of even so slight a point, or pause, as the comma, will often alter
the meaning of a sentence. The contract made for lighting the town of
Liverpool, during the year 1819, was thrown void by the misplacing of
a comma in the advertisements, thus:
"The lamps at present are about 4,050, and have in general two
spouts each, composed of not less than twenty threads of cotton."
The contractor would have proceeded to furnish each lamp with the said
twenty threads, but this being but half the usual quantity, the
commissioners discovered that the difference arose from the comma
following instead of preceding the word _each_. The parties agreed to
annul the contract, and a new one was ordered.