THE MANNER 
 
 Of Securing all Sorts of Buildings 
 from Fire. 
 
 o R 
 
 A TREATISE 
 
 UPON THE 
 
 Construction of ARCHES 
 made with Bricks and Plaister, called 
 FLAT - ARCHES, 
 
 ,,'j\ ' ' » 
 
 And of a Roof without Timber called a 
 BRICKED - ROOF: 
 
 With the Addition of Tome LETTERS that have patted 
 between the Count of Espie and Peter Wyche 
 Efq; on this Subje£L 
 
 Adorned with two Copper - Plates ferving to 
 illuftrate the whole Work. 
 
 Written in French - 
 
 by Monfieur le Comte D’ E S P I E, 
 
 Knight of the Military Order of St. Lewis, 
 
 And Tranttated 
 
 i by L. DU TENS. 
 
 i3*Hf:-**r*«**2^ 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for and fold by H. Piers and Partner, near the 
 Bull and Gate High - Holbom , and to be had of T. Payne 
 at the Mews-Gate , and M. Cooper at the Globe in 
 
 Pater - Nojler-Roiv . 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 eQOOOQ^OCQQO rai OOOOQOOOOQOO 
 
 T O 
 
 W illiam Beckford Efqr. 
 
 S I R, 
 
 T HE Approbation you have given to this 
 Work, and theReadinefs with which you 
 came into the Author’s Scheme are the Motives 
 which have induced me to make aTranflation 
 of it, and now with Permiffion take the Liberty 
 of prefenting it to you in the Form you fee it. 
 The Zeal you have always fhewnfor promoting 
 the Publick Good and encouraging Arts tending 
 to that End has been in many Inftances confpi- 
 cuous to all: but in this particular of introducing a 
 Method of fecuring Publick as well asprivateEdi- 
 fices from Fire, you appear not only as a Friend 
 of their Properties but alfo of their Lives. It is 
 by the Example of Great Men that a Common- 
 Wealth flourifhes in Riches and in Arts, and 
 how are they fufficiently to be praifed who pro- 
 mote thofe Inventions that fecure in any Degree 
 Mankind from the Danger of being loft or def- 
 troyed? The Prefent Age will confider the Merit 
 of your Patronage and Pofterity will probably 
 rejoice in the Fruit of it. I have the Honour 
 to be with the utmoft Refpedt, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Tour moji humbU 
 and obedient Servant , 
 
 L< DUTENS. 
 
 A 2 PRE- 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 P R E F AC E 
 
 Of the Author to the 
 
 Duke of Belleisle. 
 
 MYLORD DUKE, 
 
 Trcatife on the Confirucling a Roof in a form ab- 
 folutely new , may perhaps feem unworthy and below 
 the Dignity of your Protection ; and the liberty 1 take 
 to offer it you may by J'ome be thought blameable \ but 
 here in I fhall think my f elf juftified , if your Grace con - 
 defcends to accept of it , and I flatter myfelf with an 
 Opinion of your approving it, becaufe 1 think my Difl 
 co.very ufefull , and that great Men value things more 
 from their Utility than from their Appearance . I do 
 not offer you this as a Compofition fit to be dedicated to 
 a famous General , or to an able Politician but in this 
 I confider your Grace's Character , as the beft of Pa- 
 triots whofe penetrating Zeal takes in all that can con- 
 tribute to the Public Welfare, and who by many ex- 
 cellent Experiments has demonfir at ed the great Concern 
 you have for the good of Mankind , and the Value you 
 fet on fitch Improvements as tend to the Advancement 
 of all Arts, and Sciences, How much the World ftands 
 
 indebted 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 indebted to you , Mylord Duke , the City of Mets is a 
 fignal Inftance. The Fortifications now built with the 
 Improvements formed and conduced by your Skill and 
 Management , is fitch an Infiance of your Abilities 
 that they will for ever ftand the Surefl and beft Tefi of 
 the fine T 'afte and the vafi Genius natural and inherent 
 in you. It has been by your excellent Judgement that 
 this Place is now made the firongefi in Europe , and 
 rendered formidable for ever to all the Enemies of 
 France. IJhall forbear \ mentioning that noble Defence 
 you made of Marfeilles and of your famous Retreat 
 whereby the Glory of the Allion redounded as much to 
 your Honour as if you had obtained the great eft of Vic- 
 tories. The care of thofe memorable Things I purpofely 
 leave to others whofe Province it is to tranfmit thofe 
 great Exploits to future Ages in a more able Manner 
 than I can do. They would improperly be placed in 
 the Work I now prefen t you with : this Treatife is 
 intended to be of another Nature it is to give you a 
 Defer ip ti on of a new invented Roof which I call a 
 Bricked -Roof, and as the Invention has fo great a 
 Refemblance to the flat Arches you have introduced in 
 thefe Parts , this Fa£l alone determined me to take the 
 Liberty I now do of dedicatingthis Treatife to you, and 
 beg your Grace will receive it as a Proof of the pro- 
 found Refpett I have for you . I have the honour 
 to be , 
 
 Mylord Duke, 
 
 Tour Grace's 
 mofi bumble See. 
 
 A 3 
 
 ADVER- 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 advertisement. 
 
 M Any with Reafon objeCl to newDifcoveries 
 and confider them as mere projects, but 
 when matters have been examined with Care, as 
 I hope this of mine will be, there may fomething 
 be made appear, though new, yet not unworthy 
 of Attention and what may tend to the Advantage 
 of the Reader. 
 
 Some Years ago I withdrew from the Army, 
 and being at full Leifure I thought I could not 
 employ myfelf better than to confider how I 
 might improve fome things in the military Art, 
 and by frequently reflecting that accidental Fires 
 were the moft deftruCtive things to the bed in- 
 ventions of military Science, I began Solely to 
 reftrain myfelf to this thought of finding fome 
 Means or other whereby I might make Arfenals 
 and Fortrefles, as to their Building, abfolutely 
 incombudible. I flatter myfelf that I have 
 found it, and upon reviewing the feveral Trafts 
 that have been wrote on this Subjeft, I have not 
 feen one that gives the lead Idea of this Mat- 
 ter. To diged thefe Thoughts and to bring 
 them in the fhort Compafs they appear in, I 
 
 made 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 tnade many Experiments, and the Succefs of 
 them anfwered my Expe&ations in every Ref- 
 pe£t; I fhould therefore think myfelf highly 
 blameable, if I did not communicate fo ufefull 
 and important a Difcovery to the full View of the 
 Public in general. 
 
 The Invention is this ; to eredb a Roof of 
 fuch Conftruftion (which three Years ago I my- 
 felf built on my Houfe at Thouloufe) as to be ab~ 
 folutely compofed of no other Materials than 
 Bricks, Mortar, and Plaifter ; there being no 
 Wood or Iron in the whole Formation of it; and 
 therefore I give it the Name of a Bricked- Roof. 
 This Roof is fupported by flat- Arches and is of 
 a Wonderfull and particular Texture as to its 
 Work, fome may defery it, becaufe they know 
 not the Ufe of it, and becaufe it at prefent ap- 
 pears new, but it is a Method of Building in 
 Rouflillon very old and of great Antiquity, and 
 tho* known there for fome Centuries paft, yet 
 has this Method but lately been brought into 
 the adjacent Provinces in France, and about 
 Thouloufe in Languedoc. The Duke of Belle- 
 ifie gave the firft Idea of thefe Arches in this 
 Country. He fent for Workmen from Perpi- 
 gnan to build him thefe Kind of Arches in his 
 
 A 4 Houfe 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 Houfe at Bifly, thefe Men being more fkilfull 
 in this Method than Artifts from any where 
 elfe. 
 
 There was likewife an Archited of Avignon 
 who in April 1750 pubiifhed in the French 
 Mercury fome thing about thefe flat- Arches and 
 prepofteroufly faid he was the Inventor of them. 
 It was pubiifhed likewife the Month following 
 in the fame Journal by Mr. de la Cheze Engi- 
 neer of Thionville in a Letter from him to Mr. 
 le Marquis de Rouge Field-Marfhall of the Ar- 
 mies of France, and by Mr. de la Sauvagere firll 
 Engineer of Port-Loui's ; this laft Letter is more 
 inftrudtive than the former , but neither the one 
 or the other feems fufficient for the Reader’s 
 Improvement; therefore I thought I might ven- 
 ture to give a more Circumftantial Account of 
 thefe Arches, fhew their Advantages and point 
 out the Manner how they are to be built, there 
 are Copper- Plates at the end of this Work by 
 which the Reader will be able to Judge of the 
 Plan of thefe flat- Arches and fee the Infides and 
 Profils of them as. well as of my Bricked-Roof. 
 
 Bricked - 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 ‘'A* mi/* vy '“A* mv* *w* My "y *\y My My n<y* My 
 <^:^(L^C&CL&afoe3&C^e^eAS3<i^ 
 
 Bricked - Roof. 
 
 fTI ILL now there has been no other Way 
 JL of covering Buildings but by Timber and 
 W r ood, except in the Powder Magazines, thefe 
 indeed are built with Arches but greatly Loaded 
 with thick Mafonry-Work that they may be 
 Bomb-Proof. 
 
 As to the Magazines defigned for the Provi- 
 fions of the Army , they as well as the Arfenals 
 are all covered with wooden Roofs. Thefe Roofs 
 can be no Fence againft Fire, becaufe it may be 
 communicated to them by Lightning or by the 
 Flames of a contiguous Building or in time of 
 War by Red-hot Canon Balls. 
 
 W 7 herea$ thefe new Roofs are free from all 
 thefe Defers and Inconveniences, and befides 
 have fo many other Advantages that no Body 
 will fcruple to give them the Preference when 
 their Conftru&ion is examined and fully un- 
 derftood. I fhall more fully defcribe thefe flat- 
 Arches when I give you the Account of thofe 
 whereon the Bricked-Roofs are to be built. 
 
 Flat - 
 
C io ) 
 
 s r 
 
 Flat - Arches. 
 
 HERE are few in France that have not 
 
 heard of Arches made of Bricks and Plaif- 
 
 ter, becaufe fome time ago it was the prevailing 
 Fafhion in feveral Provinces of this kingdom, 
 their Solidity will always be the caufe of their 
 being preferred to any others, becaule thereon 
 the Floors may be made more advantageoufly* 
 at lefs Expence, and have none of the Incon- 
 veniences that a Wooden Floor has. Without 
 reckoning the Rifk you run of being cheated 
 by the Timber* Merchants. 
 
 In Rouflillon and Languedoc they ufed thefe 
 $at- Arches only in their Churches ; and for out- 
 Buildings, fuch as Coach-Houfes, Barns, Stables 
 and Granaries, that they might be well fecured 
 from the Accident of Fire. I am the firft who 
 has attempted to introduce them in Gentlemen’s 
 Houles •, having built mine own at Thouloufe 
 in this Fafhion : and the Form of them is fo 
 agreeable to the Eye that all who fee them, 
 ( though they feem outwardly like all other 
 Cielings in common ufe) yet for their Solidity 
 and their Advantage in not being liable to be 
 fired. Gentlemen of this City as well as others in 
 this Neighbourhood have followed my Example 
 and are pleafed with the Effeft. 
 
 It 
 
( II ) 
 
 It is much to be wifhed they were univerfally 
 introduced throughout the Kingdom , what a 
 Number of Lives as well as Houfes would be 
 preferved from Fire ? Accidents that are now fo 
 frequent and fo numerous would in a great mea- 
 fure be avoided, and befides this great Security 
 there are other Advantages peculiar to thefe folid 
 flat- Arches and ought to be well weighed *, for 
 Inftance they make Appartments in Winter 
 warm and in Summer cool, Rats and Mice can 
 find no (belter there, neither is Noife any ways 
 communicated from an upper to a lower Floor, 
 which as the form now is, is very troublefome, 
 notwithftanding the Care taken to fill up Va^ 
 cancies and making our Floors double, a Me- 
 thod very expenfive and what is more takes 
 up a great deal of Room : neither does it abfo- 
 lutely prevent the Inconvenience, for an hollow 
 difagreable Sound is always perceptible, and be- 
 fides the inclofed Timber of the Floor (as it lies 
 out of Sight) in time grows ro'tten, no Repair 
 therefore can be done, at laft it falls and the whole 
 mud be rebuilt. 
 
 We call thefe Flat- Arches becaufe they in their 
 Rife have lefs Elevation, if you would chufe it, 
 than thofe generally ufed, and becaufe in about 
 two thirds of their Elevation the Bricks herein 
 are laid flat, whereas in the common Arches 
 they are laid always obliquely on their narrow 
 ^ Side. 
 
 The 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 The Bricks ufed at Perpignan for thefe Arches, 
 and what I myfelf ufed, are in Length ten Inches, 
 in Breadth five and in thicknefs one Inch ; this 
 Size is more agreable to the Form of the Arch 
 and joins much better than the larger fort of 
 Bricks made in Convents and other Places, be- 
 fore this Conflru&ion of mine appeared. It is 
 evident at firft View that a fmall Brick of five 
 Inches Breadth only will better fuit with the Cur- 
 vature of an Arch than one of ten Inches Breadth 
 and further their Surface is more in proportion 
 than that of the great ones, and confequently may 
 be more loaded with Plaifler in a duplicate Ratio 
 of their Capacity, fo that their Solidity will be much 
 more firm than thofe where the larger Brick is 
 ufed. Great Caution ought to be taken as to 
 the Bricks and Plaifler, the Bricks ought to be 
 perfectly well burnt and afterwards kept per- 
 feCtly dry, not expofed to Rain or any Wet j 
 the Plaifler ought to be ufed whilft the Fire is in 
 it immediately after it is burnt and never to be 
 expofed to the Air ; for which Rcafon it would 
 be right to make your Bricks and burn your 
 Plainer on the Spot where you intend to build, 
 for by thefe Means you will have the full force 
 of each Material, and the fooner you ufe them 
 the better : as to the Plaifler great care mufl be 
 taken to flack it in fmall Quantities, which fmall 
 Quantities mufl be immediately ufed in the Work 
 and then Hack more, and ufe it as quick as before 
 dire&ed, and fo on till the Work be compleated. 
 
 Thefe 
 
( : *3 ) 
 
 Thefe Arches may be built in any Form that 
 is now in ufe, in a full Center, in an Elliptical 
 Form, or in any other Form whatever. 
 
 Where openings are to be made you may make 
 Windows or any Kind of Light in the Arch 
 Work itfelf, and even Doors, and thefe may be 
 placed higher than the Rife of the Arch, but 
 the bed Form for Appartments is the Elliptical 
 Curve, or an Arch like the Top of a Coach, the 
 Sides of this Arch take up one half of the Idler 
 Side of the Room and muft have the fame Cur- 
 vature as the Reft of the Arch. For grand 
 Appartments the Curve or Center ought to be a 
 little more than a third of the Breadth of the 
 Room, if you would have the Cieling lofty, as 
 the Italian Manner is : of a fifth Part if Loftincfs 
 be not required and of an eighth Part for the 
 leaft Elevation ; for we are taught by Experience 
 that Arches which have little Rife cannot long 
 fupport themfelves, being built at firft too flat. 
 
 As for the Centers to be ufed either for the 
 Arch of a Coach-Top, or for any other Form 
 you determine to have, they are to be made of 
 fuch Materials as are at hand, they are very 
 light, and may be patched up with any refufe 
 Wood you ufe about the Houfe, for which 
 Reafon they cannot be expen five ; obferve thefe 
 Centers are not made to bear the Weight of the 
 Arch, but merely to guide the Workman in his 
 Direction as to the form he is to build in. 
 
 A new 
 
C H ) 
 
 A new built Wall muft fettle for fix Months 
 before you begin to Conftruft your Arch •, thi s 
 is an eftential Precaution and never to be ne- 
 glected, for I have greatly found my Account in 
 it. Upon old Walls likewife thefe Arches may 
 be conftruCted, provided they be folid and the 
 Brick-Work not damaged by Time. To make 
 thefe Arches folid and to caufe no Pufh againft 
 the Walls, a Space of three or four Inches is left 
 in the Wall all round the Room from whence the 
 Arch takes its Spring 5 fo that the firft Brick of 
 the Arch is to (land on its long narrow Side on 
 the Retreat of the Wall, almoft perpendicular. 
 Forming an Angle of 80 Degrees. If the Walls 
 be old but the Work good, the fame Space or 
 Niche is to be made round the Room as in new 
 Walls for the purpofe of laying the firft Brick of 
 the Arch before deferibed. 
 
 Thefe Arches may be made either Single or 
 Double, the fingle ones are only for upper Parts 
 of Buildings which are expofed to the Air and 
 carry no Weight, but it would be more judicious 
 to make even thefe double by laying a fecond 
 Brick, covering the firft and obferve that the 
 Joints of the fecond are never to coincide with 
 thofe of the firft. 
 
 The Manner in which the Workman conf- 
 tru&s his Arch is as follows; after he has fixed 
 well his Center, he ftrecches far above his Line 
 
 from 
 
( i5 ) 
 
 from one Side of the Room to the other at the 
 heighth of five Inches above the Space whence 
 the Arch is to take its Rife, but firft cleans this 
 Space or Niche of what Dull or Filth is in it, 
 then he Moiftens this Niche and afterwards puts 
 therein a little Plaifter and lays upon it the firft 
 Brick, putting to each of the two Sides of the 
 Brick fome Plaifter, that is fome Plaifter to the 
 fide of the Brick that lies on the Niche, and fome 
 to the other fide of the Brick that goes to the 
 Wall and is to cement with it ; afterwards he 
 fixes well the Bottom of the Brick upon the Di- 
 re<ftion of the Niche, that it may remain immo- 
 veable and not be taken in or out but lie level 
 with it ; he fixes the Top of the Brick according 
 to the Direction of the Line ; when he perceives 
 the Brick is well fet, he then leaves it and pro- 
 ceeds to lay the fecond Brick j he puts a little 
 Plaifter on the Niche and to the fides of the firft 
 Brick ; then he manages the fecond as he had 
 done the firft, to viz . by putting Plaifter on that 
 fide of it that is to lie on the Niche, on the other 
 fide of it where it is to join with the firft Brick. 
 He thus proceeds in the Work till the four Sides 
 of the Room be finifbed. It muft be obferved 
 the Workman never lays a Brick till it be firft 
 dipped in Water, for this makes the Plaifter in- 
 finuate better into the Pores of the Brick and ren - 
 ders the Work more folid. After the Work- 
 man has laid the firft Range of Bricks quite 
 round the Room, for we fuppofe that the Arch 
 
 now 
 
. ( ) 
 
 how building to be of the form of the Top of a 
 Coach, he then proceeds to make his lecond Ope- 
 ration : he now changes his Line and elevates it 
 five Inches more on high and lays the firfb Brick 
 of the 2d Range, by putting fome Plaider to 
 two of its Sides as he did before to the Brick 
 of the fird Range which mud be joined and ce- 
 mented with it. This 2d Range mud be formed 
 on the Top of the fird, following the Dire&ion 
 of the Center and of the Line till fuch Time as 
 it be finifhed quite Round the Room. The 
 Workman takes great Care that the fird Brick 
 of the 2d Range is but half the Length of that 
 ufed in the fird Range, that the joints of the 2d 
 Range interfere not with thofe of the fird ; this 
 he mud obferve throughout the Work to make it 
 more firm and folid. 
 
 The fecond Range of Bricks being now laid 
 all round the Room, the Workman proceeds £0 
 the 3d Operation, which is to Double the Arch 
 with a 2d Brick in covering it upon the fird. 
 Which is very eafily done by putting a Coat of 
 Plaider on that Side of the Brick which reds on 
 the Fird with the fame Caution as above men- 
 tioned not to fuffer the Joints of the 2d bed of 
 Bricks to interfere or mix with the Joints of the 
 fird in any Place whatever. 
 
 The Workman ufes thefe following Tools or 
 U ten fils j a Trough in which he flaks his 
 
 Plaider 
 
( *7 ) 
 
 • 
 
 Plaifter to the Quantity he wants ; a Trowel 
 fome what longer and wider than thofe of the 
 Mafons to beat up and lay the Plaifter on his 
 Bricks : an Axe-hammer, to break Bricks with 
 the Edge of it when neceffary, and with the other 
 End to give (light Blows to the Brick he lays, 
 that the Plaifter on which it (lands as well as 
 the Plaifter on which the other Bricks are joined 
 with, may all be compreffed fpeedily and the 
 Work fet well and tight together. The Hammer 
 ferves not only to fallen the Bricks but to direct 
 the Courfe of them confident with the Line, and 
 differs them not to deviate from it. 
 
 When the Plaifter is good and has its full 
 Fire in ir, it fets very readily ; as foon as the 
 Workman has done the Sides of the Arch, and 
 begins to lay his Bricks fiat, he then llrikes it 
 with his Hammer and holds it up with hisFinger, 
 and when he perceives it is firm and has fet pro- 
 perly, he then leaves it and proceeds ; all which 
 is done in the Space of twenty Seconds. 
 
 The Workman takes great Care never to lay a 
 new Range of Brick till he has performed the firft 
 Range all round the four Sides of the Room; and 
 this he does that the four Sides may all equally 
 rife towards the Center of the Arch, till all meet 
 in one Aperture, to be clofed by one fingle 
 Brick : I have feen thefe Workmen make an 
 Arch in the Form of a Trapezium, and they 
 
 B conducted 
 
( i8 ) 
 
 conduced all the four Sides of it fo equally and 
 with fo greatTruth, that the Aperture about the 
 Center of the Arch formed an exadt little Tra- 
 pezium to be filled up with a laft Brick of that 
 Form. This exadt Uniformity of Ranges is al- 
 ways pradtifed by the belt Workmen, becaufe the 
 Work hereby is made much better. 
 
 The Remaining fmall fpace between the Wall 
 and Curvature of the Arch is filled up with Plaif- 
 ter and fmall bits of Bricks called Ribbles to the 
 heigth of ten Inches or a Foot, then they conf- 
 trudl little Buttreffes from the Walls to the Sides 
 of the Arch * thefe Buttreffes are placed at the 
 Diftance of four or five Feet one from another, 
 and they obferve chiefly to bring them from each 
 of the four Corners of the Arch, they being to 
 be confidered as the moft effential Points when 
 the Arch is to be built in the form of Coach- 
 Top, or en Imperiale . 
 
 Thefe Buttreffes are made by Bricks made 
 Flat, and they are in Dimenfion five Inches wide, 
 two Inches thick,and fifteen in length, calledTiles 
 en Barreau. They fhould lofe themfelves in- 
 fenfibly at the third Part at leaf! of each fide of 
 the Arch, and they fhould, if you pleafe, be 
 lbme Inches below the Center of the Convex 
 Cruft of the Arch-, again thefe Buttreffes are 
 made with large Bricks which in length are 15 
 Inches, ten Inches wide, and two Inches thick, 
 
 commonly 
 
( l 9 ). 
 
 commonly called Plain Tiles ; they lay them 
 Obliquely two by two, by joining them with 
 P.aifter and railing them to the fame Heigth 
 before mentioned ; thefe Buttrefies fo built like- 
 wife ferve to keep in and contain the Arch. 
 The fpace between the one and the other Buttrefs 
 mull alfo be built with Brick and Plaifter to the 
 fame Heigth viz. to ten Inches or a foot ; but in 
 this Work no Mortar is to be ufed, becaufe of 
 its Moifture, a thing that will prevent the Cruft 
 of the Arch from fetting and confequently fpoil 
 the whole Work. They then finilh the Arch 
 by filling up the remaining Part with Earth well 
 dried, or rather with Rubbifh. Then the Floor 
 is paved in what Form you pleafe ; as foon as 
 the Arch is built, you may take away the Center 
 without Scruple, for there is no Fear of its falling 
 The Centers, as I have faid before, being only a 
 Guide to the Workman merely as to the Form 
 or Figure in which the Arch is to be built. 
 
 The Infide or Concave Part of thefe Arches 
 muft be fpread with Plaifter, and the Angles 
 fmoothed over and made to difappear by it. A 
 v.ornifh ought to be made all round the bottom 
 3art of the Arch, above the firft or fecond range 
 if Bricks where the Arch fprings from. The 
 ^rch, to appearance, will then look as almoft 
 lat, and one would think it a Cieiing of the beft 
 nd handfomeft Form : thefeArches are capable of 
 he richeft Decorations you would chufe to have 
 B 2 When 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 When' Time and Experience has ev ^ en ^ d 
 the Solidity and Advantage of thefe Bat- Arches, 
 l am fully perfuaded that the Floors now in ufe, 
 wU^belaid afide and grow out of Faun as 
 fnhiefl to many Inconveniences, and in then 
 
 Rtim thefe fort of Arches .ill P-=™ » 
 in Houfes of private Gentlemen, but even m 
 Churches and in all large Buildings whatever, as 
 
 clcn,s & c.Ho.of.cnUir>h»r^A„«of 
 
 Fire happen here, and what Ravage and Deftruc 
 Lt made by it? and befides the enfumg 
 Charge of rebuilding is fo great that the R 
 gious Order mud take a great length ot time to 
 reinftate what the Flames have devoured. How 
 many Houfes and whole Cities m Germany wouk 
 W been fecured from thefe Accidents of Fire, 
 had they been built originally in this i Fora i . we 
 ZZ not then have feen fo many dreadful Ef- 
 fcfts of it, as now appears in almoft every Gazette. 
 
 There are Countries where thefe Arches may 
 be built at a third lefs Co ft than the common 
 Floors in ufe, and there are odter Countries 
 where they may be built for one half of 
 a L but more efpecially are they moll P~PJ| 
 fo, rhofe Countries -.here Wood is rsre. W. 
 are not to build thefe Arches under Ground no 
 in any place where the Moifture of the Eart 
 can affeft it •, for Moifture of this fort will ab 
 Surely deftroy the Arch, as being contrary t| 
 the Nature of Plaifter. 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 In Countries where Bricks are very dear, and 
 Iron very cheap, to lelTen the Expence of the 
 Brick Buttreffes, you may guard the Arch with 
 Bars of Iron put at their proper Diftance the one 
 rom the other and fill up the intermediate Space 
 with Rubb.'/h : thus have they done in Vivarais • 
 but in Countries where no Brick can be had but 
 where there is plenty of Stone, you are then to 
 cut the Stone in the fame Form with the Bricks 
 before defcribed, as to its Size in every refpedf. 
 The Piaifter will unite with the Stone, provided 
 you leave the Coat of the Stone rough and a little 
 irregular. But as it often happens that Moifture 
 is contained in the pores of the Stones, and flu vers 
 it in pieces when a hard Froft comes; the beft 
 Way to fecure the Arch from an Accident of this 
 lort is to dry your little Stones in the Sun or in 
 Ovens till you are fure the Moifture is out, and 
 that it is impoflible for Froft to have any fuch 
 Effects upon it. However, the Arch being coated 
 below as well as covered above, and the whole 
 tontained in the Piaifter, one would not think 
 t natural that the Froft would have fuch an 
 iffedt upon it. 
 
 If the Room you have built is too large, and 
 : be thought necefiary to make a Divifion in it, 
 
 ' IZ \ an Alcove for a Bed, a Ward-Robe, or for 
 iabinets; all this may be done in Brick-work on 
 ie Arch ltfelf without fcruple or fear at all, pro- 
 ded always that the partition Walls have their 
 ® 3 Foun- 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 Foundation on the Brick round the Tides of the 
 Arch on the folid part of it and not fixed on that 
 which was filled up with Rubbifh. If there be 
 a Floor highly built and you have a Mind to 
 make an intermediate Appartment between the 
 firft Floor and the fecond which is called in 
 French Entre-Sole with a Gallery to communi- 
 cate with it from the Stairs 3 this likewife may be 
 done without Inconvenience. I have done this 
 in the Wings of my Kitchen and in all the Of- 
 fices of my Building taking Care to obfcrve the 
 Rules before ddcribed. 
 
 A Con 
 
( 23 ) 
 
 A Companfon 
 
 O F 
 
 Common Arches, with the 
 Fla t- A r c h e s. 
 
 C ^ommon Arches, whether made of Stone 
 4 or Brick, and laid obliquely with Mortar 
 compofed of Lime and Sand, require Attention, 
 and the Workman in building them right, muft 
 follow certain Principles and Rules of Art from 
 which he muft never deviate. 
 
 The chief Care therefore of an Architect in 
 
 the Conftrudtion of fuch an Arch is to make the 
 
 Walls of a convenient Thicknefs, that they may 
 
 refift the Pufli of the Arch and the whole ftand 
 * 
 
 in its proper Equilibrium, otherwife if the Walls 
 or the Stone on which it fprings ftiould be too 
 weak to withftand the Pufh, the Arch will give 
 from about the Middle of its Sides to the Key- 
 Stone, becaufe it is in that Part where the Pufh 
 of the Arch is greateft, and of Courfe the thicker 
 an Arch is, the greater will the pufli be, becaufe 
 the Curvature of the Arch becoming longer and 
 
 B 4 of 
 
( 24 ) 
 
 ofcourfe heavier, it muft neceffarily a£i with more ■ 
 force and a greater Weight againft the Eutment, 
 or upon the Stone from whence it takes its * 
 fpring. 
 
 If the Pillars that fupport the Arch be very 
 high then mud: they he confiderably thicker,that 
 they may more effectually withftand the Pufh of 
 the Arch * thus then it is that the thicknefs of the 
 Pillars muft depend on the thicknefs of the Arch, 
 and be agreeable to its height be it more or lefs, 
 fo that the proportion of its thicknefs is always 
 relative to the Weight and Pufh of the Arch. 
 
 Again it muft be obferved that different 
 Arches require different Butments, for it is de- 
 monftrated that Elliptical Arches have a much 
 greater Pufh than the Semi-circular Arches, and 
 that the Gothick Arches have much lefs and fo 
 on ; confequently we ought to regulate thefe Pro- 
 portions by following the Nature and Form of 
 the Curve and confidering what ought to be the 
 greateft and what the leaft Elevation, and what 
 thicknefs it ought to have, and therein a6t 
 agreeable to fuch principles as Art and Science 
 require in thefe Matters. 
 
 Mr. Belidor in his Book of InftruCtions to En- 
 gineers has demonftrated thefe Principles Geo- 
 metrically, it is to be wifhed that they who build 
 v/ould make themfelves acquainted with them 
 
 and 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 and not always follow the Road of Practice, for 
 the Maxims of Pradlice are always falfe when not 
 founded on the Rules of Theory. Hence it is 
 that we often fee Buildings unfinifhed, fall of 
 themfelves, occafioned by not regarding thofe 
 Principles, that Science and the nature of the 
 Work require in their different Forms and 
 Dimenfions. 
 
 Flat- Arches being of a Conftrudlion quite dif- 
 ferent *, we have no Occafion in the building to 
 follow the Rules and Principles of the preceeding 
 ones ; in thefe it is quite unneceffary to dwell on 
 the thicknefs of the Walls, and provided they be 
 found and well built it is fufficient *, for I am not 
 of the fame Opinion with thofe who think that 
 thefe kind of Arches pufh as the others do : Ex- 
 perience has fully demonftrated the contrary, and 
 the Inftances I am going to produce may perhaps 
 undeceive thofe who are prejudiced with this 
 Notion. 
 
 Knowing that the firft Invention of thefe Ar- 
 ches was at Perpignan, and that it was from this 
 Place that Mr. Marfhal Belleijle had Workmen 
 to build the flat-Arches he had occafion for, I 
 thought it worth my While to make a Journey 
 there and fee what had been done in this manner 
 formerly. I there met with Mr. Robert the 
 commander of the Caftle, my old Friend and Ac- 
 quaintance, who immediately ordered the Work- 
 men 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 men Mr. de Belleijle had employed, to come to 
 me, and with them I conferred about thefe flat- 
 Arches. They fliewed me all the Works they 
 had built of this Kind throughout the City, and 
 a great number of thefe folid and well built Ar- 
 ches there are ; but thofe of the Jefuits College 
 pieafed me the moft, being built in fuch a Form 
 as makes the moft beautifull Appearance 5 but 
 though this Fad apparently exifts, no body there 
 has yet attempted the like for great Houfes as I 
 have done at Thouloufe. Afterwards I went to 
 fee the Convent of the Cordeliers and their Dor- 
 mitory, which is built in the form of aCrofs, and 
 contains more than fixty Cells all arched with 
 flat- Arches, built three or four hundred years ago 
 by the Spaniards ; the Walls of the Gallery are 
 divided into Partitions, which have no Wood in 
 them *, in that Country thefe Partitions are called 
 partitions of Brick laid in curved Forms, but 
 double well joined and cemented with Plaifter 
 which gives to the Walls a thicknefs of fomething 
 more than four Inches ; the Door-pofts of all the 
 Cells are of free Stone of the fame thicknefs of the 
 Partitions and cemented with Plaifter, to them 
 they have contrived in the Stone a Rabbet to re- 
 ceive the Door with its Hinges. The Arch of 
 the Dormitory is fupported from one End to the 
 other by thefe Partitions, it confifts of one Brick 
 folely, and feemedto me to be a little Eliptical ; 
 the Cells are feparated one from the other by Par. 
 titions, and every Cell is divided again by another 
 
 Partition 
 
( 2 7 ) 
 
 Partition in two Rooms, which makes an Anti- 
 chamber and a Bed-chamber, every Room is 
 likewife vaulted with flat- Arches from the level 
 of the Top of the Wall, and where the Curva- 
 ture of the one Arch joins with its oppofite they 
 neceflarily counter-ad: the one the other. In 
 making a more minute Examination into all 
 thefe things, 1 perceived the exterior Part of the 
 Arch of the Dormitory was in many Places 
 black, and dirty, but in others it appeared quite 
 white as if newly done ; 1 afked what could be 
 the realon of it, and they anfwered that the Roof 
 had flood a long Time without having any Re- 
 pairs done to it, and of courfe the Rain beating 
 upon the Bricks, had formed many hollows 
 and drove away the Plaifter that cemented 
 them, and that the Bricks being no longer fup- 
 ported, fell of themfelves : this was the reafon 
 of fo many Holes appearing in it ; but not- 
 withftanding, the ftrength of the Arch was not 
 weakened thereby. The reafon why the Roof 
 appeared with a Diverfity of Colours, is owing 
 to the Repairs lately made, for they told me 
 that they had juft then filled up the decayed 
 Parts with new Bricks and Plaifter ; and of this 
 I was well allured by many of the Priefts that 
 belonged to the Convent. This Proof of the 
 Solidity of the Arch is of itfelf I think fufficient, 
 but if this inftance alone carries not with it that 
 Convidion that others may require, 1 will men- 
 tion fome more. 
 
 A Gentle- 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 A Gentleman in Languedoc built one of thefe 
 fiat- Arches upon old Walls, fometime after, one 
 of the Sides of the Arch gave way and feparated 
 from the others, leaving a confiderable Gap, 
 infomuch that all that Side was expofed to the 
 Heavens, and the remainder of the Arch was 
 fupported only by the three Sides of the Wall •, 
 they fent immediately for Workmen to rebuild 
 and reflore the Wail, upon their infpedling it 
 they durfl not meddle with it, fearing they 
 fhouid be crufhed by the remaining Arch, which 
 they thought would fall upon them every mo- 
 ment, but on the next Day when they faw the 
 Arch flill {landing and that it was not likely to 
 fall, they took Courage, ventured to remove the 
 old Wall, rebuild it properly and united the 
 Arch as it was before. 
 
 Another Gentleman of credit whom I am 
 acquainted with, told me, he had made the fol- 
 lowing Experiment, to try the folidity of thefe 
 Arches before he ventured to ufe them in real 
 Work. He made a Frame of Wood in a fquare 
 Form, each fide of which was in thicknefs and 
 width about five Inches, and in length fomething 
 more than fix Foot : thefe four Sides were 
 joined to each other at their ends, and well 
 fcrewed together at the Angles in the flrongefl 
 Manner pofiible, and put in a Room that was 
 paved to be outof the way oftroublefome People. 
 He then confidered the four fides of the Frame 
 
 as 
 
( 2 9 ) 
 
 as fo many Buttrefles, and covered the interiour 
 Space of it with a little flat- Arch of fix Foot 
 fquare, and in Elevation about one Foot high; 
 after it was well fet and dry, they unfcrewed the 
 Frame and took away its Sides ; and the Arch 
 flood of itfelf ; they then pulled it about the 
 Room from one End to the other, to fee whether 
 the Motion would any ways (hatter the Work; 
 but he found it remain firm and intire, and no 
 ways damaged by the (hake ; afterwards he put 
 on the Top of it as many Stones as it was poF 
 Able to cover the Surface with, and this it bore 
 without being in the lead affeded, or differing 
 the lead Alteration by fo great aWeight ; at lad 
 they attempted to break it, by letting many 
 great Stones fall upon it from on high, with a 
 great Force. Thefe Stones indeed after [many 
 reiterated Blows did make fome holes, but were 
 far from dedroying it abfolutely, and they 
 found that it could not be dedroyed but by 
 Degrees and by Piece- Meals. 
 
 Another Perfon being curious to fee the So- 
 lidity of thefe flat- Arches, made this Experi- 
 ment : he condruded a little Flat- Arch in the 
 Form of a Coach-Top, and after he had done 
 he ordered from each of the four Sides a con- 
 fiderable Part to be cut away , and leave 
 only that Part danding that Butted againd the 
 Angles, the Arch now appeared like Ellip- 
 tical Hoops, interfeding each other at the 
 
 center 
 
( 3 ° ) 
 
 Center and fupported only by its Angles, he 
 then put a confiderable Weight on the Inter- 
 jection, and notwithstanding theLofs of fo great 
 a Part of the Arch, it bore it well and did not 
 give in the lead. 
 
 I will now mention fome Experiments of my 
 own, which I think will remove all Doubts in 
 this Matter. I conflruCted an Arch in the 
 Form of a Coach-Top over a Room that was 
 more than 24 Foot and half Square, and the 
 Inflant it was finilhed loaded the Top of it with 
 feventeen hundred fifty Bricks, each Brick 
 weighing 25 Pounds. The whole Weight 
 therefore laid on amounted to 43750 Pounds, 
 which I left fo (landing upon it for the fpace of 
 two Days, which greatly furprifed the Builders 
 andWorkmen of Roufiillon, who had themfelves 
 ereCted it ; they all told me that I had put their 
 Work at too fevere a Trial, that the Ribs of 
 the Arch were void and not filled up, that the 
 Arch was loaded with a confiderable Weight 
 upon its Top only, but that if 1 would fuffer 
 the Ribs to be filled up I might put thereon 
 what Weight I pleafed,and they fhould not fear 
 its (landing. I ordered that the whole Weight 
 fhould be immediately taken of, to fee if by 
 getting rid of the Incumberance, the enfuing 
 Lightnefs would have any Effect, or caufe any 
 Alteration in the Appearance of the Arch, but 
 found none, it remaining as it did before. 
 
 I or- 
 
( 3 1 ) 
 
 I ordered another Arch, which I lately built, 
 to be bored through in feven or eight different 
 Places, and that the Holes fhould be made near 
 one another with the Diameter of about fix 
 Inches •, when this was done you might have 
 walked upon the brink of thefe Holes without 
 Danger, then we filled up the Holes, and the 
 Arch remained as if nothing had been done. 
 
 But for a further Conviction, in a Room of 
 18 Foot wide and £8 Foot long, the Walls of 
 which being two Foot thick and the Height 42 
 Foot, I built three of thefe Arches one upon 
 another, and upon the laft 1 ereCted my Bricked 
 Roof •, fix Months after I ordered one of them 
 to be bored, to fee whether I could not contrive 
 a Stair- Cafe, to go to the intermediate Room, 
 between the Arches, this was effectually done, 
 and I think it a clear Anfwer to thofe who ob- 
 jeCt to the Solidity of thefe Arches 5 and fay 
 that they pufh againft the Walls and that it is 
 abfolutely neceffary for them to have a great 
 thicknefs to Support them. All thefe Inftances 
 1 fay ought to convince them and wean them 
 from a Notion they have falfely entertained. 
 As to myfelf, they carry fo clear an Evidence 
 with them that I can well affert (provided the 
 Walls are good and well built) their thicknefs 
 fignifies nothing, the thicknefs of the Walls 
 cannot fignifie much, becaufe we fee the thin 
 
 Parti- 
 
( 3 2 ) 
 
 Partition-Walls bear them, as I have often prov- 
 ed and experienced myfelf. 
 
 But ftill, they may fay that there are fome of 
 thefe Flat-Arches that have fallen in many 
 Places ; this I full well know, but then they 
 have been built by unfkillfull Workmen, who 
 very badly executed the Plan, and obferved not 
 proper Rules for their Conftrudtion, or ufed bad 
 Materials throughout the whole Work, but 
 they cannot bring me an Inftance where they 
 have thrown down the Walls, or put them out 
 of their Bevel. Indeed I have known fome to 
 have fallen by their having been built too flat, 
 but they never puflied out the Walls, only fell 
 flat on the Floor, a certain Proof of their having 
 no pufh as other Arches have ; for the Plaifter, 
 when it is fpread over the Work on all Sides, 
 covers the Bricks of theArch as in a Cafe, and the 
 whole is one maflive Cake without any Chafms 
 whatever. The one Side of the Arch butts not 
 againft the other, and fo by counter- Acting 
 fupport each other, but the whole Arch is one 
 entire folid Mafs and is contained in itfelf by its 
 Particles, in the fame Manner as a Flat Marble 
 Table is, whereof the Middle Part is united as 
 ftrong as the other Parts by its natural Particles, 
 and will not divide, if it be properly fupported j 
 in fhort if the Conftrudtion be judicioufly ma- 
 naged the four Walls mu ft be removed before 
 the Arch will fall. 
 
 Thofe 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 Thofe who have tried, full well know the 
 Strength and Force of Plaifter, they will find 
 what I have faid to be very true, and my 
 Reafoning juft, for it is founded on a Multi* 
 plicity of Experiments. I hope I have given 
 no Offence by making this little Digrefiion, 
 and attempting to explain the Nature of thefe 
 fiat- Arches ; I am very fenfible of their Confe- 
 quence, and therefore was willing to publilli 
 all I knew of them, and fet the Subject in the 
 belt Light I could. 
 
 Firjt 
 
 C 
 
C 34 ) 
 
 ^DQQC^QQC^GQ^DQQCI^ Q Q C^ q 
 
 firjl Cut. 
 
 I am now to defcribe the Bricked •• Roof. 
 
 When the Arch that is to fupport the 
 Bricked- Roof is compleated, then they build 
 thereon feveral Partition- Walls, about a Foot 
 diftant one from the other; thefe are to be 
 ere&ed with the fame Inclination or Slant that 
 you give to the Roof itfelf, for they are to be 
 the under Supporters and to prop it up. * thefe 
 Partition-Walls are to be difcontinued in the 
 Middle of the Arch, troughout the whole 
 Building ; fo that a Paifage will then be left, 
 that you may go under the Roof as often as 
 Occaiion requires. 
 
 Figure lft c Denotes the Plan of the Arch. 
 
 A \ The Gallery. 
 
 B t ThePianof the Partitions. 
 
 Figure 2d r TheSe&ionofthe PlaninitsLength. 
 A \ Section of the Gallery in its Length. 
 B t Se£tion of a Partition feen in Front. 
 
 Figure 3d c Section of the Plan in its Breadth. 
 A < SedHonofthe Gallery in its Breadth. 
 B ( Section of the Partition a Crofs. 
 
 * It muft be noted that the Partition-Walls are to be 
 built with two Bricks put Back-to-Back, inclining to the 
 Heigth intended, and they muft be cemented with Plaifter ; 
 thefe Bricks are to be in Length fifteen Inches, in Breadth 
 ten Inches, aud in Thicknefs two Inches ; fo that the Par- 
 tition-Walls will be fomething more than four Inches, be- 
 caufe of the intermediate Plaifter the Brick-are cemented 
 with. 
 
 When 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 When all the Partitions are eredted, you are 
 to cover the intermediate Spaces of the Partition- 
 Walls with a double Tegument, by immedia- 
 tely laying a Bed of Bricks from the one Par- 
 tition to the other. All thefe Bricks mult be 
 cemented with Plaifter, as the Diftance be- 
 tween one Partition - Wall from the other 
 throughout the whole Work is one Foot, and 
 as the Brick to be ufed is fifteen Inches Long, 
 it of courfe muft lie one Inch and an half on 
 each Partition- Wall. This Tegument is def- 
 cribed in Figure 2 and 3 by the Letters C. C 
 and follows the fame Slant or Inclination of 
 the Partition -Walls, which fupports it from 
 C. to H Figure the 2d. 
 
 At the End of the Tegument C. C. there an 
 Arch is to fpring, to make a Covering to the 
 Pafiage, as you fee in Figure 2d. When the 
 Arch is done, they go on with the Tegument 
 on the Outfide of it from H to F; and to make 
 the Work more fubftantial they make this Te- 
 gument double, by laying a fecond Range of 
 Bricks on the firft, and in their Building parti- 
 cularly obferve, that the Joints of the fecond 
 Bed of Bricks are never to interfere with the 
 Joints of the firft 5 this Tegument having been 
 again cemented with Plaifter. 
 
 As the little Arch or Covering Pafifage is of 
 Elliptical Curvature, we are obliged on the 
 C 2 Top 
 
( 3 6 ) 
 
 Top of it to make another little Arch, to run 
 through the whole Length of the Pafiage, as 
 you fee in E conftru&ed with hollow Tiles, 
 which fnuft form a Point, nearly Equal to the 
 Acute Angle of the Roof, fo that the Tegument 
 at F, which you fee on the outfide of the Arch, 
 may be confidered as the Point of the Bafe, 
 whereon the remaining Work quite to the 
 Ridge is to reft. To avoid the Expence of the 
 fecond Work, you may build a Gothick Arch 
 only *, it will give a greater Heigth to the Paf- 
 fage, and it will have this Advantage, that People 
 may walk there without ftooping *, the Roof in- 
 deed will rife to a more acute Angle, and it is ab- 
 folutely neceffary it fhould do fo, for Northern 
 Countries, where fo great Quantity of Snow falls. 
 
 1 is the Gutter. As the Leaden-Gutters with the 
 Baluftrades thereon are found to be very expen- 
 five, all this may be rejected , and the Expence 
 faved, by making at the Extremity of the Wall 
 a Cornifh, fo adapted to the Work, as to throw 
 of the Water far from the Foundations of the 
 Houfe, and to be built fo as to coincide with the 
 Angle of the Roof, and that the Tegument may 
 be continued upon ir, as you fee in K fecond 
 Scheme The double Tegument being finifhed, 
 they cover it with hollow Tiles L, called in thofe 
 Countries Kennel-Tiles, which they lay in 
 Mortar, made of Chalk and Sand, fo that by 
 thefe Means the whole Covering is made more 
 folid, and all Crevices filled up, for fome there 
 
 will 
 
C 37 ) 
 
 will be that will eafily be feen ; but fuppofing 
 there may be fome Crevices by a Tiles breaking 
 fome where or other, the Water will then fall 
 upon the Tegument, where finding a confide- 
 rable Declivity it would then difcharge itfelf, but 
 fuppofing it to remain confined, it muft be a 
 great Length of Time before it can poflibly fap 
 through the double Tegument. As thefe hollow 
 Tiles are not common at Paris, you may ufe the 
 flat Tiles, but thofe muft be laid on the Tegu- 
 ment in Plaifter, and there will be no need of 
 any laths at all f 
 
 The Entrance of the Paflage within the Roof 
 is at one Extremity, and at the other Extremity 
 is placed the Window, which lightens the whole; 
 but fuppoflng a Window at the Extremity to be 
 inconvenient and that a neighbouring Houfe 
 fhould exclude the Light you want in that Place, 
 in that Cafe they make Dormer-Windows be- 
 tween the Partition* Walls which will lighten the 
 Gallery much better. 
 
 Here follows the Conftru&ion of my Bricked- 
 Roof, which with Succefs I finifhed three years 
 ago, in one of the Wings of my Houfe. The 
 ftrength of it remains firm and unaltered, not- 
 withftanding the great Weight it has bore for 
 the Space of five Weeks, by the great Quantity 
 of Snow falling upon it in December 1752, and 
 in January 1753. and that in fo great Abun- 
 C 3 dance. 
 
( 3 § ) 
 
 dance, that the like has not been known in the 
 Memory of Man, in thofe Countries. 
 
 It is very eafy to comprehend, by what I 
 have already faid, and by the annexed Plans, the 
 great Advantages of thefe Kind of Roofs, and of 
 what Profit they will be not only for private 
 Houfes but for Convents, for Churches, forArfe- 
 nals and for the Kings Magazines, throughout all 
 the fortified Places of the Kingdom. The Roofs 
 now ufed for . all thefe Edifices are very char- 
 geable, not only as to their Conftrudtion merely, 
 but as to the conftant Repair they require, and 
 which muft at all Times be done. If per chance 
 a Joift or Rafter is decayed, a Quantity of the 
 Roof muftbe ripped and difmantled, in order to 
 make it good again ; whereas in thefe Roofs of 
 mine, if by length of time, the Work fhould be 
 any Ways worn, and the beating Rains make 
 any Cavities in the Euilding, the Repair is im- 
 mediately done, at the fmall Expence of a little 
 Plaifter and a few Bricks, 
 
 If in the Time of a Siege a Bomb falls on fuch 
 a Roof, it can make but one Hole through the 
 Bricked-Roof and flat- Arch, without doing any 
 further Mifchief to each, and this may be forth- 
 with repaired with little Trouble ; whereas if it 
 falls through the Roofs now in ufe, it not only 
 deftroys them, but all the Floors underneath 
 making the greateft Havock in all Parts of the 
 
 Building, 
 
( 3d ) 
 
 Building : if red hot Bullets are caft upon thefe 
 Roofs, there can be no Communication of Fire 
 in any Part of the Structure, and it will make its 
 Way through, with no other Damage than what 
 the Bomb did ; whereas in our prefent Roofs 
 Fire may be communicated where ever Wood 
 lies, and the whole Building fuffer by it. 
 
 Thus then it appears that the Conitru&ion of 
 my Roof is the befb pofTible, to prevent Damage 
 by Bombs and red-hot Bullets to all Houfes and 
 Buildings in general, and a proper Defence to 
 any Neighbouring Edifices that might otherwile 
 be confumed. The other Advantages are not to 
 be liable to Repairs ; Rats and Mice find no 
 Shelter here *, Provifions kept in Magazines thus 
 built would not fpoil or be deftroyed by thofe 
 Creatures, they would always be kept cool, be- 
 caufe well defended from the Heat of Summer, 
 by which great Damage and Lofs enfues, and the 
 whole is often rendered unfit for Ufe. 
 
 The Window-fafhes and Doors of Houfes 
 may be made in Iron- Work; * by thefe Means 
 
 * * There is a Manufa&ure lately eftablifhed at EfTone, where all Kinds 
 
 of Lock-fmith works are carried on, and by the Contrivance of a Plate 
 drawing-iron compofed of two Cylinders, the Work is much better than 
 what is done in the common Method $ it is more perfect, more folid, 
 cheaper, and done in much lefs Time. Among many other curiousWcrks 
 of this Manufacture you may fee (at the Warehoufe in Bourdonnais- 
 Street) a tranfome Window with its crofs-Bars, ereCted on a Pedeftal, 
 and as it is polilhed and painted, there is no Body but would take it to be 
 made of Wood. This Work has been done with great Skill and Pro- 
 priety, for it appears very Light and the Moulds exceeding Delicate. For 
 any thing in this way you may apply to Mr. Durand in Cordiers-Street 
 near the Sorbonne it was to him that I gave the Idea of making Iron- 
 Doors, whofe Pannells will be of fuch Iron-Plates which will make them 
 as Light as other Doors are and may be ornamented as richly as you pleale. 
 
 C 4 nothing 
 
( 40 ) 
 
 nothing would fail and Repairs would be abfolutely 
 avoided •, all Rifk of Fire, of Vermin, of Filth 
 and Nadinefs are all excluded, your Appartments 
 would all be free from Noife, be much cooler in 
 Summer, and they would be warmer in Winter, 
 becaufe the Heat would be reflected from the 
 Walls when a Fire is made in the Rooms. Some 
 Rooms of your bed Appartments may be adorn- 
 ed with Frefco-Paintings, with Pannels of Plan- 
 ter, or Stucco, refembling the fined Carving of 
 Wood, and in others, what Ornaments are ne- 
 cefiary they may be gilded or painted, with 
 fuch Colours as you bed approve of : indead of 
 inlaid Floors of Wood, we might have a Pave- 
 ment of Squared Stones, or Marble, or Tiles of 
 the bed Sort ; and in Winter cover the whole 
 with Carpets, and thus may an Houfe be built 
 without any Wood at all. A great Expence of 
 Furniture would by this Means be faved, and no 
 Rifk run, and what Goods you have would 
 lad their Time properly, you would be ac- 
 comodated with all Conveniences, and that in 
 the greated Safety defireable. 
 
 By their ufing Wood fo generally in Buildings 
 the Foreds can no more fupply you with a Quan 
 tity of it for your Men of War ; whereas they 
 would foon recover their Stock ; and his Majedy 
 would foon have the Means to build his Ships 
 without going to Strangers for that Purpofe, if 
 
 thefe 
 
C 41 ) 
 
 thefe Bricked-Roofs were universally ufed for 
 the Time to come. 
 
 There are in France fome Buildings in this 
 Form, without any Wood at all; the Chapels 
 that furround the Dome of the Invalids are in this 
 Fafhion, Stones laid one on the other, fo as to 
 projedt and fupport each other, as Tiles do in 
 common Roofs make the Roofs of thefe Chapels, 
 and likewife form their Eves. On the Ridge of 
 this Stone Roof there are other hollow Stones, 
 like the common Ridge-Tiles, ufed in ordinary 
 Buildings ; all the Joints of the Stones anfwer 
 exadtly from Top to Bottom, and on this Joint 
 they lay another fecond Bed of Stones, by lap- 
 ping the one over the other, even to the Ridge, 
 which is terminated by a fecond hollow Stone, 
 which covers the Joints of all the other, that the 
 Ridge is compofed of ; fo that not one Joint ap- 
 pears in the whole Work ; the Rain is carried 
 of by the Spindles of the Stair-Cafes and runs 
 under Ground. 
 
 Thus then if Houfes were to be built in the 
 Manner of thefe Chapels they would be very 
 expenfive ; you muff in this Cafe have very thick 
 Walls to refill the Thruft of the Arches : You 
 may indeed by diminifhing the Thicknefs of the 
 Walls diminifh likewife the Thicknefs of the 
 Arches *, but then, Iron mud be ufed to make 
 good the Strength and guard your Building, and 
 
 more 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 more efpecially if the Curvature of the Arches 
 be low, great Quantity of Iron would be necef- 
 fary for every Arch, and that would inhance the 
 Coft of the Building greatly, and at laft Arches 
 thus conftru&ed would quickly be deftroyed by 
 Bombs, whereas there is no Iron in the flat- 
 Arches or in Bricked-Roofs, and confequently 
 a Bomb falling on them would only make a 
 Hole through of the fame Magnitude of itfelf. 
 
 Bsfides the Advantages before defcribed, thefe 
 Roofs may be conflruded at a much lefs Ex- 
 pence than the common French-Roofs, as you 
 may well judge by the following Detail. 
 
 A Bricked-Roof, for the Wing of an Houfe, 
 fuppofing it to be 64 Foot long and 32 Foot 
 broad, exclufive of Work, Cofts at Thouloufe but 
 530 Livres, whereas a French-Roof with two 
 Eves of the fame Length and Breadth without 
 Windows in it, will coft at Paris, what with 
 Wood-Work and what with Tiles, taking in 
 Gutters, Lead-Work and Main-Beams, the Sum 
 of 1395 Liv. 10 Sols and a * Flat-Ridge Roof 
 of two Eves with its Collar - Beams , without 
 Windows, of the fame Length and Breadth, 
 what with Joiner’s Work and Tile-Work and 
 its Collar-Beams would cod, taking in every 
 thing, the Sum of 2329 Liv. 15 Sols. 
 
 * It is a Roof whofe acute Angle is cut at the Top and the flat-Part 
 of it covered with Lead, 
 
 We 
 
( 43 ) 
 
 We may beafiured thataBricked-Roof would 
 not coft more at Paris than in Languedoc, for 
 though Brick be dearer, the Plainer is cheaper. 
 Thus by making a juft Comparifon, you will 
 find the Eftimate pretty nearly equal to each 
 other in Point of Charge, whether you build at 
 Paris or in Languedoc. 
 
 The firft Plate reprefents one of the flat- Ar- 
 ches, that I conftrudted at Thouloufe, to which 
 I gave five Foot feven Inches Elevation from its 
 Center, that is a little more than a third of the 
 Breadth, of the Room. To take of from this too 
 great Heigth, a Cornifh was placed about ten 
 Inches above the Spring of the Arch, and the 
 Effedt it produced was, that the Room appeared 
 better and the Cove much more flat. This 
 Plate reprefents likewife the Profil of my Bricked 
 Roof, fuch as I myfelf built it. 
 
 The fecond Plate reprefents the Plan and Pro- 
 file of a Relievo , that 1 made at Paris, in which 
 I mended fome Faults, that I remarked in my 
 former. A bare Infpedlion of it is fuflicient to 
 fliew how much the one is more preferable to 
 the other, for in this the Arch rifes no more 
 than three Foot from its Center, viz. a very little 
 more than a fifth of the Breadth of the Room, 
 and a Cornifh is placed above the Spring of the 
 Arch, which is what I have done over all the 
 Arches I have ever built. 
 
 I am 
 
( 44 ) 
 
 I am now to produce the Extra# of the 
 Certificate of the Royal Academy of Painting, 
 of Architecture, and Sculpture at Thouloufe, 
 which confirms the truth of all that has been 
 faid upon the Bricked-Roof. 
 
 Certificate ofi the Academy . 
 
 T E the underwritten Members of the Royal 
 
 Academy of Painting, Architecture and 
 Sculpture, deputed by the Order and Council of 
 the faid Academy, on the 25th March 1753. to 
 the Intent that we fhould verifie and make known 
 the Bricked - Roofs, conftruCted by the Comte 
 d'Efpie at his fine Houfe built in this City, and 
 which he fays are of his own Invention, and calls 
 them Bricked- Roofs ; after having been in his 
 Houle, and having confidered, and with great 
 Attention, examined thefe new Kind of Roofs, 
 we find that their whole ConftruCtion is Com- 
 pofed of Bricks and Plaifter only, and that no 
 Iron or Wood enters into the Compofition; that 
 they are the bell: Security againft Fire, that the 
 Matter of them is of that Strength and Solidity 
 that they have not given in the Lead fince the 
 Time they have been built; we therefore have 
 come to this Conclufion that they ought to be 
 preferred on Account of thefe great Advantages 
 to all the common Sort of Roofs, and that if all 
 the Roofs of a City were thus built, a thoufand 
 
 bad 
 
( 45 ) 
 
 bad Accidents would be avoided, and principally 
 in fortified Towns, and in the Magazins of the 
 King , in full Belief whereof we have under our 
 Hands given the prefent Certificate to ferve for 
 thofe whom it may concern. Done at Thou- 
 loufe the 22d of Auguft 1753. Signed Poijfon , 
 Moderator •, Fabric the Principal Magiftrate of 
 the City and Commifiary. G. P//z, Profeffor 
 and Commifiary, Be Sevignac , Profeffor and 
 Commifiary ; d^Orbejfan^ Secretary. 
 
 The following Objections may be made to 
 the Author, that there is no Doubt of the 
 Strength of thefe Bricked -Roofs, fince it has 
 been fully proved that they flood without giving 
 for upwards of three Years pad, but then they 
 can only be executed in new Buildings, contrived 
 purpofely for thefe Roofs, becaufe you mu ft have 
 a Flat-Arch necefiarily to fupport them, and if 
 you have a Mind to lay thefe Roofs on Houfes 
 that are already built with the common Cielings 
 and Floors, no Body would deflroy the whole, 
 merely to follow the Method here prefcribed. 
 The Author has forefeen this Obje&ion, and 
 . allows the Reafoning to be Juft, and agrees that, 
 at this Rate, People would be put at too great Ex« 
 pence if their Floors and Cielings were to be des- 
 troyed to make Way for thefe Kind of Roofs ; 
 but he fays that if the Public approves of thefe 
 Bricked-Roofs, he will hereafter in a Work more 
 at large give a new Method to ere& thefe Roofs 
 
 over 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 over old Buildings, whereby the old Roof only 
 is to be removed, and then the Floors and 
 Cielings may remain as they were at firft built ; 
 this Change he apprehends will not come to any 
 great Charge, fince it is full well known that the 
 Materials of a Roof are always faleable, and 
 more efpecially if it be a Flat - Ridge - Roof, 
 where there is Lead, and that in fuch Quantities 
 as will pay the whole Coft of a Bricked-Roof. 
 
 What an Advantage would it be for all Houfes 
 in populous Cities to be built with Roofs of this 
 Sort ? for fuppofing a Tingle Houfe be fired, the 
 Flames could only burn the Floors, Doors, 
 Wainfcots, and Windows, and there it mufl 
 neceflarily flop, for the Bricked-Roof can never 
 be affe&ed •, confequently the Fire could make 
 no further Progrefs, and all the other Houfes 
 would remain fafe and unhurt, which without 
 Doubt would be of the greatefl Advantage to all 
 Cities and Towns whatever ; if a Chimney be on 
 Fire, and the Flames gufh out of its Mouth with 
 the greatefl Violence, we need have no Appre- 
 henfions about it, provided the Roof be built ac- 
 cording to this Form ; but where there is a Roof 
 with Wood in it, the leafl Spark is not only ca- 
 pable of fetting it on Fire, but likewife all other 
 Houfes that are in the fame Line of Building, 
 may be, and are generally affe&ed by it. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 APPRO- 
 
( 47 ) 
 
 *ju* *a/* %V» 'W* W* *\A/» •«!/• »\A/* 
 
 CX9CX!>qX!>qX!><ZXS<^ 
 
 APPROBATION. 
 
 T the Order of the Chancellor , I have 
 carefully ferufed a Treatife on the Conf- 
 truBion of Bricked-Roofs , with what is an- 
 nexed thereto upon the Subject of Flat - Ar- 
 ches . I fhould think it would be of the 
 
 greatef Inflruffiion and Benefit to all thofe 
 who propofe to engage in Works of this Sort. 
 Done at Paris on the 20 th Fev. 1754. 
 
 Mon tcarviile, 
 Reader and Royal ProfelTor. 
 
 LET- 
 
( 4 § ) 
 
 LETTER 
 
 From Peter Wyche Efqr. fellow of the Royal 
 Society to the Author . 
 
 S I R, 
 
 ryiHOSE who have employed their Time for 
 I the Benefit of Mankind in any ufeful Art, 
 have in all Ages been defervedly applauded, and 
 in my Opinion thofe feem to have the mod Merit 
 who by their Works have fhewn that the faving 
 of Mens Lives is the greateft Benefit to human 
 Society ; But in your Performance of Architec- 
 ture, we fee that not only the Lives of People are 
 preferred, but their Property too. AThought that 
 muff naturally attradl the Attention of all who 
 read your Work. The Method of building at 
 Roufiillon, tho’ pradticed for fo many Centuries 
 and that in no other Place of Europe, might ftill 
 have lain unknown, had not your penetrating Ge- 
 nius made the Ufe of it manifefl to the reft of 
 the World, and that in fo plain and eafy a 
 Manner that your Specimen ought to be a rule 
 for all People in all Nations to go by: and what ini 
 this is moftadmirable is your own Invention of the 
 Comhle Briquette or Bricked-Roof whereby both 
 the Method of Building as well as the Roof itfelf 
 is made more durable and lefs expenfive than any 
 Form yet contrived in Archite&ure. I have 
 
 been 
 
( 49 ) 
 
 been To well fatisfied with what you have wrote 
 on this fubjedt that I have prefented your Book 
 to a Gentleman * of great Fortune, an Encou- 
 rager of all Arts and of thofe mod efpecially 
 where there is fo great a Field for the Employ- 
 ment of indudrious Poor. This Gentleman has 
 lately been a Sufferer by the Accident of Fire, his 
 Houfe, Pictures, Books and other rare curiofities 
 having been entirely confumed, to an immenfe 
 Value *, but tho’ the Lofs has been fo great as 
 that a Prince might regret, yet has he bore it 
 with a Patience equal to the wifeft Philofopher, 
 and is now refolved to build again, but in fuch 
 Manner as that his Edifice fhall be no more li- 
 able to Accidents of this Sort. It is therefore to 
 him that I have communicated your Specimen; 
 for who can be more fenfible of the Worth of it, 
 than he who is defirous to avoid a Calamity by 
 which he has already fullered fo much ? and for 
 this Reafon he mud neceflarily be the bed Ad- 
 vocate for a Contrivance to fecure not only him- 
 felf, but the red of the World from an Evil pro- 
 ductive of the greated Injuries to Society, But 
 however curious and well defcribed your method 
 is,* yet the building of an Houfe whofe Dimen- 
 fions in Length are to be upwards of 23 Tozfesf 
 and in Breadth nearly 12 Toifes is not a Thing 
 to be done by a written Difcourfe, but every 
 Body in fuch Cafes will have Workmen who 
 have actually been engaged themfelves in conf- 
 
 # William Beckford, Efqr. -J- A Toifc is 6 Foot, 
 
 D 
 
 tru&ing 
 
( 5 ° ) 
 
 trading thefe Sort of Buildings for fome Years •, 
 therefore, this Gentleman to do Honour to you 
 as the Inventor, and more efpecially that no Mif- 
 conceptions fhould arife in the Theory Part, has 
 defired me to inform you that he is determined to 
 build according to the Rules you deferibe, being 
 fully fatisfied it will in every Refped Anfwer his 
 Purpofe. He defires therefore to be informed 
 whether you have ever built or feen a Flat- Arch of 
 fix Toifes fquare, what the lowed Elevation of 
 fuch an Arch is from the firft Rife, and what 
 Weight when formed it will carry, and what will 
 break it : and like wife to know whether there 
 be in RoufTillon a Building of 12 Toifes long 
 and five Toi[es broad covered with fuch Hat- 
 Arches and what the lowed Elevation of fuch an 
 Arch is. He would be glad to be informed what 
 would be the Price of Workmen to be brought 
 here upon a Contra# made with them by the 
 Year, Allowance being granted for their Pafiage 
 here, and return into their Countries on the Con- 
 clufion of the Building. The Matter of Ex- 
 pence he is not fo follicitous about, as about the 
 Abilities of the Perfons who are to be fent him 
 and therefore would have thole whom you have 
 already employed, and whofe fkill for that Reafon 
 may be depended upon •, for his Reliance is to be 
 abfolutely on your Judgment. The great Ob- 
 jection we, on this Side of theWater, have to the 
 whole Theory, is the Want of fuch Plaider as 
 you deferibe \ but probably you may have thought 
 
 on 
 
( 5i ) 
 
 on iorne other Material compounded of Lime 
 and other things, which may be as Tenacious 
 and as fit for the Arching as the Plaifter is; if 
 not, our only and lad: Refuge rauft be to have 
 fome Ship Loads of it from Roufliiion itfelf; 
 what the Price of this Plaifter per Tun may be, 
 delivered to the Ship, is required, andlikcwife 
 what Quantity wi 1 do for to build a Flat- Arch of 
 6 Toifes fquare ; for by knowing this we fhall 
 be able to compute how many Tuns of this Plaif- 
 ter will be necefiary for the whole Edifice, and 
 other purpofes we fhall want it for. Moreover 
 as your Invention of the Bricked- Roof is fo very 
 ingenious, we are in particular defirous of feeing 
 that by a Model in Woodwork done in Minia- 
 ture, fo that it may eafily be taken in the Hand, 
 and as eafily be examined by the Eye : and then we 
 fhall be able to form it according to the prefent 
 Tafte of building here ; for our Houfes are not 
 built in the Tafte of France, with High Roofs ; 
 becaufe our Country being in a High Latitude, 
 is Subject to Tempeftuous Winds, and tnat con- 
 tinually for a third Part of the Year. Laftly, 
 we defire to know whether you have printed your 
 greater Work which is mentioned in your Spe- 
 cimen ; if it be publifticd, we fhould be glad of 
 a Copy Oi two ; and care will be taken that your 
 Endeavours for the Good of Mankind fhall be 
 eftabuftied here with as good a Reputation as it 
 is in the Parts where you live. The Gentleman 
 has already fixed on his Plan, and propofes to 
 D 2 Arch 
 
( 52 ) 
 
 Arch his lower Appartments with Brick and. 
 Mortar in the common Manner; for in your Spe- 
 cimen you tell us the plaidered Arches will not: 
 do wherever the Moidure of the Ground influ- 
 ences, therefore he deflres, as he mud proceed on 
 his building now begun, that you would fend 
 me an Anfwer to the feveral above mentioned 
 Articles, with fuch Expedition as the Nature of 
 the Cafe and your own Convenience will admit 
 of, the fooner the better. It is a Thing fcarce 
 credible in fo philofophical a Nation as England 
 is, that their Method of building fhould be fo 
 fubjedt to Fire; fcarce is there a Year pafles but 
 the Damage done by that Element thro’ the King- 
 dom amounts to no lefs a Sum than 1 5000oPounds, 
 and therefore what Honour does not that Man de- 
 ferve who can for the future prevent Calamities 
 of fo dreadful a Nature ? how many Lives, what 
 property is this faving ? And confequently as the 
 Attention of the whole Nation is upon this Work, 
 fo muft the Praife, if well compleated, finally 
 center in the Edabiifhment of your Character. 
 The greated Care incumbent on you in this 
 Matter is, to be accurate in providing us with 
 the mod able, mod expert and mod fober 
 Artids, who, affure yourfelf, will not want En- 
 courage. ment fuitable to their Merit and Indudry: 
 and then we may red fatisfled that every thingelfe 
 
 will be done to the utmod of our Wifhes, I am 
 Tour ?noft humble Servant 
 London PETER WYCHE 
 
 May nth 1755. 
 
 P. S . 
 
( 53 ) 
 
 P, S. The Workmen required will be 
 
 1. The Conftrudlor of the Arch Work 
 
 2. The Carpenter for the Centers 
 
 3. The Burner of the Plaifter 
 
 4. The Infpe&or of the whole work, and 
 who can teach others while the Conftru&or is 
 about his own Work. 
 
 The Models, for the making of Bricks in the 
 manner defcribed in your Book,fhou!d be brought 
 confident with their l’everal Dimenfions. 
 
 Whether, when all the Walls of the Houfe 
 are built as high as they ought to be, it would not 
 be advifeable to build the upper Arch with the 
 Bricked-Roof firft ; for by that Means the lower 
 Arches may be built under Cover of it, and let 
 the Weather be what it will the Workmen will 
 be (heltered — If the Rooms on each Floor 
 be of the fame Dimenfions, it would not be a great 
 Saving of Expence to have the Centers moveable, 
 lb that when the higheft Arch is finilhed by flip- 
 ping the Centers, the fame Centers will do for 
 every fucceflive Floor — Q. Whether by fixing 
 a fmall Ciftern on the Bricked-Roof, whether 
 Water cannot be communicated to every Room 
 in the Houfe — Wheter by making a Flue 
 conveniently in every folid Wall having a Com- 
 munication with the outward Air, fuch Quan- 
 tity whether great or fmall of Air may be let into 
 every Room that may purge it without any In- 
 
 D 3 conve- 
 
( 54 ) 
 
 convenience from any fmell occafioned by the 
 Effluvia of Viduals or any ocher whatsoever. 
 
 The Count of Efpic' r Anfwer to Peter V/ychc 
 £»qr. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 Y OIj R Favour of the ioth Inftant I duely 
 received., and fhould have anfwered it fooner, 
 had 1 been in Town when it came. What you 
 have faid on this fubjed is a full Recomperde to 
 me for all the Labour and Trouble I have taken 
 in this Affair, and could wifh for an Opportunity 
 of returning you my Thanks in Perfon in your 
 own Country. But as this is not at prefent in my 
 Power I fhall endeavour to give you all the Sa- 
 tisfaction I am able, and anfwer what you defire 
 to know about my Specimen, that your friend may 
 execute the Defign he has of building his Houfe, 
 and fecure himfclf for the future from the Acci- 
 dents of Fire by which he has lately been fo great 
 a fuffertr. You give me no Account of the 
 Manner of building in England whether their 
 Houfesare built with Stone or with Brick : and 
 in fad:, provide d the Rules ot Art be exadly ob- 
 ferved, and the Wails be two Poor thick and the 
 Materials have no Moifture in them, rhis is the 
 only Thing necefiary, and it matters not whether 
 they be of Stone or of Biick. In order to Frame 
 your Building agreeable to my Plan, Your 
 
 Bricks 
 
( 55 ) 
 
 Bricks muft be of three different Dimenfions ; 
 that is, Bricks of ten Inches long, five Inches 
 broad, aud of one Inch thick for the Arches ; 
 Bricks of fifteen inches long, ten broad, and two 
 Inches thick for the Roofs ; Bricks likewife for 
 the Roof that are to be fifteen Inches long, four 
 Inches broad, and two Inches thick; I know of 
 no ocher Cement proper for thefe Works but 
 Plaifter, and I can not think the Charge would 
 be much in point of Freight from France to 
 England, fmce there is fo great an Abundance of 
 it near our Sea-Ports, as at Bourdeaux, Mar- 
 feilles, Bayone, and at Rouen; at which lad 
 Place I am told there are large Rocks of it, and 
 may be had very cheap. It cods me at Thou- 
 loufe from fix Pence to eight Pence a Sack, the 
 Weight whereof is about eighty Pounds* but I 
 would aavife you to buy it from the Rock it- 
 felf and burn it at the Time when you conftru£t 
 your Arches; for then the Plaifter will have more 
 Fire in it, and confequendy will be more tena- 
 cious ; whereas was you to have it in Powder the 
 Work would be in Danger of Failing, as the 
 force of the Plaifter would be confiderably di- 
 minifhed. You may without any Difficulty 
 build flat- Arches over Rooms whofe Arches are 
 thirty fix Foot fquare and more if required ; 
 confequendy you may do it over a Room of 72 
 Foot long and thirty broad, or even more if you 
 have Occafion for it ; and as to the Elevation of 
 thefe Arches you fee in my Book, that a third of 
 
 D 4 the 
 
( 56 ) 
 
 the Breadth of the Room, if you build it after the 
 Italian Manner, is the proper hcigth •, a fifth of 
 the Breadth if you would not have it rile fo nigh 
 as the Italian form, and an Eighth if you would 
 have it of the leaft Elevation, feme have given 
 no more than a 9th cr even a 10th Part of the 
 Breadth of the Room for its Elevation, but I 
 think it is hazarding too far. As to the Thicknefs 
 of thefe Arches you muft have feen in my Book, 
 that it cannot exceed three Inches, that is the two 
 Bucks laid flat on each other make two Inches, 
 and the Plaifter that is above them and under 
 them will make nearly another Inch *, now thefe 
 three Inches will bear any Weight that can pof- 
 fibly be wanted for any Ufe whatever, as 
 may clearly be feen in the Experiment I des- 
 cribed of loading an Arch of 20 Foot fquare, 
 whofe Sides v/ere not fixed up nor were they 
 loaded, and confeqoently the Central Point bore 
 all the Weight. You fee in my Treatife that it 
 is abfolutely necefiary the Walls be all built to 
 their Height and remain fo for fix Months be- 
 fore you begin to build your Arches ; and that 
 the uppermofi: Arch is to be firfl: conflrudled, on 
 which you are to build the bricked Roof, and 
 then the other Arches downwards. As to the 
 Centers they are only to guide the Workmen, 
 they bear no Weight may be made at very little 
 Cofl:,.and it would be needlefs to ufe the Caution 
 you mention. As to a large Ciftern you vould 
 have fixed on the Top of the Building, and 
 
 thereby 
 
( 57 ) 
 
 thereby that every Room of the Houfe would be 
 amply fupplied with Water, that may be well 
 done, provided it he fixed on an Arch made of 
 Lime Mortar , for Moifture is contrary to the 
 Nature of Plaifter. 1 very well approve of your 
 Idea of contriving Pipes in the Walls themfelves 
 to expell all bad fmell ; but I would have them 
 only in Kitchens and other Offices, and they 
 ffiould not be near one another, becaufe theWalls 
 may be weakened by them. I think, Sir, I have 
 now anfwered ail the Paragraphs of your Letter, 
 and if any Farther Doubts arife, be pleafed to 
 communicate them to me, and I fhail with the 
 utmofi pleafure endeavour to give you all the Sa- 
 tisfaction I am able to do. I am to fet out for 
 Paris in July next where I have already fent the 
 Workmen who built my Arches, the King of 
 France having ordered me to make a Modell of 
 my Bricked-Roof at the Military School ; when 
 this is done, I ffiall be able to fend thefe very 
 Men to you, and that will be about the begin- 
 ing of April next ; as to their Wages, I give 
 them half a Crown per Day, and find them 
 Victuals and Lodgings, but they will probably 
 require more to go out of the Kingdom, befides 
 an Allowance for their Journey backwards and 
 forwards ; you need have no French Carpenter ; 
 your own Carpenters will faw Deals according 
 to their Directions and they will form the Centers 
 themfelves and likewife burn the Plaifter. As 
 £0 an InfpeCtor of the Work, I will fave your 
 
 friend 
 
( 5 * ) 
 
 friend that Expence, by giving the proper 
 Diredtions myfelf to the Workmen that are to 
 be fent you ; for which Reafon be pleafed to 
 let me have your Plan of the Building with the 
 Height of the Walls and the Profiles and upon 
 viewing it, I (hall determine where the Mafons 
 are to leave Niches for the Arches to take their 
 Rife. As to the fmall Modell you afk of me, 
 1 fhall get it done when I am at Paris. I wifh 
 Sir that what I have faid may be fatisfadtory, 
 for it will be a great Pleafure to me to be ufe- 
 ful to your Nation, for which I have a parti- 
 cular Efteem and Refpedt I have the Ho- 
 nour to be 
 
 27th May 1^55,. 
 
 The Authors Letter to Mr. Dutens . 
 
 SIR, 
 
 our feveral Letters of the ift and 8th of 
 
 this Month I duely received, wherein I am 
 informed of your Intentions of tranflating my 
 litte Book, a Compliment too great for me to 
 pais by, without exprefiing my Thanks to 
 you on the Occafion, and telling you how fen- 
 fible I am of the Honour you do me, not 
 doubting but by its pafiing thro* your Hands 
 
 Thouloufe 
 
 Tour moji humble 
 Servant , 
 
 The Count of Espie 
 
 Paris 17th January 1756. 
 
 it 
 
( 59 ) 
 
 it will acquire a new Merit, and that the Pu- 
 blick will value the tranflation more than the 
 Original. In this Country every Body is with 
 great prejudice let againft new Inventions, let 
 them be ever fo well grounded in fadt it matters 
 not, their averfion is fo great that they never 
 give themfelves time to confider them, and 
 thus it is that by fervilely following old Cuf- 
 toms their Reafon is led abfolutely by Caprice 
 and fometimes by Interefl, and hence it is, 
 that the great End propofed of doing Good to 
 the Puhlick is rendered null and is by them 
 confidered as no Argument at all. In a Word 
 the fyflem I have publifhed can never be 
 thought a mere Projedl, but a fadl adlually 
 exifling, and has been examined into, as ap- 
 pears by the Building I conflrudled at Thou- 
 loufe, and which has now flood rive or fix 
 Years without failing in any one Circumfcance 
 whatever. I come now. Sir, to the Paragraph of 
 your Letter wherein you put fome Queftions 
 to me •, and in Anfwer mufl inform you that 
 the Plaifler of Paris is much more tenacious 
 than that of Languedoc or Rouflillon, for which 
 Reafon the Workmen ufe a greater Quantity 
 of Water to mix it in, and thereby bring it to 
 fuch a Temper as to make it the proper Ce- 
 ment they would have it to be ; and befides, 
 it has another Advantage over the Roufiillon 
 Plaifler for it refills Rain, whereas the other 
 when expofed to it will flack, and reduce itfelf to 
 
 Powder. 
 
( 6o ) 
 
 Powder. As to the Height of the Arches for 
 a Room of 24 Foot fquare, if you follow the 
 Italian falhion it ought to be 8 feet, that is, a 
 third of the Side; if you would not have it fo 
 great a Curve a fifth Part of the Side is an- 
 other good Proportion ; and if you would ftill 
 have a lefs Curvature, three Foot or an Eigth 
 of the Breadth of the Room is ufed ; fuch an 
 Arch tho’ much more Flat than others has ftill 
 all the Solidity fufficient. I know that feverai 
 Arches of this Proportion have been conftruc- 
 ted, but I have not followed it in my own 
 Buildings. The Workmen at Rouflillon al- 
 low one Foot of Curvature to every fix feet of 
 the Breadth of the Room fo that if your Room 
 be 24 feet broad the Curvature fhould be 4 
 feet *, hence then it appears reafonable that this 
 Elevation will give the Arch all the Solidity 
 neceftfary. The Curvature may be made to 
 appear lefs by placing a Cornifh on the Arch 
 at about 9 or 10 Inches above its Spring, and 
 this will make the Cieling look more Flat, as 
 you fee it explained in my Book, and you may 
 ftill give a greater Grace to the Work by 
 making a fecound Cornifh. I intend to go to 
 Thouloufe about the End of February next, 
 where I fhould be glad to fee Mr. Beckfcrd and 
 make him fenfible of what I have advanced in 
 my Book, We have here a Compofition called 
 Spalm, it is a kind of Maftick and withftands 
 Water, Worms &c. and is of fo tenacious a 
 
 Nature 
 
( 6t ) 
 
 Nature that if you cement two Stones with it 
 and drop them from a great Height, they will 
 break in any Part foonerthan where the Cement 
 is ufed. Send me your Diredion and [ will 
 leave fome of this Maftick with a little Book 
 for you. I beg you will return my Thanks to 
 Mr. Wyche for his kind rememberance of me 
 I am with all the Efteem poflible, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Tour mojl obedient humble 
 Servant . 
 
 D’ESPIE. 
 
 Ex trad of a Letter from Wiliam Beckford Efq ; 
 to Peter V/yche Efq ; 
 
 Soho-Square May 12 . 1755 . 
 
 S I R, 
 
 I A m exceedingly obliged to you for inte- 
 refting yourfelf in fo particular a Manner 
 on my Behalf, the Public likewife will owe an 
 Obligation, and a very great one to you if this 
 Method of building fhould fucced as I verily 
 believe it will. 
 
 I have perufed your very Judicious Letter 
 to the Count of Efpie and any alteration would 
 be improper and impertinent unlefs in that 
 
 Part 
 
( 62 ) 
 
 Part where I think you feem to Entertain too 
 favourable an Opinion of Myfelf, 
 
 Give me leave to afiure you that no Man has 
 a higher Regard for your Friendlhip than. 
 Sir, 
 
 Tour moji obedient , and 
 very humble Servant . 
 
 WILLIAM BECKFORD. 
 


 . 
 
 ■ 
 
 :/ 
 
 
 < 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
November 20, 1765. 
 
 To the Nobility and Gentry, and to every In- 
 dividual concerned in Building *, but particularly 
 to all Architects, Surveyors, Carpenters, Joyners, 
 Bricklayers, Mafons, Plaifterers, Stucco-workers, 
 Papier Machee-makers, Ornament-modellers, 
 Cabinet and Chair-makers, Up hoi Here rs, Coach- 
 rnakers. Painters, Plumbers, Stove-grate-makers, 
 and Smiths, &V. 
 
 This Day were Published, 
 
 New Editions of the fallowing very ufeful Books, printed 
 for, and fold by Henry Webley, at his Original 
 Shop for Books of Architecture, Perspective, 
 UV. in Holborn , near Chancery-lane ; and by the 
 principal Bookfellers at all the chief Cities and noted 
 Towns in England , Scotland , and Ireland, 
 
 FOLIO, 
 
 A TREATISE on Civil Architeiture, in which the 
 Principles of that Art are laid down and illus- 
 trated by a great Number of Plates. By William 
 Chambers , Ekp Architect to his Majefty, 2I. 8s. halj bound. 
 
 DESIGNS of Buildings, Furniture, Drefles, Machines, 
 and U ten fils of the Chinefe , engraved from the Originals 
 drawn in China. By William Chambers , Efq. To which, 
 is annexed, a Description of their Temples, Houles, 
 Gardens, &c, il. 16$. half bound. 
 
 PLANS, Elevations and Se£tions, of all the Buildings in 
 the Gardens of Her Royal Highnefs the Princefs 
 
h Books printed and fold by Henry Webley, 
 
 Dowager of Wales, at Kew , in Surry. By HI Hi am 
 Chambers , Efq; 2l. 8s. half bceund. 
 
 The PERSPECTIVE of Architecture, a Work entirely 
 new, deduced from the Principles of Dr. Brock Taylor % 
 and performed by two Ryles only of univerfal Appli- 
 cation. By JcJhua Kirby , E(b; Publifhed by Com- 
 mand of his prelent Majeify, 31. 3s. in Sheets , 3I. 15s, 
 bound. 
 
 CAMPBELL'* VITRUVIUS BRIT ANNICUS ; or the 
 Britijh Architect ; containing the Plans, Elevations, 
 and Sections, of the regular Buildings, both public 
 and private, 3 Vols. 5I. 5s. bound. 
 
 RUINS of the Emperor D'tocleftan' s Palace at Spalatro , in 
 Dalmatia . By Robert Adam, Efq; Architect to their 
 prefen t Majefties, 3I. 15s. half bound. 
 
 RUINS of Palmyra , otherwife Tedmor in the Defart# By 
 Wood , 31. 15s. half bound. 
 
 RUINS of Balbec , otherwife Heliopolis in Casio Syria , 3I, 
 15s. half bound. 
 
 RUINS of Greece . By Le Roy , in French , 3I. 10s. half 
 bound . 
 
 GIBBS’s Archite&ure ; containing, Plans, Elevations, 
 Se&ions, (Ac, 2I. 2s. bound. 
 
 GIBBS’s Rules for drawing Architecture, i6«, bound. 
 
 IS WAN’s Collection of Defigns in Archite&ure ; con- 
 taing, Plans, Elevations, Sections. Ornaments for the 
 Jnfide of Rooms^rfd^eSj^r.^V olsfbeund in one,il. j 7s. 
 
 SWAN’s Britijh Architect ; or the Builder’s Treafury of 
 Stair-cafes, 1% s. 6 bound. 
 
 GARRETT's Dcfic ns and Efti mates f«r Farm-houfes 
 for the Counties of York , Northumberland , Cumberland , 
 We/hnoreiqnd > and the Bifhopri^k of Durham , fewed 5s. 
 
 The defiyns in the above Book ar£ univerfalJy ejleemed the befl 
 for. Coniy niency ? Cbcqpnefs , SlQ. jhat ever were pubiijhed. 
 
 WARE’S 
 
in Holborn, near Chancery-Lane. 3 
 
 WARE’S Complete Body of Archite&ure, 2I. 8s. bound * 
 
 PALLADIO’s Archite&ure, publifhed by Wart* ll. 7s.. 
 bound* 
 
 The fame publifhed by Coley ll. 10s. new. 
 
 The fame publifhed by Leonty 3I. 3s. bound, 
 
 LIGHTOLER’s Modern Builder’s Afliftant, il, ig 4 
 bound. 
 
 HAMILTON’S Complete Body of Perfpe&ive, il. us* 
 6d. bound*. 
 
 POZZO’s Perfpe&ive on 105 Plates, beautifully engraved 
 by Sturt . New il. 5s. 
 
 SlRIGATTI’s Practice of Perfpe&ive, publifhed by 
 Ware , 10s. 
 
 HALFPFNNY’s Art of Sound Building, tos. bound. 
 
 CHIPPENDALE’S Defigns for all Sorts of Houfhold 
 Furniture, 3I. 3s. bound. 
 
 INCE and MAYHEW’s ditto* ih us. 6d. bound . j 
 
 QUARTO. 
 
 The NOBLEMAN and Gentleman’s Dire&or and Af* 
 fillant in the true Choice of their Wheel Carriages ; 
 containing 37 new Defigns for all Sorts of Coaches, 
 Landaus, Chariots, PofVChaifes, Phaetons, Italian 
 Chairs, £sV. 14s. fevuedy and very beautifully coloured % 
 il. 5s. 
 
 ABBOTT’s Grand, Magnificent, and Superb Defigns 
 for Coaches and Chariots ; the Pannels are finely en- 
 riched with Landfcapes, Fcftoons, Ornaments for the 
 Arms, Supporters, Crefts, Coronets, Cyphers, &V* 
 
 I os. 6d. fewed, and beautifully coloured , 19s. 
 
 All the Carriages now made ere taken from the Defignt con- 
 tained in the above tivo Bocks, anil are the only Ones of 
 the Kind that ever were publijhed. 
 
 CRUNDEN’s 
 
4 Book ^fr kited and fold by Henry Web lev, 
 
 CRUNDEN’s For-ty-cight Defigns of grand Corners for 
 ftucco’d Cielings, and nineteen beautiful Defigns for 
 
 ' rich Centers in the ornamental and Gothic Talie ; in 
 which are introduced, Fame founding her Trumpet, 
 Cupid with his Bow and Arrow, Trophies of Mufic, 
 Boys dancing, Birds, Squirrels, a complete fporting 
 Cieling, with the Greyhounds and Flare, the Death 
 of the Fox, Hunting the Stag, the Setting Dog and 
 Partridge, with two Men drawing the Net, and Diana 
 the Goddefs of Hunting in the Center; the Fables of 
 the Fox, Stork, Crow, Grapes, and the Goofe, neatly 
 engraved on 12 Copper-plates, Price il. is. fewed in 
 Aiarble -paper. 
 
 LANGLEY’s City and Country Builder’s and Work- 
 man's Treafury of Defigns ; or, the Art of Drawing 
 and Working the ornamental Parts of Architecture, 
 14s. bound. 
 
 LAXGLEY’s Gothic Archite£hire, being the moft ex- 
 
 . tenfive Book of the Kind that ever was publifhed, 15s. 
 bound. 
 
 LANGLEY’s Sure Guide to Builders 12s. bound. 
 
 LANGLEY’s Young Builder’s Rudiments, 7s. 6d. bound. 
 
 HOPPUS’s Gentleman and Builder’s Repofitory, 10 s. 
 bound. 
 
 MORRIS’s Rural Architecture^ 13s. bound. 
 
 , . ■ .x: dr- . , . •: . . • ' 
 
 PRICE’S Bri ifo Carpenter, 7s. 6d. bound . 
 
 ■ bfv • 6 mu i : 
 
 SWAN’s 'Defigns in Carpentry, 6s. 6d. fewed y 7s. 6d, 
 bound. 
 
 fi j. . ; - '* , 
 
 The LONDON Art of Building, 7s. 6d. bound. 
 
 4 
 
 KIRBY’s Perfpe&Iye made eafy, il. is. fewed y il. 4s. 
 
 bound. 
 
 FQURNIER’s Treatife of Perfpe&ive on the Principles 
 of Dr. Brook Taylor . isS. fnued y 18s. bound . 
 v / JESUIT’S 
 
5 
 
 in Holborn, near Chancery-Lane* 
 
 JESUIT’S Perfpedtive, 12s. bound. 
 
 HIGHMORE’s Perfpedtive, ll. is. bound. 
 HALFPENNY’S Perfpedtive made eafy, 5s. fewed. 
 HALFPENNY’S Architecture delineated, 10s. 6d. bound. 
 HALFPENNY’S Farm-houfes, 6s. fewed. 
 
 LIGHTOLER’s Gentleman and Farmer’s Architect, 6s. 
 fewed. 
 
 PRICE’S Obfervations on Saiifbury Cathedral, 7 s. 6d. 
 fewed. 
 
 MURRAY’S Treatife on Ship-building and Navigation, 
 il. is. bound . 
 
 OCTAVO. 
 
 EVERY MAN a complete Builder, or eafy Rules and 
 Proportions for Drawing and Working the feveral Parts 
 of Architecture ; containing, Practical Geometry, the 
 moil: eafy and concife Method of proportioning the five 
 Orders, with the Manner of glueing up and fluting of 
 Columns ; the Method of reducing each Order into 
 Practice in the Formation of Deflgns for Doors and 
 Windows; a great Variety of Carpenters Work, and 
 feveral Plans, Hand-rails, Newels, Baniiters and 
 Brackets for Stair-cafes ; together with a true and con- 
 cife Method for ftriking the Ramp and fquar-iirg the 
 twilled Rail to fquare and circular Plans : The Builder’s 
 Dictionary, confifling of the Terms made life of in 
 Architedture ; every Plate is fully and clearly explained 
 by Letter-prefs ; compiled by the late Edward 
 Oakley, Architect ; in which is alfo given, a Plan, 
 Elevation, and Sedtion of thecuriGustrufled Carpenter's 
 Work, eredted to fupport the fuperb and magnificent: 
 Center-arch of B’ack-fryers Bridge, from an exudt 
 
 • Meafurement, 4s. 6d. fewed, 5s. 6d. bound. 
 
 The CABINET and Chair-maker’s real Friend and Com- 
 panion, containing upwards of too new and beautiful 
 
 Fcfipn 
 
,6 Book $ printed and fold by Henry Webley, 
 
 Defigns for all Sorts of Chairs, with full Inftru&iotfs 
 to Workmen for executing every Defign, full explained 
 in Twenty-three Pages of Letter-Prefs ; a large Plate 
 of the five Orders in Architecture, and alfo a large 
 Plate fhewing the true Method of {Liking out all Kind 
 of Bevel-work, by which the molt ignorant Perfon 
 will be immediately acquainted with what many Artifts 
 have ferved feven Years to know, 5s. fewed , 6s. 6d. 
 hound* 
 
 Note, The prodigious and rapid Sale, that the above Book 
 hath met with, is a fufficiefct Recommendation of its 
 univerfal Utility. 
 
 CRUNDEN’s Joiner and Cabinet-maker’s Darling, con- 
 taining fixty different new and beautiful Defigns for all 
 Sorts of Frets for f riezes, Impofl, Architraves, Taber- 
 nacle Frames, Toa-flands, Stoves, Fenders and Fan- 
 lights for over Doors, 3s. fewed . 
 
 The MANNER of fecuring all forts of Buildings from 
 F ire, or a Treatife upon the Conftru£tion of Arches 
 made with Bricks and Plaifter, called flat Arches, and 
 of a Roof without Timber, called a bricked Roof, with 
 fome Letters that paffed between the Count of Efpie> 
 Peter IVyche , and IVilliam Beckford , Efqrs. on this Sub- 
 ject, 2S. fewed. 
 
 The CARPENTER’S Companion, containing 33 new 
 and beautiful Defigns for all Sorts of Cbinefe Railing 
 and Gates, by J. H. Morris and J. Crunden , 2s. fewed. 
 
 The CARPENTER’S Complete Guide to the whole 
 Syftem of Gothic Railing, containing 32 new Defigjis, 
 with the Eftimates and Scales to each, and an excel- 
 lent Receipt for making Glew to fix the Joints of the 
 Work, 2s. fewed. ( 
 
 The SMITH’S RIGHT HAND, divided into three Parts. 
 Part I. Contains 40 new and beautiful Defigs, for Pen~ 
 filvania y Philadelphia , Venetian , Cbinefe , Qothic y Mo- 
 dern, Ornamental, Bath , and French Stoves ; among 
 which is an excellent Defign executed in a Gentle- 
 man’s 
 
7 
 
 in Holborn, near Chancery-Lane. 
 
 man’s Houfe near Bond- fir eet, which is univerfally 
 found to be the only Method to prevent Chimneys 
 from fmoaking, at all Times, and during all Weather. 
 Price 3s. fewed. Part II. Contains above 76 new, 
 genteel and beautiful Defigns, for all Sorts of Iron- 
 gates, Pilafters and Palifadoes, in the Gothic , Modern, 
 Ornamental and Italian Tafte. Price 2s. 6d. fewed. 
 Part III. Contains upwards of 100 new Defigns for 
 Stair-cafe Railing, Ballufters, Hand-rails, Spindles, 
 Chandelier-irons, Lanthorn-irons, various Defigns for 
 Brackets, Window-lights, Door-lights, Iron-balconies, 
 Fenders, &c. fewed , 2s, 6d. all the Parts may alfo be 
 had together, fewed 8s. bound 9s. 6d. This is the mojl 
 exterfme Book of Iron that ever was pubiifhed . 
 
 BARETTI’s new Book of Ornaments for the Year 1766, 
 very ufeful for Cabinet-makers, Carvers, Painters, 
 Engravers, Chafers ; and particularly calculated to ini- 
 tiate Youth in the firft Principles of drawing Orna- 
 ments on 16 Leaves, 2 s. fewed, 
 
 INIGO JONES’s Chimney-pieces, 10s. 6d. bound, 
 
 LANGLEY’s Builder’s AfHflant, 2 Vols. bound in one, 
 10s. 6d. 
 
 LE CLERC’s Treatifeon Archite&ure, 2 Vols. bound in 
 one , ics. 
 
 »• - .UfJ! ' ' ' *■'. 
 
 LANGLEY’s Prices of Bricklayer’s Work, ,6s. bound. 
 
 NEVE’s City and Country Piirchafer,' or Builder’s Die? 
 tionary, S s. bound. 
 
 BUILDER’S Di&ionary, or the Architect’s Companion, 
 2 Vols. 12s. bound, 
 
 PAIN’s Builder’s Treafure, (os. fewed. 
 
 SWAN’s Defigns for Chimnies, 9s. bound, 
 
 . 
 
 PLATE-GLASS Book, 3s. 6d. 
 
 HOPPUS's 
 
8 
 
 Books printed and fold by Henry Wesley, &c. 
 
 HOPPUS’s Meafuring, 2s. 6. bound. 
 
 MANDEY’s Meafuring, 4s. bound. 
 
 SALMON’S City and Country Prices of Workman {hip, 
 
 3 s - 
 
 SMITH’S Carpenter’s Companion, 4s. 
 
 OVERTON’s Original Defigns for Temples, in the 
 Greek , Roman , and Gothic Tafte, 12s. fewed . 
 
 TWELVES. 
 
 LANGLEY’s Builder’s Director, or Bench-Mate, being 
 a Pocket Treaftiry of the Grecian , Roman , and Gothic 
 Orders of Architecture, made eafy to the meaneft Capa- 
 city, by near 500 Examples, and engraved on 184 
 Copper-plates, 4s. bound . 
 
 LANGLEY’s Builder’s Jewel, 4s. 6d. bound. 
 
 - Cheft-book, or Key to the five Orders of 
 
 Archite£lure, 3s. bound. 
 
 « Workman’s Golden Rule, is. 6d. bound. 
 
 MILES’s Concife Pra&ical Meafurer, or a Plain Guide 
 to Gentlemen and Builders, is. 6d. bound . 
 
 SALMON’S Country Builder’s Eftimator, is. 6d. bounds 
 
 HARPER’s Accomptant’s Companion, or Young Arith- 
 meticians Guide, is. 6'd. bound 
 
 JACKSON’S Art of Riding, is. fewed 
 
 v • 
 
 The BEST Black Lead Pencils for Drawing. 
 
 F I N I S. 
 

 
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