and of Rural Improvement generally, during 1838. 555 



the slightest injurious effects arising from the application of the 

 inventiono" 



After all the experiments that have been made by French and 

 English chemists on the fuel consumed in Joyce's stove, nothing 

 ever surprised us more than a certificate, a copy of which we 

 give in a note* below, by Professor Brande, of the Royal Insti- 

 tution, stating, on the authority of experiments made in his 

 presence, by Professor Cooper, an eminent consulting chemist 

 and chemical lecturer, that Joyce's stoves " may be employed 

 with perfect security for all the purposes for which they have 

 been proposed." ! ! (See the certificate below.) It would appear 

 from this, that the common charcoal burnt in chafingdishes, by 

 which persons are so frequently suffocated, is a very different 

 article from pure charcoal; which, according to Mr. Cooper's 

 experiments, will produce, when burned, a little less than two 

 cubic feet of carbonic acid gas per ounce. Mr. Cooper further 

 states that two of Argand's lamps of the ordinary size, burning 

 together, will produce nearly as much carbonic acid in the same 

 time, as one of Joyce's stoves, the internal cylinder of which is 

 6 in. in diameter, and 15 in. high, and which will warm an 

 apartment, containing about 2000 cubic feet of air ! (See 

 Cooper's Report, a copy of which is delivered by Mr. Harper to 

 purchasers of Joyce's stove, and which will be found entire in 

 the fifth and last volume of the Architectural Magazine.) It thus 

 appears, that, if we can make sure of having pure charcoal, 

 Joyce's stove may be employed for heating any kind of apartment, 

 and the whole of the products of combustion may be allowed to 

 escape into that apartment, with as much impunity as are the 

 ordinary products of lamps and candles. 



* " Having been present at the experiments made at Mr. Cooper's house, with 

 a view of determining the degree of deterioration which the air suffers by the em- 

 ployment of Joyce's stoves in close rooms, and having examined, in conjunction 

 with him, the composition of the atmosphere under such circumstances, I can 

 certify, that, after burning for twelve hours in a close room of the dimensions 

 above stated, less than one per cent of carbonic acid was, in all cases 

 found in the air of the room ; that such proportion of carbonic acid cannot be 

 considered as deleterious, or in the least degree dangerous, in reference to 

 respiration; that it falls short of the relative quantity of carbonic acid found 

 in crowded and illuminated rooms, or in buildings in which many persons are 

 congregated, such as churches, theatres, and assembly rooms, in which ven- 

 tilation is generally imperfect, and in which, as far as my experience goes, the 

 relative proportion of carbonic acid always considerably exceeds one per cent. 

 I am therefore of opinion that the said stoves, which are so constructed as 

 to consume only a little quantity of pure charcoal in a given time, may be 

 employed with perfect security, for all the purposes for which they have been 

 proposed, and 1 consider the grounds of this opinion sufficiently detailed by 

 the experiments above given. 



"London^ June 14, 1838. (Signed) W. Thos. Brande. 



" To Mr. Harper, 58. King William Street, London Bridge." 



