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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 effect. 



A good rush, which measured in length two feet four 

 inches and an half, being minuted, burnt only three 

 minutes short of an hour : and a rush still of greater 

 length has been known to burn one hour and a quarter. 



These rushes give a good clear light. Watch-lights 

 (coated with tallow), it is true, shed a dismal one, " dark- 

 ness visible " ; but then the wicks of those have two ribs 

 of the rind, or peel, to support the pith, while the wick 

 of the dipped rush has but one. The two ribs are 

 intended to impede the progress of the flame, and make 

 the candle last. 



In a pound of dry rushes, avoirdupois, which I caused 

 to be weighed and numbered, we found upwards of one 

 thousand six hundred individuals. Now suppose each 

 of these burns, one with another, only half an hour, then 

 a poor man will purchase eight hundred hours of light, a 

 time exceeding thirty -three entire days, for three shillings. 

 According to this account each rush, before dipping, 

 costs ^ of a farthing, and -^ afterwards. Thus a poor 

 family, will enjoy 5|- hours of comfortable hght for a 

 farthing. An experienced old housekeeper' assures me 

 that one pound and a half of rushes completely supplies 

 his family the year round, since working people burn no 

 candle in the long days, because they rise and go to bed 

 l^ dayhght. 



Little farmers use rushes much in the short days, both 

 morning and evening in the dairy and kitchen ; but the 

 very poor, who are always the worst oeconomists, and 

 therefore must continue very poor, buy an halfpenny 



