3^4 NATURAL HISTORY 



LETTER XXVI. 



TO TllF, SAME. 



DEAR SIR ; Selborne, Nov. 1, 1775. 



" Hic ■ tiEtls pingucs, hie plurimus ignis 



" Semper, ct assidu^ 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 onrushes instead of candles, which 

 I am well aware prevails in many districts 

 besides this ; but as 1 know there are coun- 

 tries also where it does not obtain, 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 pur- 

 pose seems to be the ju7icits conglomeratus, 



