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upon which one or two men may stand todrive the pile by hand-mauls, or work, con-jointly, a heavy, two-handed beetle,—the weightof the men, which may be increased by layingstones on the platform, assisting, to force thepile into the ground: when one row of piles isplaced, and the floor laid to a cap-beam fixedupon them, another row may be set and drivenin the same manner, fixing the stool on thatpart of the floor which will thus have been com-pleted. Piles, driven in this way till they willenter no further, may safely be depended on tobear infantry on a front of two or three files,with open ranks, and not keeping step—a pre-caution which it is always of great importanceto observe, in crossing slight bridges.

The following ingenious method of sinkingpiles in rivers having soft beds, is practised inCeylon . The piles are carried in, and setupright in the intended position either by hand,or from boats or rafts, with four guys fastenedto the head of the pile. Two or three men thenclimb up to the head, and hold-on by the guys.The piles are then caused to wabble by swayingupon the guys, by which the holes are pro-gressively enlarged, and the piles, sinking inproportion, soon become sufficiently bedded tobe braced together, and capable of supporting