Of Chimney Fireplaces. 501 



room ; hence it is that chimneys so often smoke when 

 too large a quantity of fresh coals is put upon the fire. 

 So many coals should never be put on the fire at once, 

 as to prevent the free passage of the flame between. In 

 short, a fire should never be smothered ; and when 

 proper attention is paid to the quantity of coals put on, 

 there will be very little use for the poker; and this cir- 

 cumstance will contribute very much to cleanliness and 

 to the preservation of furniture. 



Those who have feeling enough to be made miserable 

 by anything careless, slovenly, and wasteful, which hap- 

 pens under their eyes, who know what comfort is, and 

 consequently are worthy of the enjoyments of a clean 

 hearth and cheerful fire, should really either take the 

 trouble themselves to manage their fires (which, indeed, 

 would rather be an amusement to them than a trouble), 

 or they should instruct their servants to manage them 

 better. 



But to return to the subject more immediately under 

 consideration. As we have seen what is necessary to 

 the production or generation of radiant heat, it remains 

 to determine how the greatest proportion of that gene- 

 rated and sent off from the fire in all directions may be 

 made to enter the room, and assist in warming it. Now, 

 as the rays which are thrown off from burning fuel have 

 this property in common with light, that they generate 

 heat only when and where they are stopped or absorbed, 

 and also in being capable of being reflected without gene- 

 rating heat at the surfaces of various bodies, the knowl- 

 edge of these properties will enable us to take measures, 

 with the utmost certainty, for producing the effect re- 

 quired, that is to say, for bringing as much radiant 

 heat as possible into the room. 



