L A 
burner I mean to place therein, into which the oil or fpi- 
rits can only pafs upon the fame principle as a bird-cage 
water-fountain. When I have filled the refervoir, and let 
it perpendicular, and the oil and fpirits have found their 
juft medium in the fmall fountain-bafon, I take a quan¬ 
tity of fine wire, in proportion to the fiz.e I intend the 
burner to be, twift it together, and turn it into fuch form 
that it will (land of itfelf in the middle of the fountain- 
bafon, which I take care to place at fuch a diftance from 
the refervoir, that the heat of the burner may rarify the 
oil or fpirits within the refervoir, in proportion to its con- 
fumption; I then make the burner hot till the oil or fpi¬ 
rits take fire, and it will then continue to burn (if de¬ 
fended from any bidden impulfe of air) fo long as it is 
properly fupplied.” Patent , Feb. 12, 1787. 
Automaton Lamp. This is the invention of Mr. John 
Porter, of Lemonville, near Tandragee, in the county of 
Armagh, in Ireland. His patent is dated May 30, 1804. 
The diftinguiftiing charafter of this lamp is, that it is fuf- 
pended on an axis,on which it moves while burning. On 
the fide of this axis, which is oppofite to the burner or 
burners, the lamp contains the greateft part of the oil or 
fpirits ; and on the fame fide of the axis with the burner 
or burners is placed fo much metal, or other fubftance, as 
makes the lamp hang level, or nearly fo, w'hen full, and 
gives it a dip on the fide of the burner or burners, form¬ 
ing an angle of forty-five degrees when empty, more or 
lei's; the axis allb is fo adjufted, with refpeft to the depth 
of the lamp, that it may feed itfelf evenly by the gradual 
defcending of the burners3 or, as the oil diminilhes by 
burning, the weight behind the centre is leflened, whilft 
that of the wick continues without alteration. This oc- 
cafions the lamp to librate, fo that the oil is always kept 
very near the wick, by which means it will burn oil which 
is too impure for the capillary action of a common lamp. 
The nicety of its performance depends upon the figure of 
the veflel, and the place of the centre correfponding with 
the weight of the tubes. This the makers have by expe¬ 
rience determined to the greateft accuracy. The auto¬ 
maton lamp is in very general ufe in the north of Eng¬ 
land in cotton-mills, and other manufactories where the 
gas-lights are not introduced. 
Rolling Lamp. This lamp, AB, fig. 10, has within it 
the two moveable circles, D E, F G, whofe common cen¬ 
tre of motion is at K, where their axes of motion crofs 
one another, in which point alfo is their common centre 
of gravity. If to the inward circle you join within-fide 
the lamp KC made pretty heavy, and moveable about its 
axis H I, whofe centre of gravity is at C, the common 
centre of gravity of the whole machine will fall between 
K. and C; and, by reafon of the pivots A, B, D, E, H, I, 
will be always at liberty to defcend 5 and, therefore, let 
the whole lamp be rolled along the ground, or moved in 
any manner, the flame will always be uppermoft, and the 
oil cannot be fpilt. In this manner the compafs is hung 
at fea; and thus fhould all the moon-lanthorns be made 
that are carried upon a pole before coaches or carriages 
which travel in the night. 
By 17 Geo. II. c. 29. a convenient number of glafs 
lamps fliall be put in fuch places of the city of London, 
as tlie mayor, aldermen, and commonalty, fliall think fit; 
to be kept lighted and burning from fun-fet to fun-rifing 
throughout the year 5 and rates fhall be made not exceed¬ 
ing 6d. in the pound, nor above 50s. a-year on any one 
perl'on, for defraying the charges of them. Every aider- 
man, with confent of his deputy and common council, 
may contract yearly for the fetting up lamps, and their 
lighting, trimming, Sec. and perl'ons malicioufly breaking 
down or extinguilliing the lamp, fhall forfeit 40s. for the 
firft offence, 50s. for the fecond, and 3I. for the third, 
leviable by juftices, or to be fent to the houfe of correc¬ 
tion. By ftat. 11 Geo. III. c. 29. for paving and light¬ 
ing London, the wilfully breaking or extinguifhing of any 
lamp incurs the penalty of 20s. for each lamp or light de- 
ilroyed or extinguifhed. None but Britifh oil is to be 
M P. H9 
ufed for lamps in private houfes, under the penalty of 
40s. 8 Ann. c. 9. 
The lighting of ftreets, while it greatly contributes to or¬ 
nament our principal cities, adds confiderably alfo to the con¬ 
venience and fecurity of the inhabitants. It is generally con- 
fidered asa modern invention. St. Evremond fays, “The in¬ 
vention of lighting the ftreets of Paris, during the night, 
by a multitude of lamps, deferves that the moft diftant 
nations fhould go to fee what neither the Greeks nor the 
Romans ever thought of for the police of their republics.” 
This opinion appears to be well founded; for the Romans 
would not have confidered the ufe of flambeaux and lan¬ 
terns fo neceflary, on their return from their no&urnal 
vifits, as they feem to have done, had their ftreets been 
lighted. Whoever walked the ftreets of Rome, at night, 
without a lantern, was under the neceflity of creeping 
home in perfeft darknefs, and in great danger, like Alexis 
in Athenaeus. That Naples was not lighted, appears 
from the return of Gito in the night-time, mentioned by 
Petronius. Some circumftances, however, related by an¬ 
cient authors make it probable that Antioch and a few 
other cities had public lanterns, if not in all the ftreets, 
at leaf! in thofe which were moft frequented. Libanius, 
who lived in the beginning of the fourth century, fays in 
his Panegyric, where he praifes his native city Antioch, 
“ the light of the fun is fucceeded by other lights, which 
are far fuperior to the lamps lighted by the Egyptians on 
the fellival of Minerva of Sais. The night with us differs 
from the day only in the appearance of light ; with re¬ 
gard to labour and employment, every thing goes on well. 
Some work continually ; but others laugh and amufe them- 
felves with finging.” Now we cannot imagine that the fo- 
phift hereconfiders it asa fubjeft of praife to his native city, 
that the inhabitants, after fun-fet, did not fit in darknefs, 
but ufed lights to work by. It appears, therefore, that 
he mult allude to the lighting of the ftreets. In another 
paflage, in the oration to Ellebichus, the fame author tells 
us, that the ropes from which the lamps that ornamented 
the city were fufpended, had been cut by fome riotous 
foldiers not far from a bath. This indicates, at any rate, 
that there were lamps fufpended from rope 3 near the baths 
and places of greateft refort. The following paflage of 
Jerome, however, feems to make it probable, or rather 
certain, that the ftreets of Antioch were lighted. In the 
altercation between a Luciferan and an Orthodox, he re¬ 
lates, that an adherent of the fchifmatic Lucifer difputed, 
in the ftreet, with a true believer, till- the ftreets were 
lighted ; when the liftening crowd departed; and that they 
then fpat in each other’s face, and retired. In the ele¬ 
gant edition of the works of that father, by Dominicus 
Vallarfius, we have a Ihort diflertation on the time when 
this unmannerly difpute took place; and the editor (hows 
that it happened, at Antioch, in the year 378. 
With regard to the public lighting of whole cities on 
feftivals. and particularly on joyful occafions, which we call 
illuminations, that practice feems to be of great antiquity. 
Of this kind wms a particular feftival of the Egyptians, 
during which lamps were placed before all the houfes 
throughout the country, and kept burning the whole 
night. During that feftival of the Jews, called the feaft 
of the dedication, which, according to common opinion,, 
was celebrated in December, and continued eight days, a 
number of lamps were lighted before each of their houfes.. 
A paflage in yEfchylus Ihows that fuch illuminations were 
ufed alfo in Greece. At Rome, the forum was lighted 
when games were exhibited in the night-time ; and Cali¬ 
gula, on a like«occafion, caufed the whole city to be 
lighted. As Cicero was returning home late at night, af¬ 
ter Catiline’s confpiracy had been defeated, lamps and 
torches were lighted in all the ftreets, in honour of that 
great orator. The emperor Conftantine caufed the whole 
city of Conftantinople to be illuminated with lamps and 
wax candles on Eafter-eve. The fathers of the firft century 
frequently inveigh againft the Chriftians, becaufe, to pleale 
the heathens, they often illuminated their houfes, on ido¬ 
latrous. 
