COUNT RUMFORD. 123 



acquired accomplishment was to courtesy to a house- 

 keeper. 



His labours in the production of cheap and nutritious 

 food necessarily directed Eumford's attention to fire- 

 places and chimney-flues. When he published his essay 

 on this subject in London, he reported that he had not 

 less than five hundred smoky chimneys on his hands. 

 His aid and advice were always ready, and were given 

 indiscriminately to all sorts and conditions of men. 

 Devonshire House, Sir Joseph Banks's, the Earl of Bess- 

 borough's, Countess Spencer's, Melbourne House, Lady 

 Templeton's, Mrs. Montagu's, Lord Sudley's, the Marquis 

 of Salisbury's, and a hundred and fifty other houses in 

 London, were placed in his care. The saving of fuel, 

 with gain instead of loss of warmth, varied in these 

 cases from one-half to two-thirds. * Giving very simple 

 and intelligible information about the philosophical 

 principles of combustion, ventilation, and draughts, he 

 prepared careful diagrams to show the proper measure- 

 ments and arrangements of all the parts of a fireplace 

 and flue. He took out no patent for his inventions, 

 but left them free to the public. In a poem published 

 at this time by Thomas James Matthias we have the 

 following reference to the labours of Kumford : 



Nonsense, or sense, I'll bear in any shape 

 In gown, in lawn, in ermine, or in crape : 

 What's a fine type, where truth exerts her rule ? 

 Science is science, and a fool's a fool. 

 Yet all shall read, and all that page approve, 

 When public spirit meets with public love. 

 Thus late, where poverty with rapine dwelt, 

 Rumford's kind genius the Bavarian felt, 

 Not by romantic charities beguiled, 

 But calm in project, and in mercy mild ; 

 Where'er his wisdom guided, none withstood, 

 Content with peace and practicable good ; 

 Round him the labourers throng, the nobles wait, 

 Friend of the poor, and guardian of the State. 



