till the 25th. During the last five days 
of this frost, we had the thickest fog that 
has occurred here for a great many years; 
the remainder of the month was extremely 
wet and stormy. 
The absence of the aurora-borealis du- 
ring the greater part of this year, may be 
deemed a very singular circumstance, 
mone having been seen here since last 
February. . 
The comet was last seen here in the 
evening of the 19thof December, It was 
then about half a degree north of a Cyg- 
ni, and appears to fiave passed its maxi- 
tum of north declination. 
Your’s, &c. WILLIAM Pitt. 
Carlisle, January 2, 1808. 
~g ome 
To the Lditor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, ; 
AM concerned to observe, that the 
important enquiries by Mr. J. H. 
Mogeridge, in your last volume, p. 315, 
respecting the improvements which have 
been made in the method of building en 
pisée, and on the present state of that 
useful art, have received no better answer 
than a reference (p. 553) to the account 
which the late Mr, Holland wrote several 
years ago. 
Soon after the Board of Agriculture 
had published Mr. Holland’s account, 
above alluded to, the late public-spirited 
Duke of Bedford was induced to make 
trial of this mode of building at Woburn, 
and for that purpose Mr. H. brought 
down a native of France, who had been- 
used to this kind of work in his own 
country, whose information and appa- 
ratus had principally, I believe, furnish- 
ed the means of Mr. H.’s communica- 
tion to the Board of Agriculture, and who 
had been some time employed by that 
gentleman in executing pisée buildings in 
this country. 
A spet was fixed on by His Grace in 
Woburn park, where this man, under Mr. 
Holiand’s directions, was to build a small 
lodge as a specimen, and in doing which 
he was fuily to instruct some intelligent 
labourers, in the practice of his art. 
This novel experiment exciting a good 
deal of attention, I was among many, 
who frequently visited the work, which 
wes no sooner commenced, than the 
clumsy and unimproved state of the frame 
and apparatus (tlfe same exactly, as Mr. 
H. has described) which the Frenchman 
used, and the imperfect state ofhis work, 
‘was noticed by almost every one, particu- 
larly by Mr. Robert Salmon,a very able 
16. Building en-Pisée. 
[Feb. i, 
surveyor and ifgéniogs mechanic, in his 
grace’s establishinent, who as soon as the 
man had finished, set about contriving 
a different apparatus and tools for works 
of this kind, and made several specimens, 
which proved in every respeet so supe- 
rior to the Frenchmen’s work that it was 
settled, that a new house which was then 
contemplated for Mr. Salmon’s residence, 
near the Park-farm yard, should be built 
in pisée under his own directions. 
This was accordingly done, and this 
house, which has heen inspected by many 
scores of persons interested in the success 
of this mode of building, is, perhaps, one 
of the best recommendations it can re- 
ceive. Mr. Salmon extended his enqui+ 
ries to the best mode of finding or pre- 
“ paring earth for the work in different si- 
tuations, aud of cheaply facing the out- 
side with a durable and ornamental coat 
or stucco: he constructed garden walis, 
and érnamental columns in this manner, 
and several out-buildings; and, during the 
life-time of the Jate duke, instracted se- 
veral labourers and furnished ihem with 
his improved tools and apparatus, whe 
were sent for that purpose by His Grace’s 
friends from their country seats, in diffe. 
rent parts of the kingdom, so that the 
practice of it has by no means been con-- 
fined to Bedfordsliire. 
Mr. Salmon, a builder of Shenley, si- 
suate between Barnet and St. Alban’s (a 
brother of Mr. R. S.) is, as I am inform- 
ed, extensively practising this art, im its 
improved state, in his neighbourhood. 
Isincerely wish that Mr. R. Salmon 
could be prevailed on, to give drawings of 
lis apparatus and a full description of his 
process in your Magazine, whose exten- 
sive Circulation and great repute could 
hardly fail of calling the attention of gen- 
tlemen builders to this useful art, becom- 
ing daily more important, as the prices of 
building materials and artificer’s-work in- 
crease, so as to almost preciade the build- 
ing of comfortable cottages for the poor 
In agreat variety of situations, except 
by a few philanthropic mdividuals, who 
make sacrifices by so doing, that teo few: 
can now afford. Mr. Tappen, in his “ Pros 
fessional observations on Architecture in 
France,” &c. (see vol. xxu. p. 639) has, 
at page 42, given a short account of this: 
art, as now practiced at Lyons. I am 
dappy to. hear that Mr. Randal proposes 
to publish his experiments on this econd= 
mic mode of building, and am, Six, 
Your’s &c. ; 
Westminster, JOHN 
January 12, 1808. 
FAREY. 
