464 On the Construction of Kitchen 



1 \\ inches in diameter, resembling in all respects the 

 boilers used with the register-stoves described in the 

 tenth chapter of this Essay. 



I intend, as soon as it shall be in my power, to pub- 

 lish a particular detailed account of this grate, and also 

 of several others for open chimney fire-places, which 

 at my recommendation have lately been introduced in 

 this country. In the mean time, I avail myself of this 

 opportunity of pointing out one fault which has been 

 committed by almost all those who have undertaken to 

 set cottage grates in brick-work. They have made what 

 has been called the diving-flue much too deep. It is 

 more than probable that the name given to this flue 

 has contributed not a little to lead them into this error. 

 When properly constructed, it hardly deserves the name 

 of a flue, for it ought not to be above two inches deep, 

 measured from the under surface of the flat plate of 

 cast iron which forms the top of the grate. There are 

 two important advantages that result from making this 

 opening in the brick-work for the passage of the smoke 

 very shallow : the one is, that in this case it may easily 

 be cleaned out when coals happen to fall into it by acci- 

 dent when it is left uncovered ; and the other is, that 

 the back wall of the fire-place, against which the fuel 

 burns, may in that case be made thick- and strong, and 

 not so liable to be destroyed by the end of the poker in 

 stirring the fire as it is when there is a hollow flue just 

 behind it. 



Both these are important objects, and for want of due 

 attention being paid to them cottage grates have, to my 

 knowledge, often been disgraced and rejected. When 

 they are properly set and properly managed, they are 

 very useful fire-places where coal or turf is burned ; and 



