turity. Passing along the main avenue, bordered and shaded, one catches a view of "The Dell," around which the road now winds; while the library

window looks across the smooth, broad lawn to the old summer-house, and beyond into the sparkling blue waters of the pond. An historical curiosity of no slight value adds interest to these beauties of art embellished nature. From the lawn, on the western bank, an ancient flight of massive stone steps leads to the path on the edge of the water. These steps once led the way up to the front door of the Hancock mansion, occupied by John Hancock when Governor of Massachusetts, which stood for more than a century on the summit of Beacon Hill, near the State-House, in Boston. The steps are one hundred and forty-two years old, and are of Connecticut freestone. They were bought by Mr. Perkins when the Hancock house was torn down to give way to more ostentatious mansions. Could these old red blocks speak, what tales might they not tell of the magnates of Old and of New England; of the "fair women and brave men" who have trodden them with light or heavy hearts in days long gone!. Here, shaded by "the murmuring pines and the hemlocks," and carpeted with their shining and tawny needles, they have found a refuge where they are likely permanently to remain.

Opposite "Pinebank," upon the other side of Jamaica Pond, is the home of Francis Parkman, the scholar and historian. The one-story ell observed in the illustration is his study. The house itself is unpretentious, but both within and without is pervaded by an atmosphere of refined and elegant comfort. The architecture is in pleasant keeping with the stillness of its peaceful surroundings. No spot upon this side of the Atlantic could be better fitted for the abode of a man of letters, or more favorable for researches in early American history, and the production of such volumes as have year after year afforded so much pleasure and interest to thousands of readers. The view of the placid waters of the pond through the trees; the quiet of the rural scene and the summer day; the richly laden gardens stretching off down almost to the water's edge; the grateful shade of the trees, and the bright and varied colors of the flowers-can not but pleasantly dispose the studious mind to its serene tasks. The estate, which once belonged to the Chickering family, with many of the surrounding domains, has been owned and occupied by Mr. Parkman for about a quarter of a century. Comprising as it does but from three to four acres, it has been improved by liberal outlays and with excellent judgment,

until it is now one of the most attractive places in this delightful neighborhood. Mr. Parkman's taste has led him to pay special attention to the cultivation of shrubs and flowers; and it is the wealth, variety, and beauty of these which constitute the conspicuous features of the homestead. He has for years imported such brilliant specimens of the European flora as were found to be not uncongenial to New England soil; and as a result the Parkman estate is noted for rare flowers, seldom seen elsewhere in this country. Sauntering along the gardenpaths, one pauses in admiration before the dazzling clusters of rhododendrons which meet the eye. Magnolias, azalias, and rare lilies are also abundantly displayed in choice species and of many hues. But the flower especially nursed and multiplied in the gardens is the rose. Perhaps nowhere can be

seen a greater profusion or a greater variety of roses. They appear on all sides, blooming in unlimited quantity, and of every color and size, filling the air with delicious odors. Such roses and other flowers as will not bear free exposure are tenderly nurtured in ample greenhouses. One of the prettiestornaments of the estate is a wire fence which extends down from the rear of the house to the pond, and about which clings and creeps a graceful profusion of clematis. The exceptional floral beauties of the place are the result of many years of zealous care and cultivation.

The notable residence of Colonel Theodore Lyman, Mayor of Boston from 1832 to 1835, is in the "garden suburb " of Brookline, one of the wealthiest and also one of the most picturesque towns in New England, not far from Jamaica Pond. It was the first house built near Boston in what was termed the "Ital. ian style ❞—a modification of the Florentine villa. The color was a dark cream, resembling the soft Italian limestones. The whole character of the house was a departure from the styles of the period, but it proved a striking success, and attracted much attention, partly from the beauty of its situation, and partly from the skillful designing by Richard Upjohn, the architect of Trinity Church, New York. It stands as originally built, with the exception of a one-story summer-parlor added to the rear. It occupies an interesting place among the scores of mansions in the vicinity which eclipse it in size, costliness, and elegance, because of its having marked the revolution in American domestic architecture, the triumphs of which prove a never-ending surprise and delight.

The father of Colonel Theodore Lyman was a rich and liberal merchant of Boston, who, with a remarkable turn for rural improvements, established one of the finest ornamental domains in the suburbs, laying out flower-gardens, greenhouses, fruiteries, a water-course, and even a deer-park. Thus with his fortune Colonel Lyman inherited a zealous taste for landscape-gardening. He received his early education at the Phillips Exeter Academy In 1814 he visited Europe, afterward studied law, and again went abroad. In 1819 he made his début in public affairs, serving in both branches of the Massachusetts Legislature, and filling many offices of trust. He founded the State Reform School of Massachusetts, upon which he bestowed seventy-two thousand dollars. He was a trustee and benefactor of the Farm School, to which at his de