at the expence of having a small head of him engraved. He proves that we had excellent apples, pears, plums, cherries and hops, of our own growth, (before the importation of these articles into England), by London and Kentish gardeners. His zeal for the promotion of the useful arts of gardening, the general culture of the land, and the commercial interests of the kingdom, deserved the highest praise; and for the information he has left of these affairs, in his own time, posterity owe him acknowledgments." In a note to his Life, in the Biog. Dict., 7 vols.

folio, 1748, is a curious account of many fruits, &c. then in our gardens. The same note is in Kippis. Richardson's portraits to Granger gives us the above profile. Mr. Johnson, at page 51 of his History of English Gardening, pointedly says, "Dr. Bulleyn deserves the veneration of every lover of gardening, for his strenuous advocating its cause, at a time when it had become a fas.h.i.+on to depreciate the products of our English gardens." And at page 57, pays him a further just tribute.