Now let us turn to an admired writer, posterior to Milton, and fee how cold, how infipid, how taftelefs is his account of what he pronounced a perfect garden. I fpeak not of his flyle, which it was not neceffary for him to animate with the colouring and glow of poetry. It is his want of ideas, of imagination, of tafte, that I cenfure, when he dictated on a fubject that is capable of all the graces that a knowledge of beautiful Nature can bettow. Sir William Temple was an excellent man: Milton, a genius of the first order.

We cannot wonder that Sir William declares in favour of parterres, fountains and ftatues, as neceffary to break the famenefs of large grafs-plats, which he thinks have an ill effect upon the eye, when he acknowledges that he difcovers fancy in the gardens of Alcinous. Milton ftudied the Ancients with equal enthufiafin, but no bigotry, and had judgment to diftinguish between the want of invention and the beauties of poetry. Compare his Paadife with Homer's garden, both afcribed to a celeftial defign. For Sir William, it is jult to obferve, that his ideas centered in a fruit-garden. He had the honour of giving to his country many delicate fruits, and he thought of little elfe than difpofing them to the best advantage. Here is the paffage I proposed to quote; it is long, but I need not make an apology to the reader for entertaining him with any other words instead of my own:

The belt figure of a garden is either a fquare or an oblong, and either upon a flat or a defcent: they have all their beauties, but the best I esteem an oblong upon a defcent. The beauty, the air, the view makes amends for the expence, which is very great in finishing and supporting the tenaswalks, in levelling the parterres, and in the stone-stairs that are neceflary from one

to the other.

The perfecteft picture of a garden I ever faw, either at home or abroad, was that of Moor-park in Hertfordshire, when - I knew it about thirty years ago. It was made by the Countefs of Bedford, esteemed among the greatest wits of her time, and celebrated by Dr. Donne; and with very great care, excellent contrivance and much cost; but greater fums may be thrown away without effect or honour, if there want fenfe in proportion to money, or

Because I take the garden I have named to have been in all kinds the moft beautiful and perfect, at least in the figure and difpofition that I have ever feen, I will defcribe it for a model to thofe that meet with fuch a situation, and are above the regards of common expence. It lies on the fide of a hill, upon which the houfe ftands, but not very steep. The length of the houfe, where the best rooms and of molt ufe or pleasure are, lies upon the breadth of the garden; the great parlour ⚫pens into the middle of a terras gravel-walk that lies even with it, and which may lie, as I remember, about three hundred paces long, and broad in proportion; the border fet with (tandard laurels and at large diftances, which have the beauty of orangetrees out of flower and fruit. From this walk are three defcents by many stone teps, in the middle and at each end, into a very large parterre. This is divided into quarters by gravel-walks, and adorned with two fountains and eight ftatues in the feveral quarters. At the end of the terras-walk are two fummer-houses, and the fides of the parterre are ranged with two large cloifters open to the garden, upon arches of tone, ending with two other fummer-houses even with the cloisters, which are paved with ftone, and defigned for walks of shade, there being none other in the whole parterre. Over these two cloifters are two terraffes covered with lead and fenced with baluiters; and the palage into thefe airy walks is out of the two fummerhoufes at the end of the firft terras-walk. The cloitter facing the fouth is covered with vines, and would have been proper for an orange-houfe, and the other for myrtles or other more common greens, and had, I doubt not, been caft for that purpofe, if this piece of gardening had been then in as much vogue as it is now.

From the middle of this parterre is a defcent by many steps flying on each fide of a grotto that lies between them, covered with lead and flat, into the lower garden, which is all fruit trees ranged about the several quarters of a wilderness which is very fhady; the walks here are all green, the grotto embellished with figures of shellrock-work, fountains, and water-works. If the hill had not ended with the lower garden, and the wall were not bounded by a common way that goes through the park, they might have added a third quarter of all greens; but this want is fupplied by a garden on the other fide the house, which

is

is all of that fort, very wild, fhady, and adorned with rough rock-work and fountains.

This was Moor-park, when I was acquainted with it, and the fweeteft place, I think, that I have feen in my life, either before or fince, at home or abroad.'

I will make no farther remarks on this defcription. Any man might defign and build as fweet a garden, who had been born in and never tirred out of Holbourn. It was not peculiar to Sir William Temple to think in that manner. How many Frenchmen are there who have feen our gardens, and ftill prefer natural flights of steps and shady cloitters covered with lead Le Nautre, the architect of the groves and grottoes at Verfailles, came hither on a miffion to improve our tatte. He planted St. James's and Greenwich parks no great monuments of his invention.

To do farther juftice to Sir William Temple, I must not omit what he adds: What I have faid of the best forms of gardens, is meant only of fuch as are in fome fort regular; for there may be other forms wholly irregular, that may, for aught I know, have more beauty than any of the others; but they muft owe it to fome extraordinary difpofitions of Nature in the feat, or fome great race of fancy or

judgment in the contrivance, which may reduce many difagreeing parts into fome figure, which thall yet, upon the whole, be very agreeable. Something of this I have feen in fome places, but heard more of it from others, who have lived much among the Chinese, a people whofe way of thinking feems to lie as wide of ours in Europe, as their country does. Their greateft reach of imagination is employed in contriving figures, where the beauty fhall be great and ftrike the eye, but without any order or difpofition of parts, that fhall be commonly or easily obferved. And tho we have hardly any notion of this fort of beauty, yet they have a particular word to exprefs it; and where they find it hit their eye at first fight, they fay the Sharawadgi is fine or is admirable,-bat I fhould hardly advile any of thefe attempts in the figure of gardens among us, they are adventures of too hard atchievement for any common hands; and though there may be more honour if they fucceed well, yet there is more difhonour if they fail, and it is twenty to one they will; whereas in regular figures it is hard to make any great and remarkable faults.'

Fortunately Kent and a few others were not quite fo timid, or we might ftill be going up and down ftairs in the open air.

kney-coaches

with the drivers in liveries, with directions to ply at the May-pole in the Strand, where now the New Church is, and at what rate to carry paffengers about the town. Their fuccefs encouraged others; fo that there were fometimes twenty together. Captain Bailey's four coaches feem to have been the first of what are now called backney-coaches; a term at that time applied indifcrimitately to all coaches let for hire, of which there were then 1900, though in 1625 there were only about 20 *. Thefe hired coaches were

in

o,

King's Court. A Proclamation of 1634, to remedy the inconveniencies attending them, was accompanied by a patent for introducing fedan chairs, and another proclamation in 1635, directed, that no one fhould keep a coach in London, who could not maintain four able horses for the King's fervice. Cromwell regulated the hackney-coaches in 1654, and limited them to 200. A tax was laid on them in 1662, when their number was 400. They were increased to 700 in 1694 †, to Ɛog in 1710, and to 1000 in 1771.

Defter

SIR,

Don, where you did me the honour of introducing me to many men of learning, converfations frequently arole, in which questions were afked of me concerning the empire of Japan: to thefe I cou'd at that time give anfwers only from me mory; but, having now got poffeffion of my papers, I have drawn out, for the farther fatisfaction of the Royal Society, and your particular friends, the following thort extract of a journal which I kept regularly during a refidence of fixteen months in that distant country.

URING my fhort refidence in Lon

To you, Sir, it is already known, that I was fent out by the Directors of the Botanic Gardens at Amfterdam, and fome other eminent men of that place; first to the Cape of Good Hope, and from thence to Japan: in order to investigate the Natural History of thofe countries, and to fend from thence feeds and living plants of unknown kinds, for the ufe of their collections in Holland. At the firt of thefe places I refided three years; and during that time had the good fortune to obferve and defcribe many new fpecies both of animals and vegetables.

In the year 1775 I failed from thence for Batavia, and after a fhort stay there, embarked on board a Dutch fhip, called Staveniffe, bound for Japan, in company with the Blyenburg. On the 28th of June, we failed and paffed Pulo Sapatoo, the Coaft of China, and the idland Formofa. On the 13th of Auguft we made the land of Japan, and the day after were off the harbour of Nagafacci, the only one in that empire where foreign fhips are allowed to anchor.

During this paffage we met with fevere gales of wind, in one of which the Blyenburg, having received much damage in her 'mafts, parted company, and (as we afterwards learned) was obliged to go back to Canton, to refit.

We failed into the harbour of Ngafacci with our colours flying, and faluted the Papenburg, the Emperor's and Enprefs's guard, and the town itfelf. During this time there came on board of us two Over Banjoles, feveral interpreters,

and inferior Officers, and fome people belonging to the Dutch factory.

Thele Over Banjoles may be compared to the Mandarins of China: a place is prepared for them upon the ship's deck, and fome of them (for they are frequently changed) must be present when any thing is taken out of, or received into her. They inspect every thing, mufter the people, give paffports to fuch as go on fhore, and every day report to the Governor of Nagafacci the proceedings on board.

The attention and care with which these Gentlemen execute the orders iffued by the Imperial Court in 1775 is well worthy of relation. The moft minute articles which are carried out of a ship undergo a jealous inspection, both when they are put into the boats, and when they are landed from them; and the fame caution is used in embarking goods from the fhore.

Bedding is ripped open, and the very feathers examined. Chefts are not only emptied of their contents, but the boards of which they are made are fearched, lett contraband goods fhould be concealed in their fubitance. Pots of fweatmeats and of butter are ftirred round with an iron Skewer. Our cheeses had a more narrow inspection; a large hole was cut into the middle of each, and a knife thruft into the fides of it in every direction: even the eggs were not exempted from fufpicion; many of them were broken, left they fhould conceal contraband goods within them.

Ourselves, from the highest to the lowest, underwent the fame fufpicious fcrutiny whenever we went from or returned on board the fhip. Our backs were-fut Aroked down by the hand of the infpe&tor; qur fides, bellies, and thighs, were then in like manner examined; fo that it was next to impoffible that any thing could be concealed.

Formerly they were lefs exact in this vifitation; the Chief of the factory and Captain of the veffel were even exempted from it. This privilege they used in its utmost extent: each dreffed himself in a great coat, in which were two large pockets, or rather facks, for the recepeon of contraband goods, and they generally

paffed backward and forwards three times a-day.

Abufes of this nature irritated the Japan Government so much, that they refolved to make new regulations. For fome time they found, that the more dexterity_they ufed in detecting the tricks of the Europeans, the more dextroufly they contrived to evade them: at last, however, by repeated trials, they have fo completely abridged their liberties, that it is now almoft, if not abfolutely impoffible, to Imuggle any thing.

The complexions of the Japanese are in general yellowish, although fome few, generally women, are almoft white. Their narrow eyes and high eye-brows are like thofe of the Chinese and Tartais. Their nofes, though not flat, are shorter and thicker than ours. Their hair is univerfally black; and fuch a famenefs of fafhion reigns throughout the whole empire, that the head-drefs is the fame from the Emperor to the peasant.

The mode of the men's head-drefs is fingular; the middle part of their heads, from the forehead very far back, is clofefhaven; the hair remaining round the temples and nape of the neck is turned up and tied upon the top of the head into a kind of brush about as long as a finger; this brush is again lapped round with white thread, and bent a little backwards.

The women preferve all their hair, and, drawing it together on the top of the head, roll it round a loop, and faftening it down with pins, to which ornaments are affixed, draw out the fides till they appear like little wings; behind this a comb is ftuck in.

Phyficians and Priefts are the only exception to the general fashion; they have their heads intirely, and are by that means diftinguished from the reft of the people.

The fashion of their cloaths has alfo remained the fame from the highest antiquity. They confiit of one or more loofe gowns, tied about the middle with a fafh: the women wear them much longer than the men, and dragging on the ground. In fummer they are very thin; but in winter quilted with filk or cotton wadding.

People of rank have them made of lilk; the lower clafs of cotton Ruffs. Women generally wear a greater number of them than men, and have them more ornamented, often with gold or filver flowers woven into the ftuff..

Thefe gowns are generally left open at

the breaft; their fleeves are very wide, but partly fewed up in front, fo as to make a kind of pocket, into which they can ganly put their hands, and in this they generally carry papers, or fuch-like light things.

Men of confequence are distinguished from thofe of inferior rank by a fhort jacket of thin black ftuff, which is worn over their gowns, and trowfers open on the fides, but fewed together near the bottom, which take in their fkirts. Some ufe drawers, but all have their legs naked. They wear fandals of straw, fastened to their feet by a bow paffing over the inftep, and a thing which paffes between the great toe and that next to it, fixing to the bow. In winter they have focks of linen, and in rainy or dirty weather wooden thoes.

They never cover their heads but on a journey, when they ufe a conical cap made of ftraw; at other times they defend themfelves from the fun or the rain by fans or umbrellas.

In their fash they faften the fabre, fan, and tobacco-pipe; the fabre always on the left fide, and (contrary to our European cuftom) with the fharp edge uppermott. Thofe who are in public employments wear two, the one confiderably longer than the other.

Their houfes are built with upright polts, croffed and wattled with bamboo, plaiftered both without and within, and white-wafhed. They generally have two ftories; but the uppermott is low, and feldom inhabited. The roofs are covered with pan-tiles, large and heavy, but neatly made. The floors are elevated two feet from the ground, and covered with planks. On these are laid mats which are double, and filled with ftraw three or four inches thick. The whole house confifts of one large room; but may be divided at pleafure into feveral fmaller, by partitions made with frames of wood, filled up with painted paper, that fix into grooves made for that purpofe in the floor and cieling. The windows are alfo frames of wood, divided into squares, filled up with very thin white paper, tranfparent enough to answer tolerably well the purpofe of glass.

They have no furniture in their rooms; neither tables, chairs, ftools, benches, cup-boards, or even beds. Their custom is to fit down on their heels upon the mars, which are always foft and clean. Their victuals are ferved up to them on a low board, raised but a few inches from the floor, and one difh only at a time. Mirrors they have, but never fix them up in