THE ORDER CETACEA. 157 



from the proper brain of the animal. The oil is separated 

 from it by dripping through a filter. In this state it has a 

 yellow, unctuous appearance, and is brought to England in 

 barrels. An ordinary sized whale will yield upwards of 

 twelve large barrels of crude spermaceti. It is purified as 

 follows : the mass is put into hair or woollen bags, and 

 pressed between plates of iron in a screw-press until it be- 

 comes hard and brittle. It is then broken into pieces and 

 thrown into boiling water, where it melts, and the impurities 

 rising to the surface, or sinking to the bottom, are separated 

 from it : on being cooled, and removed from the water, it is 

 put into fresh water in a large boiler, and a weak solution of 

 potash (of commerce) gradually added. This is thrice re- 

 peated, after which the whole is poured into coolers, when 

 the spermaceti concretes into a white semitransparent mass, 

 and, on being cut into small pieces, assumes the flaky ap- 

 pearance which it has in the shops. 



The great use of spermaceti is for making candles, and it 

 is also employed in medicine, but its healing virtues are chiefly 

 imaginary, being not so beneficial as the more bland vegetable 

 oils. Spermaceti candles are of modern manufacture ; they 

 are made smooth, with a fine gloss, free from rings and scars, 

 and superior to the finest wax candles * in colour and lustre, 

 and, when genuine, leave no spot or stain on the finest silk, 

 cloth, or linen. It melts at 112° Fahrenheit, and a higher 

 temperature evaporates, with little alteration. Its specific 

 gravity is 9.433, and, by the aid of a cotton wick, it burns 

 with a clear white flame, superior to that of tallow, and 

 without any disagreeable odour. f 



* With the exception of the " Diamond wax candles," recently invented 

 by Dr. Bulkeley, which surpass any I have hitherto seen in beauty of ap- 

 pearance and brilliancy of flame ; they are well worth the patronage of 

 my readers. 



t For the chemical analysis of spermaceti, or, as M. Chevreul more 

 properly calls it, Cetine, the scientific reader is referred to Dr. Ure's 

 Dictionary of Chemistry, article Fat. 



