172 



It occurs in large masses. Sub-crystaline or massive ; color 

 white, inclining to yellow, resembles in appearance and feel some 

 varieties of hard soap, but is very light, floating on the surface of 

 alcohol but sinking in ether. 



It melts at the temperature of 90° F. remains fluid when cooled 

 down to 67°, but on crystalizing, the temperature rises suddenly 

 to 80o. 



It is not a volatile oil, but may be distilled over with alteration 

 of its composition, becoming very strongly empyreumatic and 

 disagreeable. 



Soluble in hot alcohol and precipitable by water. 



Soluble in boiling ether, but lets fall a heavy fixed oil on cool- 

 ing, and then crystaline stearin in the form of a white flocculent 

 mass. 



Saponifies readily with pure potash and forms a soft soap. Salt 

 separates a harder soap, but not so hard as the animal fats produce. 



It is then a concrete oil, containing a large proportion of stearine 

 with elaine. 



Its ultimate analysis will prove it to consist of carbon, hydrogen 

 and oxygen. 



No ammonia is disengaged from it by potash, hence it does not 

 contain nitrogen. 



Its use in the arts is evident from its composition. It will prove 

 valuable both for soap making and for fuel for lamps, for it will 

 yield both oil and hard fat or stearine. 



The Secretary gave some notices of the Herbarium Dilu- 

 vianum of Scheuchzer, an author of the date of the early 

 part of the last century. 



This author thought that he had discovered the fossil remains of 

 man, which he called "Homo Diluvii testis." These remains 

 were afterwards shown by Cuvier to be those of a gigantic extinct 

 salamander. The work is instructive, as showing the difficulties 

 and delusions in the path of early geologists. 



