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tcr making its way through thofe parts of t?ie clay 

 ^ which are not well wrought. After the bottom is fi- 

 rifhed with clay, .there fhould be aftratum of coarfe 

 gravel laid over it about four or five inches thick, 

 which will greatly fecure the clay wall, and render 

 the Water clear ; but where the bafons are large,' fo 

 that the clay walls are long in making, the clay (hould 

 be covered with moift litter to prevent its drying, 

 which may be taken ofFw^hen the whole is finilhed, 

 to lay on the gravel ; but if part of the fide walls 

 are finifhed before this is done, it will be the better, 

 becaufe there may be fome Water let into the bafon 

 as foon as the gravel is laid, which will prevent the 

 clay from cracking ; then the walls round the fide of 

 the bafon muft be carried up with the fame care as 

 hath been directed for the bottom, obferving alfo to 

 cover the clay firft with litter while the work is carry- 

 ing on, and afterward lay it with coarfe gravel; and 

 as the walls are finilhed round, the Water may be let 

 in, to fecure the clay from drying and cracking. 

 When the whole Js finifiied, the upper part of the 

 walls mult be laid with turf, which will fecure them 

 from being broken, and prevent the fun from pene- 

 trating the clay ; but before this is done, there muft 

 be a ftratum of fand laid upon the clay, four or five 

 inches thick, and upon this a thin ftratum of good 

 earth laid, for the Grafs to take root in. The bed 

 of fand will prevent the Grafs from rooting into the 

 clay, and this will alfo keep out thefroft, which will 

 . penetrate the clay, where there is hot a covering of 

 land to fecure it, and by being frozen and f\yelled, 

 and afterward drying, the clay is very apt to crack 

 in many places. The turf on the fide of the bafon 

 fhould be laid as far down as the Water is apt to 

 Ihrink, that no part of the clay may be wholly ex- 

 pofed to' the weather, for the rcafons. before given. 

 Where thefe bafons ate made, there fhould be no 

 trees growing near, for the roots of trees or fhrubs 

 will extend themfelves to the clay walls, and by pe- 

 netrating them will occafion fiflures, through which 

 the Water will find an eafy paflTage ; and where tall 

 trees are growing near baibns or ponds, the fhaking 

 of the trees with violent winds is apt to loofen the 



cky""walis,*'and -Sccafioh cracks in them, therefore 

 thefe cautions are neceffary to.be obferved. 

 In fome countries, wKere clay cannot be eafily pro- 

 cured, the walls of thefe bafons are^frequently rna^e^ 

 of chalk, which is beaten into fine powder, and made' 

 into a fort of mortar, and with this the walls are^ 

 /made, by ramming and working itf very hard and 



■ firm. Thefe bafons hold Water very well where they 

 can be well fupplied with it, foas^not to be too 



■ Ion or dry, for when it fo happens, the fun and wind 

 dry^the chalk, and caufe it to crack, and thefe cracks 

 cotnrnonly extend through the thicknefs of the Walls, 

 fo as tolefoflf the Water. • ; ; ■- ■ - i 

 There are others who build their walls with brick laid 

 in terrafs, which is^a good riiethod for fuch places 

 where the ground is very loofe and fandy, becaufe 

 the walls, when well built, 'will fupport the loofe 

 earth from falling or fettling away from the fides ; 

 but where terrafs is ufed, the walls fhould not be 

 lono- dry and cxpbfed, for the heat is apt to crack 



the terrafs. ■ ■'." ''v^ . '" 



Some pcrfon^ tnake a cement of powdered tile and 



' lime, two thirds of the former to one third of the 

 latter, being very careful in the mixing of it not to 

 add too much Water, but to labour it well in the 

 beating, which is a principal thing to be obferved. 

 With this cement they cover the furface of the walls 

 of bafons, about two inches thick, laying the plaifter 

 vcryfmooth, and being very careful that no fticks," 

 ftraws, or ftones are mixed with it ; this plaiflering is 

 commonly performed in dry weather, and as foon as 



' it is finilhed, it is rubbed over with oil or bullock's 

 blood, and the Water let into the bafon as foon as 

 pofilble. This cement has thqproperty of hardenin 

 under Water, fo as to be e^ual to ftone, and will con- 

 tinue as Ions found. 

 Whatever 



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. ■ made, there muft be great care taken, that they arc 

 built fo ftrong, as dut they may refift the weight of 

 the Water ; fo that where the ground about the bafori 

 is not very folid, the walls fiiould be thicker, and 

 fupported on the backfide by buttrefll^s of the fame 

 materials, placed at proper diftanccs ; or if the walls 

 are made of clay, there fliould be planks fupported * 

 by ftrong timbers placed at proper diftances to fupporc 

 the clay, otherwile there will be great danger of their 

 being broken down, efpecially where the bafons are 

 large, fo as that the winds have room to aft upon the 

 furface of the Water, and drive it in large waves 

 ^ againft the banks, the fides of which fliould have a 

 very eafy fiope. 



The direftions here giveii are only for bafons or refer- 

 voirs of Water for ufe, fo muft not be fuppofed for 

 large pieces of Water for beauty ; for where tlie 

 ground is of a loofe fandy nature, fo as not to hold 

 Water, the expence of claying the bottom and fide^s 

 will be too great, if the Water is of a large extent, 



. therefore it would be imprudent to attempt it in fuch 

 places; but where there is a fupply of Water, and the 

 ground is well adapted to hold it, there can be no 

 greater beauty than that which Water affords to a fear, 



. provided it is properly difpofed; therefore I fliall give 

 fome general hints, by which perfons may be directed 

 in the forming of large pieces of Water, fo as to ren- ' 

 der them beautiful. 



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- In thofe places where there is a command of running 

 Water, it will be a great additional beauty, becaufe 

 the Water will always be much clearer, fo more beau- 

 tiful than ftill Water; befidcs, if it moves with any 



■ degree of velocity, there may be one or more falls of' 

 Water contrived, which will ftill aid to the beauty* 

 In the conducing of this Water, the level of the 

 ground muft be carefully taken, for the great ficillin 

 the contriving of rivers, or other pieces of Water, 

 is in the faving of expence in the digging ; thereford 

 where the ground is naturally low, the Water fiiould 

 be conducted through thefe low parts, andncver en- 

 , deavour to carry it through higher ground, for in 

 fuch places the banks will be fo high, as* to fluit out 

 the fight of the Water, to perfons who ftand at a little 

 diftance from it on either fide, unlefs the Water is 

 very broad ; and where it is fo, the eye is thrown to 



. a confiderable diftance over the furface of the Water, 

 fi_; by the fteebnefs of the banks,^ therefore the flopes 

 . on the' fide of Water fhould always be^mad^^as eafv 



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'/ as pofilble ^ nor fhould they be made flat, with fharpr 



- edges on the top (as is too generally pra6tifed ;) for 

 thefe ftiff regular flopes are not near fo pleafing, as 

 thofe which are made gently convex, for the eye will 

 Aide over thefe to the Water, having no ridge to cut 



' the fight, and at a fmall diftance there will be no ap- 

 : pearance of a cut, as will always be feen where the 



- upper part of the fiope is finiflied in a fliarp angle ; and 



- the great Ikill is to contrive, that as much of the fur- 

 : face of the Water may appear to the fight as pofilble. 



: In moft of the old gardens, where there are pieces of 

 Water, there is nothing more common than to fee ^ 

 them brought into regular figures, fuch as long ftrait 



• canals or bafons, either round or polygonal, fo that 

 all the boundaries of the Water are feen at one view ; 

 but thefe, however large may be their extent, are 

 not near fo pleafing as where the Water is fo condu(5t- 

 ed, as that the termination may be feen as little as 

 pofible ; for when the Water is loft frohi the fight, by 

 fome gentle eafy turns, the imagination m.ay be led to 

 fuppofe the furface of the Water extended to a confi- 

 derable diftance ; fo that fometimes fmall pieces of 

 Water arc fo artfully contrived, as to make them ap- 

 pear very confiderable. 



As in the oldftile of laying out garden?;, the Water 

 was generally wrought into regular ftrait canals, which 

 correfponded with the ftrait walks, hedges, and ro 

 gular lines of trees, whichwere then chiefly ftudied ; - 

 fo, as the tafte altered from this ftiff method of dif- 

 pofing e^irdens, to that which approached nearer to 

 nature iTi the forming of rivers, or other large pieces 



of Water, thofe who have fucceeded beft have always. 



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