WILLIAM GOSSAGE 29 



tons of Gossage's mottled soap had been 

 made. The patent of November I7th, 1857, 

 claims improvements in the manufacture of 

 hard soaps by causing soda soap, made from 

 mixtures of strong materials with weak 

 materials, whilst in a state of soft curd to 

 become mixed or combined with silicate of 

 soda. Strong materials are tallow or palm 

 oil, and weak materials are bone -grease, 

 oleine, resin or cocoa-nut oil. Soft curd soap 

 is made by boiling the materials, tallow or 

 palm oil, etc., with resin ; when the materials 

 are saponified and the lyes separated by 

 depositions from the soap, the lyes are with- 

 drawn and a certain quantity of soda lyes of 

 a certain gravity added, and the whole boiled 

 so as to saturate the materials employed with 

 alkali. After continuing the boiling, water is 

 added sufficient to bring the mixture to a 

 close state, when a strong solution of common 

 salt is added until the soap again separates 

 from the lye, and assumes the condition of 

 soft, and silicate of soda is afterwards mixed 

 therewith. The soluble alkalies were not 

 merely confined to the manufacture of soap. 

 One process for the production of caustic 

 soda was to boil a solution of soluble glass 

 with caustic lime, so as to produce silicate of 



