HISTORY AXD DETAILS OF WHALING. 295 



Mixing oh Adulterating Oils. Sperm oil is the purest 

 and best cf ail varieties of whale oil, and brings the highest 

 price in the market. Sperm oil is frequently mixed in greater 

 or less proportions Avith right whale oil, which is an inferior 

 kind of oil, and labelled sperm oil. This is a fraud, and it is 

 practised more extensively than people are aware of. 



The fraud may be detected if either the right whale oil or ' 

 sperm oil happens to differ in its shade or color, the one from 

 the other. Sperm oil is lighter than right whale oil. If sperm 

 oil is carefully put into a glass containing right whale oil, the 

 former will not displace the latter, but remain separate ; and 

 the line of separation between the two kinds of oil, providing 

 the color is somewhat different, may be easily detected. The 

 smell and taste of oil, likewise, determine whether it be bogus 

 sperm oil or not. 



But the surest and most certain test of all others, as to the 

 quality of oils, is by the oilometer,* (elaiometer.) This in- 

 strument is not only authorized by government, and employed 

 for the purpose of securing genuine sperm oil, but it is used in 

 all oil manufactories to determine both in buying and selling 

 the different varieties of oils. 



It should be observed, however, that the mixing or adultera- 

 tion of oils is never practised by the oil manufacturer. It 

 would be fatal to his business if he should do it. There is no 

 such article in an oil factory for sale as mixed or adulterated 

 oils. It is either sperm or otherwise. The mixing takes place 

 after it passes into the hands of the second, third, and it may 

 be the fourth purchaser, or retailer. It is believed that but 

 little genuine sperm oil reaches far back in the country, ex- 

 cept, perhaps, for the purpose of lubrication in machinery ; 

 and even then, much of that, if tested by the proper measure, 

 would probably be found badly mixed with an inferior quality 

 of oil. 



Since preparing the present chapter en the manufacture of 



* Harris. 



