Whenithadbecomedefinitelyknownthatsuchwastheenormouswealthinherited，therewere，ofcourse，manyspeculationsastothemodeofitsdisposal。Thegiganticmagnitudeandtheimmediatelyavailablenatureofthesum，dazzledandbewilderedallwhothoughtuponthetopic。Thepossessorofanyappreciableamountofmoneymighthavebeenimaginedtoperformanyoneofathousandthings。Withrichesmerelysurpassingthoseofanycitizen，itwouldhavebeeneasytosupposehimengagingtosupremeexcessinthefashionableextravagancesofhistime；orbusyinghimselfwithpoliticalintrigues；oraimingatministerialpower，orpurchasingincreaseofnobility，ordevisinggorgeousarchitecturalpiles；orcollectinglargespecimensofVirtu；orplayingthemunificentpatronofLettersandArt；orendowingandbestowinghisnameuponextensiveinstitutionsofcharity。But，fortheinconceivablewealthintheactualpossessionoftheyoungheir，theseobjectsandallordinaryobjectswerefelttobeinadequate。Recoursewashadtofigures；andfiguresbutsufficedtoconfound。Itwasseen，thatevenatthreepercent，theannualincomeoftheinheritanceamountedtonolessthanthirteenmillionsandfivehundredthousanddollars；whichwasonemillionandonehundredandtwenty-fivethousandpermonth；orthirty-sixthousand，ninehundredandeighty-sixperday，oronethousandfivehundredandforty-oneperhour，orsixandtwentydollarsforeveryminutethatflew。Thustheusualtrackofsuppositionwasthoroughlybrokenup。Menknewnotwhattoimagine。
ThereweresomewhoevenconceivedthatMr。Ellisonwoulddivesthimselfforthwithofatleasttwo-thirdsofhisfortuneasofutterlysuperfluousopulence；enrichingwholetroopsofhisrelativesbydivisionofhissuperabundance。
Iwasnotsurprised，however，toperceivethathehadlongmadeuphisminduponatopicwhichhadoccasionedsomuchofdiscussiontohisfriends。NorwasIgreatlyastonishedatthenatureofhisdecision。Inthewidestandnoblestsense，hewasapoet。Hecomprehended，moreover，thetruecharacter，theaugustaims，thesuprememajestyanddignityofthepoeticsentiment。ThepropergratificationofthesentimentheinstinctivelyfelttolieinthecreationofnovelformsofBeauty。Somepeculiarities，eitherinhisearlyeducation，orinthenatureofhisintellect，hadtingedwithwhatistermedmaterialismthewholecastofhisethicalspeculations；anditwasthisbias，perhaps，whichimperceptiblyledhimtoperceivethatthemostadvantageous，ifnotthesolelegitimatefieldfortheexerciseofthepoeticsentiment，wastobefoundinthecreationofnovelmoodsofpurelyphysicalloveliness。
Thusithappenedthathebecameneithermusiciannorpoet；ifweusethislatterterminitseverydayacceptation。Oritmighthavebeenthathebecameneithertheonenortheother，inpursuanceofanideaofhiswhichIhavealreadymentionedtheidea，thatinthecontemptofambitionlayoneoftheessentialprinciplesofhappinessonearth。Isitnot，indeed，possiblethatwhileahighorderofgeniusisnecessarilyambitious，thehighestisinvariablyabovethatwhichistermedambition？AndmayitnotthushappenthatmanyfargreaterthanMilton，havecontentedlyremained“muteandinglorious？”
Ibelievetheworldhasneveryetseen，andthat，unlessthroughsomeseriesofaccidentsgoadingthenoblestorderofmindintodistastefulexertion，theworldwillneverbehold，thatfullextentoftriumphantexecution，inthericherproductionsofArt，ofwhichthehumannatureisabsolutelycapable。
Mr。Ellisonbecameneithermusiciannorpoet；althoughnomanlivedmoreprofoundlyenamoredbothofMusicandtheMuse。Underothercircumstancesthanthosewhichinvestedhim，itisnotimpossiblethathewouldhavebecomeapainter。Thefieldofsculpture，althoughinitsnaturerigidlypoetical，wastoolimitedinitsextentandinitsconsequences，tohaveoccupied，atanytime，muchofhisattention。AndIhavenowmentionedalltheprovincesinwhicheventhemostliberalunderstandingofthepoeticsentimenthasdeclaredthissentimentcapableofexpatiating。Imeanthemostliberalpublicorrecognizedconceptionoftheideainvolvedinthephrase“poeticsentiment。”ButMr。Ellisonimaginedthattherichest，andaltogetherthemostnaturalandmostsuitableprovince，hadbeenblindlyneglected。NodefinitionhadspokenoftheLandscape-Gardener，asofthepoet；yetmyfriendcouldnotfailtoperceivethatthecreationoftheLandscape-Gardenofferedtothetruemusethemostmagnificentofopportunities。Herewas，indeed，thefairestfieldforthedisplayofinvention，orimagination，intheendlesscombiningofformsofnovelBeauty；theelementswhichshouldenterintocombinationbeing，atalltimes，andbyavastsuperiority，themostgloriouswhichtheearthcouldafford。Inthemultiformofthetree，andinthemulticoloroftheflower，herecognizedthemostdirectandthemostenergeticeffortsofNatureatphysicalloveliness。Andinthedirectionorconcentrationofthiseffort，or，stillmoreproperly，initsadaptiontotheeyeswhichweretobeholdituponearth，heperceivedthatheshouldbeemployingthebestmeanslaboringtothegreatestadvantageinthefulfilmentofhisdestinyasPoet。
“Itsadaptationtotheeyeswhichweretobeholdituponearth。”Inhisexplanationofthisphraseology，Mr。Ellisondidmuchtowardssolvingwhathasalwaysseemedtomeanenigma。Imeanthefactwhichnonebuttheignorantdispute，thatnosuchcombinationsofsceneryexistinNatureasthepainterofgeniushasinhispowertoproduce。NosuchParadisesaretobefoundinrealityashavegloweduponthecanvassofClaude。Inthemostenchantingofnaturallandscapes，therewillalwaysbefoundadefectoranexcessmanyexcessesanddefects。Whilethecomponentpartsmayexceed，individually，thehighestskilloftheartist，thearrangementofthepartswillalwaysbesusceptibleofimprovement。Inshort，nopositioncanbeattained，fromwhichanartisticaleye，lookingsteadily，willnotfindmatterofoffence，inwhatistechnicallytermedthecompositionofanaturallandscape。Andyethowunintelligibleisthis！InallothermatterswearejustlyinstructedtoregardNatureassupreme。Withherdetailsweshrinkfromcompetition。Whoshallpresumetoimitatethecolorsofthetulip，ortoimprovetheproportionsofthelilyofthevalley？Thecriticismwhichsays，ofsculptureorofportraiture，that“Natureistobeexaltedratherthanimitated。”isinerror。Nopictorialorsculpturalcombinationsofpointsofhumanloveliness，domorethanapproachthelivingandbreathinghumanbeautyasitgladdensourdailypath。Byron，whooftenerred，errednotinsaying，I’veseenmorelivingbeauty，ripeandreal，Thanallthenonsenseoftheirstoneideal。Inlandscapealoneistheprincipleofthecritictrue；and，havingfeltitstruthhere，itisbuttheheadlongspiritofgeneralizationwhichhasinducedhimtopronounceittruethroughoutallthedomainsofArt。Having，Isay，feltitstruthhere。Forthefeelingisnoaffectationorchimera。
Themathematicsaffordnomoreabsolutedemonstrations，thanthesentimentofhisArtyieldstotheartist。Henotonlybelieves，butpositivelyknows，thatsuchandsuchapparentlyarbitraryarrangementsofmatter，orform，constitute，andaloneconstitute，thetrueBeauty。Yethisreasonshavenotyetbeenmaturedintoexpression。Itremainsforamoreprofoundanalysisthantheworldhasyetseen，fullytoinvestigateandexpressthem。Neverthelessisheconfirmedinhisinstinctiveopinions，bytheconcurrenceofallhiscompeers。Letacompositionbedefective，letanemendationbewroughtinitsmerearrangementofform；letthisemendationbesubmittedtoeveryartistintheworld；byeachwillitsnecessitybeadmitted。Andevenfarmorethanthis，inremedyofthedefectivecomposition，eachinsulatedmemberofthefraternitywillsuggesttheidenticalemendation。
Irepeatthatinlandscapearrangements，orcollocationsalone，isthephysicalNaturesusceptibleof“exaltation“andthat，therefore，hersusceptibilityofimprovementatthisonepoint，wasamysterywhich，hithertoIhadbeenunabletosolve。ItwasMr。Ellisonwhofirstsuggestedtheideathatwhatweregardedasimprovementorexaltationofthenaturalbeauty，wasreallysuch，asrespectedonlythemortalorhumanpointofview；thateachalterationordisturbanceoftheprimitivescenerymightpossiblyeffectablemishinthepicture，ifwecouldsupposethispictureviewedatlargefromsomeremotepointintheheavens。“Itiseasilyunderstood。”saysMr。
Ellison，“thatwhatmightimproveacloselyscrutinizeddetail，might，atthesametime，injureageneralandmoredistantly
observedeffect。”Hespokeuponthistopicwithwarmth：regardingnotsomuchitsimmediateorobviousimportance，whichislittle，asthecharacteroftheconclusionstowhichitmightlead，orofthecollateralpropositionswhichitmightservetocorroborateorsustain。Theremightbeaclassofbeings，humanonce，butnowtohumanityinvisible，forwhosescrutinyandforwhoserefinedappreciationofthebeautiful，moreespeciallythanforourown，hadbeensetinorderbyGodthegreatlandscape-gardenofthewholeearth。
Inthecourseofourdiscussion，myyoungfriendtookoccasiontoquotesomepassagesfromawriterwhohasbeensupposedtohavewelltreatedthistheme。
“Thereare，properly。”hewrites，“buttwostylesoflandscape-gardening，thenaturalandtheartificial。Oneseekstorecalltheoriginalbeautyofthecountry，byadaptingitsmeanstothesurroundingscenery；cultivatingtreesinharmonywiththehillsorplainoftheneighboringland；detectingandbringingintopracticethosenicerelationsofsize，proportionandcolorwhich，hidfromthecommonobserver，arerevealedeverywheretotheexperiencedstudentofnature。Theresultofthenaturalstyleofgardening，isseenratherintheabsenceofalldefectsandincongruitiesintheprevalenceofabeautifulharmonyandorder，thaninthecreationofanyspecialwondersormiracles。Theartificialstylehasasmanyvarietiesastherearedifferenttastestogratify。Ithasacertaingeneralrelationtothevariousstylesofbuilding。TherearethestatelyavenuesandretirementsofVersailles；Italianterraces；andavariousmixedoldEnglishstyle，whichbearssomerelationtothedomesticGothicorEnglishElizabethanarchitecture。Whatevermaybesaidagainsttheabusesoftheartificiallandscape-gardening，amixtureofpureartinagardenscene，addstoitagreatbeauty。Thisispartlypleasingtotheeye，bytheshowoforderanddesign，andpartlymoral。Aterrace，withanoldmoss-coveredbalustrade，callsupatoncetotheeye，thefairformsthathavepassedthereinotherdays。Theslightestexhibitionofartisanevidenceofcareandhumaninterest。”
“FromwhatIhavealreadyobserved。”saidMr。Ellison，“youwillunderstandthatIrejecttheidea，hereexpressed，of’recallingtheoriginalbeautyofthecountry。’Theoriginalbeautyisneversogreatasthatwhichmaybeintroduced。Ofcourse，muchdependsupontheselectionofaspotwithcapabilities。Whatissaidinrespecttothe’detectingandbringingintopracticethosenicerelationsofsize，proportionandcolor，’isamerevaguenessofspeech，whichmaymeanmuch，orlittle，ornothing，andwhichguidesinnodegree。Thatthetrue’resultofthenaturalstyleofgardeningisseenratherintheabsenceofalldefectsandincongruities，thaninthecreationofanyspecialwondersormiracles，’isapropositionbettersuitedtothegrovellingapprehensionoftheherd，thantotheferviddreamsofthemanofgenius。Themeritsuggestedis，atbest，negative，andappertainstothathobblingcriticismwhich，inletters，wouldelevateAddisonintoapotheosis。Intruth，whilethatmeritwhichconsistsinthemereavoidingdemerit，appealsdirectlytotheunderstanding，andcanthusbeforeshadowedinRule，theloftiermerit，whichbreathesandflamesininventionorcreation，canbeapprehendedsolelyinitsresults。Ruleappliesbuttotheexcellencesofavoidancetothevirtueswhichdenyorrefrain。
Beyondthesethecriticalartcanbutsuggest。WemaybeinstructedtobuildanOdyssey，butitisinvainthatwearetoldhowtoconceivea’Tempest，’an’Inferno，’a’PrometheusBound，’a’Nightingale，’suchasthatofKeats，orthe’SensitivePlant’ofShelley。But，thethingdone，thewonderaccomplished，andthecapacityforapprehensionbecomesuniversal。Thesophistsofthenegativeschool，who，throughinabilitytocreate，havescoffedatcreation，arenowfoundtheloudestinapplause。What，initschrysalisconditionofprinciple，affrontedtheirdemurereason，neverfails，initsmaturityofaccomplishment，toextortadmirationfromtheirinstinctofthebeautifulorofthesublime。
“Ourauthor’sobservationsontheartificialstyleofgardening。”
continuedMr。Ellison，“arelessobjectionable。’Amixtureofpureartinagardenscene，addstoitagreatbeauty。’Thisisjust；andthereferencetothesenseofhumaninterestisequallyso。Irepeatthattheprinciplehereexpressed，isincontrovertible；buttheremaybesomethingevenbeyondit。Theremaybeanobjectinfullkeepingwiththeprinciplesuggestedanobjectunattainablebythemeansordinarilyinpossessionofmankind，yetwhich，ifattained，wouldlendacharmtothelandscape-gardenimmeasurablysurpassingthatwhichamerelyhumaninterestcouldbestow。Thetruepoetpossessedofveryunusualpecuniaryresources，mightpossibly，whileretainingthenecessaryideaofartorinterestorculture，soimbuehisdesignsatoncewithextentandnoveltyofBeauty，astoconveythesentimentofspiritualinterference。Itwillbeseenthat，inbringingaboutsuchresult，hesecuresalltheadvantagesofinterestordesign，whilerelievinghisworkofalltheharshnessandtechnicalityofArt。InthemostruggedofwildernessesinthemostsavageofthescenesofpureNaturethereisapparenttheartofaCreator；yetisthisartapparentonlytoreflection；innorespecthasittheobviousforceofafeeling。Now，ifweimaginethissenseoftheAlmightyDesigntobeharmonizedinameasurabledegree，ifwesupposealandscapewhosecombinedstrangeness，vastness，definitiveness，andmagnificence，shallinspiretheideaofculture，orcare，orsuperintendence，onthepartofintelligencessuperioryetakintohumanitythenthesentimentofinterestispreserved，whiletheArtismadetoassumetheairofanintermediateorsecondaryNatureaNaturewhichisnotGod，noranemanationofGod，butwhichstillisNature，inthesensethatitisthehandiworkoftheangelsthathoverbetweenmanandGod。”
Itwasindevotinghisgiganticwealthtothepracticalembodimentofavisionsuchasthisinthefreeexerciseintheopenair，whichresultedfrompersonaldirectionofhisplansinthecontinuousandunceasingobjectwhichtheseplansaffordinthecontemptofambitionwhichitenabledhimmoretofeelthantoaffectand，lastly，itwasinthecompanionshipandsympathyofadevotedwife，thatEllisonthoughttofind，andfound，anexemptionfromtheordinarycaresofHumanity，withafargreateramountofpositivehappinessthaneverglowedintheraptday-dreamsofDeStael。