Report of the Surveyor-General on Climbing Boys, &c. 105; 
This statement contains, I believe, with some few exceptions, 
specimens of nearly every difficult description of chimney that, 
can be met with in the generality of either old or newly-con- 
structed buildings, and will afford, in my humble opinion, suffi- 
cient evidence, that even at present by far the greater proportion 
of the chimneys throughout the country, can be effectually swept 
by. machinery without the aid of climbing boys. There were 
however many chimneys that, from their very confined and hori- 
zontal construction, Mr..Davis could not succeed in sweeping, 
either with a machine or with the ball and brush ; but this. diffi- 
culty he thinks might be overcome hy iuserting iron registers or 
doors in some convenient parts of such flues, where machinery 
might be used with ease ; and, if these registers are properly con- 
structed and fixed, withont either danger or inconvenience. The 
best constructed registers for this purpose, that I have seen, were 
exhibited here by Mr. Thomas White, of Air-street, Piccadilly, and 
by) Mr. William Feetham, of Ludgate-hiJl. And thedanger to which 
climbing boys are so constantly exposed. when employed in sweep- 
ing, narrow and intricate flues, would, in my opinion, in a great 
measure be obviated, were such iron registers or doors directed to 
be made at proper and convenient distances in every flue of this 
construction. The machinery that principally succeeded in the 
above experiments, was the invention of Mr. Smart, and has 
proved. far superior in utility to.any that has been submitted for 
trial,upon the present occasion. This machine is simple in its 
construction, easily worked, van be repaired, when out of order, 
with little trouble or expense,,and may be carried by a single 
person from place to place without any difficulty. During the 
progress of these experiments, I have had every possible assist- 
ance and advice, that the abilities and experience of Mr. Browne, 
the assistant surveyor-general, and of Messrs, Nash, Soane, and 
Smirke, the architects attached to this department, could afford 
me upon this very interesting subject ; and from the information 
I have obtained from these gentlemen, as well as from the ob- 
servations I have been enabled to make in attending to several 
of the trials made with the different machines, 1 beg leave to 
offer it to his Lordship, as my most decided opinion, that the 
total abolition of climbing boys in the sweeping of chimneys, is at 
present impracticable, and could not be attempted without in- 
curring much risk of danger to the general safety of the metro- 
olis. 
I shall beg leave to annex, for Lord Sidmouth’s further infor- 
mation, copies of three letters, which I have received from the 
attached architects, upon the subject of superseding the use of 
climbing boys in sweeping chimneys; together with a “apy of 
r, 
