OF SELBOENE. 217 



LETTER XXVI. 



TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON. 



SELBORNE, Nov. 1, 1775. 



" Hie tsedas pingues, hie plurimus ignis 



Semper, et assidua postes fuligine nigri." 



SHALL make no apology for troubling you 

 with the detail of a very simple piece of 

 domestic economy, 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 docs 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 purpose seems to be 

 the Juncus conglomerate, 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 need- 

 less to add that the largest and longest are best. Decayed 

 labourers, 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 



