Brick-Makings 399 
gots, according to the scarcity or plenty of some of those 
articles in the neighbourhood. But before they put in 
any faggots they dam up the mouth or mouths of the kiln 
with pieces of bricks, which is called in some places shin- 
log, piled one upon another, and close it up with wet 
brick earth. 
The shinlog they make so high that there is but just 
foom above it to thrust in a faggot ; they then proceed to 
put in more faggots, till the kiln and its arches look white, 
and the fire appears at the top of the kiln ; upon which 
they slacken the fire for an hour, and let all cool by degress. 
This they continue to do alternately, heatening and slack- 
ening till the bricks be thoroughly burnt, which is usual- 
ly effected in forty-eight hours. One of these kilns will 
burn twenty thousand bricks, and is usually thirteen feet 
long, by ten feet six inches in depth, and the height about 
twelve feet. The walls are carried up something out of 
the perpendicular at top, and inclining towards each other, 
so that the area at the top is not more than one hundred 
and fourteen square feet ; the thickness of the walls are 
one foot two inches. 
The bricks are set on flat arches, having holes left in 
them something like lattice work. 
Goldham observes that bricks will have double the 
strength if, after one burning, they be steeped in water 
and burnt afresh.^ 
As every man who has occasion to use bricks, whether 
on his own estate, or on that of his landlord, cannot but 
be sensible of the great value of a perfectly dry house ; 
and as I think I have shewn that it is impossible a house 
can be dry if bricks are used which are insufficiently burnt, 
such as the place bricks I have before described, he will 
do well to consider whether it will not be more advanta» 
geousto him in the end, to make use of no other than the 
* Common earthen ware, can be converted into stone ware, 
by reburning. T. C, 
