220 Geology, Mineralogy, Scenery, &c. 
Stone houses—mode of building and of covering with cement. 
Uponthe top of New-Preston hill(on a spot which although 
rude, on account of the rocks and loose stones, with which it 
abounds, affords fine air and picturesque views remarkable 
both for extent, variety and beauty,) Ihad the pleasure to ob- 
serve two very good houses, constructed of the gneiss rock of 
the country. The public house is one of them and its owner 
assured me that it had literaily arisen out of its own cellar, 
which was wholly excavated from the gneiss rock on which 
the house is founded ; the fragments obtained in forming 
the cellar had proved more than sufficient to construct the 
walls of the house. This house was not covered external- 
ly, with any cement, although it had been left rough with that 
view. It seems, the proprietor had been deterred from 
applying it, by theill success of a neighbor, who having con- 
structed a similar house, and covered it with a cement, had 
the mortification to see it cleave off by the square yard at a 
time. But on inspecting this house, also a very good one, 
the cause of failure appeared extremely obvious. ‘The ce- 
ment had been very improperly applied. 
If a stone house is not to be covered with cement, it is 
necessary (as every one knows) to construct it with stones 
. which have the smoothest and handsomest faces—either nat- 
ural or cut by the chisel, according to the nature of the 
stone and the views of the proprietor, as to expence ; the 
joints are made as nice and smallas possible, and are careful- 
ly pointed, which gives this kind of building all the firmness 
and beauty of which it is susceptible, and it has the former 
in the highest, and the latter in a sufficient degree. 
But, if a stone house on the contrary, is to be covered 
with a cement, its walls should be lefton the outside as rough 
as possible—no smooth faces should be suffered to be on 
the outside—every such stone should have the smooth face 
turned inward, and no very large stones should be employ- 
ed, or if they are, their faces should be as rough as possible ; 
the stones should be thoroughly bedded mm, and the cavities 
between them filled with mortar, but the holes on the outside 
should not be stopped—no small stones or mortar should be 
put in between them—in a word the whole exterior should 
present as many rough angular points and as many 
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