Fire-places and Kitchen Utensils. 351 



The circular iron rim above recommended should be 

 broad and flat, from -fo to ^ of an inch in thickness, 

 and from an inch to f of an inch in width. Its handle, 

 which must be welded fast to it, and must project from 

 one side of it, may be from i^ inch to i in width, from 

 6 to 8 or i o inches long, and of the same thickness as 

 the circular rim where it joins it. 



The under side of this flat iron rim should be made 

 perfectly flat, in order that the saucepan, by being sus- 

 pended by it in its fire-place, may so completely close 

 the circular opening of the fire-place as to prevent the 

 smoke from coming into the room ; and also to prevent 

 (what would be much more likely to happen) the cold 

 air of the room from descending into the fire-place, and 

 mixing there with the flame and smoke, and afterwards 

 going off thus heated through the chimney into the 

 atmosphere. 



The copper saucepan or stewpan is to be fastened 



When ships first began to be covered with copper, this fact was not known, and 

 great inconvenience was found to arise from the rapid decay of the iron bolts in 

 the vessels so covered. As there appeared to be no remedy for this evil, it was 

 found necessary to substitute copper bolts for iron bolts ' in constructing ships 

 intended to be coppered. These effects are now known to depend on what 

 (from the name of its discoverer) has been called the Galvanic influence. 



It appears to me to be highly probable that stewpans and saucepans, con- 

 structed in the manner above described, would last more than twice as long as 

 those made in the usual manner. Frequent attempts have been made to line 

 copper boilers and saucepans with tinned iron (commonly called sheet iron) in 

 order to guard against the poisonous qualities of the copper ; but none of these 

 have succeeded so well as was expected, the tin being found to be destroyed 

 by rust with uncommon rapidity. This, no doubt, was owing to the influence 

 of the same cause by which the iron bolts of coppered ships were so suddenly 

 destroyed. 



If handles must be riveted to the sides of copper saucepans or boilers, such 

 handles should be made of copper and not of iron ; and the nails by which the) 

 are fastened should likewise be copper. They would cost something more at- 

 first, but the utensils would last so much longer that they would turn out to be 

 much the cheapest in the end. 



