Wax vestas (matches)

He is a professional beggar, though in order to avoid the police regulations he pretends to a small trade in wax vestas.

(Adventure VI, pg. 77)

In 1832, William Newton patented the "wax vesta" in England. It consisted of a wax stem that embedded cotton threads and had a tip of phosphorus. Variants known as "candle matches" were made by Savaresse and Merckel in 1836.

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