i' 



RtlSH CANDLES. 209 



ect with some degree of exactness, I shall proceed in my 

 umble story, and leave you to judge of the expediency. 



The proper species of rush for this purpose seems to be 

 the jiincKS congJomeratus, or common soft rush, vrhich is to 

 be found in most moist pastures, by the sides of streams, and 

 under hedges. These rushes are in the best condition in the 

 height of summer ; but may be gathered, so as to serve the 

 purpose well, quite on to autumn. It would be needless to 

 add, that the largest and longest are best. Decayed labour- 

 ers, women, and children, make it their business to procure 

 and prepare them. As soon as they are cut, they must be 

 flung into water and kept there, for otherwise they will dry 

 and shrink, and the peel will not run. At first, a person 

 would find it no easy matter to divest a rush of its peel, or 

 rind, so as to leave one regular, narrow, even rib from top to 

 bottom, that may support the pith ; but this, like other feats, 

 soon becomes familiar, even to children ; and we have seen 

 an old woman, stone blind, performing this business with 

 great dispatch, and seldom failing to strip them with the 

 nicest regularity. "When these junci are thus far prepared, 

 they must lie out on the grass to be bleached, and take the 

 dew for some nights, and afterwards be dried in the sun. 



Some address is required in dipping these rushes in the 

 scalding fat or grease ; but this knack also is to be attained 

 by practice. The caref'jl wife of an industrious Hampshire 

 labourer obtains all her fat for nothing, for she saves the 

 scummings of her bacon-pot for this use ; and if the grease 

 abounds with salt, she causes the salt to precipitate to the 

 bottom, by setting the scummings over a warm oven. AVhere 

 hogs are not much in use, and especially by the sea-side, the 

 coarser animal oils will come very cheap. A pound of com- 

 mon grease may be procured for fourpence ; and about six 

 pounds of grease will dip a pound of rushes ; and one pound 

 of rushes may be bought for one shilling ; so that a pound of 

 rushes, medicated and ready for use, will cost three shillings. 

 If men that keep bees will mix a little wax with the grease, 

 it will give it a consistency, and render it more cleanly, and 

 make the rushes burn longer : mutton-suet would have the 

 same efiect. 



A good rush, which measured in length two feet four 

 inches and a half, being minuted, burnt only three minutes 



p 



