Of the view from the portico at WENTWORTH HOUSE [figs. 42 and 43], my opinion is so contrary to that of many others who have advised a farther removal of the hill, that I hope it will not be improper to state very fully the reasons on which I ground this opinion,-viz. that so far from such an operation being equivalent to the trouble by which it must be executed, I would not advise its removal, if it could be much more easily effected, because- 1. The outline of the horizon beyond this hill is almost a straight line, and would be very offensive when shewn over another straight line parallel to it. 2. The view of the valley beyond, however rich in itself, is too motley to form a part of the proper landscape from such a palace as Wentworth House, although, from many situations in the park, it is a very interesting feature. 3. The vast plain, which has with so much difficulty been obtained in front of the house, is exactly proportionate to the extent of the edifice, and tends to impress the ideas of magnificence which so great a work of art is calculated to inspire. Such a plain forms an ample base for the noble structure which graces its extremity; the building and the plain are evidently made for each other, and, consequently, to increase the dimensions of either seems unnecessary.
[Wentworth House, was the seat of Earl Fitzwilliam]
