them on account of their being old fashioned; but their consuming a vast quantity of fuel, and throwing out very little heat. I have in my back kitchen, a pretty little grate, which cost, new, 26s. and 11s. for setting. I wish there were just such an one in every cottage in the kingdom. It contains a small oven, heated without any additional fuel, in which may be baked a pudding, pie, cake, or small joint of meat— many a three-halfpence this has saved. For a few shillings more, you might have a boiler on the other side, by which you are constantly supplied with warm water. I have one of that kind also: it is considerably larger, and cost nearly four pounds but the other throws out a good heat, and serves all the summer to cook, (roast, boil, bake, and fry,) for a family of six or eight persons. And as to firing, it will burn any thing; and this is a great object where wood and coals are dear: when it is once thoroughly lit up, it requires nothing better than cinders or small coals, except for roasting. This kind of grate is called a Yorkshire grate. If you should be inclined to buy one, let me again recommend you to employ a workman to set it, who thoroughly understands his business. The drawing up of the fire, heat of the oven, and freedom from smoke, depend greatly upon the grate being properly fixed, and the chimney properly contracted.

55. If it should be your wife's intention to take in a little washing, the expense both of a copper and an ironing stove, will be money saved in the end. Indeed, a copper, I consider absolutely requisite to the comfort of a cottage, as will be abundantly seen, when we come to speak about home-brewed beer. A copper, containing twenty gallons, may be heated at less expense of fuel, than a pot, containing six gallons, can be boiled over the fire; especially in one of the old fashioned fire places;-the same may be said of heating irons and drying linen, by a stove or before a fire. These things, to be sure, are expensive to buy at first; but they are more easily obtained at first, than at any future time, and the cost is soon saved in fire and labour. A German stove, to answer your purpose, may be bought for about a pound,-and a large brass skillet, or kettle, may often be bought cheap, second-hand, and does admirably well to set as a copper. I have no doubt but you might get one, that, including iron work, fixing, and lid, should not cost you above two pounds. You may get a tidy little grate, for your bed room, and have it set, for about eight or ten shillings.

56. But how the expense runs up!' you say, here's a matter of six or seven pounds gone, before a stick of furniture

is thought of. But, recollect, my friend, these things are your own; you pay your landlord less rent than you would have done if he had furnished them, and I will answer for the money being soon saved in fuel and in comfort, considering the difference between these and the awkward old fashioned chimney places. So it is only paying a little beforehand, while you can best spare it, and enjoying the comfort of it by and bye, when you most want it. I mention these things now, because, if you intend to have them, now is the time for fixing your copper and grates, and making a hole above your kitchen fire-place, for admitting the tube of your stove-which, you will observe, is not always to stand littering your kitchen; but when out of use, may be easily taken to pieces, and put in any dry place. You will have a tin thing made, like a saucepan lid, to fit close into the hole over the chimney place.

57. If you should have occasion to add, or to remove a window, please to pay attention to the following sensible remarks from an author already quoted :*-' Windows should be placed high up, and be always made to open wide, and at top, especially in bed rooms; so as to give an exit, towards the top of the room, to the heated air, which always ascends. This simple precaution is too often neglected, even in the mansions of the rich; and in case of fever or other infectious disorder, it is of the utmost consequence.'

58. When the mason's dirty rubbish is cleared away, the next thing is, thoroughly to white-wash all the rooms and ceilings then any little painting that may be required—and last of all, to mend any glass windows that may have been broken.

59. Now begin the good woman's operations. She knows, too well to need my instructions, how to proceed. And she who has taken such pleasure and pride in doing things as they ought to be done, in her master's house, will not, I am certain, be satisfied with her own cottage, till the windows are as clear as crystal-the grates black and shining as jet-and the floors as white as a curd. But, for the benefit of any who may not have been used to very good habits, or, perhaps, whose work has been chiefly of a different kind, shall I just venture to say, that if to the best black-lead is added an equal quantity of lamp-black, the cost will be materially lessened, and the grates appear much blacker-that, if mixed with a little small beer, (not sour,) they will look much brighter, and keep longer free from rust, than when the blacking is wetted with milk or water-that, in cleaning the windows, the chief

* Slaney.

thing is to rub them lightly, with a soft cloth, thoroughly dry —and that, in scouring the boards, a little mason's dust answers just as well as soap, and is a vast deal cheaper? of course, they must be well rinsed afterwards, and wiped with a dry coarse cloth.

CHAP. V.

Of furnishing the Cottage.

60. And now for the furniture. Let it be substantial and plain. After working hard, and denying yourselves, to save the money, you would hardly like to spend it upon showy gimcracks. Bedding is the first essential-with this you can hardly be too well stored. Those who have money in hand, and time to look out, may sometimes meet with a good article cheap at a sale-but this requires considerable judgment and caution. I have heard of some young women, who carefully saved and dried all the feathers of poultry they picked while in service, and got enough to make them a bed, bolster, and pillows. Little hoards of almost any kind may now be brought into use; and a great pleasure there is in finding oneself possessed of useful comforts, owing to preserving those little things, which a careless person would have thrown away. I know a young woman who has a handsome bed-quilt, the pieces of which were purchased entirely with the produce of her rag bag, and joined together at odd minutes of time.

61. It is not my intention to give you a description, or a catalogue of household requisites-you must cut your coat according to your cloth. If your united store in the Saving's Bank is but twenty pounds, you must be content without many things that fifty might have afforded. But whether you have the smaller or the larger sum to dispose of, let the large expensive articles, especially such as you hope to make in any way profitable, be first secured; and rather trust to futurity for two or three or half a dozen, four or five shilling articles, than for one of a pound or two. I mean, that you had better provide yourself now with a good bed, (or two if you can,) a good chest of drawers, or something to answer the purpose, plenty of utensils for washing, ironing, and brewing, even

though you should run short of a tea board, a set of te things, a pair of candlesticks, a warming pan, and severa! other things that you might wish for.

62. I will tell you my reasons for this advice. In the first place, it is exceedingly likely that young persons who have conducted themselves so well, and are so much respected, will have several presents made them on their marriage. These presents will most likely fall among the smaller articles I have named, or similar ones: and if young Miss should present her faithful servant with a set of tea things, and little Master with a pair of candlesticks, and so on, how mortifying it would be to have to say, 'I have two of this thing, and two of that, which I might have done without, if I had but known their intention; and the money together would just have bought such or such a thing, which we are in such great want of." Then, again, it is very likely, that with diligence and care, you may be able, every now and then, to add one of these four or five shilling articles: but it is by no means so likely that you should be able, at any future time, to compass one of the larger-and then, above all, it is the large things of which you may expect to make some little gain-not the small

ones.

63. Suppose, for instance, you furnish a second bed room, (and unless this is done, it is very likely you may find yourselves greatly straitened and inconvenienced before a year has gone round,) you have the means of making something by letting it as long as it suits you to spare it. Some decent man may generally be found, glad of such an opportunity; (of course, you will make proper inquiry into his character, that he is a sober regular man, and one that may be depended on;) as he goes out to work, he will be no inconvenience to you. Be.. side, (as the good woman observes,) it is no more trouble to cook for three than for two; and he will pay something additional for that accommodation: and there is his washing and mending; something is to be got by these, and while her hands are free, she might as well do it as let it alone. Now if this brought in but three shillings a week, the second bed would have paid itself in the course of a year: and, if devoted to that purpose, would have enabled you to add almost as many as you could desire, of those second sort of comforts and decencies, which I am by no means against your possessing; but which, if you had spent twenty pounds upon them at first, would never have brought you in twenty shillings.

64. I have already hinted at brewing at home; and this I

pope you will do, and begin to do it from the first, because in quite sure (and I don't doubt of convincing you of it by and bye,) that if you fetch your beer from a public house only one year, in that year you will have paid at the public house, as much as would have bought malt and hops for better beer brewed at home, and a good set of brewing tackle into the bargain. The copper we have settled will cost about two pounds, you may set that to the score of the brewing if you please, but it will answer also for washing, and for the general comfort of the cottage beside-and independently of this, three pounds will completely set you up with tubs, casks, and other requisites-all this you will find calculated in a future paragraph.-A few shillings, perhaps a pound, may be saved if two cottagers, who live near each other, and are both of kind accommodating dispositions, choose to unite in the purchase of the larger tubs, but as this kind of agreement sometimes leads to disagreements, it is perhaps better if you can manage it, to have them entirely your own at first.

65. A few hints as to the nature of furniture shall close this chapter. In household goods, I certainly approve the warm, the strong, and the durable, as much as any one can do, and yet I cannot go all the lengths of some writers in crying down every bit of miserable deal board,' and preferring pewter or wood for plates, dishes, mugs, and such like. There is nothing so cheap, or so pleasant, to eat and drink out of as crockery; nothing so easily kept clean, and with care (the very habit of which is an advantage, both to parents and children,) they will serve for many years. No wood does so well as deal for an ironing board, the heat draws out a stain from every other kind. Oak tables are very durable to be sure, but they are heavy and expensive. If you have 'inherited them from your great grandfather,' it is all very well; but if you have to buy, I think a good substantial deal table, (not a flimsy sale made thing,) answers every purpose; is much lighter and pleasanter, and with care, will serve your children after you.

66. I do not prefer deal for drawers-perhaps you may meet with a good chest, second hand, of oak, walnut tree, or even mahogany, which not being of a modern make, will sell as cheap or cheaper than you could buy deal ones for. In this case, be particular in pulling out every drawer, and looking at the hacks, to see that they are not worm-eatenobserve also that there is no close unpleasant smell about them; this proceeds from bugs, a filthy insect with which furniture in London and other close places, is often infested