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I received your letter on the 6th, and in compliance with your request visited the
The
In the first place with regard to trees, they are of all descriptions and sizes; sycamores, elms, a
seatting oak or two, and a great many firs, which are allowed to spread their branches to the ground
in many instances, and in their situations are very appropriate, Of course they can bear no
comparison with yours; most of them being transplanted; and when you do meet a native monarch of the
forest, that has been permitted to live out his old age on the spot, where he was born, the contrast
between nature and art is striking and by no means to the advantage of the latter. I suppose that
one object at the
Although it is extremely questionable whether any transplanted trees can equal those, which nature
has arranged in accordance with her own inscrutable system of beauteous irregularity; yet you may
improve the grove vastly by a proper attention to shrubbery: it comports well with the dignity of
forest trees, being though small, a manly growth, not like flowers, which have rather too much of
the woman about them. It will open an extensive field for the display of taste, far too extensive
for one to discuss. Let me recommend to your notice the box-brush, a great favorite at the
For my own part I do not approve of many flowers in public grounds, [though] a large open space is allotted to them here; the bed b. b. b. b. being occupied by them and bushes scaffolds are placed near them for support.
But in this department, your best plan would be to summon a meeting of the ladies on the
Decidedly one of the finest ornaments to the grounds, is the grass. In this respect,
A fountain would improve the appearance of the Campus marvelously, if it could be made.
Your principal walk might be laid with gravel, but then again, I think that you would do well to follow nature; in all the little paths. The soil contains a sufficiency of sand to keep them dry, and there is something pretty in the crooked paths; it looks natural.
The gutter on each side of the
On the North side of the drawing, you will a section of the grounds, showing the grading, terraces
&c. The 1st sudden rise, marked 2 steps, can hardly be called a terrace. The 1st terrace is marked 23 steps and is about 15 feet high, the sides sloped about
50° or 60° with the horizon. The 2d terrace is at the monument D., and is about 12 feet high. They are both in
circles around the
The room in which the library is placed resembles our new ones very much, being long with 6 alcoves
on each side and 3 sky-lights. The former are much higher than yours and indeed the pitch of the
room is much more lofty, which is a great advantage. The shelves as like yours, except that these,
from the window down extend into the alcove a few inches farther for the larger books. Each side of
the alcove is divided perpendicularly into two apartments, and each upper and lower apartment is
furnished with two wire doors; the wires forming by their interactions, lozenges an in. in length. 4
of the shelves on the West have windows, which are provided with plain rustic blinds opening
inwards. The entrance is on the East, and the portico on the West. Next to the fireplace on the
South is a sofa; then the Librarian's desk, of the same length, and the writing part 4 ½
feet high; then a long chest, or sort of bureau, with a great many drawers in it, same length and 3
feet high by 4 broad; then another sofa; then 2 tables same length also. Each alcove has a stand of
steps and a table much like those in the
I am very glad to learn that you intend visiting this city and shall be happy to see you. Although
there are not many books here relating to our state, there are a great many catalogues, which may
show where such books can be found.
It affords me great pleasure to learn that your numbers have increased considerably and that, the
1. Probably