Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/530

502&#93; 302] R O O is regularly and substantially dis- posed. Their eggs are sorti'^what similar to those of crows, though rather less, and the spots are larger ; the whole process of in- cubation, as well as feeding their 3'oung, is alternately perlormed by both the ma'ie and female. The flesh of young rooks, when baked into pics, at an early season, is esteemed good eating, nay, little inferior to that of pigeons ; but, with such intention, they ought to be previously deprived of their skins, as otherwise their flavour •vi be rank, and the taste uncom- monlv bitter. ROOM, a chamber, parlour, or other apartment of a house. The principal objeft to be attain- ed in t'e arrangement of rooms, is, doubtless, convenlency, and their adaptation to health : hence the xeftangular square, seems to be best calculated for this purpose ; though a cid-e is not only the most agreeable, but also the most eco- nomical, figure. In large houses,, however, the particular shape is of less consequence than the height of a mora, which should be at tl;!e least 10 or 12 feet from the floor; as otherwise it may form a spacious, but cannot be considered a propor- tionate, or healthy apartment. The elevation of rooms greatly ^depends on their figure. If they be con.->tru5ted in a I'egular square, their hei^htshould, on architectural principles, not exceed 5-6ths, of the 6ide>, nor be less than 4-5ths ; but, in oblong chambers, it may be equal to their breadth. — A square rcom of a large size, is so far in- convenient, as the chairs, tables, &c. are too remote from the hand, so that they must be ranged along the sides of the room, when unem- ployed. Utility, therefore^ requires ROO a commodious apartment, to be a parallelogram; a figure well adapt- ed for the admission of light.-— Thus, to avoid cross-lights, all the windows ought to be introduced through one v/all; for, if the op- posite wall (as would be the case in olilong rooms) be at such a dis- tance as not to receive sufficient lig; t, the chamber will necessa- rily be obscure. Hence we may conclude, that utility and beauty, in the construftion of substantial dwelling-houses, are with difficulty combined, nay often incompatible. As the moisture and coldness of our climate, are formidable objec- tions to high or fnfd/ apartments j because they cannot, in the pre- vailing mode of warming them, be easily rendered of an uniform tem- perature; and as, on the other hand, low rooms are exeedingly unhealtb.y, we shall concisely state the substance of a patent granted inDecember, 17f)3,tojMr. Joseph Grefn, for a method of commu- nicating warmth to rooms, and buildings, by means of heated air, supposed to be much purer than any that has hitherto been con- trived. — For this purpose, the pa- tentee employs a boiler, made of iron, copper, &c. within which Is fixed one or more hollow vessels, or worms. The former vessel may be placed in any chamber, behind a stove or grate, so as to partake of a common fire ; its size may be regulated by the extent of the apartment, or other place Intended to be warmed; the steam is con- duced in pipes, disposed in the most convenient manner, to the diflerent rooms or other parts of the building. But, as this patent is not yet expired, the curious reader is referred to the 1st vol. of the Repertorif of Arts, &p. where the