houses, the lead bullet, with the cord attached, is thrown over the house by means of the cross-bow; to this cord a stronger one is attached, and drawn over the house by means of the former; a single chain is then attached, and drawn over in like manner; and to this last is attached the chain-ladder, which, on being raised to the roof, the firemen ascend, and proceed as before directed.

If the house be so high that the cord cannot be thrown over far enough to be taken hold of by those on the opposite side, then the persons to be extricated must take hold of the cord, as it hangs past the window at which they may have placed themselves. By means of it they draw up the small pulley, and hook it on the window-sole. The chainladder is then made fast to the end of the cord, and drawn up by those below. When the end of the chain-ladder comes to the sole of the window, the persons inside fasten the hooks of the ladder on its sole, or to the post of a bed, the bars of a grate, or any thing likely to afford a sufficient hold. After having ascertained that the ladder is properly fixed, the firemen will ascend and proceed as in the former

cases.

I must here remark, that before this plan can be properly put in execution, the firemen must be regularly trained to the exercise. When the firemen here are practised with the fire-escape, the man ascending or descending has a strong belt round his middle, to which another chain is fastened, and held by a man stationed at the window for that purpose;

if any accident, therefore, were to occur with the chain-ladder, the man cannot fall to the ground, but would be swung by the chain attached to the belt round his body. The men are also frequently practised in ascending and descending by single chains. The firemen here are very fond of the above exercise, the bagging each other seems to amuse them exceedingly."

The last resort, in desperate cases, is to leap from the window. When this is to be attempted, mattresses, beds, straw, or other soft substances, should be collected under the window, a piece of carpet or other strong cloth should be held up, by 10 or 12 stout men. The person in the window may then leap, as nearly as possible, into the centre of the cloth. If they have sufficient resolution to take a fair leap, they may escape with comparatively little injury. If they hesitate, and fall from the window instead of leaping, the chance is that they may alight on their head; and in that case there is a danger of injuring the neck.

In practising this exercise the men are in the habit of descending by the chains from the parapet of the North Bridge here, to the ground below, a height of 75 feet.

CAUSES OF FIRE, AND MEANS OF PREVENTING

THEM.

As almost all fires arise from carelessness in one shape or another, it is of the utmost importance that every master of a family should persevere in rigidly enjoining, and enforcing on those under him, the necessity of observing the utmost possible care, in preventing such calamities, which, in nineteen cases out of twenty, are the result of remissness or inattention. Indeed, if any one will for a moment consider the fearful risk of life and property, which is often incurred from a very slight inattention, the necessity of vigilance and care will at once be apparent. The most immense hazard is frequently incurred for the most trifling indulgences, and much property is annually destroyed, and valuable lives often lost, because a few thoughtless individuals cannot deny themselves the gratification of reading in bed with a candle beside them. It may suit such people well enough to say, “Let the house burn, my property is insured;" but do such persons ever consider, that when fire has consumed their property, or, rather, what is not theirs, but the property of the individuals by whom it is insured, do they consider that the fire will not stop at their bidding, and that it may be beyond the power of any human being to say, “ Thus far shalt thou come and no farther?"

In most cases of fire the people in whose premises it occurs, are thrown into what may be called

a state of temporary derangement, and seem to be actuated only by a desire of muscular movement, no matter to what purpose their exertions are directed. Persons may often be seen toiling like galley-slaves at operations which a moment's reflection would show were utterly useless. I have seen tables, chairs, and every article of furniture that would pass through a window, three or four stories high, dashed into the street, even when the fire had hardly touched the tenement. On one occasion I saw crockery-ware thrown from a window on the third floor.*

Most of these extravagancies take place on the first alarm. When the engines have got fairly into play, people begin to recollect themselves, and it is at this time that most of those who " go to see a fire" arrive. By the exertions of the police there is then generally a considerable degree of order restored, and the most interesting part of the scene

is over.

What remains, however, may, from its novelty or grandeur, (if the fire is extensive,) be still worth looking at for a little, but much of the excitement is banished with the confusion; and if the fire and firemen seem to be well matched, the chief interest

At a fire which took place in one of the best streets in Edinburgh, and which began in the roof, the persons who rushed into the house on the first alarm being given, threw the greater part of the contents of the drawing-room and library, with several basketsful of china and glass, out of the windows; the fire injured nothing below the uppermost story.

E

which is excited in the spectators, is to ascertain which of the parties is likely to be victorious. Few people, comparatively, have thus an opportunity of witnessing the terror and distraction occasioned by the first alarm of fire, and this may probably account for the apathy and indifference with which people who have not seen this regard it.

One of the prevailing causes of fire is to be traced to persons locking their doors, and leaving their houses to the care of children. I believe onehalf of the children whose deaths are occasioned by accident suffer from this cause alone: indeed, almost every week the newspapers contain some melancholy confirmation of what I have here stated. Intoxication is also a disgraceful and frequent cause of fire. The number of persons burned to death in this way is really incredible. It is true, that it does not always happen that a fire takes place in the house, in either of the above cases, although the unfortunate beings whose clothes take fire rarely escape with their lives; but the danger to the neighbourhood is at all times considerable, if persons in a state of inebriety are left in a house alone. When there is reason to apprehend that any member of a family will come home at night in that state, some one should always be appointed to receive him, and on no account to leave him till he is put to bed, and the light extinguished.

I do not mean to say that people must be actually drunk, before danger is to be apprehended from them. Indeed, a very slight degree of inebriety is