BRICK. 



to admit of liandliiig, tfiey are drefTcd with a knife, and 

 ftaked or built up in long dwarf walls, and thatcbed over, 

 where they remain to dry. 



The burning of bricks, which is the next operation, is 

 performed either in a kiln or a clnmp. In the former, the 

 bricks being fet in, and the kiln covered with pieces of 

 brick, they put in wood to dry them with a gentle fire ; 

 and this they continue till they are pretty dry, which 

 h known by the fmoke turning from a whitifii to a fliin 

 black fmoke. They then ccafe to put in wood, and pro- 

 ceed to burn with bvulh, furze, llraw, brake, oi- fern fag- 

 gots, having firll clofed up the moutli of tlie kiln with a thin- 

 log (pieces of brick piled upon one another and clofed with 

 wet brick earth iiiftead of mortar), then they continue to put 

 in more faggots till the kiln and its arches look white, and 

 the fire appears at the top, upon which they flacken the fire 

 for an hour, and let all cool by degrees. Thus they continue 

 alternately heating and flacking, till the ware be thoroughly 

 bunit, which is ufually eifctled in 48 hours. 



About London they burn in clamps, built of the bricks 

 themfelves, after the manner of arches in kilns, with a 

 vacancy betweeen each brick's breadth, for the fire to play 

 through; but with this difterence, that, inilead of arching, 

 they gather the flues over by making the bricks projeft over 

 one another. The place for the fuel is carried up ftraight 

 on both fides till about three feet high ; they then nearly fill 

 it with wood, and over that lay a ftratum of fca ccal, and 

 then overfpan the arch ; fea-coal is a!fo ftrewcd between 

 every row of bricks in the clamp ; laftly, they kindle the 

 wood which communicates with the coals ; and when all 

 is burnt out, they conclude that the bricks are fufficieiitly 

 burnt. 



The proper burning of bricks is a matter of confidenible 

 difficulty, and requires an experienced workman ; as it is 

 neceflary to maintain an equal heat throughout the whole 

 mafs, neither too little, wliich would leave the bricks weak 

 and crumbly, nor too great, which would caufe them to run 

 together into a vitrified flag. This operation is much better 

 performed in kilns than in clarrps, as the fire can be kept up 

 and regulated at difcretion ; while in clamps, as the whole of 

 the fuel mull be put in at once, the manufacturer is always 

 tempted to ufe too little, and the outfidc bricks are neceflarily 

 under-burnt. Thefe are called famel bricks, and are fold at 

 an inferior price. 



The legiflature has often interfered to regulate the manu- 

 faflure of bricks. By flat. 12 Geo. I. cap. 35, earth or 

 clay, defigned for making bricks for fale, Ihall be dug and 

 turned at leall once between the ifl of November and the ill 

 of February, and not be made into bricks till after the lil 

 of March, and no bricks be made for fale but between the 

 ill of March and apth of September. But by Hat. 10 

 Geo. III. cap. 49. earth may be dug for making bricks at 

 any time in the year, provided fuch earth be turned once 

 before it be made into bricks. And by the former ftatute, 

 no Spanilh is to be mixed with the earth or breeze ufed in 

 the burning of bricks : and all bricks are to be burnt either 

 in kilns, or dillinft clamps, each fort by itfelf. 



By Hat. 3 Geo. II. cap. 2;. there may be mixed with the 

 brick-earth any quantity of fea-coal allies, fifted or fcreened 

 through a fieve or fcreen half an inch wide, and not exceed- 

 ing 20 loads, to the making of ico, 000 bricks, each load not 

 exceeding 36 bulhels. And breeze may be aii.^ed with coal 

 in the burning of bricks in clamps for fale. Sec. Stock- 

 bricks and place-bricks may be burnt in one and the fame 

 clamp, fo that the flock bricks be fet in one dillincl parcel, 

 and not mixed and fv.rroundtd with place-bricks. 



For the more eiieftually fecuring the obfervation of thefe 



la',\s, it was enaclcd, by in Geo, T. cap. 55. for the brtter 

 difcovery of offenders, that the nianer and wardens of the 

 company of tylers and bricklayers Ihould have power to ft-arcli 

 brick-kilns, &c. ; but they havuig permitted, and even en- 

 couraged divers pcrfonr, to make bricks contrary to tl.o 

 diredlions in the faid aff, by 2 G''0. II. cap. 15. they arc 

 divcfted of that power, and any two, three, or more perlons, 

 appointed by the juflices of pence, are empuwercd, 

 within i_5 miles of London, to go in the day-time into aiiv 

 grounds, (beds, or ])laccs where any cl.iy or earth flnill be 

 digged or digging for bticks or pan-tilts, or any bricks or 

 pan-til'.s fhall be making or made for fale, and there to view, 

 (earch, and infpcdl the f^mc, 5:c. Oticndtrs to forfeit iO 

 itritings for every thoufand of unllatutable bricks, and 10 

 fhillings for every thoufand of fuch tiles ; one moiety to the 

 ufe of the profecutor, the other to the poor of the parilh ' 

 where the offence fliall be committed. 



By 17 Geo. III. cap. 42. all bricks made fcr fale (hall, 

 when burned, be not lefs than 85 inaheilong, zh thick, and 



4 wide. 



By 43 Geo. III. c. 6g. (confolidating the excife duties) 

 paffed July 4, 1803, every thoufand of bricks made in Great 

 Britain, not exceeding 10 inches long, 3 inches thick, and 



5 inches wide, is liable to a duly of 5 s. and exceeding tlie 

 fore-mentioned diraenfions to los. ; and every thoufand of 

 bricks made in Great Britain, and fmoothed or polillied 011 

 one or more fides, not exceeding the fnperficial dimtiilions 

 of 10 inches long by 5 inches wide, is lubjett to a duty of 

 -I2S. and if fuch bricks exceed thefe dimenfions, to the duty 

 on paving tiks. The fnid duties are to be paid by the 

 makers. An additional duty of lod. per thoufand was impofcd 

 on bricks and tiles in the ways and means for the year 1809, 



The different kinds of bricks made in this country are 

 principally place bricks, grey and red flocks, marie facing 

 bricks, and cutting bricks. The place-bricks and flocks 

 are ufed in common walling. The marles are made in the 

 neighbourhood of London, and ufed in the outfide of build- 

 ing ; thefe are very beautiful biicks, of a fine yellow colour, 

 hard, and well burnt, and in every refpefl fuperior to the 

 flocks. The finell kind of marie and red bricks are called 

 cutting bricks, they are ufed in the arches over windows and 

 doors, being rubbed to a centre and gauged to a height. 

 There is alio a fine kind of white bricks made near Ipfv,-ich, 

 which are ufed for facing, and fometimes brought to London 

 for that purpofe. The Windfor bricks, or fire-bricks, \\'hicli 

 are made at Hedgerley, a village near Windfor, are red 

 bricks, containing a very large proportion of fand ; thefe 

 are ufed for coating furnaces, and lining the ovens of glafs-. 

 houfes, where they Hand the utir.ofl fury of the tire. Dutch 

 clinkers are alfo imported, long narrow bricks, of 3 

 brimilone colour, very hard and well burnt ; they are fre- 

 quently warped, and appear almofl vitrified by the heat. 

 The ufe of them is for paving yards and llables. 



T>RiCK'wa//s. See Wall. 



Bricks, Oil rjf. See Oil o/"0/kvx. 



TjRiCK-e/t//I. It is a cuflom with fome perfons to reduce 

 this fubtlance to a very fine powder, and give it, inflead of 

 chalk, ill the heait-burn. Many of the lozenges, fo much 

 famed for the cure of this diforder, and fold under the pomp- 

 ous name of coral lozenges, are only m^de of a mixture of 

 this uncouth medicine, and fugar, made into the confillence 

 of palle, with gum tragacanth reduced to a mucilage with 

 rofe-water. 



Brick is alfo ufed in fpeaking of divers other matteis 

 made in the form of bricks. 



In which fenfe, we fay a penny-brick, or brick-btead. 

 Some alfo mention brick-tin, a fort of tin in that fhape 



brought 



