Treatise Containing the Practical Part of Fortification

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. But the greateft nfe of elliptic arches appears to be in the building of bridges, and they feem ih deed to be the only ones that are proper for fuch works: for when the arches are of a great width, the circular form raifes the middle of the bridge too high above the ends, whereby the draught of heavy carriages becomes very great, neither does it appear 12) well to the eye, and requires much more mafonry than is necefiiu'y; to which may be added, that this great weight requires larger foundations for the piers, and often canfes them to fink when the foil underneath is not very hard and felid, as experience has fufiiciently fhewn.