The Practical Surveyor - by Samuel Wyld - The 1725 First Edition - with Notes by David Manthey

The Practical Surveyor

This is the Table of Contents from The Practical Surveyor. It is copied verbatim, with the exception that in the book, as in the original, Chap. 2, Sect. 6 is not listed in the table. It is included here.

THE CONTENTS.

CHAP. I.
OW to make a Plott of a Piece of Land by the plain Table, and cast up the Content thereof.
Sect. 1. The Quantity of Superficies in an Acre of Land. Tables of Measures. Names of Instruments.
Sect. 2. Directions for Measuring Lines in the Field, with the Chain.
Sect. 3. How to make a Plott of one or several Fields together, upon the Paper on the Plain Table, by placing the Instrument at one or more Stations about the Middle, from where the Angles may be seen.
Sect. 4. Directions for Casting up the Content of any Piece of Land.
Sect. 5. How to make the Plott of any Field or Enclosure, on the Paper on the Plain Table, by going round the same, and taking Offsets to the Bounders, &c.

CHAP. II.
How to Survey any Piece of Land, by the Theodolite or Circumferentor, and to Protract the same.
Sect. 1. Description of the Theodolite.
Sect. 2. The Description of an Angle.
Sect. 3. The Uses of the Theodolite, in measuring the Angles round any Field, or other Piece of Land.
Sect. 4. How the Angles and Offsets are to be entred in the Field-Book. Description of Protractors.
Sect. 5. The Manner of Protracting the Observations in the Field, on the Paper-plott.
Sect. 6. A Manner of proving Angles in the Field.
Sect. 7. Of the Circumferentor.
Sect. 8. The Use of the Circumferentor in Surveying Land.
Sect. 9. The Manner of Protracting the Observations made by the Circumferentor.
Sect. 10. The Manner of Casting up the small irregular Pieces of Ground, which lye between the Station-Lines and the Hedges.

CHAP. III.
Sect. 1. The Use of the Theodolite, in Surveying Land by the help of the Needle and Limb together.
Sect. 2. A new and expeditious Method of Protracting Angles observed with the Needle.
Sect. 3. A new Method of Calculating or Casting up the Area of a Plott of Land in Acres, &c.
Sect. 4. How to reduce the irregular Bounders of a Field to straight Lines, in order to find the Area thereof.
Sect. 5. How to reduce Hypotenusal to Horizontal Lines.

CHAP. IV.
Sect. 1. How to Survey and make a perfect Draught of several Parcels of Land lying together, as a Manour or Lordship, &c. Also how to compare the Bearing and Angles one with another, at each Station, as observ'd by the Theodolite, in order to correct any Error before ‘tis communicated to the following Work. Form of the Field-Book.
Sect. 2. The Manner of Protracting the several Observations contain'd in the preceding Field-Book.
Sect. 3. Of Reducing Plotts.
Sect. 4. Directions for Beautifying and Adorning of Plotts.

CHAP. V.
Of Working with the Chain.
Sect. 1. How to find the Content of any Piece of Land by the Chain, without making any Plott thereof.
Sect. 2. How to measure Angles with the Chain, in order to make the Plott of any Field.
Sect. 3. Observations on Working with the Chain.
Sect. 4. Observations on measuring Land in Common Arable Fields.

CHAP. VI.
The manner of Laying-out, or Dividing Land.
Sect. 1. How to lay out any Number of Acres in a square Figure; in a Parallelogram, whereof one Side is given; in a Parallelogram, 4, 5, &c. Times longer than broad; in a Triangle, being confined to a certain Base.
Sect. 2. How to divide any Piece of Land, by a Line Parallel to one of the Sides; by a Line from any Point in the Bounders; by several Lines passing thro' a Point assigned on the Land.
Ibid. How to divide standing Wood.
Sect. 3. How to reduce the Customary into Statute Measure.

CHAP. VII.
General observations touching the Surveying and Plotting of Roads, Rivers, &c. With short Hints how to make the Draught of a County, or Ground-Plott of a City, &c.
Sect. 1. General Directions for making a Draught of the Roads lying though any County, &c.
Sect. 2. General Directions for making the Plott of a River or Brook.
Sect. 3. General Directions for making a map of a County, &c.
Sect. 4. General Directions for taking the Ground-plott of a City or other Town.

APPENDIX

CHAP. I.
Of Levelling.
Sect. 1. Description of the Spirit-Level and Station-Staves.
Sect. 2. How to adjust the Instrument. Also, a Table of the Earth's Curvature, calculated to the Thousandth Part of a Foot, at the End of every Chain, from 1 Chain to 40.
Sect. 3. Rules to be observed in Levelling, in Order to find the different Height of any two Places; being useful for conveying water, cutting Sluices, &c.
Sect. 4. How to make Allowance for the Curvature of the Earth, when the Station-staves are planted at unequal Distances from the Instrument.

CHAP. II.
Sect. 1. The Use of the Theodolite, in Drawing Buildings, &c. in Perspective.
Sect. 2. To take a Prospect of a Building, &c. from any Place desired.
Sect. 3. The Manner of Protracting the before-going Observations, in Order to find the Points of the Building.

CHAP. III.
Prob. 1. How to find a true Meridian-Line, by Observations with the Theodolite. With a Table which shews the Time from Noon, when the Pole-Star makes the greatest Angle from the Meridian-Line towards the East, for any Time in the Year.
Prob. 2. How to find the Latitude of any Place by the Theodolite.
Prob. 3. How to find when the Sun or any of the Stars are upon the Meridian: And the exact Limits of the Natural Day.
Prob. 4. How the Azimuth and Altitude of all Cælestial Phenomena may be found by the Theodolite.

To this have been added some notes. Although these are not listed in the Table of Contents, they are divided into five sections, much like one of the chapters.

NOTES on The Practical Surveyor

Preface
Sect. 1. Describing the Printing History, Differences in the First Edition, the current Typesetting, &c.
Sect. 2. Commentary on the Book.
Sect. 3. Tables for finding the Meridian using the Pole Star for the Year MMI.
Sect. 4. Being a List of all Instruments and Tools mention'd in the Book.
Sect. 5. Being a Glossary of Words that the Editor found either Hard or of interest to the Publick.