Fire-places and Kitchen Utensils. 385 



used for rendering a useful mechanical contrivance 

 ornamental and expensive ; for many persons will be 

 ready to lend their assistance in that undertaking. 



Those who wish to see one of these universal kitchen 

 boilers will find one set in brick-work in the kitchen of 

 the Royal Institution. It is constructed of copper, and 

 tinned on the inside ; and it is considerably larger than 

 that I have here described. The method used for 

 confining the steam in this boiler is different from that 

 here recommended, and there is a contrivance for 

 heating the contents of the boiler occasionally by 

 means of steam, which is brought from another boiler ; 

 but this contrivance has no particular connection with 

 the invention in question, and is introduced here merely 

 to show how steam may be employed for making liquids 

 boil. 



In order that these universal kitchen boilers, with 

 steam-stoves, may the more easily find their way into 

 common use in this country, some method should be 

 contrived for making tea in them. Now I think this 

 might be done by putting the tea with cold water into 

 a shallow tin tea-pot, or rather kettle, and placing it in 

 the upper boiler, directly over the lower boiler. I once 

 made an experiment of this kind; and, if I was not 

 much mistaken, the tea that was so made was uncom- 

 monly good and high-flavoured. It certainly appeared 

 to be considerably stronger than it would have been, 

 if, with the same quantities of tea and of water, it had 

 been made in the common way. 



Boiling water poured upon a vegetable substance does 

 not always extract from it all that might be extracted by 

 putting the substance to cold water and heating them 

 together. This fact is well known; and it renders it 



VOL. III. 25 



