LIGHTING OF STREETS.

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have been lighted upon some peculiar occasions; yet thatit was a constant or universal practice in those cities, cannotby any means be proved. This, therefore, being the case,to the best of the information we can procure, we mustcome to nearer times, and have recourse to that place wherewe are likely to find it.

Maitland says, in his History of London, that as early as1414, an order was issued for hanging out lanterns in thenight, to light the streets; for this assertion that writerrefers to Stows Survey of London, published in 1633,where it is expressly stated, that in 1417, “ Major SirHenry Barton, skinner, ordained lanthorns with lights,to bee hanged out on the winter evenings, betwixt Hallon-tide and Candlemasse.” Also in the year 1668, when regu-lations were made for improving the streets of the metro-polis, the Londoners were reminded that they should hangout lanterns duly at the accustomed time. In the year1690, this order was renewed, and every housekeeper wasrequired to bring out a light or lamp, every night, betweenMichaelmas and Lady-day, and to keep it burning till thehour of twelve at night. In the year 1716, it was orderedby an act of common council, that all house-keepers, whosehouses fronted any street, lane, or public passage, should,in every dark night, that is, every night between the secondnight after every full moon till the seventh night afterevery new moon, set or hang out one or more lights, withsufficient cotton wicks, that should continue to burn fromsix o’clock at night till eleven o’clock of the same night,under the penalty of one shilling. All these regulations,however, seem to have been ineffectual, from bad manage-ment or neglect.

Eventually the city was lighted by contract, and thecontractors were obliged to pay annually to the city £600 ;and they only received six shillings per annum of everyhouse-keeper whose rent exceeded £10; all house-keeperswho brought out a lamp or candle themselves, were ex-empt from paying towards the public lamps.

The streets were lighted no more than 117 nights; and asthis furnished opportunities to thieves and robbers to com-mit depredations in the night-time, the Lord Mayor andCommon Council judged it proper in the year 1736, toapply to parliament for power to enable them to light thestreets of the city in a better manner. In consequence, anact was passed by which they were empowered to erect asufficient number of glass lamps as they should judge pro-per, and to keep them burning from the setting to the