314 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
OUR correspondent, “ Anti Fu- 
mus,” requests to be informed how 
his friends may be freed from a smoky 
house; and observes, that modern 
houses are more: annoyed by smoke 
than the more ancient erections. This 
observation is most true, for the an- 
cient erections were finished in a dif- 
ferent style. 
Take, for instance, the dining-room, 
the window with stone jambs, transom 
and mullions, the compartments filled 
in with glass in lead, admitting, per- 
haps, ten times more air than a modern 
sash window; the walls, covered with 
wainscot, which, from the wood shrink- 
ing, and the many joints and grooves 
through which the air may pass, admits 
much more air than the present stuccoed 
walls and air-tight joiners’ work. Every 
precaution is, now, taken to prevent the 
admission of cold air into our rooms, 
and, in consequence, there is not, in 
many cases sufficient draft to cause the 
smoke to ascend; as proof of it, how 
many rooms that smoke with the door 
shut, will not if it is opened! The 
general principle to prevent smoke is, 
to contract the opening at the fire- 
place, to keep the fire-grate proportion- 
ably low, and have the jambs and soffit 
levelled to admit the heat into the room 
—a fire-place thus constructed will re- 
quire a greater depth than now is 
usually given, but it will answer the 
desired purpose.— Yours, &c. 
Alton, Feb. 9. G.D. 
—<—= a 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
UCH has been said and written 
against the use of Climbing Boys, 
but little has been effected towards the 
disuse of them. The present rage for 
building affords a good opportunity of 
completely putting a stop to the prac- 
tice, and also to the economizing of 
fuel, if proper attention were paid to 
the subject—unfortunately, it is little 
thought of so as long the chimney does 
not smoke. I have been building, and 
both objects have claimed my particular 
attention, and in both I have effected 
much improvement ; in the first place, 
to make the most of the heat produced 
from a small quantity of coals, I have 
a neat stove (shewing a sufficiently 
Targe fire) set in the wall, between two 
rooms: the one, in which the fire is, is 
heated to excess, unless the quantity of 
Modern Chimneys— Climbing Boys—Aérial Navigation. 
[ May }, 
fuel be small; the other has a constant 
current of heated air rushing into it 
(the stove being a hot-air stove). The 
flue is of cast iron, and, passing through 
other rooms and passages, communi- 
cates heat to them; which flue (from 
the convenience I have of getting at the 
top) I sweep by means of a small brush, 
pulley and rope. In situations where 
they cannot be got at so conveniently, 
they may be swept with a brush in the 
usual way from below, only more effec- 
tually: Being so small, to use a boy is 
impossible, as the diameter need not 
exceed six or seven inches. They may 
be chaced into the wall, and, by pro- 
perly securing them in passing through 
floors, &c., be conveyed in almost any 
direction with great advantage. 
Yours, &c. 
March 17, 1825. 
{nG: 
P.S. I had forgot to mention one cir- 
cumstance of no small importance, that 
the air, necessary for the purposes of 
respiration, supplying the fire, &c. is 
admitted into the room, through the 
stove, in a rarefied state, instead of en- 
tering cold at every aperture, and com- 
municating that unpleasant companion 
rheumatism, so much complained of in 
this country.—I do not think the flue 
can be set on fire, or at least I could 
not effect it; I attribute that to the 
want of atmospheric air in the flue. 
= 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
WAS surprised to find, in the last 
number of the Philosophical Ma- 
gazine, a paper, signed Septimus, “ On 
Aérial Navigation,” bya correspondent, 
who seems, really, to regard this “ base- 
less fabric of a vision” as being worthy 
the attention of men of science, and of 
philosophers! — and calls upon the 
Society of Arts (pardon, young ladies!*) 
to pay attention to the subject. 
Perhaps yourself, Mr. Editor, or some 
of your numerous correspondents, or 
even “Septimus” himself, will endeavour 
to impart a little solidity to this castle 
in the air. X. M. 
3d March, 1825. 
* A late publication observes (respecting 
some useful invention, which would, pro- 
bably, mot engage the patronage of the 
Society), that the time, patronage and 
funds of the Society, in the Adelphi, were 
too completely engrossed in allotting prizes 
for drawings, to pretty young ladies / 
