bricks.

As one of the heroes of our tale had been originally--before his
promotion--a chimney-sweeper, it may be only appropriate to offer a
passing word on the genial subject of soot. Without speculating on its
origin and parentage, whether derived from the cooking of a Christmas
dinner, or the production of the beautiful colors and odors of exotic
plants in a conservatory, it can briefly be shown to possess many
qualities both useful and ornamental. When soot is first collected, it
is called "rough soot," which, being sifted, is then called "fine soot,"
and is sold to farmers for manuring and preserving wheat and turnips.
This is more especially used in Herefordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, &c.
It is rather a costly article, being fivepence per bushel. One
contractor sells annually as much as three thousand bushels; and he
gives it as his opinion, that there must be at least one hundred and
fifty times this quantity (four hundred and fifty thousand bushels per
annum) sold in London. Farmer Smutwise of Bradford, distinctly asserts
that the price of the soot he uses on his land is returned to him in the
straw, with improvement also to the grain. And we believe him. Lime is
used to dilute soot when employed as a manure. Using it pure will keep
off snails, slugs, and caterpillars, from peas and various other
vegetables, as also from dahlias just shooting up, and other flowers;
but we regret to add that we have sometimes known it kill, or burn up
the things it was intended to preserve from unlawful eating. In short,
it is by no means so safe to use for any purpose of garden manure, as
fine cinders, and wood-ashes, which are good for almost any kind of
produce, whether turnips or roses. Indeed, we should like to have one
fourth or fifth part of our garden-beds composed of excellent stuff of
this kind. From all that has been said, it will have become very
intelligible why these dust-heaps are so valuable. Their worth, however,
varies not only with their magnitude (the quality of all of them is much
the same), but with the demand. About the year 1820, the Marylebone
dust-heap produced between four thousand and five thousand pounds. In
1832, St. George's paid Mr. Stapleton five hundred pounds a year, not
to leave the heap standing, but to carry it away. Of course he was only
too glad to be paid highly for selling his dust.

But to return. The three friends having settled to their satisfaction
the amount of money they should p