1805.) 
circulation of opinion, an increafe of ra- 
tional lights, the diffufon of knowledge, 
the facilitating and giving publicity to 
the ftatement of important faéts, in which 
the people are interefted, by means of 
which, freedom of fpeech, and of the 
prefs, ought to be maintained. The ap- 
proaches to public inftruétion fhould be 
facilitated; judicious fyftems of public 
education fhould be adopted. An en- 
lightened and well educated people will 
doubt, will inquire, will think for them- 
felves ; while a rude, ignorant, and mi- 
ferable peafantry, dilcontented. with their 
prefent ftate, their underftandings clouded 
with ba:barifm, and warped by withes 
and fears, will eagerly catch at every re- 
port or fuggeftion that flaiters the hope of 
change—of change, which mutt ever be 
welcome to the milerable.”” 
a EE 
SOCIETY FoR BETTFRING THE 
CONDITION or CHIMNEY- 
SWEEPERS. 
HE firft premium of this Society hav- 
ing been adjudged to Mr. GEORGE 
SMART, timber-merchant, of Ordnance- 
wharf, Weltminfter-bridge, who fome 
years ago obtained a patent for Hollow 
Matts for fhips ; we have judged it pro- 
per to introduce a full and correé& def- 
cription of his invention, illufrated by a 
Copper-plate. 
The principal parts of this machine 
are the brufh, the rods for raifing the 
brufh, and the cord for connecting the 
whole together. 
The Brufh confitts of four fan-fhaped 
or wing-like pertions, which are connect- 
ed to a fquared piece of wocd by hinges, 
in order that when it is afcending the 
chimney, it may take up as little room 
as poffible, and when defcending may 
fpread out and {weep the foot down; by 
a contrivance exactly like that which pre- 
vents a common umbrella from flapping 
dcwn, the wings are prevented from fall- 
ing into their contraéted form, when once 
properly expanded. The fub{tance gene- 
rally made ufe of for the biuth is what is 
called ahifk, but other materials may be 
fubltituted if thoueht preferable. 
The Rods are hollow tubes, two feet 
and a half in jength, having a metal 
focket of a conical form at the lower end 
of each, the bottom edge of which focket 
is rounded off to prevent the cord from 
being cut. Some of thefe fockets are fur- 
nifhed with a fcrew, for the purpofe of con- 
fining the cord, and preventing the rods 
from {eparating ; under this fcrew sa 
‘ 
Proceedings of learned Societies. 
523 
piece of metal which immediately preffts 
againft the cord. The upper ends of the 
rods are made fomewhat taper, and have 
a {mall motion in the fockets. 
The cord is faftened by a knot at the 
upper end of the brufh, and is pafled 
through the whole feries of rods by 
which the machine is kept together. 
Seme of the cord manufactured by the 
children at the School for the indigent Blind, 
which from its ftrength is well calculat- 
ed for this purpofe, has been frequently 
made ufe of by Mr. Smart. 
Explanation of the Figures in the Plate. 
I, The brufh expanded, as when drawing 
down the chimney. 
II. The brufh with the wings down, in the 
form it is when pufhing up the chimney. 
On one of the rods is feen the fcrew for 
confining the cord. 
Ill. A bar, compofed of two pieces—one 
fliding out of the other (like a telefcope« 
flide), and furnifhed with a fcrew for fixe 
ing it at different lengths, according to the 
fize of the opening of the fire-place. Three 
of thefe bars make part of the apparatus 
belonging to the machine 3 one, for faften- 
ing up a cloth, is placed horizontally, and 
the other two are fixed upright, for clofing 
the fides of the cloth to the jambs of the 
chimney-piece. : 
IV. The machine raifed up the chimney, 
with a man, placed on the outfide of the 
cloth, working it. 
V. The cloth hung on the horizontal bar 
above mentioned. 
VI. A part of the apparatus, called the pur- 
chafe, compofed of a fmall poft and pulley, 
fattened into a board, for the purpofe of 
more eafily drawing the cord tight before 
it is {crewed down. 
Method of ufing the Machine. 
Having firft afcertained by looking in- 
to the chimney, whar courfe the flue im- 
mediately takes; the cloth is then to be 
fixed -betore the fire-place, with the hori- 
zontal bar, fig. 3, and the fides to be 
clofed with two bars of the fame fort, 
pliced upright ; the next part of the ope- 
ration is to intreduce through the open- 
ing in the cloth, fig. 5, the brufh in its 
contracted form, fig. 2; this opening is 
then to be button-d, or otherwife clofed, 
to prevent the foot from coming inio the 
apartments ; then one of the rods is to 
be pafled up the cord into the focket on 
the lower end of the rod which fupports 
the brufh; the other rods are in like man- 
rer, one by, one in fucceffion, to be 
brought up, until the brufh is raifed fome- 
what above the top of the chimrey, ob- 
ferving to keep the cord conftantly tight ; 
and when thofe reds which have a {crew | 
g¥ 2 in 
