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greater height by planting, and the valleys so shallow, that
trees would hide the neighbouring hills: but whenever the hills
are sufficiently bold to admit of ground being seen between
large trees in the valley and those on the brow of the hill, it
marks so decided a degree of. elevation, that it ought sedulously
to be preserved. Instead therefore of removing the trees in the
valley at E, I should prefer shewing more of the lawn above
them, by clearing away some of the wood on the knoll at F.
which I have distinguished by the pavilion: such a building
would have many uses, besides acting as an ornament to the
scenery, which seems to require some art j/cial objects to appro-
priate the woods to the magnificence of the place; because
wood and lawn may be considered as the natural features of
Buckinghamshire.
The Red Book of SHARDELOES contains a minute description
of the rides made in the woods, with the reasons for every part
of their course; but as this subject is more amply treated in
my remarks on BULSTRODE, the following extract is accompa-
nied with a map, on which the course of an extensive drive is
minutely described. This park must be acknowledged one of
the most beautiful in England, yet I doubt whether Claude
himself could find in its whole extent a single station from
whence apicture could be formed. I mention this as a proof
of the little affinity between pictures and scenes in nature.
It is not uncommon to conduct a drive either round a park,
or into the adjoining woods, without any other consideration
than its length; and I have frequently been carried through a
belt of plantation surrounding a place, without one remarkable
K