burn candles, the account will stand thus

In the fix months between the twentieth of March and the twentieth of September, there are

An immenfe fum! that the city of Paris might fave every year, by the economy of ufing funshine inftead of candles.

If it should be faid, that people are apt to be obftinately attached to old customs, and that it will be difficult to induce them to rife before noon, confequently my discovery can be of little ufe; I answer, Nil defperandum. I believe all who have common fenfe, as foon as they have learnt from this paper

that

that it is day-light when the fun rises, will contrive to rife with him; and, to compel the reft, I would propose the following regulations :

Firft. Let a tax be laid of a louis per window, on every window that is provided with fhutters to keep out the light of the fun.

Second. Let the fame falutary operation of police be made ufe of to prevent our burning candles, that inclined us laft winter to be more economical in burning wood; that is, let guards be placed in the fhops of the wax and tallow-chandlers, and no family be permitted to be supplied with more than one pound of candles per week.

Third. Let guards alfo be pofted to ftop all the coaches, &c. that would pafs the streets after fun-fet, except those of phyficians, furgeons, and midwives.

Fourth. Every morning, as foon as the fun rifes, let all the bells

in

.

in every church be fet ringing; and if that is not fufficient, let cannon be fired in every street, to wake the fluggards effectually, and make them open their eyes to see their true interest.

All the difficulty will be in the first two or three days; after which the reformation will be as natural and easy as the present irregularity: for, ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute. Oblige a man to rife at four in the morning, and it is more than probable he fhall go willingly to bed at eight in the evening; and, having had eight hours fleep, he will rife more willingly at four the morning following. But this fum of ninety-fix millions and feventy-five thousand livres is not the whole of what may be faved by my œconomical project. You may observe, that I have calculated upon only one half of the year, and much may be faved in the other, though the days are shorter. Befides, the immense

ftock

ftock of wax and tallow left unconfumed during the fummer, will probably make candles much cheaper for the enfuing winter, and continue cheaper as long as the propofed reformation fhall be fupported.

For the great benefit of this dif covery, thus freely communicated and bestowed by me on the public, I demand neither place, penfion, exclufive privilege, or any other reward whatever. I expect only to have the honour of it. And yet I know there are little envious minds who will, as ufual, deny me this, and fay that my invention was known to the ancients, and perhaps they may bring paffages out of the old books in proof of it. I will not difpute with these people that the ancients knew not the fun would rife at certain hours; they poffibly had, as we have, almanacks that predicted it but it does not follow from thence that they knew he gave light