Hydraulic Architecture, Volume Two, Part One

PREFACE.

by those that we ourselves tested.

Nothing has been neglected of what is found elsewhere worthy of citation, in order to put the Reader in a better position to reason and extend their knowledge. We travel through our principal seaports on the Atlantic original: "l'Océan." In 18th-century French contexts, this specifically refers to the Atlantic coast, as opposed to the Mediterranean. and the Mediterranean to highlight what is found there worthy of attention; we stop especially at Cherbourg and the bar of Bayonne to examine the magnificent masonry jetties that have been built there for several years. Elsewhere, Brest, Rochefort, and Marseille also offer examples for the construction of dry docks original: "formes." In maritime architecture, these are basins or slips that can be drained to allow for the construction or repair of vessels. intended for Ships and Galleys. Beacons to illuminate the entrance of a port or a river are another subject worthy of note; we provide several, mainly the famous Tower of Cordouan. We also speak of machines for deepening and dredging ports, and the construction of careening wharves, as well as masonry and timber quays. The manner of defending access to fortified places by creating inundations, when they are within reach of the sea, rivers, or canals, is a part of fortification that well deserved to be treated in depth; the construction of sluices and cofferdams original: "batardeaux." Temporary watertight enclosures built to exclude water from a site during construction. requires great attention to manage the water in such a way as to present the enemy with every difficulty they might encounter from that side.

What is practiced in Holland to facilitate the drainage of water from a marshy country has not escaped us; thus the sluices, conduits, and openings original: "buses & pertuis." A buse is a drainage pipe or culvert; a pertuis refers to a narrow opening or a primitive type of lock/sluice gate. which open by themselves through the action of fresh water as it is evacuated at low tide, and close as soon as the tide rises, are reported