OILS AND VEGETABLE FAT. 285 



candle-nut tree is of middle size, common throughout 

 Fiji, and rendered a conspicuous object by the whiteness 

 of its leaves, produced by a fine powder easily removed. 

 The ground underneath is always densely covered with 

 " nuts," and large quantities might be collected. 



The cro ton-oil plant (Curcas purgans, Med.), intro- 

 duced from the Tongan islands, is employed for living 

 fences in Lakeba and other parts ; but the oleaceous pro- 

 perties of its seeds have as yet been turned to as little 

 account as those of the castor-oil plant (Ritinus commu- 

 nis. Linn.), named " Uto ni papalagi " by the natives, 

 and naturalized throughout the group. 



The oil of the cocoa-nut palm, or Niu dina (Cocos 

 nucifera. Linn.), has long been one of the articles of ex- 

 port ; nevertheless, it is difficult to arrive at any definite 

 result about the average annual quantity. The Wesleyan 

 mission, in negotiating with an island trader for the trans- 

 port of the oil received from the natives as contribu- 

 tions to its funds, were ready to guarantee that at least 

 sixty tuns should pass through his hands. This, at the 

 rate of 20 per tun, the average value of the oil on the 

 spot, would give 1200 per annum a sum tolerably well 

 agreeing with that usually advertised on the wrapper of 

 the ' Wesleyan Missionary Notices ' as the Fijian share 

 towards the support of the Society. Exact data for 

 forming an opinion of the quantity shipped by the ac- 

 tual traders are altogether wanting. On consulting with 

 several about this subject, they pretty nearly all agreed 

 in fixing three hundred tuns as the utmost limit of the 

 annual export of the whole group, = 6000 on the spot. 

 Hitherto, there has been great waste in the making of 



