to " gild refined gold, or to paint the Mr. URBAN, Dec. 1. Tents the ichnographic plan of the HE inclosed (Plate III.) repre temple of Diana at Ephefus, invented by Ctefiphon; front columns, in eufiyle, ftanding on a line of 220 feet, as nieafured by Pliny; the length, com priting 16 columns, is twice the width and a quarter of the diameter of a column over; which, in the eufiyle, approached nearer to double the width for length than by doubling the number of front intercolumniates. See Vitruvins, lib. III. ch. 1. fub finem; and lib. IV. ch. IV.; and Præf. ad lib. VII. Plinii Nat. Hift. lib. XXXVI. c. XIV. and ibid. c. XXIII. fub finem. See the ordination of this plan in vol. LXXI. p. 1086. Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, PHILO-TECHNON. fome time filent, burst forth in a strain of eloquence, that amongst our most illuftrious orators I had feldom heard equalled. Every allution, every ornaent that could be drawn from the province of nature, fcience, learning, and philofophy; all that the loftieft conceptions, the happieft verfatility of imagination, unrivalled maftery of language, and unlimited fway over the pallions, could transform from terrific and fublime, into humour, wit, and playful grace, feemed equally at the command of this gentleman. Defeending from this upper world, to the level of common life, I found myself in a well-drefled well-bred company of bufy idlers at a large card party, where happening to mention with honeft praife the high accomplishments of Mils Temple, who might fcarcely be enabled to diftinguish a diamond from a Spade, an old lady with fine feverity of brow, and in a tone of folemn importance, croffed the room, to inform Dec. 31. me in friendly confidence, that Miscalls are for the interference of HERE is certainly nothing that Temple drew caricatures." And a gentleman, to whom I have been reading with ecftacy fome of her beautiful and pathetic lines, has difcovered that they want fmoothnefs and perfpicuity, That Mifs Temple understood all the fine points of delicate ridicule, I had fome opportunity of remarking; and that the higheft order of genius will fometimes indulge in the sportiveness of fancy, I know; but hers must always have been the mildeft fpecies of fatire, for her foul was compofed of all the purest elements of benevolence, and malice the was a firanger to. And as to her verfe, I could have informed the tastelefs critick, that it wanted not fmoothness. Peculiarities that may deform a common poet, in one fo fuperior and original, become proportion, gracefulnets, and fymmetry; elegance, beatness, and exact uniformity, may be neceffary to the light Corinthian pillar; but we expect them not in the old grandeur of the Gothic, whofe noblett excellence is ftrength. Thus have I endeavoured, Mr. Urban, to fketch a faint likenefs from the more faithful picture in my heart, of one of the most perfect of women; and could my wishes have commanded higher powers, Mifs Temple's name would be preferved amongst the choicest treas fures of futurny; yet to attempt to blazon forth her virtues would be only humanity, than the miferies of thofe poor children who are employed in weeping chimneys. Some of them are delivered up to the cruelty of tyrants by their parents, either from want or from unfeeling avarice: others are kidnapped away, and doomed, without the knowledge of their friends, to a state of wretchednefs to which they were not born: all of them are compelled, by every fpecies of barbarity, to perform an office more shocking of itself to hu man nature than almoft any cruelty which can be inflicted. Any perion who has feen an unhappy child of feyen or eight years of age, after remaining a confiderable time amidst the foul and fuffocating air of a chimney, come down covered over with loathfome foot, and fhivering with bruifes which are only concealed by its blacknessany perfon with a fingle fentiment of humanity who has feen this, must have feen it with compallion and indignation. It feems aftonishing that thefe fentiments have not fooner produced any active exertion on behalf of these wretched objects: but we are too apt to treat with indifference miferies which are every day prefented be fore our eyes; and thefe poor children, both from their age and their helpless condition, are unable either to procure redrefs, or obtrude their distreffes on the attention 1190 Plan for alleviating the Mifery of Chimney-fweepers. [Supp. attention of the world. Of late, in deed, an excefs of barbarity happening accidentally to awaken the humanity of two women, a monster of their own fex (p. 1071) was brought before a court of juftice. Such feenes of cruelty were then brought to light, as called forth the londett expreflions of indignation. The impreflion, however, feems to be gradually dying away. It may be alledged in the prefent in fiance, as in others where an appeal is made to the feelings of the humane, that the miferies complained of are exaggerated, with a view to excite the greater degree of compaflion. But let the evidence given on oath in a public court of juice, at the trial of Mrs. Bridger's foreman, be read, and there will be no occafion to add one additional circumfiance. It will there he found, that the infants are farved; feourged, pricked with fharp infiruments, and threatened with fome punifhments fill more horrid, to compel them to undertake their leathfome work at the risk of their lives. And left it should be fuppofed that Mrs. Bridger's cruelty was peculiar to her felf, the foreman's very defence chiefly turned on thefe practices being general, and abfolutely necellary to overcome the reluctance of nature to the noifome task. It may be fuppofed that the evils complained of are of fhort duration; that, as foon as the children are able to overcome their fears and difguft, the exercife of cruelty ceafes to be neceffary, and they become gradually habituated to their occupation. But it will be found, that the confequences of this fpecies of em ployment are fuch, as to require a confant repetition of barbarities, not on the fame objects, but on a new feries of victims. A loathfome difeafe, contracted from the foul air and the qualities of the foot, and attended with the most excruciating pain, fpeedily puts an end to the miferies of the greater part of those who have furvived the feverities of hunger and oppreflion. Other children must be procured, to fupply this perpetual wafte; and hence this fyftem of barbarous flavery is extended far beyond what the publick are aware of, not only to the mifery of fo many of our fellow creatures, but allo to the material detriment of the population. To deftroy this fyfiem of oppreffion, and remove this fiain on our national humanity, feveral plans have be propofed. It has been fuggelled that chimneys may be fwept by means of machinery, and the invention of the a machine feems completely practice. ble; but it may be fome time beloret can be brought to perfection, and may be fill longer before it shall be generally adopted. In the mean time humanity futlers, and the difirelles ef the wretched children call alond for immediate relief. A method, ther fore, employed for fweeping chimney in the capital of the Northern panet this kingdom, and which is entret free from the evils attending the pre fent practice in London, is fubuitad to the confideration of the humane. བྲལ། Owing to the great height of the houfes in Edinburgh, it was impetible that children could be employed to fweep their chimneys, as their firenga could never have enabled them to feramble up fuch a height, even if they could have efcaped fuffocation o the way. The fublüitute adopted is és follows: two men are employed fweep the chimney; one of thei through the trap door to the top, while the other fiands on the hearth at the bottom. A long rope is then kt down the chimney by the one at the top, when the other attaches a bunch of furze to the middle of it. The rope is then pulled up and down fuccellively, till the furze has completely cleared the chimney of foot. By this ope ration, in which children can never, from their want of firength, be employed, humanity is in no way outraged; and thefe victims are neier es pofed to the danger of lofing their limbs or their lives,to the barbarities practifed in training them, or the painful and loathfome difeafes which ufually put a period to their lives. Befides there advantages, this operation is performed with much more expedition than that at prefent practifed: two men can fweep three or four times the number of chimneys which two boys can do in a day. A gentleman who has tried the experiment, recommends in place of the furze a cylindrical brush," brifiled all round with ftrong hairs, and having at each end a staple, to which a rope fhould be attached. The practice of fweeping chimneys in this manner, by men inftead of boys, is adopted not only in Edin burgh, but in every remote part of the country where chimney-tweepers are not to be procured. The operation ten eafily and expeditiously perned by the common labouring peo. ufually the bricklayers, malons, Пaters. tinay feem fuperfluous to enforce argument an improvement which is nded with fo many advantages, 1 no drawback; but thofe who are uainted with mankind, know well difficult it is to introduce any ovation, however ufeful. Every ife of long continuance has its adates, even if they can advance noas inere fold in its device, than it what has exified a long time may I be permitted to exift. I fhall atmpt to point out a plan, by which e method deferibed above may be edily and generally brought into The example and influence of a reectable body of men, is the first step quifite to give currency to the new actice. There are two focieties of en, who, if we may judge from the jects of their affociation, and from eir being the profeffed advocates of manity, will not be unwilling to dertake this office. I mean the ociety for bettering the condition of e labouring Poor, and that for the ppreflion of Vice. If the members thefe truly honourable and admired ocieties would refolve to have all their wn chimneys fwept upon the propofed lan, and induce all thofe over whom eir influence extends to adopt the une refolution, the practice would mmediately become generally known. Other individuals, or bodies of men, aight adopt the fame method; and hefe fteps might, in the next fellion of Parliament, he followed up by an Act of the Legislature, prohibiting the practice of fweeping chimneys by chilIren climbing up into them. By hefe fteps, purfued with vigour and ctivity, the metropolis, and indeed he whole kingdom, might, in the courfe of a few months, be freed from a fyftem of oppreffion and barbarity, and an improvement in domeftic economy be introduced. The operation of the plan here propofed would be immediate; other inprovements might hereafter be introduced, and the bufinefs facilitated by means of machinery. But let us not delay to lend our affifiance to humanity, till the beft poffible mode of doing it can be found out. I have a wife and two daughters, and am in a tolerable way of butinefs; but at this feafon, bills pour in heavily. and credit must be maintained. I hoped, however, after all my Chrifimas payments, to put by foniething handfome; but it has all been spent, because Chriftmas comes but once a year. My wife, who, to do her juftice, is not extravagantly inclined, finding we fhould have a furplus, faid that we ought to think of returning fome of the favours we had received, and propofed giving a great rout, with a ball and fupper; to which I objected, as we live in a narrow street, and the neighbours would hear and fee, and think us mad, or, more probably, that we had got a prize in the lottery. But all my objections were filenced with Chriftmas comes but once a year. My daughters, who have for fome time plagued me for certain trinkets and articles of wearing apparel, which I do not think becoming their fituation, thought they fhould conquer all objections on my part, by this infallible appeal to the feafon; and I have been compelled to buy each of them a velvet garment, with rich lace tacked to it, which I think they call a peliffe, to exhibit in the ftreets; with fome jew ellery to exhibit in public places of amufement, which I could neither well afford, and which, as I have obferved, I do not think becoming their ftation, and all because Chriftmus comes but once a year. Certain of my friends too, men of bufinefs, have prevailed upon me to run into fome degree of extravagance, by joining with them in a few parties of pleafure, as they are called, and which I never do at other times, without a profpect of increafing my own trade, and making profitable connec tions; but there was no refifting this argument, argument, that Christmas comes but ance a year, which they firongly enforce by another, It is a poor heart that NEVER rejoices. And what man would be fuppofed to have so poor a heart as not to rejoice once a year? I am forry that these palpable verities fhould have fuch an effect on our minds, as to injure our circumftances, to lay nothing of our morals. It is indeed a weaknels from which I know fome of my acquaintance are quite free, and the confequence is, that they are looked upon by the world as contemptible narrow-minded fave-farthings, while their own children fecretly with their diffolution. When I confider this, on the other hand, I find it half an apology for my own conduct, and reconciling myfelf to myself, as well as I can, I think how lucky it is, that Christmas Comes BUT once a year! Yours, &c. MATTHEW MEANWELL. P. S. I fhall oppofe all applications on New Year's Day, because the New Year lafts all the year round! Mr. URBAN, HA Dec. 6. only reduced to a vicarage by the lob “Paulo major a canames. Non omnes arbulta juvant, humilefque AVING noticed in p. 536, the review of "The Happy Villager, a Poem," I beg leave to offer a few explanatory remarks, which may probably do away the feeming impropriety in the title-page, and on that account be allowed a place in your valuable repofitory. The living of Seaham was a rectory till about the year 1500, when the great tithes were aliened, and appropriated to the monaftery of Coverham, in Yorkshire. At the diffolution of monafteries they were restored, when the rectory food in all points as ufual; THE PROJECTOR, N° XIII. but, through inadvertency or neglect, the word vicar fill renamed in the papers of fucceeding incumbents. On a perufal of the parish regifter, we find Arthur Noel, in the year 1668, whom I Hutchinson ranks among the number of vicars, invariably, throughout the whole of his incumbency, figning hinfelf rector. Now, in doing this, he muft either have chofen to expofe hinfelf to pofterity, by afluming a title that did not belong to him, or thought he was juftifiable in adopting what he was convinced really belonged to him, notwithttanding the error in wording the prefentation. It may be faid it is a vicarage impropriate. That it certainly is not. Had it never been a rectory, it might have been the cafe; but, having been one originally, and myrice." VIRG. cannot be fuppofed a very pleating reflection to me, that, although I have now completed a whole year of laborious endeavours in the fervice of the publick, I have never yet been ap plied to in the character of Projector by any confiderable number of individuals, far lefs by any of those affociated bodies who profet's that the public good is their main object, and caufe of alleinbling. But I take fome comfort when 1 recollect, that fach has always been the fate of Projectors; and that I am an unworthy member of a clafs of men who feen doomed to offer their advice unafked, and to exhibit plans and fchemes |