Of Palace Residences we have, since our last, seen only two; Eaton Hall and Lowther Castle. The palace at Eaton Hall, in the exterior, equalled our expectations, and in the interior surpassed them. It is the only palace which we have ever seen where every part of the finishing and furniture was equally excellent, and all in perfect harmony and keeping. With great splendour, there is great chasteness of colouring; and, in consequence, an appearance of comfort and habitableness that one does not expect to meet with under such a gorgeous exterior. Having said this, and added that the kitchen-garden is in perfect order and keeping; its character being that of a kitchen-garden, ornamented with flower-borders, we have said all that we can say in favour of Eaton Hall. As to the grounds; in the first place, the situation forbids all hope of any natural beauty in the park, beyond that of the grouping of trees, and the excellence of the pasture and roads; and, in the next place, a totally wrong character bas been attempted in laying out the pleasure-grounds about the house. A dreary even surface, every inch of which is seen from the terrace, has been attempted to be varied by three broad parallel walks, and one cross walk, with beds along their margins. The effect is a degree of sameness, tiresome in proportion to the extent of the scene, and without a single object that can raise ideas of either grandeur or beauty. We speak of this pleasure-ground as we saw it, the beds for the most part overgrown with large coarse shrubs; when these beds were first planted, and were covered with flowers, we have no doubt they looked better, because they would then have a brilliant appearance from their colours; but they are now all sameness, both in colour and form. A much more effective plan of forming a pleasure-ground to such a house, and in such a situation, would have been to have enclosed three or four acres by an architectural Gothic wall, and laid out the interior in a highly enriched geometrical style, corresponding to the house. With such a design a complete effect might have been produced; but, at present, the style adopted being neither an imitation of the natural or free style, nor yet of that which is avowedly artificial or architectural, is unsuccessful with reference to both, without producing any marked character of its own. The architectural terrace here is well designed, but so far badly executed that it is gravelled instead of being paved; and that piers, pedestals, and other situations, evidently intended to be finished by vases or other architectural ornaments, are left naked, or surmounted by common garden pots, with the most ordinary green-house plants. We could not help being surprised at the incongruity. Were we the Earl of Grosvenor, we should immediately complete this terrace as it ought to be completed; and extend from it eastward, and to the right and left, a highly enriched architectural garden, surrounded by an embattled half-sunk wall, with an accompanying terrace, and connected with the kitchen-garden by a walk. All the rest of the present pleasure-ground, down to the water, we would throw into the park. If we have sufficient leisure, when giving the details of our tour, we will give a plan of the pleasure-ground here as it is, and another as, we feel perfectly confident, it ought to be; on the principle of never attempting any thing by art, that nature has rendered it impossible to do well. We were rather surprised to find this pleasure-ground in very bad order; the white clover was flowering on the grass; on remarking which to an intelligent young man, Mr. Duff's foreman, he stated that the grass was keeping for the farmer, that article being scarce with him this season. This, the family being in London, we consider to a certain extent a legitimate excuse; but we wonder much that a man of the Earl of Grosvenor's rank and wealth, possessing such a truly magnificent palace as Eaton Hall, should not give orders to have it, at all seasons, in the highest style of keeping of which it is susceptible. Between the highest degree and mediocrity the difference will not amount to more than the work of half a dozen of labourers in the year. The dug clumps were, in general, what gardeners would call foul, and the edgings to the walks as deep and bare as any we have seen; and, as a proof that a good deal has been pared off them every year, we observed a margin of clay between the edging and the gravel. We should not say so much of these edgings, did we not know Mr. Duff, whom we regret we did not find at home, to be too liberal and enlightened a man to take it amiss; and, to rank too highly in his profession for any thing that we could say to do him the slightest injury. But this very professional eminence on his part renders it the more necessary for us to point out freely what might otherwise be imitated on his authority.
