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PRACTICE OF FORMING 



BOOK IT. 



ing them ; so that ten thousand acres of surface may be mo- 

 delled on a sufficiently large scale, and the weight of the model 

 will not exceed five pounds, nor be in the least danger of being 

 broken or tarnished: and, what certainly deserves the consider- 

 ation of the landed interest, estates may be modelled in this 

 way for little more than the expense of a common survey. On 

 this, however, I shall offer more on some future occasion. 



The neglect of improvers, in not pre-conceiving a plan of 

 the whole before proceeding to operate upon the parts, has of- 

 ten occasioned them much useless expense and trouble, of 

 which they are commonly not aware until it be too late. So 

 many instances of this occur in every part of the country, that 

 it is astonishing they should not be more cautious in embarking 

 in such extensive undertakings without a much greater certainty 

 of success. Even some who have formed and arranged a plan 

 in their minds previously to proceeding, have misconceived 

 effects from deficiency in practical knowledge; and have often 

 gone farther wrong than the others, from a false estimate of their 

 own powers. The neglect of having a plan from an artist, 

 which will at least always furnish some hints, is generally ad- 

 verse to the real interest of the proprietor; as could easily be 

 proved, were it not that the whole of this part of the work is 

 too nearly allied to the most disagreeable species of egotism to 

 admit of much amplification. Mr. Lugar very justly remarks, 



