A real surprise was finding 25 pages of sample legal descriptions for use in apportioning the divided land. Leveling is done with either a good spirit level, or a theodolite, and two 10-feet long staves divided into feet, inches, and tenths of an inch. Flow of water needs 12 to 15 inches of fall per mile, and the curvature of the earth needs to be taken into account when leveling. The alidade is similar to a drafting straight edge only with sighting vanes attached on both ends. Distances are measured with the chain.
Field notes pages once again accompany the description of the instrument's use.
Because the theodolite is only occasionally seen in the field, the plain table is shown to be a ready substitute for that instrument, even for measuring angles. Two examples of this are given. Break's Land-Surveying is a monumental work at a level too advanced for the average 18th century practitioner. The author was an idealist, and while he was not fully appreciated at the time, he is highly praised here.