494 Of th* Management of Fires 



I laving, as an experiment, constructed in the kitchen 

 of the Military Academy at Munich an apparatus for 

 the performance of all the different processes of cook- 

 ery, and to serve occasionally for warming a room with 

 one and the same fire, thinking that the principles of 

 the invention might be employed with advantage in 

 the construction of cottage fire-places, on my return to 

 this country I made the experiment at my lodgings in 

 Brompton Row, Knightsbridge ; and, desirous of accom- 

 modating the contrivance to wbat I think may be 

 called a prejudice of Englishmen, I contrived the 

 machinery in such a manner as to render the fire 

 visible. 



A small low grate was fixed in the middle of a large 

 open kitchen fire-place, and on each side of it were fixed 

 in brick-work two Dutch ovens, one above the other, 

 the bottom of the lower oven on each side being nearly 

 on a level with the top of the grate ; and, as each of the 

 ovens was surrounded by flues, I had hopes that by 

 causing the flame and smoke of the open fire to incline 

 downwards and enter a horizontal canal, situated just 

 behind the fire, and there to separate to the right and 

 left and circulate under the iron bottoms of the ovens, 

 they would by that means be sufficiently heated to 

 bake or to boil ; and, even if the two upper ovens 

 should not be found to be sufficiently heated to perform 

 those processes of cookery, I thought, by leaving their 

 doors open, they might at least be very useful, 

 occasionally for warming the room, acting in the 

 manner of a German stove. But the experiment was 

 far from succeeding as I expected. 



The current of flame and smoke which arose from 

 the open fire was, without difficulty, made to bend its 



