The book on Chimnies is explanatory of a plan for
lining their brickwork with metallic tubes : an obvious improvement upon the present clumsy contrivance of conducting the smoke through thoroughfares pretty nearly as wide as the street. Chimnies are made thus large, that they may admit the little black slave of Europe, who, though caught young and kept as small as possible, cannot be so stunted ,as to pass through a tube little larger than an Indian hookah.
Mr. SETH SMITH'S tubes are fire-proof: their general adoption might therefore be expected greatly to diminish the annual loss by fire, which in London is said to amount (in property) to 100,0001. To these tubes is attached a damper,—a kind of valve, which by regulating the transmission of air up and down the chimney, may be expected to prevent all smokiness. These chimnies may of course be easily cleaned by the brush: a little more mechanism would, however, entirely supersede the use of chimney-sweeping either by brush or boy. We would propose to add to this inven- tion a moveable circular plate, fitting exactly the interior of the tube, which might be pushed up and down by means of a small wheel and chain. As this plate was drawn up,—and it might be done every morning,—the soot would be forced along with it to the mouth of the chimney, where it would be received in a circular reservoir fitted to the top, and which could be removed as soon as it had received its charge. If any one wishes to take out a patent for this improvement on Mr. SETH SMITH'S idea, he is very welcome. Mr. S. SMITH incidentally mentions the tax on bricks and tiles ; and alludes to the great national benefit which would accrue from a repeal. He is perfectly right : this is a burdensome and impoli- tic tax ; it greatly diminishes the comfort of the poor, by driving them to build their huts—or by causing their huts to be built—of inferior materials. It very much interferes with architectural beauty ; for the brickmakers are compelled to make bricks of one size only : there is no reason why bricks. should not be of the di- mensions of two cubical feet—a honse built of white bricks of Such a size, would be as handsome and nearly as durable as stone. The repeal of this tax would open a vast source of employment to the poor; for where one brick is now consumed, it is probable that, in case of the repeal, there would be three or four.
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