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The gables on some old cottages in North Britain, are sur-mounted with steps, following the sides of the roof, instead ofthe plain coping, which formed the thatch-way.

Scottish cottages are frequently decorated by traininghoneysuckles or ivy upon the walls, and a row of house-leekis disposed along the ridge, and not unfrequently upon thesloping sides, in case of a thatched roof.

The materials to be used in the erection of cottages willnecessarily depend in a great measure on the locality in whichthey are to be built. Cottages are built of clay, or turf,bricks with wood, crude stone, flint, large pebbles, cab, See.;those used for the covering are turf, straw, tiles, slate, tarredpaper, tessera, &c. When fir abounds, as in the north of Scot-land , this timber may be used both for boarding and scant-ling; in places yielding stone—that material with flag-stones—for roofing.

In some parts of Lancashire , houses are built with a frame-work of wood, filled up with wattled shed-work, and after-wards covered with a composition of clay and wet straw,locally termed “ clot and clay this, when plastered and lime-whited, has a neat appearance. In Devonshire, walls of asimilar character are called “ cob-walls in France , pise.Houses in the department of the Isere, Rhone , and Din, thewalls of which are formed with this material, have existedfor upwards of a century, and effectually resist the inclemencyof the weather.

Clay may be used with advantage in a similar manner inthis country if properly prepared, and applied with judgment.

.It should be well tempered, and mixed with a portion of finegravel, or sand ; this facilitates the drying, and prevents thecomposition from cracking. In forming the walls, fix tem-porarily in the ground two parallel rows of poles, planked onthe inner sides—a space of 20 inches between being left forthe thickness of the wall: ram the prepared clay well intothis space, raising the planks as the work proceeds, care beingtaken that the walls are carried up perpendicular. Iron-hooping should be laid diagonally in the substance of thewall, as bond. Over all the openings, stout lintel should belaid; and the door and window-frames fixed as the work pro-gresses. When the walls have set, remove the planks andpoles, which may serve as timber for joists and rafters. Afterthe walls are completed and thoroughly dry, the exterior maybe rough-cast, and a coating of plaster laid on the interior.

A good method of keeping such walls dry, is to build in,at intervals, small perforated drain-pipes. These should belaid in the substance of the walls, the bottom resting upon aframed opening defended by a cast-iron air-brick ; the tophaving a small orifice under the eaves leading outwards. Thecurrent of air passing through these pipes will carry off allmoisture exuding from the walls. The improvement of thedwellings of the industrial classes is now occupying, in a con-siderable degree, the attention of philanthropists. Severalsocieties have been formed expressly to carry out so bene-volent an object, and their attention has been especiallydirected to the erection of a better description of cottage forthe agricultural labourer. The young architect, in the outsetof his professional career, may possibly be called upon tofurnish designs for such buildings, and with a view to assisthim, we have subjoined the following specification principallytaken from a work we have before quoted, Mr. Dean’s “ Essayon Farm Buildings.” Mr. Dean is a practical architect, and isthoroughly master of the subject on which he has written;and his “Essays” may be consulted with advantage by thosewho are about to erect agricultural buildings.

The specification is for a pair of labourer’s cottages, semi-detached, but may be altered as to materials, &c., accordingto locality and circumstances.

The general conditions are as usual, and it is unneceto occupy space by transcribing them.

“ Specification. _ t0 fije

“ Excavator. Dig out the earth for the foundations

several walls, drains, and cesspools, as shown m tl, “ ~ beings, or'herein described. The cesspools to privies ^sunk outside the building. Fill up the trenches ^ ota -depth and width shown in drawings with concrete v , e l,posed of one part of ground-stone lime to six of 5 t }iebroken stone, or clean ballast. Fill in and well ri ^ eVe gtground-work to the trenches and walls, so as to Pthe rain soaking down to, or standing against, tand foundations.” j fl -itb

“ Bricklayer . The footings to the walls to be forme ^ c ];-sound, hard, well-burnt stock bricks or burs from tu ^ th efield, filled in solid, and well flushed with mortar. ^ t iii 9footings spread a layer of gas-tar and sand, and . te gta course of slate is to be laid, should there be the s o ^),echance of dampness arising from the foundation-cesspools to be built in 41 inch brickwork, S Xhe dr 8 ’" 9

at e >

domed over, having stone man-holes let in. - ( .,

from the sinks to be 3 inches diameter, of glazed eart c0 rfl'with syphon traps. The cesspools and drains to ^ tli 0pleted previous to the walls being erected. Car ywalls and chimneys in old English bond, leaving 1 ^ tb eof about 2 inches in the centre of the thickness^ upwalls, and insert air-bricks where required,from the ceiling of each room, on corbel-stones, 1 re tte®ting flue 6 by 9 inches. All the flues to be we-P g ° c ]iWand cored out at the completion of the works. ^

ney flues not to be gathered over sharply, andmuch as possible. j gto 0 ^

“ The external walls are to be faced with best r 0 jji9ibricks, white Suffolk bricks being used for pb nt jj ^f \vld^and dressings to windows and chimney-shafts; in di> fl J 9 'are to be carried up in the manner shown i vf° r * t3

No wall to be, at any time during the progress o io^f^g

more than 4 feet higher than any other wall. ^ l»ri cor toothings will be allowed, and no four courseto exceed 11^ inches in height. u ]

“ All the brickwork must be worked in sound 1 flaf^

with a close joint neatly struck; every course g tra’? ,in with mortar, and the whole made perfectly * eV j^ve c * l . 1 ' |1 sand perpendicular. The chimney openings to^ p^tit'^ney bars to turn up at each end. The q u “ l ^ bo 1 ’ 1 ^jthto be brick-nogged with bricks, laid flat, aim ' t j ie rn, " iC y“ All openings to have arches turned J^The ch 'ft«°proper skew backs, and left neatly pointed. ai»J r t

and jambs are to be chamfered, to have P‘ ,n t ’ Q gUpP^

projecting bricks, cut, as shown in drawing’mantel shelf. The fire-places are to be hnebricks, and an oven built at back.

fire

'■Z ^

to P of oven to be n e « - The bottom, «“«; t i,e

fir e under and un ti, tdes ’ with flues for carrybe provit d Zitl ldes ‘he oven. The

dar »Per leading to thet™ 1 '*™’ ? nd . a door

ney jamb. , 0VeM > which is to be fixed a0 d

iron bars into the^Z are to be formed by lettw 0

“ T he prS to E'*" 0 * ° f d

closet-pans and o-i 6 P rovi< * ec * with Boulton

pools. The boil^T , eanhemvare P’P es Jea . d ',”° and tl>einside work wh ° 8e ‘ with rounded bricks, ^

brick. The meT eX P° sed the fire, lined

h'me to three of si W t0 be com posed of one p artto be well term 8and ’ or fine-sifted grave!; _ j 3 re*

frames, and sillZ^-' ^Porly bed all ,! f e !)L f ^all putloek hnlo ’ P. 0,nt ‘ r °und all frames and s ((1 re-P wock holes, and leave the works in a comp