New-York tribune., 1878-10-05
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
A NATIONAL PARK AT NIAGARA.
LORD DUYPERIN's sUGGEsTION-wHAT MIGHT Bi
DoNE-rBK LANDSCAPE GARDEEERs ART.

A NATIONAL PARK AT NIAGARA
LORD DUYYERIN's sUGGEsTON-wHAT MIGHT DIX
DoNE-rBR LANDSCAPE GARDENERS ART
TO the EdIor Of re Trtsun'.
SIR : In your paper Of to-day nOuced that
in Lord Duerin's speech. mado before the society OF
Ars at Toronto, he proposes an interuatOha para W
the vicinity Of Niagara Falls The idea is oparmnP
one and every true believer in Niagara viii bless the
noble Lord II his efforts behalf OF the pubic shou "
successfully terminated. His notions in regard TO inc
art OF landscape gardening seem, however 10 DC SoDc
| what vaguely expressed. and thnk DO mus' ""'o
failed 70 convey his precise meaning In the pa"Er"p
| you quote There must certainly DC oeo'
| way Of treating the territory on the C"hauinn
| side In the vicinity Of the Falls. II shouu
be entirely bare or should be entirely covered WIN
trees or IL should be partly bare and partly co'eieu
with trees success lies somewhere, and SHOULD 10 o
| caly foreordancd. II will be generally acsho"enRcu
tDat on Goat Island NAV be found beautlIu eAainPo
OF natural landscape design. carefully preserved I'D ''
pcturesone and unyulgarlzcd condition IN winch u WAS
originally laid out by the hand Of Nature An ahaN''S
o'irs of effect will, however, snow that II was
all burned over as was the at one time wth'Nr"
port the same effect ~ had been kepp c"uh DO
reproduced with comparative rarlity II the resources
OF the OF the Landscape gardener were cohSecaeu "
the work.
Some years since while Mr.. r. e. Church was one OF
our Park Commissoners he showed me in HI stnO an
original sketch OF Niagara and the conversation
naturally turned on Its present dlqadvantageOus sur
rOundinGs both the American aud the Cahauian sue
and on desirabii OF securing to tho pubic all tha'
was really essential to full enjoy ment OF us peauueS
7 remember CAurch's then mentioning quite IN
cdentally that he was under The Impression
that close study OF the subject in the future
would show that it would be quito feasible
and PERHAPS desirable to Improve the artistic
effect on the American side by opening up few chan
that would allow the water flow here and there
the high rock wall on Goat Island between the
Horseshoe and American Falls, and thus give sparkle
and life to this subs diary portion OF the scene wbich
would help the general effect to the artistic eye by link
ing together in an easy WAY the great falls, which
ut present seem to be somewhat disconnected in conse-
qucnce OF what really looks like an unoward accident
in the play Of natural forces. reminded OF this
conversation when. few Winters afterward, was at
Falls. when the flow OF water hai been much
reduced by OF wind that continued for several
days Under these circumsta the water, pouring
over the walls OF roc6 right aud LETT OF the central
gf divided into separate falls. aud, although the
impression of IG Horseshoe Fal "a grand unit extend
Ing from sIore 10 Shore was the time. entirely dc
strOyrd u seemed far illustration OF IT, lnd Of
effect that had been hnted at
The improvements our Nrw-YOrk Park had been In
progress for several years before tho founder OF your
paper made VISIT 10 IT, His urS stroll nappened TO bn
! IN company with an acGuaiutancc OF mine who told ne
| time aftcrward u at MIR Greeley made no com
Inen except just he was lcay ng 1t, waGn he saul
apuarcutly with some sense Of relief, " Wcll they've
! hft it alone better than thought They wonid" Ana
those who remember TIE initial proceedings VIII '
mind how complicated and apparently ic"nOc ASH"
tby rthc need Tor BLASTING rock % secure
convenient for construction and Tor efficient
drainage the unmcll gbic processes Of lake cGcaya-
tion the iuCcssant dIp gng and dcyng nee ssiY FOR
the preparation Of the soil and 10 ADJUST The natnA sur
| face the arChwdys d'.uHndcd ny q pro-
posed subway system uf roads ana wak5 al ihcSr ana
IN uslud Otner incidents of gradual dcyel
Opmcnt had to be undertaken IN regular sequence under
circumsai dSIdyantagcOus 10 all serenity % ar
IearanCe while the works were IN process; but the
! o ictt in view all the was. Of course,
the permanent retention Of the Interesting features oi
! the landscape aud the prcseryauon ana emp"dsE of
! every natural characteristic Of the site.
In the arts of architecture painting 2Id sculpture the
results are eX tcy determined Ivy tnr limitations of the
huu an brain and anu, but III tie art OF landscape de-
s,gn no such boundary line Is recognizable. Having
! studied carefully tie works and tie method Of
| working OF +HG Creator, tie dcsiHeg Of a
| landscape bring into successful play the
! great forces OF Nature and sdnordnMing hs
! own PERSONALITY for his wOrk uudylug
vitality WitG only follow from sucn direct r.
lance on the Of the Infinite. In every difficult
work the keynote OF course lies In tIs Iiea
thorough sunOTJnatiun, but II must be an intelligent
pCncITauye suburdnntlun, an industrious, aTdcntY
artistic and secprssy active ministry that IL cuu-
stanty seeking tor an opportunity 10 do some niue
thing to help forward the great result on which hatdrc
is dVIshing ~ powers Of creation IL, sprGituily,
Ner Ork, Sept. %, 1873. CALVERT NAUN