P I s 
P I s 
PIS'CO, a town of European Turkey, in Moldavia, on 
a lake : eighty-five miles f'outh of Jaffi. Lat 45. 45. N. 
Ion. ay . 38. E. 
PIS'CO PAGA'NI, a town of Naples, in the province 
of BaJilica-ta : {'even miles north-weft of Muro. 
PISCOB AM'BA, a town of South-America, in the 
juri-fdiftion of Guamalies. 
PISCO'PJA, or Eprs'copi, a town of the ifland of 
Cyprus, near a river anciently caljed Lycus. Near it are 
forne magnificent ruins, fuppofed by fome of the ancient 
city of Curias. The environs abound in cotton and fruit 
trees. 
PISCO'PIA, or Ti'lo, a fmall ifland in the Mediterra¬ 
nean; fix teen miles north weft of Rhodes. This ifland 
lies nearly in the middle of the interval which feparates 
the ifle of Rhodes from that of Stancho; and is fomeivhat 
larger than Limonia and Narki. It has a tolerably good 
harbour, and feveral anchorages, which are ufeful accom¬ 
modations for fliips that frequent thefe fens. The an¬ 
cients called it Telos, and they highly elteemed the per¬ 
fumes which were there prepared. This branch of trade 
is loft; but it proves the goodnefs of the foil of Pifcopia, 
•and the mildnefs of its climate; circumftances the mod 
favourable to the expanfion of thefweet odour of plants 
and flowers. Lat. 36° 34' N. Ion. 27 0 9' E. 
PISC'ULENT, adj. [from the Lat. pifcis, a fifh.] Fifhy, 
capable of being fiftied. 
PIS'DORFF, a town of Aaftria : three miles north-eafl 
of Enzerftorf. 
PIS'DRI, a town of the duchy of Warfawi twenty-two 
miles fouth of Gnefna. 
PI'SE, f. A term applied to a peculiar-mode of form¬ 
ing buildings of different kinds, but more ef’pecially thofe 
defigned for farm-purpofes, with fome fort of ftiff earthy 
materials of a loamy quality. It is an eafy, economical, 
and convenient, method, which had its rife on the conti¬ 
nent, and which has been bad recourfe to, for fome time, 
in fome parts of this kingdom, as in Bedfordfhire, Lan- 
cafhire, &c. 
The firft notice we find of this kind of work is in 
Plaw’s “ Rural Improvements,” publifhed by Taylor in 
1796. “In addition to the cuftomary method of making 
mud-walls, as pra&ifed in Devonshire-and other counties 
• of England, I beg to notice the new method of building 
walls tor cottages, &c. as practised in France; of which 
an account is given in a little work lately publifhed at 
Paris, under the title of Mciifcn de Pi/e. The method 
there propofed, and on experience recommended, is to 
conftruft the walls of dry earth, well rammed, or beaten 
together in a mould, like a cafe ': the advantage attending 
this method is by the alithor, M. Cointeraux, fpoken cf 
in the higheft terms, and as.applicable to buildings of 
conliderable extent, with upper ilories, &c. That this 
method is practicable on a fmall f'cale,- I am well affured 
by fome gentlemen, who have really built, with luccefs 
in this manner. It certainly is cheap ; for, the mould or 
cafe once formed, it is eafily fhifted, and the whole pro- 
cefs may be performed by common labourers. It may be 
proper to obferve, thefeveral pieces of the mould mu ft 
be made to fit properly, and the whole mull be well 
braced or tied together, to refill the percufiion of the 
beating. This method has fome advantages over that 
ufually praClifed ; for, being worked dry, the building is 
habitable as loon as formed, no danger being likely to 
arife to the inhabitants from damp walls.” 
About this time, Mr. Holland, the celebrated architeCl, 
brought over a workman from France, to introduce at 
Woburn the .practice of pix-luikling (as it was then 
called), of vvhofe uncouth apparatus and imperfeft pro¬ 
ceedings, Mr. FI. publifhed an account in the firfl: volume 
of the Communications to the Board of Agriculture. 
Mr. Robert Salmon was at this time refident archited: 
and mechanift to the duke of Bedford at Woburn ; and 
had already diftinguiflied himfelfby contriving and intro¬ 
ducing feveral highly-ingenious applications of mechani- 
7 
cal knowledge, in the works and bufinefs under his care. 
To a man ot Mr. Salmon’s penetration and ingenuity,, the 
fight of-the Frenchman’s proceedings, in conftruiling of 
com prefled earth found on the fpot, a fmall temporary 
lodge, by way of experiment, was furficient to enable 
him to contrive other and more efficient apparatus and 
means for providing an effe&ive fubftitute for (lone, in 
fiiuations where this is wanting, as at Woburn. Of this 
apparatus and procefs Mr. Salmon at length prefented an 
account to the Societyof Arts, who publifhed the fame 
in their,27th volume; and Mr. Salmon received from his 
.grace directions to defign and conftruft for himfelf a 
houfe and offices, near to the park-farm, which he accord¬ 
ingly erected, and lived and lately died in the fame, 
entirely compofed of pi. r, and without any ou t fide lhicco, 
except fome hot lime-whiting, brufhed over the furface of 
the newly-conflruCted walls, and well rubbed into the 
furface of the fame, by means of a flat piece of wood. 
The upper part of the annexed Plate reprefents the 
apparatus, or moulds, in which the earth is rammed to 
form a wall. The mould confiftsof planks about 12 feet 
long, 20 inches broad, and one inch thick, ftrengthened 
by crofs-pieces. Fig. 1. is an outfide view of the mould ; 
iig. 2. infide view; fig. 3. a mould put together with all 
the parts vilible; fig. 4. is the rammer, for ramming the 
earth in the.mould ; fig. 5. fide view of the fame, on a 
large fcale ; fig. 6. the plan of the inftrument. The 
mould fliould be made two feet nine inches in height, 
and two handles fliould be fixed to each fide, as at fig. 1, 2. 
The head of the mould, which ferves to form the angles 
of the building, mud be made of two narrow pieces of 
wood, ploughed, and tong.ued, and ledged ; in breadth 
eighteen inches, and in height three feet; and it fliould 
be planed on both Tides. 
It may be noticed, that the elevation of the whole ma¬ 
chine is feen at fig. 3. and the following is a lift of ifs 
feveral parts, enumerated in the fame order that the 
workmen nnift follow, when they eredt the mould on a 
wall. A, brick or ftone foundation, eighteen inches 
thick, on which the wall of earth is to be raifed ; B, the 
joifts placed acrofs the foundation-wail; C, C, the two 
iides of the mould, including between them three inches 
of the foundation-wall; D, D, the two upright pofts, 
the tenons of which fit into the mortifes of the joift; E. 
the wall-gauge, which fixes the widtii.of the mould at the 
top, and which is iliorter than the width of the wall ar 
the bottom, to regulate the diminution of the wail to be 
eredled; F, a fmall cord, fomething lefs than half an inch 
diameter, making feveral turns round the pofts; G, a 
Ttick, which, by being wound round, faftens the cord, 
and holds the pofts tight together; H, H, wedges, which 
enter into the mortifes in the joifts, and keep the pofts 
and the mould firmly fixed againft the wall. But, though 
fuch is the procefs of erefting the mould, a contrary 
order inuft be obferved in taking it to pieces. The rope 
muft be loofened, the wedges taken out, and the pofts, 
the mould, and the joifts, removed, in order to refix the 
whole again. The rammer with which the earth is 
rammed into the mould, is a tool of the greateft confe- 
quence, and on which the firmnefs and durability, in 
fliort, the perfe< 5 iion, of the work depends, and in making 
which more difficulty will be found than is at firfl: appre¬ 
hended. It fliould be made of hard wood, either afh, 
oak, beech, walnut, &c. or, what is preferable, the roots 
of either of thefe forts of wood. 
In regard to the nature of this fort of work, it differs 
very effentially from that miferable way of building with 
clay or mud mixed with hay or ftraw, which is often feen 
in country villages; it contains all the beft principles of 
mafonry, together with fome rules peculiar to itfelf. At 
fig. 6. is reprefented the plan of a houfe, the building of 
which is regularly defcribed according to this method. 
The foundation may be made of any kind of mafonry that 
is durable, and muft be raifed to the height of two feet 
above the ground; which is neceflary to lecure the walls 
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