1 1'6 
ARCHITECTURE. 
•vife flieiviK Fig. 3, is the plan of a roof to finifli with a 
_parapet, when covered in ; and may be ufed in any extent 
from thirty to forty feet. Fig. 4, is a curb roof, with two 
doors in the partition, being calculated for two rooms. 
Fig. 5, is the plan of an M roof, which is uf'eful in fosne 
cafes where the fpan is great, and no wall between, and 
the roof is required not to appear of a great height ; but 
this fe.ldom occurs in praClice, for if there be any interme¬ 
diate wall between the external ones, the roof fliould be 
made double, as (hewn at jig. 1, which is the mod compact 
and fecure. Fig. 6, is a defign for a domical roof; and 
jig. 7, (hews the manner of framing the curb for it to fiand 
upon. Fig. 8, (hews the method of framing a bridge-floor. 
Fig. 9, and 10, (hew the methods of fcarfing timber. Fig. 
11 and 12, fhew the methods of trufling girders, as tiled 
bv the greateft mailers at this time ; a and b (hew the lec¬ 
tions of the hutments, and c (hews the king bolt, winch 
is made with a wedge-way upon the top, lb that it may 
force out the truffes upon the hutments. 
With refpeCt to the materials tiled for healing in or 
covering roofs, the kinds praCtifed in England are lead, 
pantiles, plain tiles, and Hates. Coverings of lead are 
doubtlefs the bell and molt durable ; but on account of 
their expence they are feidom cliofen, except for magni¬ 
ficent buildings. Lead is moltly ufed on roofs of a very 
low pitch, where tiling or Hating would not be fafe. But 
for tliefe purpofes, and for flat roofs and gutters, a cheap 
and excellent fubrti-tute has lately been invented, confiding 
.of large fiieets of tinned copper. Pantile coverings may 
be ufed for low roofs, where the pitch is about three- 
,eighths of the width of the building. Coverings of plain 
tiles and Hates are generally allowed the highelt pitch, be- 
caufe when they are laid on low roofs, the rain will more 
.eafily find its way between them. Thefe ought to have a 
pitch, the length of whofe rafters is three-fourths of their 
girder; or, at leaft, the (ides of the roof ought to be at 
right angles with each other. 
Of ENTRANCE GATES and PIERS. 
The apertures of gates being always wide, they fliotild 
•be made in the form of an arch, that figure being the 
ftrongeft and molt elegant. In their compofition they 
Ihould be charaCteriftic, and exprefs the nature of the place 
they open into, and by their flyle and dimenfions give fome 
-previous idea of its extent and importance. The fmalled 
width that can be given to the aperture of a gate, is nine 
feet, which is but barely fufficient for the free pallage of 
coaches ; therefore, if carts or waggons are occalionally to 
pafs, it fliotild be made ten or eleven feet wide. 
The mod common, and indeed almod the only, ornaments 
for gates, are the piers by which they are fupported, and 
which were originally no more than bare pods into which 
the hinges of the gate were driven. Though this, how¬ 
ever, is the only proper ule of piers, it fliould be concealed 
.as much as poflible ; and they mud. feem as if placed there 
.only for ornament. As they are to be fixed to the wall 
before the houie or park, fo they mud alfo be proportion¬ 
ed to it ; and as they are to be fee5 in the fame view, or 
nearly fo, with the front of the honfe, their correfpond- 
ence with it is equally neceffary. They are to be placed 
on a pl inth, and fomething mult be allowed by way of or¬ 
nament and finilhing at the top. All the luxuriance of 
fancy may be employed in the decoration of piers : but it 
will be proper to obferve this general rule, that, the pier 
being an inferior building, it mud never be richer than 
the front of the houfe. If, for indance, the front of the 
lioufe is ornamented with columns of the Doric order, the 
. Ionic fliould not be ufed in the piers; and it will be found 
better to omit columns altogether, than to make ufe of the 
Tufcan order for piers in any cafe. If the Ionic or Com- 
pofite orders are employed in the front of the houfe, the 
Ionic or Corinthian may be ufed in the piers. The en¬ 
trance gates to parks, or magnificent villas, may with pro¬ 
priety be compofed of the mod delicate orders, and be 
adorned in the higheft degree. In different defigns, co¬ 
lumns, pilaflers, entablatures, pediments, rulti.es, imports, 
archivoUs, ccnfoles, malks, &c. may oeeaflonaTly be em¬ 
ployed. In the annexed Plate, three defigns are given to 
illudrate this lubjec't; all of which are calculated for the 
entrances into parks, lawns, court-yards, gardens, &c. 
The lowermod of thel'e defigns Was executed (or his grace 
the duke of Northumberland, at the entrance to Sion 
Houfe, near Brentford, by the ingenious Melfrs. Adam; 
of whofe ability and prowefs in architecture the Adelplii 
in London will prove a lading monument. 
Of the FOUNDATION and SUPERSTRUCTURE 
of BUILDINGS. 
The rules of building require, that, in a whole fabric 
judicioully and elegantly ereCted, there fliould be folidity, 
convenience, and beauty ; to which, according to the talte 
of fome of the mod refined mailers, are added, order, dif- 
pofition, proportion, decorum, and economy. Thefe eight 
particulars are conlidered by the inoit fkilful architects as 
abfolutely requifite in the planning, erecting, and finilhing, 
an entire fabric. Solidity implies the choice of a good 
foundation, proper materials to work with, as well as their 
judicious application. Convenience demands fuch a dif- 
polition of the various parts of a (truCture, that they may 
not crowd and embarrafs each other, or appear difagree- 
able to a fpedtator. Beauty, of which we have fpoken in 
another place, is that engaging form, and pleating appear¬ 
ance, which captivates at one glance the eye of the obfer- 
ver. Order gives each part of the building a proportionate 
extent; fuch as is adapted to the magnitude of the vyhole. 
Difpofition is the due ranging and agreeable union of alL 
the parts, including a proper and convenient arrangement 
of the various apartments of the whole fabric. Proportion 
is the relation that the whole work has to its condituent 
parts, and which eacli part has to the complete idea of the 
whole ; for, in buildings that are perfect in their kind, from 
any particular part we may form a tolerable judgment of the^ 
whole. Decorum conlirts in making the whole afpeCt of 
the fabric fo correCt, that nothing (hall appear, but what 
is founded on Hie principles of reafon, geometry, and deli¬ 
cacy of judgment. Defign, in the limited fenfe here ufed, 
is the choice of one fituation in preference to another, 
which we may conceive better adapted for the kind of 
building we are about to ereCt. Economy indruCts the ar¬ 
chitect to have regard to the expence of his whole defign, 
which will be greatly effected by a choice of fuch mate¬ 
rials as are not only proper for his purpofe, but of the 
cheapert of the kind, and of fuch as are neared at hand. 
TJie bed foundation is that which confifts of gravel or 
done; but, in order to know whether the inferior drata 
are fufficient for the fupport of the building, it will be ad- 
vifable to fink wells at fome little didance. By attending 
to what is thrown up in digging thefe, the architect will 
be acquainted with what lies under the rtony or gravelly 
bed which on the furface promiles fo much fecurity, and 
will know what meafnres to take. But though a Itony or 
gravelly bottom is undoubtedly the mod lure and firm, 
where all is found beneath, there is no kind of ground 
which may prove more fallacious, or occafion fuch terri¬ 
ble accidents. The reafon of this is, that fuch kind of 
ground often contains abfolute vacuities ; nor is rock it- 
I'elf, though a foundation upon a rock is flrong even to a 
proverb, free from dangers of the fame kind. Caverns 
are very frequent in rocky places ; and, fliould a heavy 
building be ereCted over one of thefe, it might fuddenly 
fall down altogether. To guard againrt accidents of this 
kind, Palladio advifes the throwing down great weights 
forcibly on the ground, and obferving whether it founds 
hollow, or fhakes. He fays, if a drum be placed on the 
fufpected ground near to a veffel filled with water, d-gen¬ 
tle ftroke will not refound nor ruffle the furface of the wa¬ 
ter, if the earth be folid ; but, if it be hollow, the effeCts 
produced will very clearly fhew it. Where the foundation 
is gravel, it will be proper to examine the thicknefs of the 
rtratum, and the qualities of tliofe that lie under it, as they 
have appeared in digging. If the bed of gravel is thick, 
and the under flrata be alfo of a found and firm kind, 
s there 
