by their unwearied application to the bufinefs of thefe parishes, and their practical knowledge thereof, have been greatly inftrumental in redeeming us, fo fpeedily, from a weight of taxes, annually increafing and in bringing about this long-wifhed-for reformation, (fo honourable to themfelves, and beneficial to us all) your poor in particular are at leaft as well fupplied with wholefome food, and every other neceffary as heretofore. The children are fent into the country in ftrict conformity to the act of parliament, the tradefmen's bills are regularly paid quarterly and all this is done for 1550l. per annum lefs than the fum annually raised during the management of the late directors, viz. from the year 1767 to the year 1775; notwithstanding provifions and every other article is, on an average, at leaft as dear as during that period-befides pay

ing off a debt contracted to the amount of 31771.

By examining the parish books (which are daily open to the infpection of every housekeeper) it will appear, moft clearly, that thefe parishes fuftained a lofs of upwards of 120001. during the time of the late direction; and that the prefent Governors and Directors have, in the two years you have intrufted them with the management, paid off the above debt, and reduced the Poor's Rate from 3s. in the pound to 1 s. 9d. For your further fatisfaction we are happy we can inform you, that there is not the leaft doubt but 1s. 6d. will be fufficient at the clofe of the prefent year.

0)

T. WADE, Clerk.

Some Account of the public Trials made by David Hartley, Efq; Member of Parliament for King fton upon Hull, to evince the Efficacy of a new, cheap, and eafy Method invented by him, for preferving Houses, Ships, c. built with the most combustible Materials, from Fire; with the Proceedings of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons, of the City of London, in Common Council affembled, relative thereto, &c.

FIRE,

we need not observė, is an element of fo fierce a nature, that there is no playing with it, without the utmost danger; fo that every experiment tried by it, as an agent, or upon it, as a fubject, may be truly ftiled an Experimentum Periculofum; that is, in the language of Medicine, an experiment not to be tried with impunity. One would, therefore, be apt to imagine, that even a fingle trial of any one method to check its fury, might, on proving fuccefsful, be pronounced equally decifive. But the greatest men are fo far from being arrogant, that they feldom do themfelves common justice in their own eftimation; and, perhaps, the truth of this maxim never fhone forth more confpicuous, than in the cafe of Mr. Hartley, with regard to this his equally grand, ufeful, and fingular invention. Though conevinced, in his own mind, that he could not make it, either as bene ficial to himself, as he had a right to expect, or as advantageous to mankind, as his benevolence prompted him to with, unless he could retain the fole property in it, and, of course, the fole management of it, for fome unufual

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length of time, he, with a spirit which muft ever do him the greateft honour, took as much pains, and fpent as much money, to obtain that favour, if we may be allowed to call it one, as the greedieft adventurer in the needieit circumstances, on the one hand, or the most patriot Prince, with the moft princely fortune, on the other, might be fuppofed willing to fubmit to. He built a houfe, three ftories igh, with two large rooms on a floor, on Wimbledon Common, and tried no fewer than fix experiments upon this houfe, for the fatisfaction of the Public in ge neral, and thofe great bodies in particular, including his Majefty, whofe approbation was requifite for his obtaining an extenfion of the term, to which royal patents are limited by law; and whofe example befides might be ferviceable to induce the bulk of the people to open their eyes to their own good.

The firft of thefe views, Mr. Hartley has already, with no lefs honour to the legislature than to himself, perfectly fucceeded in and we hope he will, ere long, equally fucceed in the fecond. But, confidering the nature of our work, it would ill become us to confine ourselves to fuch barren things as hopes, or even vows, on the occafion. We think ourselves bound to contribute all in our little power to fo defirable an event; and, therefore, as the efficacy of his invention must beft appear from fome account of the trials already made of it, we fhall proceed to a fhort but faithful defcription of one of them, which may do for all the rest.

Mr. Hartley's third trial was exhibited with peculiar propriety,

pillar to commemorate the inven tion for fecuring buildings from fire.

"The general refpect which I entertain upon all occafions towards the city of London, as the most important member of the community, and the peculiar propriety of offering an invention to their attention, which above all feems calculated for the fecurity of great cities, were my motives for laying this matter before them. Their approbation of my conduct, and of the fuccefs of my labours, is the higheft fatisfaction to me. As they have been pleafed to recom. mend the ufe of the invention in their own buildings, they may be affured that nothing in my power fhall be wanting to facilitate the

execution.

"It has coft me much labour and anxiety to bring the invention into that degree of forwardnefs in which it is at prefent; therefore I do more immediately and perfonally feel the kindness of the city of London, in giving me their af fiftance and countenance in the profecution of fo important an object. As I know the public good to be the object of their attention, it is a double fatisfaction to me to labour with them in the common cause, and to contribute my best endeavours under their powerful and refpectful patronage. I beg leave to affure them that the higheft point of my ambition will at all times be, to merit the approbation of my fellow-citizens, and to obtain the good will of my country. I am, Sir,

Your moft obedient

Humble Servant,
D. HARTLEY."

(To the Chamberlain of the City of London.)

But, to return to the experiments, Mr. Hartley's fixth and laft, was made on the 11th of November, before feveral of the most refpectable members of both Houles; and as, befides all his trials being on the fame plan, wẹ may be fure the laft, fuppofing any difference between them, was the fevereft, as calculated to answer all the cavils, and conquer all the objections, which might have been made to his former trials, and obviate all thofe, which he might be apprehenfive of, with regard to his future ones; and facts being moreover, on this occafion particularly, the best, if not the only folid, arguments, we have fixed on this laft trial, as the propereft for our purpose.

On this memorable day, then, Mr. Hartley, after carrying his company, as ufual, round the houfe of trial, in order to fee the marks of between twenty and thirty large fires, which, at former experiments, had been lighted in different parts of it; firft, ordered a fire to be made on the deal floor

ing of one of the ground-room floors. Then, a large faggot of fhavings, fufpended by iron to the upper part of the fame room, was fet on fire. Thirdly, the ftaircafe was fet on fire, both above and below, without the fire's extending, in either cafe, beyond the fpot on which it was lighted. Laftly, the other room on the ground-floor, filled almoft to the top with faggots, pitch, and other combuftles, was fet fire to; but, though they all burnt with fuch fury, as to vomit forth a perpetual torrent of flame and smoke, and thereby render all approach within thirty yards of the windows, on the outfide, abfolutely impractica

ble,

ble, the room adjoining to, and that immediately over, this little Etna, continued as cool and as acceffible, as if no fire had been in the houfe. Accordingly, Mr. Hartley and his company feem to have made it a conftant rule to pafs, in thefe very rooms, a great part of the time, during which the fire burned with the greatest fury in the other.

Nor was it walls, and floors, and cielings, alone, which, by means of Mr. Hartley's invention, were enabled to mock the rage of the otherwise all-devouring element; fixtures, and even furniture, were thereby rendered proof against it, though found at the fame time fufficient to prepare iron for the anvil, and water for the tea-pot; and, of course, anfwer all the neceffary and ufeful purpofes of life particularly, a bed being purposely fet on fire, little more of it was confumed than what the fire had been immediately applied to.

Aftonishing as the effects of this contrivance for fecuring houses, fhips, and other buildings, of the moft combuftible materials, from fire, must appear, the means perhaps may be thought equally fo. It is only nailing the thinnest plates of iron to the joifts, &c. and these plates may be plain, or painted of any colour. To crown all, as this method must be allowed extremely easy, there is the greatest reafon to believe, that it will be found equally cheap. We are affured, that the additional expence of building, created by the use of this invention, will scarce exceed three per cent. How would fuch an happy event have rejoiced the good

heart of the Great Berkley, who, in his equally fenfible, ingenious, and benevolent queries, looked upon our houfes, confidering their materials, as fo many fire-fhips; and our towns and villages, as fo many fleets and fquadrons of fuch fhips met together for the laudable purpose of mutual deftruction. But, indeed, to fay any thing of the expence of this method, may be confidered as an infult on the underftandings and feelings of our readers. What is any money to life, to a limb, to health? and, above all, to that fecurity of mind, in which this new method must enable every man who has recourse to it, to live, and efpecially lie down to fleep, with regard to the fafety of his perfon from the moft painful of all deaths; and, of his property, from the moft abfolute of all destructions; not to mention records, deeds, and other manufcripts, with feveral highly useful, and curious productions of nature and art, which on account of the uncommon hazard from fire attending them in every other mode of preservation, are not to be infured at any price; and, as fingle in their kinds, not to be replaced by any induftry? We could fay a great deal more on the subject, but that we find, on looking back upon what we have already faid, that our astonishment at the grandeur, usefulness, and fingularity, of Mr. Hartley's invention, our zeal for the welfare of mankind, and our gratitude, as making fome part of it,

to Mr. Hartley, has already hurried us beyond our ufual bounds. Still, we cannot prevail on ourfelves to ftop, without making one remark more; viz. that, next to

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the