180 NATURAL HISTORY 



LETTER XXVI. 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, Nov. 1, 1775. 



DEAR Sm, 



{( Hie taedae pingues, hie plurimus ignis 



" Semper, et assidua postes fuligine nigri." 



I SHALL make no apology for troubling you with the detail of 

 a very simple piece of domestic ceconomy, being satisfied that 

 you think nothing beneath your attention that tends to utility : 

 the matter alluded to is the use of rushes instead of candles, 

 which I am well aware prevails in many districts besides this; 

 but as I know there are countries also where it does not ob- 

 tain, and as I have considered the subject with some degree of 

 exactness, I shall proceed in my humble story, and leave you 

 to judge of the expediency. 



The proper species of rush for this purpose seems to be the 

 juncus conglomeratus, or common soft rush, which is to be 

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

 under hedges. These rushes are in 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 labourers, 

 women, and children, make it their business to procure and pre- 

 pare 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 it's 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 fa- 

 miliar 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. 



