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« 
stamina inserted on the receptacle; fruit 
one-seeded. One species B. spectabilis, 
found at the Brazils. 
BUILDING, a fabric erected by art, 
either for devotion, for magnificence, or for 
conveniency. 
Bctldikg is also used for the art of con- 
structing and raising an edifice ; in vihich 
sense it comprehends as well the expenses, 
as the invention and execution of the de- 
sign. There are three tilings chiefly to be 
considered in the ait of building, lAz. con- 
venience, firmness, and delight. To ac- 
complish which ends, Sir H. Wotton con- 
siders the subject under these two heads, 
tlie situation, and the work. As to the si- 
tuation, either that of the whole is to be 
considered, or that of its parts. In the 
first, regard must be had to tlie quality, 
temperature, and salubrity of the air ; to 
the quality of the soil ; to the conveniency 
of water, fuel, carriage, &c. and to the 
agreeableness of the prospect. As to the 
situation of the parts, the chief rooms, stu- 
dies, and libraries, should lie towards the 
cast ; those offices which require heat, as 
kitchens, brew-houses, bake-houses, and dis- 
tillatories towards the south ; those which 
require a cool fresh air, as cellars, pantries, 
granaries, to the north ; as also galleries for 
paintings, museums, &c. which require a 
steady light. The ancient Greeks and Ko- 
inans generally situated the fronts of their 
houses towards the south ; but the modern 
Italians vary much from this rule. And in- 
deed, as to this matter, regard must still 
be had to the country, each being obliged 
to provide against its own inconvencies. 
The situation being fixed on, the next 
thing to be considered is the work itself, 
under which come first the principal parts, 
and next, the accessories or ornaments. To 
the principals belong the materials, and the 
form or disposition. 
Modern buildings are, in general, much 
more commodious and beautiful than those 
of former times. Compactness and uni- 
formity are now so much attended to, that 
a house built after the new way, will afford, 
on the same ground, double the conveni- 
ences which could be had in an old one. 
In this article we shall give an account 
of tiie principal parts of a building; begin- 
ning with the foundation. 
Foundation is the trench or trenches ex- 
cavated out of the ground in order to rest 
the edifice firmly on its base. - The trenches 
should be sunk till they come to an uniform 
firm texture of ground, or to the solid rock ; 
but wlien there is no prospect of a firm and 
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uniform bed of gravel, clay, or rock, then 
recourse must be had to an artificial founda- 
tion. 
If the ground is tolerably firm, lay trans- 
verse pieces of oak called sleepers, about 
two feet distant from each other, firmly on 
the ground ; having their upper surface 
level with the bottom of the trench, and 
their length equal to its breadth, or about 
tw'o feet longer than the width of the in- 
tended masonry at the bottom of the wall : ■ 
over these lay planks in the length of the 
foundation to the breadth of the masoniy, 
where it is to be in contact with tlie ground, 
and pin or spike them down. 
But if the ground be very bad, provide 
piles of wood of such length that they may 
be able to reach the sound ground, and of 
such thickness as to be about a twelfth part 
of their length, and drive these either close 
to each other, or with interstices such as 
the soil may require, and fix planks to their 
heads or upper ends. 
If the ground be generally sound, turn 
arches over the loose places. Mffien narrow 
piers are to stand upon the foundation, in- 
verted arches might be turned below the. 
apertures, in order to present a greater siir- 
fiice of resistance to the ground. Wlicn tlie 
outer walls of a building are piled, the inner 
ones must be so likewise, that the whole 
may stand uniformly firm, without possibi- 
lity of one wall sinking trom another. 
If narrow piers are to support a great 
structure, planks should be placed below, 
in order to prevent the piers from pene- 
trating the ground. If a building is founded 
upon an inclined plane, the trenches 
should be made like steps, having their 
upper surfaces level, and the risings perpen- 
dicular. 
Forced earth is unfit for a fouiidation for 
a considerable time. 
Foundation is also the substructure, or 
bottom of a wall, consisting of one or more 
regular steps on each side of the wall below 
the level of the underside of the floor of the 
lowest stoiy of a house, in order to prevent 
it from sinking into the ground, by opposing 
a gi-eater surface of resistance to it, and for 
preventing the wall from being overturned 
by a tempest or storm: each course of 
steps is called a footing. 
The breadth of the substructure should 
be proportioned to the weight of the super- 
structure, and to the softness of the ground 
on which it rests ; if the texture of the 
ground is supposed to be constant, and the 
materials of the same specific gravity, the 
