80 



DR. R. ANGUS SMITH ON ANCIKNT AKD 



clean, cleaning within is vain ; and whilst this ought to be 

 insisted on, the internal arrangements are not to be forgotten. 

 It is exceedingly difficult to find a warm house ; the walls are 

 becoming very thin, and it would be much better if, instead of 

 such brick walls as are used, mud or gravel walls were substi- 

 tuted ; but better still if thicker walls were built and hollow 

 bricks used, if even clay should be found too dear. This is a 

 very wet country, but we have plenty of coals; still these coals 

 do not warm us so much as the few chips of wood in other 

 colder climates. Count Rumford long ago spoke of the great 

 evils of roasting one side and freezing the other, and laid down 

 some good principles, which are only sometimes attended to. 

 One is, that the opening above the fire into the flue should 

 only be four inches wide : we make a great cavern like the 

 kitchens in old castles, and the heat runs rapidly up with a 

 strong current of air.* A small chimney-pot is put at the 

 top to prevent draughts, but by making circular flues, which 

 would be done cheaply, we could have the whole course of the 

 air converted into a chimney-pot, and smoking would cease. 

 These could be made as cheaply as common brick flues, which 

 smoke so much, being so difficult to heat, and which are so 

 rough as to accumulate a great deal of smoke above. 



Besides that, we have the principle of the stove, the sand 

 bath, the water bath, and the air bath, by all which means 

 a room may be very well heated at a less expense of fuel. 

 Why is this not applied to small houses ? The same fire which 

 cooks, might heat air; the fire-place might be between the 

 kitchen and the lobby where there is one, and the warm air 

 and warm water be sent up stairs. I am sorry I cannot give 

 a proper estimate of this, but the price of iron is such as to 

 prevent it being a large sum, whereas, ultimately, it would be 

 cheaper. For the sake of warmth, absolute want of ventila- 

 tion is resorted to. An instance came before me some time 

 ago, when I was sent for to look for poison in the stomach of 

 * With oertaiu modifioations this latter plan may be mad« the best. 



