mmunicate to the public through
your paper one that has lately been made by myself and which I
conceive may be of great utility.

I was the other evening in a grand company where the new lamp
of Messrs. Quinquet and Lange was introduced and much admired
for its splendor; but a general inquiry was made whether the
oil it consumed was not in exact proportion to the light it
afforded, in which case there would be no saving in the use of
it. No one present could satisfy us on that point, which all
agreed ought to be known, it being a very desirable thing to
lessen, if possible, the expense of lighting our apartments,
when every other article of family expense was so much
augmented. I was pleased to see this general concern for
economy, for I love economy exceedingly.

I went home, and to bed, three or four hours after midnight,
with my head full of the subject. An accidental sudden noise
waked me about 6 in the morning, when I was surprised to find
my room filled with light, and I imagined at first that a
number of those lamps had been brought into it; but, rubbing my
eyes, I perceived the light came in at the windows. I got up
and looked out to see what might be the occasion of it, when I
saw the sun just rising above the horizon, from whence he
poured his rays plentifully into my chamber, my domestic having
negligently omitted the preceding evening to close the
shutters.

I looked at my watch, which goes very well, and found that it
was but 6 o'clock; and, still thinking it something
extraordinary that the sun should rise so early, I looked into
the almanac, where I found it to be the hour given for his
rising on that day. I looked forward, too, and found he was to
rise still earlier every day till toward the end of June, and
that at no time in the year he retarded his rising so long as
till 8 o'clock.

Your readers who, with me, have never seen any signs of sunshine
before noon, and seldom regard the astronomical part of the
almanac, will be as much astonished as I was when they hear of
his rising so early, and especially when I assure them that he
gives light as soon as he rises. I am convinced of this. I am
certain of my fact. One cannot be more certain of any fact. I saw
it with my own eyes. And, having repeated this obs