AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 437 



Prof. Mason. — What matter is that ? 



Mr. Veeder. — I believe it to be composed of the sacks holding the oil — 

 the envelopes of the particles of oil. 



Prof. Mason, — Who will say what it is ? 



Prof. Hedrick. — It is resinous. 



Prof. Mason. — It is fibrine, gluten, higher purification of the oil makes 

 it cost S3 a gallon. 



Mr. Veeder. — We use caustic alkali in purifying fish oils, soda or potash 

 as strong as 52°. The various secretions of the animal pass through the oil 

 seize the fibrine and settle it to the bottom. We call this bleaching the oil. 

 A woolen blanket put in will be eaten up by this process. The best will 

 form a film on glass — it answers for some painting. 



Prof. Mason. — All fibrine originates in the blood — its particles are in- 

 tensely minute — it is carried into the fat of the animal. There is less 

 fibrine formed in the blood in cold regions than in warm. Tropical oils are 

 fine lubricators — Palm oil for example. Good oil of tar has foreign matter 

 in mechanical mixture with it. 



Mr. Seeley. — The tendency of oils to thicken is resinification, the gradual 

 drying down is not to fibrine but to resin. Camphene combines with oxy- 

 gen, and goes back to resin. Oils tend the same way, and there is no 

 remedy. 



The Chairman. — Why not among the yet unknown products of coal, Ot- 

 tar of Roses ? 



Mr. Meigs. — Chemistry now gives us perfumes from dung and from 

 base subjects. 



Mr. Veeder. — I have not found any gum in coal oil, which has the sin- 

 gular property of creeping up the sides of its vessels — lamps, &c., and creep- 

 ing out. No fish oil can do that, and it difi"ers greatly from resin oil, which 

 requires time only to resume its resin form. 



Mr. Tillman. — Benzole contains too much carbon for a lubricator. 

 Watchmakers have for the delicate movements, oil of some small fish — I do 

 not know what fish. Our sea fish are now largely used for oil for lubrica- 

 tion, and their refuse for a guano, in Nova Scotia. 



Mr. Haskell. — And on Long Island from the moss hunkers. 



Prof. Mann objected to the fish manures on account of their lack of du- 

 rable fertilization. 



Mr. Stetson. — Heat is slow in penetrating masses of coal — the outside 

 may be (as bakers would say) burnt while the inside is raw. A revolving 

 cylinder to heat it, as we burn cofi'ee, is a French patent, is used at Pitts- 

 burgh. A large cylinder is easily supported by friction wheels. The heat 

 must be continuous and so may the supply of coal be. 



Mr. Everitt. — Berge & Gillespie, of Freeport, Pennsylvania, use it. 



Mr. Seeley read the following paper, viz : 



It is manifest to me that we have a hard race before us after the great 

 point, good cheap coal oil .' There is a very wide field here for our inge- 



