XVIII. When in a romantic situation, very broken ground is overspread with wood, it may be proper on the surface of the wood, to mark the inequalities of the ground. Rudeness, not creatness, is the prevailing idea; and a choice directly the reverse of t at which is productive of unity, will produce it; strong contrasts, even oppositions, may be eligible; the aim is rather to disjoint than to connoct; a acep hollow may sink into dark greens; an abrupt bank may be shown by a rising stage of aspiring trees; a sharp ridge by a narrow line of conical shapes: firs are of great use upon sich occasions; their tint, their form, their singularity, recomend then.

A hanging wood, thin of forest trees, and sen from below, is seldom pleasing: those few trees are by the perspective brought near together, it loses the beauty of a thin wood, and is defective as a thick one; the most obvious improvement therefore is to thickon it. But when sen from an eminence, a thin wood is often a lively and elegant circumstance in a view; it is full of objects; and every separate troe shows its beauty. To encreuse that vivacity, which is the peculiar excellence of a thi wood, the trees should be characteristically distinguished both in their tints and their shapes; and such as for their airiness have boon proscribed in a thick wood, are frequently the most eligible here. Differences also in their growths are a further source of variety; each should be considered as a distinct object, unless where a small number are grouped together; and then all that compose the little cluster must agroe; but the groupes themselves, for the same reason us the separate trees, should be strongly contrasted; the continued underwood is their only connexion; and that is not affected by their variety.

IX. Though the surface of a wood, when commanded, deserves all these attentions, yet the outline more frequently calls for our regard; it is also more in our power; it may sometimes be great, and may always be beautiful. The first requisite is regularity. in that a mixture of trees and underwood should form a long strait line, can never be natural; and a succession of easy sweeps and gentle rounds, each a portion of a creator or less circle, composing altogether a line literally sorpentine, is, 12 possible worse. It is but a number of regularities

put together in a disorderly manner, and equally distant from the beautiful both of art and of nature. The true bauty of an outline onsists Lore in breaks than in swoops; rather in angles than in rounds; in variety not in succession.

The outline of a wood is a continued line, and shall variations do not save it from the insipidity of sameness: one acop recess, one bold Prominence, has more effect than twenty little irregularities. het one divides the line into parts, but no breach is thoroby nade in its unity; a continuation of wood always remains; the form or it only is altered, and the extent is encreased. The oyo, which hurries to the extremity of whatever is uniform, delights to trace a varied line through all its intricacies to pause from stage to stage, and to longthen the progress. The parts must not, however, on that account be ultiplied, till they are too minuto to be interesting, and so mumerous as to croute confusion. A few large parts should be strongly distinguished in their forms, their directions, and their situations; each of those nay afterwards be decorated with subordinate varieties; and the more (rowth of the plants will occasion some irregularity; on many occasions more will not be required.