Chap. IV.

ROMAN.

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CHAP. IV.

ROMAN ENGINEERING.

Itai.y, whose history is involved in obscurity, at an early period was divided into thestates of Liguria, Gallia Cispadana, Gallia Transpadana, Etruria, Umbria, Sabinum ,Latium, Picenum, the country of the Vestini, Marrucini, Peligni, Marsi , Frentani,Samnites, Herpini, Campania, Picentini, Magna Gnecia, Apulia , and others.

The Etrurians were among the first to distinguish themselves by their victories over theneighbouring tribes, and by their attention to commerce and the arts of peace, which theylearnt from the Phoenicians. The islands of Corsica, Sardinia , and Elba afforded themmaterials for ship-building, and metals for the fabrication of all sorts of tools. Militaryarchitecture by the Tuscans was greatly improved, and the ruins of their towns on or nearthe coasts at Luna, Pisa, Leghorn, Civita Vecchia , and many others, prove them to have beenalso a maritime people. To them succeeded the Roman Empire, which could boast ofdominion over 1197 cities in Italy, 360 in Spain, 300 in Africa, 500 in Asia, 1200 in Gaul ,and several in Britain . Roads of the best construction were every where made to unitethese cities; and the coasts which did not afford a natural protection to their ships werefurnished with artificial ports. The power which grew up in this vast empire diffused itsadvantages over the whole world. Agriculture, which was made a science and lauded bythe poets, introduced plants of every kind to soils of distant lands where they were likely toflourish. The sciences followed in the train of their conquests, and engineers of talent wereattached to their armies on their march, and established in every great city of their empire.Emperors distinguished themselves in the prosecution of great and important engineeringworks, and all who became enriched by the spoils of their enemies expended some portionfor the benefit of their country : thus the blessings and luxuries of life became universallydistributed over the whole of Europe . By the Romans civilisation was spread far andwide; they made use of the talent which every where sprung up, and by their encourage-ment naturalised it and made it their own.

Architecture and civil engineering are both treated at great length by Vitruvius , and wecannot do better than follow the order, as well as description, of that able writer, who, itmust be remembered, is our only early guide, without whose labours we should needan explanation of some of the simple terms made use of in the descriptions left us by otherauthors. The inventions of many Greeks would not have been known to us if he had nothanded them down. He lived and w*rote when Rome was at its greatest pitch of glory ;and we have no reason to doubt that the rules he gives for construction were different fromwhat were in those days most approved.

The Romans founded towns wherever their arms were victorious, and paid great atten-tion to the selection of their site, that it should not be under the influence of noxious orpestilential vapours, but well provided with all the conveniences necessary to sustain lifeand health.

^ itruvius informs us the neighbourhood of marshes was avoided, and that the aspect fortowns should not be directly south or west when founded on the sea-shore, otherwise thescorching heat of the sun wouldbe inconvenient. By the Greeks air was called Pallas, andby Homer Glaucopis, which indicates a quality clear and transparent; but the ancients werenot acquainted with its properties, or the manner it which it administered to the nourish-ment or support of life ; the lightest and clearest they considered the healthiest, and, byinhaling pure air, that their imaginations were improved. On this account the Athenians were considered more intelligent than the Thebans , who were living in a humid at-mosphere.

The Romans, in setting out a camp, commenced by sacrificing animals, the livers of whichthey carefully examined: if they found any disease, they subjected others to a like test ;if the greater number proved to be healthy, it was then considered that the soil and waterwere fit for the use of man, and the encampment was completed. In the same manner,previous to the foundation of a city, every necessary inquiry was made upon all these sub-jects, and also upon the best system by which the drainage could be effected. If circum-stances required it to be established in a marshy situation, near the sea-coast, a northern,north-eastern, or eastern aspect was preferred, care being taken that none of its foundationsshould be so low as to render it incapable of being thoroughly and effectually drained,lhe sewers were laid out so as to discharge all superfluous waters into the sea ; the lands

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