O44 
arched, they help to support “one 
another; and, while the interior 
large arches prevent them falling 
into the center, and keep the area 
open, the exterior building supports 
them on the outside. 
There are, comparatively speak- 
Ing, few openings into the great area, 
and they, for the most part, seem 
intended only to admit that genial 
_ warmth into the nurseries which the 
dome collects. 
The interior building, or assem- 
blage of nurseries, chambers, &c. has 
a flattish top or roof, without any 
perforation, which would keep the 
apartments below dry, incase through 
accident, the dome should receive 
any injury, and let in water; and it 
is never exactly flat and uniform, 
because they are always adding to it 
by building more chambers and nur- 
series; so that the divisions or co- 
lumns, between the future arched 
apartments, resemble the pinnacles 
upon the fronts of some old build- 
ings, and demand particular no- 
tice, as affording one proof, that for 
the most part. the insects project 
their arches, and do not make them, 
as J imagined for a long time, by 
excavation. 
The area has also a flattish floor, 
which lies over the royal chamber, 
but sometimes a good height above 
it, having nurseries and magazines 
between. It is likewise water-proof, 
and contrived, as far as I could 
guess, to let the water off, if it should 
get in, and run over, by some short 
way, into the subterraneous passages 
which run under the lowest apart- 
ments in the hill, in various direc- 
tions, and are of an astonishing size, 
being wider than the bore of a great 
eannon, I have a memorandum of 
one I measured, perfectly cylindri- 
cal, and thirteen inches in diameter. 
ANNUAL-REGISTER, 1806. 
These subterraneous’ passages or 
galleries; are lined very: thick with 
the same kind of clay of which the 
hill is composed, and ascend the ine, 
side of the outward shell, in a spiral 
manner, and winding round the 
whole building up to the-top inter- 
sect each other at different heights, 
opening either immediately into the 
dome in various places, and into the 
interior building, the new turrets, 
&c. on communicating thereto by 
other galleries of different bores or 
diameters, either circular or oval. 
From every part of these large 
galleries, are various small pipes or 
galleries, leading to different parts 
of the building. Under ground 
there are a great many which lead 
downward by sloping descents, three 
and four feet perpendicular, among 
the gravel, from whence the labour- 
ing termites cull the finer parts, 
which, being worked up iv their 
mouths, to the consistence of mor- 
tar, becomes that solid clay or stone, 
of which their hills and all their 
buildings, except their nurseries, are 
composed. 
Other galleries again ascend and 
lead out horizontally on every side, 
and are carried under ground, near 
to the surface, a vast distance; for, 
if you destroy all the nests within 
one hundred yards of your house, 
the inhabitants of those which are left 
unmolested fartber off, will neverthe- 
less carry on their subterraneousgal- 
leries, and invade the goodsand mer- 
chandizes contained in it by sap and 
mine, and do great mischief, if you. 
are not very circumspect. 
Bat to return to the cities from 
whence these extraordinary expedi- 
tions and operations originate, it 
seems there is a degree of necessity 
for the galleries under the bills being 
thus large, being the great thorough 
' fares 
