Having, by means of the plans and sections already described, and of conversations with the proprietor and his family, acquired a knowledge of what are technically called the data and desiderata of the place, the next business of the landscape-gardener is to form a working plan for laying out the proposed improvements; the situation of the house, the kitchen-garden, and the entrance-lodge, being already fixed on, as before indicated. We shall suppose that the numbered sticks at the angles of the squares still remain on the ground; because it is more convenient to adopt squares of the same dimensions as those already marked on the ground in the plan on which we are to trace the roads, walks, kitchen-garden, plantations, etc, in detail. The sides of the squares, also, in this plan, must (in order to admit of readily indicating objects with reference to the points of the compass) be directly east and west, and north and south. It will often happen that the same plan which is used to indicate the levels of the surface, and the principal points of view, and to afford data for the description given in p. 201., will serve also for tracing the lines which constitute the working plan; but, in the present case, the plan (fig, 106., p. 200.) is on so small a scale, that, if we were to trace the necessary lines upon it, it would become confused, and unfit for our purpose.

Fig, 119., therefore, must be had recourse to; and we shall go over the different lines in it, and briefly give our reasons for producing them.

302. The position of the house (a) and lodge (c) being fixed on, the road between them might either have been made straight or curved. If it had been straight, it would have been inconsistent with this- style of art; and, if the grand sweep which it takes had been bent to the right instead of to the left, as at d, it would have interfered with the arrangements connected with the offices and the kitchen-garden. Before arriving at the entrance-front of the house, there is a branch road (e) to the stable offices (f), which are connected on the one hand with the poultry-yard (g) and the kitchen-court (A), and, on the other, with the reserve ground to the kitchen-garden (i). This branch road (e) is made narrower than the main approach, in order that it may never he mistaken for it: it is bent, so that persons either going to the front entrance of the house, or coming from it, may never see along it as far as the gates of the stable-court; and it is joined to the main approach in such a manner, that it may rather invite a person to enter on it, when returning from the house, than when going to it.

The reason of this is, that this branch road will be principally used by the carriages of visiters going to the stable offices, after they have set down their company at the front door of the house; and by the carriage of the family going from the stables to the house, and back again, after the carriage has been used. For one person, therefore, who comes out of this branch road and tarns towards the entrance-lodge, there will be at least ten who come out of it, and turn towards the mansion, agreeably to .the inclination of the road at its junction with the approach. In short, tradesmen's carts, and carts with provision for the horses and poultry, with manure and other articles for the garden, and with coal, etc, for the kitchen-court, will include every kind of carriage that goes along this branch road, from the entrance-gate.

303. Instead of a broad mats of gravel for carriage to turn on, immediately before the entrance portico, we have preferred retaining the road there of its usual width, and carrying it round the large oval of turf (i). This is not only a much safer mode of turning a carriage, but gives an idea of ample space; whereat a dilated surface of gravel, immediately in front of a portico, always conveys the idea of confinement, and of the front or entrance-court to a town mansion. The width of the approach road is supposed to be 15 ft, in consequence of which two carriages may pass each other with ease without going off the gravel; and, in the case of a large party, 50 or 100 carriages might wait round the oval, and any one of them be called out to take up company, without the slightest derangement to the others. All that is necessary for this purpose is, that all the carriages in waiting round the oval should stand along one side of the road, leaving the other side free for each carriage, as it is wanted, to turn out of the line and drive up to the door of the house.

304. The ground plan of the house and of the offices, of the conservatory (l), and gardener's house (m), we shall leave to be determined on by the architect, only stipulating that their precise position, as indicated in the plan, shall not be altered; and that there be the proper drainage to a main sewer, commenced at the house, and conducted in a right line through the kitchen and other courts, and through the reserve garden, to the boundary fence, with manure tanks in the reserve garden (see p. 160.); and that over the stables, or in some conspicuous part of the offices, there be a handsome turret clock, the dial of which may be seen from the windows of the kitchen, and from those of the gardener's living and sleeping-rooms; and from the forcing-ground.