INTRODUCTION. 



That which looks checkered at the bottom is 

 the underpinning. It is marked u, u. On it 

 lies the front sill of the house, s, s. Four large 

 upright pieces of timber standing on it are called 

 posts, p, p, p, p. The cross piece, b, &, which 

 unites them, is a beam. The other cross pieces, 

 half way from the beam to the sill, are called 

 girts, g, g. Studs, marked st, are small up- 

 right sticks framed into the cross pieces. Along 

 the top of the house is the ridge, or ridge-pole, 

 r, into which are framed sloping or oblique 

 pieces, to support the roof. These are called 

 rafters, or spars, sp. On the top of the house, 

 at c, is the frame of the cupola. The place 

 for a door, is marked d } and the places for 

 windows, w. The short slanting pieces, like 

 those marked br all those, I mean, which are 

 between 'the sill and beam are called braces. 

 Their use is to strengthen the frame. 



With this short description, I hope what 

 I have to say in the following chapters will be 

 fully understood. 



