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relation to the position of the country upon the globe, andthe climate to which it is exposed by its situation.

In northern regions houses ought to be built withcovered courts, and sheltered as much as possible; andtheir aspects towards the quarters most exposed to the actionof the sun. On the other hand, the houses of more southerncountries, or hotter climates, should have open courts, and theapartments made to face the north or north-east: so that ineither case the natural inconveniences of the climate may beobviated by the judicious disposition of the houses; for it isgenerally in our power to qualify the disadvantages ofsituation, however affected by the inclination of the earth’saxis, by adopting precautions of this nature.

In order to accomplish this end it will be necessary toinvestigate the nature of the climate, and even to study theconstruction of the frame and limbs of the natives. Inthose countries where the heat of the sun’s rays is not sointense as to disperse entirely the vapours arising fromthe earth, the bodies of the inhabitants retain a properdegree of temperament: and in those which are parched byexcessive heat, the natural humours of the body areexhausted. On the contrary, in cold climates and inregions remote from the south, the heat is not sufficientlypowerful to effect the dispersion of vapours; on this accountthe atmosphere is charged with damps, and causes an .accumulation of the humours of the system; by which thebody is rendered corpulent, and the tones of the voicebass. From this cause it happens that the inhabitants ofnorthern regions have a large stature, and fair complexions,

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