178 May 1749. 



people reckon their lightnefs. But this 

 good and ufeful quality may in future 

 times turn out very difadvantageous to Phi- 

 ladelphia, and other places where the houfes 

 are roofed with cedar {hingles ; for as the 

 roofs made of thefe fhingles are veiy light, 

 and bear but a trifling weight on the walls, 

 fo the people have made the walls but very 

 thin. I meafuped the thicknefs of the walls 

 of feveral houfes here, of three (lories high 

 (cellar and garret not included), and found 

 moft of them nine inches and a half, and 

 fome ten inches thick ; therefore it is by no 

 means furpriling, that violent hurricanes 

 fometiines make the brick gable-ends to vi- 

 brate apparently, efpecially on fuch houfes 

 as have a very open fituation. And fince 

 the cedar- trees will foon be wanting in this 

 country, and the prefent roofs when rotten 

 muft be fupplied with heavier ones, of 

 tiles, or of other wood, it is more than pro- 

 bable, that the thin walls will not be able 

 to bear fuch an additional weight, and will 

 either break, or require to be fupported by 

 props : or elfe the whole houfe muft be 

 pulled down and rebuilt with thicker walls. 

 This obfervation has already been made by 

 others. Some of the people here make 

 ufe of the chips of white cedar inftead of 

 tea, alluring me that they preferred it in 



regard 



