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These bouses are built of earth, m the following 
manner. First, a stone wall is built about 18 inches 
or two feet high, a box is then prepared of boards 
roughly plalfied with ah end piece, these are about 
three feet deep, kept about 14 inches apart at the 
bottom and top by three pieces of joist, ;^hich form 
a frame, and united by three other pieces of wood, 
which are framed into the bottom pieces, and uni¬ 
ted at the top by ropes which are, drawn tight by 
twisting a stit^k in it,-a$ is dbne.iu o hand saws. ' 
(The annexed drawing will best explain my mean¬ 
ing ) This franie;is|)laeed:upon the wall, and earth' 
taken a foot below the surface, or any greater depth,, 
without any other than its natural moisture, except 
in extreme dry weather; two men get into the frame 
with beetles of wood that have a sharp edge, while 
a third throws in the earth ; they beat it together 
till it becomes as harcl as stone, and when the box 
is filled they loosen the ropes, t^ke out the joists, 
and move it along, the wall i the corners are form¬ 
ed by putting in the Cnd piece. The partition walls 
are made like those of the front. When the whole 
is finished the holes made by the joists that passed 
through the walls are filled up; for at every new 
layer, holes must be cut to admit the joist, and the 
joining covered with mortar ; so that the wiible ex¬ 
hibits the form of, a house built of stones of three 
feet high and six feet long. It is: not necessary to 
cover these houses with plaister, since they will 
stand the frost and rain without it ; many are now 
standing of upwards of 100 years old, though in 
