"The rooms were always so diverted with songs, and drinking from one table to another to one another's healths, that there was no room for any thing that could sour conversation.

"One was obliged to be there by seven to get room, and after ten the company were for the most part gone.

"This was a winter's amusement, agreeable enough to a stranger for once or twice, and he was well diverted with the different humours when the mugs overflow.

"On King George's accession to the throne, the Tories had so much the better of the friends to the Protestant succession, that they gained the mobs on all public days to their side. This induced this set of gentlemen to establish mughouses in all the corners of this great city, for well-affected tradesmen to meet and keep up the spirit of loyalty to the Protestant succession, and to be ready upon all tumults to join their forces for the suppression of the Tory mobs. Many an encounter they had, and many were the riots, till at last the Parliament was obliged by a law to put an end to this city-strife; which had this good effect, that upon the pulling down of the mughouse in Salisbury-court, for which some boys were hanged on this act, the city has not been troubled with them since."

Journey through England, 1724.

The

The curious experiments detailed in the succeeding extracts from the Whitehall Evening Post for 1724 are inserted with the hope that they may be made useful on some future occasion.

"An account of the new Method of extinguishing Fires by explosion and suffocation. By Ambrose Godfrey of Covent-Garden, chemist. Wherein a description is given of the several machines and their uses, together with plain and sufficient directions for the proper application of them: a method easily practicable, certain in its effects, and so universally useful to the publick, that his Majesty has been moved to authorize and encourage this happy discovery, for the general advantage of his subjects, by his most gracious letters patent.

"To which is added,

"A short narrative of Mr. Povey's behaviour, in relation to this useful invention; by which it will appear, that the said Mr. Povey's pretended Watch Engine is at best a precarious and often dangerous remedy, imperfectly stolen from the author's method, published with a design to rob him of the just reward of his close application and considerable expences, by imposing upon the publick in suppressing an invention of real and universal benefit, and substituting an imperfect and dangerous one in its room.

"Tunc tua res agitur, paries cum proximus ardet.

VOL. III.

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ΤΟ

"The terrible fury of that devouring element fire, and the sad and mournful consequences which ever succeed its rage, have put men of all nations upon contriving such methods as might effectually conquer so dreadful an enemy. Some again, seeing the deficiency of what machines were at first invented, have, not without considerable success, endeavoured to improve and render them much more useful. The most excellent of all hitherto known are the Water Engines, of late brought to such a pitch of perfection, that by their means water may be forced up to a surprising height, with almost incredible swiftness, in a large and continued stream. These engines are of admirable use in open fires, and even great conflagrations: for they not only, by conveying large quantities of water, serve to subdue the main flames; but likewise, by their continual playing on all sides against the circumjacent buildings, are found most effectual in preventing this consuming element from spreading. Το these many years ago, the Germans, seeing that the inner apartments and back rooms of houses hardly ever escaped being reduced to ashes, the stream of the engines not being able to reach them, have made an addition of leather pipes of a very great length, and several inches diameter, with a screw on one end to fix to the nosel of the

engine;

engine; on the other, a short wooden or brass pipe for the readier discharge of the water, thèse they call Water Serpents; and use them to guide water from one room into the other, either to preserve or extinguish, one of the firemen holding the end in his hand, and directing the stream which way he finds most necessary. This additional improvement has been found so serviceable, that it has likewise met with a very favourable reception amongst us, and ought never to be mentioned without due applause.

"But alas! every body is persuaded, that these our water engines, with all their improvements and additions, are yet very far from being a sure and effectual remedy against fires, at all times and in all places.

"It is with the utmost grief we behold how much time we are forced to allow the rage of the flames before any water-engine can be brought to our assistance; and we often think ourselves very happy if in the fatal interim but one house is consumed.

"When fire breaks out in castles, towers, or other buildings on high places, where water engines cannot be brought near enough, we are obliged to be idle spectators; and by melancholy experience find our arms too short to serve ourselves, or lend helping hands to our neighbours. ""Tis dreadful to see how our poor fellow-inhabitants

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habitants that live in alleys, back lanes, and narrow passages, in case of fire, are forced to sacrifice their all to this devouring Moloch, the bulk of our engines for the most part not permitting them to be brought so near as to be of any considerable service.

"Besides, we too often find, that the scarcity of water (without a sufficient quantity of which the engines are but of little use), or at least the great distance whence it must be fetched, become the causes of the fire's gaining upon the adjacent houses, and reducing whole streets, not to say towns, to ashes, before it can be conquered; witness the once unhappy fire of London, the late fire of Stockholm, and others.

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Lastly, who is not fully satisfied, that the great charge of purchasing, and the continual expence of keeping water-engines in repair, is the chief reason why most towns in this kingdom are unhappily, as yet, destitute of these so great and necessary helps?

These, and other the like considerations, have long since occupied my thoughts; and the frightful idea I have of fire, when out of its bounds, though a very friendly element to me whilst confined under my furnaces, together with the sincere inclination I always harboured within me, to strive to be serviceable to my neighbours, as well as to myself, have spurred me on to think of contriving a method