All were well grown, and the house was gay with flowers. The flower garden is a fine piece of work, but the arrangement of the bedding plants was faulty. The plants themselves, however, were mostly in good condition, and the whole garden clean and tidy. Perhaps the finest trees on Montgomery Place are the Elms; but we must not particularize; we have no time for that now. A person should hardly visit Montgomery Place unless he can spend a day there, and repeat his visit often: a mere glance at so many grand things only serves to bewilder one. But this was all we could do, and so we passed along to "Messina," the home of Mr. Aspinwall.

Messina seems like a comparatively new place, the improvements being still under way. The fruit and vegetable garden occupies a large space. Pipes are being laid through the principal walks to supply the garden with water. The drains and walks will be costly affairs. The natural growth on the place has been well used, and some considerable planting done around the dwelling, on the northwest corner of which stands a large and stately Pine, remarkable for its age. The lawn is hardly yet finished. The views from it are very fine, resembling somewhat those at Montgomery Place. Mr. Kimber, the gardener, called our attention to a Pine thirty-five feet high and fifteen inches in diameter, which he transplanted last winter with a ball of earth. The removal has been entirely successful. A row of fig trees were in fine condition, and well laden with fruit. There is but one small grapery, but no doubt there will be more; there should also, on a place like this, be at least one good forcing house. But all these things are the work of time. There was more to be seen, but time was pressing, and Mr. Downing, and, in fact, all of us, were suffering from fatigue and the overpowering heat, and were fain to seek the shelter of the house for a little rest.

Being refreshed, we again took to our carriage, which we had sent around by the road from "Annandale," while we pursued our sight-seeing on foot. Up to this point Mr. Alcutt had with much kindness accompanied us, and saved us many steps.

Our next point was Rhinebeck, distant seven miles. With a good road, the grand mountains, and occasional glimpses of the river, the ride was a very pleasant one. We noticed by the way that many of the farmers were still making hay. Our destination at Rhinebeck was "Ellerslie," the princely residence of the Hon. William Kelly. We were welcomed at the door by Mr. Kelly himself, who was fortunately at home; and very soon we had the pleasure of taking by the hand again the kind hostess herself, and then - we might as well tell it - an introduction to what Mr. Kelly called a "whole bevy of girls." We felt like sitting down to enjoy the thing, but the carriage was at the door, and so we started for a ride around the place. On going down the drive to the road we had an opportunity of examining a very happy example of thinning out a natural wood. The subject had been carefully studied, and executed in a skillful manner. We first stopped to look at the cattle. Mr. Kelly has a splendid herd of Short Horns, and among them some of the best animals in the country. Hiawatha is a noble bull, and there are others in the herd not less so. The cattle barn is very capacious, and a model in its arrangements; every thing is tidy and well kept.

Last year we took a fancy for a heifer; she was a gentle beast, good tempered, and almost familiar. This year we took a fancy for a young bull; but he was an ugly wretch, not in the least disposed to be friendly; in fact, to keep clear of his heels we had to take to our own.

After examining the stables and admiring the cattle, we continued our ride following the boundaries of the estate, (some seven hundred acres,) noting the beautiful changes in the landscape as we passed, and finally entered the grounds again at the rear entrance. Here we have a long straight drive till we enter the pleasure grounds again. This drive is lined on each side with trees, and the scenery passed is varied and beautiful. Here we have a wide expanse of well-kept meadows, with no fences to obstruct the view; there a fine clump of trees; next some specimen tree; again, a well-wooded knoll; then a beautiful pond with its little pleasure boat; and after this the woods grow more massive, and the road begins to wind as we approach the house. Much as we enjoyed the drive along this road, we have some fault to find with it; indeed, it is almost the only faulty thing about the place. It is only the back entrance to the place, but still it is much too fine a drive not to have its capabilities fully developed. Let us go back to the gate again.

From this point for a long distance, the ground is level and the road straight; this is right enough; but here begins a succession of knolls, and the road goes straight up and down over them, and to this we object, on the score both of pleasure and beauty. It is trying to the horses, and produces an unpleasant sensation in the rider. It seems to us that an opportunity has been lost here of making a series of the most beautiful curves, enhancing the interest of the scene, and prolonging the pleasure of the drive* With this single criticism, let us continue our ride. As we approach the house the trees and shrubbery become more imposing, and the grounds highly finished, being a fitting introduction to so hospitable an abode.

Leaving the carriage at the door, let us, in the brief space that remains, take a ramble through the grounds surrounding the dwelling. Almost the first thing we see, on a knoll at the end of an avenue fronting the house, is a beautiful Grecian temple, the approach to which is lined on each side with beds of brilliant flowers. The effect is exceedingly pretty. The next thing that arrests the attention is the splendid lawn, very much improved since our last visit, and even in this dry time as green as an emerald; kept constantly clipped and rolled, it seems to the tread like a piece of soft velvet. On that eminence in front of us is the large and beautiful conservatory. Here, at the head of the steps, we have a noble pair of Golden Arbor Vitae, and the Washingtonia or Wellingtonia six feet high; here is a beautiful round-headed Laurustinus, and stately Yews, and slender Junipers, and many other fine things which we have no time to examine. But stop a moment, and look around at all these grand masses of trees, and the splendid Spruces, and Firs, and Pines, and Elms, and other evergreen and deciduous trees, singly and in groups. Let us now pass through the conservatory.

Here we have Fuchsias, and Gloxinias, and Achimenes, and Ixoras, and Jasmines, and Begonias, and Caladiums, and many other beautiful and rare things. Here are three more houses, but we can only look in at the door. In this we have Nepenthes, and Begonias, Caladiums, Marantas, and other variegated leafed plants. In the next we have a collection of Orchids which would gladden the heart of our friend, Mayor Van Voorst In the last, more Orchids, variegated leafed plants, and other choice things. A few steps further, and we have the flower garden proper, with its ribbon borders and beds cut in the lawn, and very skill fully treated. All these things, under the skillful management of Mr. Bennett, are admirably kept.

Let us now hasten to the house, take a seat on the piazza, and study the landscape. This is no doubt the time and the place to take one's last impressions of Ellerslie. The sun is just passing behind the western hills, and the trees cast their dark and lengthened shadows on the lawn. There is no fence or boundary line to obstruct the view. On the right and in front of us the mountains tower up and away, till in the far distance they seem like huge masses of blue mist. The river beneath us, inclosed by the hills, seems like a large and beautiful lake, its sheeny bosom here and there studded with a passing sail. On the left the hills gradually pass away into table-land, which becomes lost in the distance. In the middle ground there is a wide expanse of beautiful rolling lawn, dotted here and there with well-disposed masses of trees, with an occasional group of small dimensions, and here and there individual specimens unshorn of their glory; and as if to make the picture complete, the " lowing kine " are still grazing in the fields.

It seems to us that we have here all the elements which go to make a perfect picture; nothing seems to be wanting.

Locking at the setting sun and the beautiful landscape, the spirit of repose which was settling over the whole scene seemed to take possession of us, and once again as of old we felt like yielding to its inspiration; but a gentle hand tapped us on the shoulder, and tea was announced. We had forgotten how rapidly the time had fled, and the journey still before us. After tea, and some fine music by the ladies, we bade adieu to our kind friends, and took the 8 o'clock train, Mr. Downing for Newburgh, and Mr. Woodward and ourself for Pough-keepsie, where we had planned another day's ride.

And thus ended our day's sight-seeing. We had worked hard, but had seen a great deal, and were richly repaid, our only regret being that we could not linger longer and see more. Our next" ride " will take us from Poughkeepsie down to Fishkill and Newburgh.