300 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[September, 



A little way from Castalon is the mountain wlience the Betis (Gua- 

 dalquivir) springs ; it is named the Silver Mountain, on account of the 

 mines of that metal which it contains.* 



Lusitania is watered by great and small rivers which contain many 

 grains of gold. Although the country abounds in gold, the inhabitants 

 preferred living by plunder.t 



The mountains in the neighbourhood of Malacca (Malaga) contain 

 in several places mines of gold and other metals. 



Not far from Dianium (Uenia; are very fine forges.J 



WORKS IN SP.\1N. 



In the neighbourhood of Asta (Mesa de Asta), Nebrissa (Lebrisa), 

 Onoba ((iihraleon), are canals dug in several places to facilitate the 

 navigation.jj 



Near Cadiz is to be seen the Tower of Caepio built on a rock, 

 washed on every side by the sea. This admirable work was con- 

 structed in imitation of the Pharos of Alexandria.il 



SCILLT I3L.\NUS. 



The inhabitants trade in the tin and lead which they dig from their 

 mines. Publius Crassus, who went there, found that their mines are 

 not very deep. 



WORKS IN GAUL. 



The extracts which follow are from various books. 



Wariiis, perceiving that the mouth of the Rhone was becoming 

 gradually shoaled up, had a new channel dug, wliich received the 

 greater part of the waters. This canal he gave to the Marseillese in 

 recompense for their service in the wars, and it became to them a 

 great source of riches on account of the dues which they levied on 

 those who went up or down.H 



The road from Iberia to Italy passes through Nimes. It is good 

 enough in summer, but very bad in winter and spring, on account of 

 the rivers overflowing and depositing mud. This road passes several 

 rivers by boats, or by bridges of stone or wood.** 



The territory of the Cevennes abounds with gold mines.tt 



The Tarbelli, a people of Aquitaine, are in possession of the most 

 esteemed gold mines; for without digging deep, lumps of gold as big 

 as the hand are sometimes found, requiring only a slight washing. 

 The rest of the mine consists of grains and lumps, which do not either 

 require much work-H: 



DRITAIX. 



Britain produces gold, silver, and iron.^^ 



LIPARI. 



Lipari has very productive mines of alum.|||| 



ROMAN ROADS AND BRIDGES. 



The Romans, says Strabo, have principally employed themselves 

 upon what the Greeks have neglected — I mean paved roads, aque- 

 ducts, and those sewers which drain the city of Rome. In fact, by 

 cutting through mountains and filling up vallies, they have every where 

 throughout the country made paved roads, which serve to convey 

 from one place to another the goods brought by sea to the ports. 

 The sewers of Rome, arched with dressed stone, are broad enough in 

 some places for a cart laden with hay to pass; and the aqueducts bring 

 water in such abundance as to form streams running across the city, 

 cleansing the sewers, and are sufficient, as it may be said, to supply 

 all the houses with great fountains, canals and reservoirs. This last 

 advantage is principally owing to tlie cares of Marcus Agrippa, who 

 has decorated Rome with many other public monuments. lH 



The principal of the great roads which traverse the country are the 

 Appian Way, the Latin way, and the Valerian Way.*** 



According to modern accounts, the Valerian way was about 100 

 miles long; for the first 15 miles are found ruins of bridges, cause- 

 ways, &c. Beyond, the remains of it are not so evident, but the bold- 

 ness with which it is carried across three mountain chains is sur- 

 prising. 



Near the city of Como, to master the people disposed to robberj', 

 roads have been constructed, which are as practicable as it is possible 

 for art to make fhem. Augustus, not content with clearing the roads 

 of the banditti, has made them as convenient as possible, although the 

 country is very difhcult.ttt 



M. Emilius Scaurus constructed the Emilian Way running to Sab- 

 bata and Darthon ; and there is another Emili m WaV, which continues 

 the Flaminian Way, and was the work of M. Emilius Lepidus, col- 



* H 3, ch. 2. T B. 3, ch. 3. I B. 3, cli. 4 



^ B. 3. cli. 2. II B. 3, ch. I. ITB. 4, ch, 1. 



••lb. tT lb. ;iB.4, ch. 2. §§B. 4. di. 5. 1 1 B. G. ch. 4. 



:iH B. 5. ch. 7. ■ ••• B. 5. ch. 7. Ttt B. 4, ch. 6. 



league of C. Flaminius* (This is an error of Strabo in attributing the 

 Flaminian way to this Flaminius.) 



The Salarian Way is a great road very short.t To it joins the 

 Nomentan Way. 



The Appian Way is paved from Rome to Brendisiura (Brindisi), 

 and is the most frequented of all the roads made in Italy. Beyond 

 Terracina on the Roman side, the Appian way is bordered by a canal, 

 which receives the water of the marshes and rivers. It is particularly 

 by night that this way of the canal is preferred ; upon it people em- 

 bark in the evening, and leave it in the morning, and take for the rest 

 of the journey, the Appian Way, but even in the day-time the boats 

 are towed by mules.X 



Near Baia is an isthmus of a few stades, through which a road is 

 tunnelled. Near Naples is a similar one, which, in the space of seve- 

 ral stades, crosses the mountain situated between Neapolis and Di- 

 cearchia. Its breadth is such that carriages which meet find no diffi- 

 culty, and light is admitted by several openings pierced internally from 

 the surface of the mountain tlirough a great thickness.j^ 



The Aternus (Pescara) in the country of the Peligni is passed bjr 

 a bridge 24 stades from Corfinium.H 



CAXALS. 



The greater part of Transpadane Italy is full of lagunes, and there- 

 fore the inhabitants have made canals and dykes as in Lower Egypt, 

 a part of the inundated ground being drained and the rest navigable. 



Epiterpum, Concordia, Atria, Vicetia, and some other small places 

 in the neighbourhood of Ravenna, by small navigable canals commu- 

 nicate with the sea. 



The Cispadane was for a long time covered by marshes, which 

 arose from the superabundance of the waters of the Po, but Scaurus, 

 by having navigable canals dug from Placentia to Parma, drained the 

 plain. 



Ravenna is a great city built on piles in the midst of the marshes, 

 and intersected with canals, which are crossed bj' boats or bridges.? 



DYKE. 



The Locrine Gulf in its breadth extends as far as Bais, and is sepa- 

 rated from the external sea, in a length of 8 stades by a dyke broad 

 enough for a great waggon to pass. This dyke it is said is the work 

 of Hercules; as in rough weather the waves flowed over it, so as to 

 make it impassable for foot-passengers, Agrippa had it raised higher.** 



TI.MBER. 



From Tyrrhenia (Tuscany) is obtained timber for building, of which 

 is made very long and straight beams. 



Pisa supplies timber for building much used by the Romans.tt 



CEMENT. 



Dicearchia or Puteoli has become a place of great trade, on account 

 of the works by which it is sheltered, having in the sand of the neigh- 

 bourhood (puzzolana) great facilities for such constructions. This 

 sand employed in a certain proportion with lime, makes a body, and 

 becomes very solid.U 



MINES AND QUARRIES. 



The Salassi have gold mines, the working of which was facilitated 

 by the Durias (Doria) which supplied the water required for the wash- 

 ings ; so that, by diverting the courses by numerous branches, they 

 often dried up the main bed, which was the cause of constant war with 

 the neighbouring peo|ile, whose agiiciilture was aft'ected. The Sa- 

 lassi, althougli conquered by the Romans and di.-possessed of their 

 mines, being masters of the mountains, continued to sell water to the 

 mine contractors. 



Polybius relates that in his time among theTaurisci Norici, (people 

 of Corinthia, Istria, &c.) were mines of gold so rich that by digging 

 the ground only two feet deep gold was met with, and that the ordi- 

 nary works were not more than fifteen feet deep ; that a part was 

 native gold, in grains the size of a bean or a lupine, which in the fire 

 only diminished an eighth, and that the remainder, although requiring 

 to be more purified still, gave a considerable product. [He adils] that 

 the Italians having entered into agreements with the barbarians for 

 working these mines, in the space of two months the price of gold fell 

 lhrouc;hout Italy a third, and th.it the Taurisci having perceived it, 

 turneil out their foreign colleagues, and sold the metal themselves. 

 At the present day the Romans possess these mines. The rivers, 

 also, like those of Iberia, contain grains uf gold, although in smaller 

 quantity. i'Ji 



Near Acyleia (Aquileia) are mines of gold and iron easy to work.|||| 



* B. .5. ch. 2. t B. 5. ch. 6. ; B. 5. ch. 7. § B. 5. ch. 10. 



BBS. ch. 9. liB. 5, ch. 2. '"• B. 5, ch. 7. rt B. 5. ch. 4. 



JI B. 4, ch. 2. ^^ B. 5, ch. 6. Illl B. 5, ch. 2. 



