520 
P I 
from the moifture of the earth, and the fplafhing of the 
' rain which will drop from the eaves of the roof When 
thefe foundation-walls are made level, and eighteen 
inches thick, mark upon them the diftances at which the 
joifts are to be fet for receiving the moulds; thofe dif¬ 
tances diould be three feet each from centre to centre. 
After having fet the joifts in their places, the mafonry 
muft be raifed between them fix inches higher, that is, to 
a level with the joifts; here will, therefore, upon the 
whole, be a bnfe of two feet and a half, which in raoft 
cafes will be found more than fufficient to hinder the 
rain, froft, fnow, or damp, from injuring the walls. 
Raife the mould in the manner mentioned above, imme¬ 
diately on this new mafonry, placing it over one of the 
angles of the wall. The head of it, which is to be 
placed againft the angle, (hould have eighteen inches in 
breadth at the bottom, and only feventeen inches and a 
half at the top ; thus the fides of the mould will incline 
towards each other, and produce that diminution in the 
thicknefs of the wall which is ufual in buildings of this 
nature. The wedges muft then be driven in, the 
pofts well fixed by cords, and the head of the mould re- 
cured by iron pins, when the whole is ready for the work¬ 
men to begin their work. 
A workman (liould be placed in each of the three di- 
vifions of the mould, the beft being placed at the angle. 
He is to direct the work of the other t wo, and, by occa- 
fionally applying a plumb-rule, to take care that the 
mould does not fwerve from its upright pofition. The 
labourers who dig and prepare the earth, muft give it in 
(mall quantities to the workmen in the mould, who, af¬ 
ter having fpread it with their feet, begin to prefs it with 
the rammer. They muft only receive at a time fo much 
as will cover the bottom of the mould to the thicknefs of 
three or four inches. The firft ftrokes of the rammer 
fnould be given clofe to the Tides of the mould, but they 
muft be afterwards applied to every other part of the 
(urface ; the men (liould then crofs their ftrokes, fo that 
the earth may be preffed in every direction. Thofe who 
ftand next to one another in the mould (liould regulate 
their ftrokes fo as to beat at the fame time under the 
cord, becaufe that part cannot be got at without diffi¬ 
culty, and muft be ftruck obliquely; with this precaution 
the whole will be equally comprefled. The man at the 
angle of the wall (liould beat carefully againft the head of 
the mould ; and for the fake of the appearance, or perhaps 
to ir.creafe the ftrength of the building, it is ufual to 
fpread every fix inches high a layer of mortar near the 
head, in imitation of the joints of ftone-work. Care 
muft be taken, that no frefti earth is received into the 
mould till the firft layer is well beaten, which may be 
afcertained by ftriking it with the rammer; the ftroke 
fnculd leave hardly any print on the place. They muft 
proceed in this manner to ram in layer after layer till the 
whole mould is full. When this is done, the machine 
may be taken to pieces, and the earth which it contained 
will remain firm and upright, about nine feet in length, 
and two feet and a half in height. The mould may then 
be replaced for another length, including one inch of 
that which has firft been completed : the regular manner 
of joining the different lengths may be feen in the geo- 
metrical elevation at fig. 7, where it will be obferved, by 
the letters A and B, that no joints are left in this work, 
as the different lengths are united, and made to prefs 
one on the other. In the fecond length, and moft ot the 
following, the head of the mould is ufelefs; it is only 
made ufe of at the angles. 
As foon as the workmen have gone round the whole 
1 lidding, taking the mould to pieces and putting it to¬ 
gether again fucceffively, they (liould begin upon the par¬ 
tition marked C, fig. 6, where the head of the mould 
muft be ufed, as the door-jambs are fquared like the an¬ 
gles of the wall. The jamb next to the exterior wall, 
w hich is too narrow to be made of pile, can eafily be 
made of wood, brick, or ftcne. And the firft courfe be- 
S E. 
ing thus completed, proceed to the fecond ; and here it 
muft be obferved, that if, in laying the firft courfe, the 
work begin with one angle, as the angle A, fig. 6. and 
proceed towards E, it muft, for the fecond courfe, begin 
with A, and proceed towards B, and fo in each fuccef- 
five courfe it muft proceed in a direction contrary to that 
of the preceding. It may eafily be conceived, that with 
this precaution the joints of the feveral lengths will be in¬ 
clined in oppofite directions, which will contribute very 
much to the firmnefs of the work. There is no reafon to 
fear overcharging the firft courfe with the fecond, though 
but juft laid ; for three courfes may be laid without dan¬ 
ger in one day: mark the grooves for receiving the joints 
in the firft courfe, at the diftance of three feet from one 
another, not immediately over the former grooves, 
but over the middle points between them, as feen at fig. 
7. in the plate. Thefe grooves muft be cut with a pick¬ 
axe, and the fecond courfe completed in the fame manner 
as the former, except that it muft proceed in a contrary 
direction, as was before obferved, and that the head of 
the mould and wall-gauge muft he diminiftied, in order 
that the fame inch nation of the fides to one another that was 
given to the firft courfe may be preferved in the fecond. 
It muft, however, be remarked, that this fecond courfe 
is not to be continued without interruption like the firft, 
as it is neceffary that the partition-wall (liould join or 
bond into the exterior w'all; or rather, that all the walls 
in the building, whether outfide or partition walls, which 
meet at an angle, (liould crofs each other at every courfe. 
In purfuance, therefore, of this rule, when the work has 
been advanced from A to C, or perhaps not quite fo far 
as C, leave the exterior wall, and turn the mould to the 
partition, applying the face of it to C. This will appear 
more clearly by the letter G, in fig. 7. When the work 
has been carried on along the partition-wall as far as the 
door, bring back the mould to the part which remained 
unfinilhed in the exterior wall, marked C, at fig. 6. and, 
after having filled up that fpace, carry the mould on be¬ 
yond the partition-wall, and complete the courfe. The 
reafon of the partition-wall on the fide oppofite to C not 
being connefted in the fame manner with the interior 
wall, is, that it ought to be made of wood or brick-work, 
and not of this material; but the third courfe muft be 
carried over the door, and join into the wall, as above. 
It has been obferved, that this defcription of the two 
firft courfes is equally applicable to all the others, and 
will enable any perfon to build a houfe, with no other 
materials than earth, of whatever height and extent he 
pleafes to have it. 
It is noticed that in this mode of building, according 
to the account of the Rev. Mr. Jancour, as praftifed at 
Montbrifon, the capital of the department of the Forets 
in France, as tranfmitted to the Board of Agriculture, 
that the earth is pounded as much as poftible, in order 
to crumble any (tones therein; clay is added thereto in a 
fmall quantity, about one eighth part. It is all beaten 
and mixed lip together by repeated blows with a pallet 
about ten inches broad, ten or fifteen long, and two inches 
thick. The earth being thus prepared and (lightly wet¬ 
ted, the foundation of the houfe is dug for ; this is laid 
with ftone, and, when it is about one foot high above the 
furfaceof the ground, planks are arranged on each fide, 
which are filled with the earth intended (or the wall. It 
is ftrongly beaten ; and this method is continued fuccef¬ 
fively all round the building. The walls have more or 
lefs thicknefs, according to the fancy of the owner; he 
has feen them of fix and of eighteen inches thick. Some 
builders interfperfe from fpace to fpace a thin layer of 
lime. If feveral dories are intended in fuel) eredlions, 
they do not fail to place beams to fupport the doors be¬ 
fore, they build higher; the windows and doors are at¬ 
tended to in the fame manner. Of fuch buildings he 
never faw any confiding o( more than two (lories at moft; 
generally they have but one befides the ground-door. 
When the building is thus fi'nifhed, it is left for (ome 
months 
