500 Of Chimney Fireplaces. 



will be generated ; and indeed very little combined 

 heat, that can be employed to any useful purpose; 

 most of the heat produced will be immediately expended 

 in giving elasticity to a thick dense vapour or smoke 

 which will be seen rising from the fire ; and the combus- 

 tion being very incomplete, a great part of the inflam- 

 mable matter of the fuel being merely rarefied and 

 driven up the chimney without being inflamed, the fuel 

 will be wasted to little purpose. And hence it appears 

 of how much importance it is, whether it be considered 

 with a view to economy, or to cleanliness, comfort, and 

 elegance, to pay due attention to the management of a 

 chimney fire. 



Nothing can be more perfectly void of common- 

 sense, and wasteful and slovenly at the same time, than 

 the manner in which chimney fires, and particularly 

 where coals are burned, are commonly managed by ser- 

 vants. They throw on a load of coals at once, through 

 which the flame is hours in making its way ; and fre- 

 quently it is not without much trouble that the fire is 

 prevented from going quite out. During this time, no 

 heat is communicated to the room ; and what is still 

 worse, the throat of the chimney, being occupied merely 

 by a heavy dense vapour not possessed of any consider- 

 able degree of heat, and consequently not having much 

 elasticity, the warm air of the room finds less difficulty 

 in forcing its way up the chimney and escaping, than 

 when the fire burns bright; and it happens not unfre- 

 quently, especially in chimneys and fireplaces ill con- 

 structed, that this current of warm air from the room, 

 which presses into the chimney, crossing upon the cur- 

 rent of heavy smoke which rises slowly from the fire, 

 obstructs it in its ascent, and beats it back into the 



