Fire-places and Kitchen Utensils. 235 



an object of rational economy, it appears to me to be 

 wise to search there for the means of doing it, where 

 necessity has long since rendered the use and highest 

 possible improvement of those means indispensable. 

 And the truly liberal that is to say, the enlightened, 

 just, and generous feel no difficulty in acknowledging 

 the ingenuity and industry of their neighbours, and 

 no humiliation in adopting their useful inventions and 

 improvements. 



Before I finish this publication I must say a few 

 words on the construction of cottage fire-places. It is, 

 I am sensible, a long time since I promised to publish 

 an Essay on that subject, and still mean to do so ; but 

 a variety of weighty considerations has engaged me to 

 postpone the putting of , that Essay out of my hands. 

 I conceived the subject to be of very great importance, 

 and wished to have time to make myself fully acquainted 

 with the present state of cottages, and of the different 

 kinds of fuel used in them in different parts of these 

 kingdoms. I had with pain observed the numerous 

 mistakes that have been made in altering chimney fire- 

 places on the principles recommended in my fourth 

 Essay, and on that account I was very desirous of 

 deferring the publication of my directions for construct- 

 ing cottage fire-places, till I could inform the public 

 where cottage fire-places, constructed on the principles 

 recommended, might be seen. 



I hope and trust that in the arrangement of the 

 repository of the Royal Institution, now fitting up in 

 this metropolis, an opportunity will be found for exhib- 

 iting cottage fire-places on the most perfect plans, as 

 also of showing many other mechanical contrivances 

 that may be of general utility. 



