Year: 1860

diversified grouping of the trees upon the lawn and
the meadow beyond ea -r..t..r.


Although, we have stated, the ascent to the
mansion is gradual, its height has been found by
the surveys OF engineers to be three hundred and
twentysix feet above tide; whilst rising, still grad
ualy, from the of the mansion is a noble hill,
clothed to its summit with forest trees and at its
highest point OF elevation, three hundred and sixty
six feet above tide, or hundred and fty-one feet
higher than the Hampden reservoir. This hill
directly in..the rear,of the mansion, is the great
central feature of the place. If the reader will now
stand with US on the terrace, in front of the man.
sion, he will before him. in the direction of the
city, sloping lawn, which probably covers some
twenty-five acres of land, and which, connecting in
the middle distance with extensive meadows. car
ries the eye through various openings, or inter-
spaces formed by the skilful grouping of irregular
masses of trees until the various vistas terminate in
deep bays, or recesses, which have been formed in
the skirtng woodland. From the terrace of the
mansion-from the remarkable conical hill that
rises in the rear-and from various other emf
nences, fine views of the city, the river, the bay,
and of the country on either side, are to be had,
many of which are exqusitely set in a natural
framework of foliage.


Ii we picture the mansion as occupying central
position halfway up the slope of semi circle of
hills which recede at some points and advance at
others, and which, to the eastward send out their
spurs to form secluded Valleys which tend in diff
ferent directions towards the Falls, and to the west
ward take the shape of a comparatively level pla-
teau until the latter terminates at its boundary on
the Reistertown road, and descends thence to the
north towards the Woodberry Mill road, we shall
have some vague idea of the topography of Druid
Hill. Nearly all the land to the eastward of the
mansion is densely wooded The arabic land to the
west and southwest is chiefly covered with pear
orchards to the extent, in ALL of probably two hun
dred acres, and numbering, it is said forty thou
SAND trees and six hundred varieties of that fruit
IL mas the reputation of being the largest pear
orcharo either in this country or in Europe, and
the sale and dispersion of its trees will doubtless
attract considerable attention among the fruit
growers and horticuturalists of this and otb.r
States.


We have said nothing with regard to the springs
upon the place. They are to be found in sufficient
numbers and volume to meet all the ordinary
wants of such place, but from their relative posi-
tions-almost every of them taking its own
course through separate valley-their waters
could not possibly be collected into a common re-
servor. To obtain, therefore, the amount of water
that will be needed for the supply of great Lake
and which will serve at some future day as an ad-
dtional reservoir for city uses, it is proposed to
construct receiving reservoir on the summit of the
conical hill at the of the mansion, and to form
the lake in the great meadow which lies between
the mansion and the city front of the Park, and
which though itself two hundred and eighty-fve
feet above tide, is yet eighty Zone feet below the
receiving reservoir.