26

in Paris six thousand five hundred of these street
lights, consuming more than a thousand pounds of
candles every night. Each lantern was ornamented
with the figure of a cock, the emblem of ‘watchful-
ness; and just at nightfall a man went through the
streets ringing a bell ; at this signal the people were
obliged to untie the jauterh cords that were fastened
to their houses, let down the lanterns, and light the
candles, which were left burning till two in the morning.

During the terrible winter of 1709, when France

was afflicted with famine as well as war, there were :

 

A WELL-LIGHTED STREET. — 1560-80.

no lights in Paris, for the starved cattle died in such
numbers that there was not enough tallow to make
candles.

Six years later, however, on the night of the twenty-
seventh of August, King Louis the Fourteenth was
taken so ill that every one knew he would soon die, and _
his son-in-law, the Duke of Orleans, sent an order that

-the street lights should be put in their places at once,
to be in readiness in case the little Dauphin (after-
wards Louis the Fifteenth) should have to go through

 

x

THE LIGHTS (OF PARIS.

Paris to the death-bed of his royal great-grandfather.

The glaziers, therefore,-were set to work at once
to get the lanterns ready, ‘Unfortunately, four years
after this a violent hurricane passed over Paris,
breaking all the panes of glass, in the lanterns, and
even bending and twisting the iron rods.

In 1766 the first street lamps appeared.- A cotton
wick steeped in oil was used instead of a candle, and
a reflector was added to increase the light. All.the
candle-lanterns were taken away, and these oil lamps
pur in. their places, and the light was so much more

HOTEL DE CLUNY. .

bright and steady a the people thought the highest
point in street lighting had been reached, and every
one laughed at the old lanterns, as we of to-day laugh
at their oil-lamps, and as our children will, no doubt,
make fun of our gas-lights. ,

These oil lamps were used the entire. year except
at the time of the full moon, when they were always
left unlighted, even though the moon were entirely
clouded over! This foolish custom, POWSVER was
soon done away with,