mg of huts. Each nation, in short, has its own way ofbuilding, according to the materials afforded and thehabits of the country. At Marseilles the roofs arecovered with straw and earth mixed up together, insteadof tiles. At Athens,, even to this day, the Areopagus,an example of remote antiquity, is covered with clay;and the house of Eomulus in the capitol, by its thatchedroof, clearly manifests the simple manners and habits ofthe ancients. It is from such specimens we are enabledto form just ideas of the early method of building. Dailypractice made the original builders more skilful, and ex-perience increased their confidence; those who tookmore delight in the science making it their exclusiveprofession. Thus man, who, in addition to the senseswhich other animals enjoy in common with him, is giftedby nature with such powers of thought and understand-ing, that no subject is too difficult for his apprehension,and the brute creation are subject to him from hissuperiority of intellect, proceeded by degrees to a know-ledge of the other arts and sciences, and passed from asavage state of life to one of civilization. From thecourage which his gradual success naturally excited, andhis engagement in those various speculations with whichthe arts are connected, his ideas expanded; and frombuilding huts he soon proceeded to the erection ofhouses constructed with brick walls or with stones,whose roofs were of timber covered with tiles. Thusby experience and observation the knowledge of certainproportions was attained, which in the beginning werefluctuating and uncertain ; and advantage being taken ofthe bounty of nature, in her supply of timber and otherbuilding materials, the rising art was so cultivated thatby the help of other arts mere necessity was lost sightof; and by attending to the comforts and luxuries ofcivilized society, it was carried to the highest degree ofperfection. I shall now, to the best of my ability, pro-ceed to treat of those materials which are used in build-