464 Contribution towards the History of Paraffine. 



recommend this substance for various technical applications ; and 

 I have myself called attention to this fact from its first discovery, 

 without being able, however, to arrive at any satisfactory results 

 in its industrial application. The difficulty which presented 

 itself, was the small quantity which the dry distillation of wood 

 furnishes of this substance. I subsequently showed that paraf- 

 fine might be obtained from vegetable oils, from animal sub- 

 stances, and likewise from pit-coal ; but from all these substances 

 so minute a quantity was obtained that its production for manu- 

 facturing purposes was neither remunerative nor inviting. Thus 

 paraffine remained up to this period an interesting curiosity, un- 

 known except in the collection of scientific chemists. 



I now hear that in England, which is essentially the country 

 of useful applications, a manufactory of paraffine nipon an ex- 

 tended scale has been carried on by Mr. Young since 1850. This 

 talented chemist has succeeded in finding a method which yields 

 comparatively large quantities of paraffine. Mr. Young obtains 

 13 pounds from a ton of cannel coal. This discovery renders 

 the preparation of paraffine a lucrative branch of industry, 

 especially since, in addition to the production of paraffine, a large 

 quantity, about 30 gallons, of a lubricating oil is obtained which 

 is saturated with paraffine, and which is said to surpass all other 

 fatty substances as an antifrictional, and to have been already 

 80 generally adopted, that Young^s works now supply weekly as 

 much as 8000 gallons to the market. The most evident proof 

 of the advantages offered by paraffine, is the rivalry which has 

 already ensued in its production, and is well illustrated by an 

 action at law, which some of the later competitors of Mr. Young 

 have brought against him with the view of upsetting his patents, 

 by attempting to prove that the discovery was not new, and was 

 in fact not capable of being patented. It is true that the dis- 

 covery of paraffine is my own, and I have announced it. To 

 Mr. Young, however, belongs the merit of a second discovery, 

 the merit of having elaborated a method which furnishes a com- 

 paratively lar^e quantity of this substance, and which is suffi- 

 ciently remunerative to the manufacturer ; a result which 1 had 

 vainly endeavoured to realize. I hope that Mr. Young will 

 succeed in convincing the legal authorities of the priority of his 

 practical discovery, which was not part of any purely scientific 

 investigation, and which I cannot claim in any way. May he 

 enjoy the fruits of his invention and of his industry, which he 

 deserves, and to which no other person has a right ! 



