On Dr, Pearson's Proposal, <^c, 6^ 



air tight apartments and an anti-room opening into each 

 other, and having no other communication with the rest 

 of the house than through the anti-room. Ot" these the: 

 first would servd'for a sitting-, tlie innermost as a lodging- 

 room. It is quite obvious, tliat all attempts at maintain- 

 ing an equable temperature must be nugatory, if the patient 

 have to pass from his sitting- to his lodging-room through 

 a cold windy pasi?age or staircase ; and if the atmosphere 

 of both be not kept at the same degree of warmth. There 

 arc few houses, of modern construction that could not sup- 

 ply two rooms on the sanie floor opening into each other : 

 afid as the anti-room, which is essential for the purpose 

 of preventing a cold draught of air on opening the door of 

 the outer apartment, and for renewing itie air of that 

 apartment gradually, may be very small, there are few 

 houses which would not admit of its erection on the stair- 

 head of the first' floor. The next essential is to make the 

 rooms air-tight. This may be readily accomplished by 

 doulde windows, the outer closely caulked, by walls accu- 

 rately plastered and papered, and doors tightly fitting and 

 listed if necessary. An equable temperature is the third 

 essential. \\\ effecting this, fires in an open stove seem 

 clearly inadmissible, if from no other cause than this, 

 that in an air-tight apartment it is almost impossible to 

 prevent their smoking ; besides which, it is equally diffi- 

 cult to regulate their heat properly. S'/oye^ of all kinds 

 are open to the last objection, and frequently cause an 

 unpleasant and unwholesome smell, even when the smoke 

 dot's not escape. Steam would doubtless be the most ef- 

 fectual and elegant, as well as simple and piirhaps cheap 

 mode of heating the ap^irtments. All that is waiued is a 

 plain and intelligible description of the mode of its appl'f- 

 cation, which could be practised by any ordinary workman. 

 Here 1 confess my ignorance : indeed niv chief reason for 

 now addressing you is to request of Dr. Pearson, or some 

 other of your intelligent correspondents, the requisite in- 

 formation. We were told long ago, that some eminent 

 cal)inet-maker was able to warm'a large suite of rooms, even 

 the garrets of his warehouse, fron) the steam of a single 

 copper ; and 1 understand steam is applied also in warmmg 

 the Royal Institution: so that the practicability of applying 

 it in this way is undoubted. What is wanted is the man- 

 ner of its aiij)lication, on a small scale, in private houses. 

 I should conceive that a boiler, which might be fixed on 

 one side of the kitchen-fire, would heat water sufikieut to 

 warm the air of. two moderate-sized rooms. From this 

 6 boiler 



