Note 16 — Chapter XVI · THE ILLNESS OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.

There was to be a halfpenny stamp on boxes of wooden matches, and a penny stamp on boxes of wax matches or fusees. It was expected that these duties would yield £550,000 the first year. Mr. Lowe invented a motto for the stamp—ex luce lucellum (“out of light a little profit”)—a classical pun, which, however, did not reconcile the people to his proposals.