The XVIIIth century; its institutions, customs, and costumes France, 1700-1789 . mal evidence of the accident. At the publicceremonies there were always many persons more or less injured inthe crush ; but this was not looked upon as a matter of much import-ance. When death was evidently the result of crime the policetook more active steps, for nocturnal attacks on foot-passengers werenot so frequent as might have been expected, and, thanks to thevigilance of the watch, the streets of Paris were almost as secure atnight as they were by day. This was not the case during the lastyears of the reig
The XVIIIth century; its institutions, customs, and costumes France, 1700-1789 . mal evidence of the accident. At the publicceremonies there were always many persons more or less injured inthe crush ; but this was not looked upon as a matter of much import-ance. When death was evidently the result of crime the policetook more active steps, for nocturnal attacks on foot-passengers werenot so frequent as might have been expected, and, thanks to thevigilance of the watch, the streets of Paris were almost as secure atnight as they were by day. This was not the case during the lastyears of the reign of Louis XIV., when it was dangerous to crossthe Pont-Neuf after midnight, and during the Regency the poet 338 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. Vergier, who was a naval commissioner, was assassinated on his wayhome from a supper party by some of the Cartouche band, close tothe Rue Montmartre. Most of the streets were very dark when there was no moon, for,with the exception of a few lamps suspended from private houses(see Fig. 244), they were only lighted by occasional lanterns, con-. Fig. 223.—A street-porter ; after Bouchardon. taining a candle, which swung twenty feet above the ground. In1745 these lanterns were lighted with oil made from the intestines ofthe animals killed in the slaughter-houses, but they were never allkept burning, and on moonlight nights they were sometimes notlicrhted at all. The fears of the belated passengers were oftenexcited by the spectral-looking signboards, many of which projectedfar into the streets. Each house had its signboard, which answeredthe purpose of a number, and some of them were eight or ten feetin diameter, painted or gilded, and covered with inscriptions, thegrammar and orthography of which were not always unexceptionable. THE ASPECT OF PARIS. 339 It was only after long efforts that these signboards could be pre-vented from projecting on the streets, and that the system of num-bering the houses could be carried into execution. There was n
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