40S WITALE-FISIIErwY. 



ofFensi\e flavour whatever, and never becomes dis- 

 agreeable until it is brought into a warm climate and 

 becomes putrid ; neither is a whale-ship more un- 

 pleasant than any other trader, until after her cargo 

 is opened on her arrival in port. 



SECT. III. 



Description of Whalc-Oil, and Remarls on ihe 

 Cause of its offensive Smell. 



Whale-oil prepared by the method just de- 

 scribed, is of a pale honey-yellow colour ; but some- 

 times, when the blubber from which it is procured 

 happens to be of the red kind, the oil appears of a red- 

 dish-brown colour. When first extracted, it is com- 

 monly thick, but after standing some time, a mucila- 

 ginous substance subsides, and it becomes tolerably 

 limpid and transparent. Its smell is somewhat of- 

 fensive, especially when it is long kept. It consists 

 of oil, properly so called, a small portion of sper- 

 maceti, and a little gelatin. At the temperature 

 of 40", the latter substances become partially con- 

 crete, and make the oil obscure, and at the tempe- 

 rature of 32", render it thick with flaky crystals. 

 It is sold by the ton of 252 gallons, -vvine-measurc. 

 Its specific gravity, is 0.9214. A gallon of oil, by 

 measure, weighs 7 lb. 10 oz. 12^^ dr. avoirdupois, at 



