INSECT-WAX OF CHINA. bot 
cultural Society of India’ (Calcutta, 1850) for an extremely interesting _ 
account of them, and respecting both of which very little had been pre- 
viously known, beyond the boundaries of the Celestial Empire.’ The 
memoir is entitled ** Uses of the Stillingia sebifera, or Tallow-tree, with a 
notice of the Pe-/a or Insect-wax of China; by D. J. Macgowan, M.D." 
From this we collect that the Stillingia sebifera is cultivated in the pro- 
vinces of Kiangsi, Kongnain and Chehkiang,—so extensively near Hang- 
chan, where some of the trees are several hundred years old, that all the 
taxes are paid with its produce. It grows alike on low alluvial plains, 
on the rich mould of canals, and on the sandy beach, and the trunks are 
sometimes made to fall over rivulets, forming convenient bridges. Its 
wood is hard, durable, and may be easily used for printing-blocks and 
various other articles; its leaves are employed as a. black dye. But it 
is chiefly from the two proximate principles which are the constituents 
of animal tallow, the “ stearine " and “ elaine ” contained in the fruit, the 
plant is so much valued ; and, finally, the refuse of the fruit, after ex- 
tracting the tallow, is employed as fuel and manure. The “nuts,” or 
capsules, when ripe, are gently pounded in a mortar to loosen the seeds 
from their shells, from which they are separated by sifting. To faci- 
litate the separation of the white sebaceous matter enveloping the 
seeds, they are steamed in tubs with convex open wicker bottoms, 
placed over cauldrons of boiling water; when thoroughly heated, they 
are reduced to a mash in a mortar, and thence transferred to bamboo 
sieves, kept at a uniform temperature over hot ashes. This operation 
of steaming and sifting is repeated, as the first does not deprive the seeds 
of all their tallow. The article thus obtained becomes a solid mass 
on falling through the sieve, and, to purify it, it is melted and formed 
into cakes for the press; these receive their form from bamboo hoops, 
a foot in diameter and three inches deep, which are laid on the ground — 
over a little straw. On being filled with the hot liquid, the ends of = 
the straw beneath are drawn up and spread over the top, and, when of 
sufficient consistence, are placed with their rings in the press. Ths — 
apparatus is of the rudest description, constructed of two large beams 
placed horizontally so as to form a trough capable of containing about 
fifty of the rings with their sebaceous cakes ; at one end it is closed, 
and at the other adapted for receiving wedges, which are successively 
driven into it by ponderous sledge-hammers wielded by athletic men. 
The tallow oozes in a melted state into a receptacle below, where it 
