" Apparently this
method of obtaining lighting for the streets was not met by the
enthusiastic support of the people, for during the next few decades the
Lord Mayor was busy issuing threats and commands. In 1679 he proclaimed
the "neglect of the inhabitants of this city in hanging and keeping out
their lights at the accustomed hours, according to the good and ancient
usage of this City and Acts of the Common Council on that behalf." The
result of this neglect was "when nights darkened the streets then
wandered forth the sons of Belial, flown with insolence and wine."

In 1694 Hemig patented a reflector which partially surrounded the open
flame of a whale-oil lamp and possessed a hole in the top which aided
ventilation. He obtained the exclusive rights of lighting London for a
period of years and undertook to place a light before every tenth door,
between the hours of six and twelve o'clock, from Michaelmas to Lady
Day. His effort was a worthy one, but he was opposed by a certain
faction, which was successful in obtaining a withdrawal of his license
in 1716. Again the burden of lighting the streets was thrust upon the
residents and fines were imposed for negligence in this respect. But
this procedure after a few more years of desultory lighting was again
found to be unsatisfactory.

In 1729 certain individuals contracted to light the streets of London by
taxing the residents and paid the city for this monopoly. Householders
were permitted to hang out a lantern or a candle or to pay the company
for doing so. But robberies increased so rapidly that in 1736 the Lord
Mayor and Common Council petitioned Parliament to erect lamps for
lighting the city. An act was passed accordingly, giving them the
privilege to erect lamps where they saw fit and to burn them from sunset
to sunrise. A charge was made to the residents, on a sliding scale
depending upon the rate of rental of the houses. As a consequence five
thousand lamps were soon installed. In 1738 there were fifteen thousand
street lamps in London and they were burned an average of five thousand
hours annually.

In the annals of these early times street-lighting is almost invariably
the result of an attempt to reduce the number of robberies and other
crimes. In appealing for more street-lamps in 1744 the Lord Mayor and
aldermen of London in a petition to the king, stated

that divers confederacies of great numbers of evil-disposed
persons, armed with bludgeons,