1822.] 
mencement, and one who _has watched, 
and frequently observed permanent 
good to arise. out of, the notifications 
which you have from time to time ju- 
diciously made and widely circulated, 
to mention, that, happening a few 
days ago to converse with a considera- 
ble tallow-chandler, who resides in the 
north-west part of London, and asking 
him if he was a reader of your 
Monthly Magazine, he replied in the 
negative, but added, that he had lately 
received an official letter, calling his 
attention to an improvement described 
therein, by which the possibility of his 
tallow-melting being offensive to his 
neighbours might, as he understood, 
be prevented, and that he intended 
forthwith to examine into, and adopt, 
so great an improvement. 
At my request, the chandler has 
sent me a copy of the official letter 
alluded to, only omitting therein the 
names of places. and persons; but 
which, nevertheless, he separately 
furnished, (and they are, in confidence, 
sent to you,) but wished them not to 
be published at present; and which 
letter, I trust you will concur with me 
in thinking, is calculated to do much 
_ good when generally known, and 
when, as I doubt not will happen, cir- 
culars of the same. nature are sent 
from other paving-boards, vestries, or 
other public bodies having the care of 
the streets of London and other great 
towns, and on whom devolve the du- 
ties of preventing nuisances of all 
kinds, in or adjacent to the same. 
Cireular from the Board of Commissioners 
jor Paving, Lighting, Cleansing, §c. the 
District of the Parish of 
in the County of Middlesex, to all Tallow 
Chandlers and Melters of Fat, residing in 
the said District. : 
Sir, October —, 1822. 
Tue attention of this Board has on 
various occasions been called, by petitions 
from the inhabitants of the streets and 
places within its jurisdiction, (which ex- 
tends to the removal or prevention of 
iiuisances,) complaining of the great annoy- 
ance and nuisance experienced from the 
melting of kitchen-stuff or tallow, for the 
making of candles, in or adjacent to such 
streets, and praying the removal of such 
nuisances, Out of a regard for the means 
of livelihood of the tallow-chandlers so 
complained against, and considering the 
property which most ofthem had embarked 
in fitting-up their melting-houses, or as 
good-will of their businesses, the commis- 
sioners have hitherto been reluctant to in- 
lerfere, except in some vew or grossly- 
Monty Mae, No, 375. 
Prevention of Nuisances in Tallow-melting, &c. 
401 
offensive cases ; because they were, at those 
times, uninformed of any practicable 
mode of preventing the escape and diffu- 
sion in the streets of the offensive effluvia 
alluded to; or with any remedy, but 
forcing the discontinuance of the tallow- 
melting complained of. 
But, having lately had read to them, 
from Sir Richard Phillips’s “ Monthly 
Magazine,” for September 1822, p. 107, 
an account, by Mr. James Gilbertson, a 
tallow-melter of Hertford, Herts, of a very 
simple addition made to his melting cop- 
pers, by which the steam and effluvia 
therefrom are made to descend, and then 
pass up through the fire employed beneath 
to heat the coppers; the commissioners 
have now thought it their duty to the 
inhabitants and the public, to call your 
particular attention to the above circum- 
stance; in the hope, that, either by the 
mode Mr. Gilbertson has adopted, or by 
some other effectual mode, you will in 
future contrive to entirely prevent any 
offensive effluvia, from the melting of 
kitchen-stuff or tallow in your house or 
premises, from escaping into the public 
streets or places; and thereby prevent 
future complaints coming before this, 
Board; which, as now informed on the 
subject, would not feel itself justified in 
dismissing any well-supported complaints, 
as often heretofore havehappened. 
I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 
Clerk. 
By order of the Commissioners, 
Mr. 
In the course of making some very 
recent inquiries on the subject of the 
improvement stated by Mr. Gilbertson, 
I have heard, from other sources, that 
Messrs. S. and T. Morgan, tallow- 
chandlers and melters, of No, 18, 
Tottenham-Court Road, at an earlier 
period than that referred to by Mr. 
Gilbertson, had, after very consider- 
able expence, succeeded in so altering 
their coppers, as effectually to destroy 
the steam and smell therefrom, when 
melting tallow or stuff; so that the 
most delicate constitutions will net, 
they say, be inconvenienced thereby; 
and it gave me pleasure to learn, and 
Tam happy here to state, that their im- 
provement is free for any of the trade 
to see and adopt: this is as it should 
be; and, though feeling gratitude to 
Mr. Gilbertson for first giving publicity 
to the improvement, and to these gen- 
tlemen for allowing its inspection in a 
more accessible situation than Hert- 
ford, Lhope, Mr. Editor, that you will 
promptly afford part of a page for any 
melter or boiler thes may be pleased 
3 Fr to 
