proposed experimenting on him to find out
whether he was fireproof externally as well as
internally. He was preserved from this
unwelcome ordeal, however, by the interference
of the Duchess Royal, Regent of Savoy.''

His programme did not differ materially
from that of his predecessor, Richardson, who
had antedated him by nearly fifty years.

By far the most famous of the early fire-
eaters was Robert Powell, whose public career
extended over a period of nearly sixty years,
and who was patronized by the English peerage.
It was mainly through the instrumentality
of Sir Hans Sloane that, in 1751, the Royal
Society presented Powell a purse of gold and
a large silver medal.

Lounger's Commonplace Book says of
Powell: ``Such is his passion for this terrible
element, that if he were to come hungry into
your kitchen, while a sirloin was roasting, he
would eat up the fire and leave the beef. It
is somewhat surprising that the friends of REAL
MERIT have not yet promoted him, living as we
do in an age favorable to men of genius.
Obliged to wander from place to place, instead
of indulging himself in private with his
favorite dish, he is under the uncomfortable