Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-05-16
ODD CANDLE AUCTIONS
Method Still Employed In a Few Ems
liAh Pa rishes

Method Still EmplOyed In a Few Eng
Iish Parishes.
A curious method Of sale by auction,
which is still observed in one or two
places as a matter Of ancient custom.
but which was once very common, Is
| sale by candle, says the Ashton (En-
gland Reporter. A fragment of can
die. an inch or less in length, was
lighted as the thing to be sold was put
up. and the auctioneers received bids
| SO long as the candle burned. The sue
cessful bid was the last made before
the flame went out. When the compe-
tition was all keen it must have re
qulred considerable acuteness and a
| nice power of discrimination on the
| part of the salesman to know who
spoke last. Mr.. Pepys gives graphic
| description Of the sale of some old
hulks in the Thames by the candle"
and remarks that II was pleasant to
see how backward men were at first
to bid, but when the candle was go
Ing out they bawled
At another admiralty sale. conduct
ed by like method. the same chrOn-
icler says that the competition was so
sharp that they had much difficulty in
telling who cried last. Some curious
things besides wornout old ships were
sold by candle In 1854 ii was adver-
tised that two elephants. the one male
and the other female. would be "ex-
posed to sale by candle" and that the
price and places where to he seen and
sold" We're to be notified later by
means OF printed bills. The price
which was to be so published. was.
presumably, the upset price fixed by
Inc vender. One can hardly imagine
that the bidding was very lively for
the two pOnderOus FEATURES or that
any prospective buyers. save perhaps
an itinerant Snowman or two, would
be likely to attend the sale.
| Another unusual sale was adver-
tised in the following year in the Lon
| don Gazette. where it was announced
that there would be exposed to sale
| by the candle at the Marine and Caro-
lima coffee house, in Birchin lane =
all sorts Of playing cards. in small lots.
surveyed by Robert Whitfield. master
cardmaker appointed by appreciation
of the company of cardmakers for that
purposel." 1t is curious that the GUS
tom Of selling by the candle was -four
ishing recently and perhaps still flour
shes in the far east. In the consular
report on the trade of Saigon and Co
chin China, issued in 1878. it was
stated that certain descriptions of
| lands We're only to be obtained at pub
lie sale which were conducted by the
| candle. the dying out of three lights
before ii higher bid was made conclud-
ing the bargain. The method was prob
ably introduced by the French and
brought hence to this country. In a
few English parishes the candle meth
cd is still employed in the periodical
| letting of public land to the highest
bidder
Austria's Strenuous Old Emperor.
The venerable Emperor Francis Jo-
sepll of Austria sets an example to his
subjects in strenuosty of life quite
equal to that of our youthful Presi-
dent. says Leslic's Weekly. Winter
| and summer the Emperor is up mt =
| In the morning. At Il his aids e-camp
have to be ready in ease they are
wanted and state business of all kinds
is conducted before breakfast. The
| Emperor seems to he litcrH lily devOured
ii is said. by II sense of duty. Every
thing else gives way to ii. Ills ma. ies-
| ~ at the most trying and even tragic
| moments OF his life has always attend
startled on the day of the funeral of
his Only son TO find the Emperor ready
to sign the orders for the day exactly
as usual.