224 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



sixteen feet, and flourishes most in shady places. 

 The fruit or nut resembles a date stone. When ripe 

 it is heated by fermentation, and then coarsely pul- 

 verized in hollow cylinders, by which its oily parts 

 are separated ; it is subsequently macerated in hot 

 water, when the oil gradually collects on the surface, 

 and cooling, concretes into a thick, unctuous cake, 

 of a light lemon colour, with little or no taste, but 

 having a rich perfume. At the ordinary tempera- 

 ture of the air this is not a fluid oil : at 69 Fahren- 

 heit it begins to be slightly opake, at 6*2 it is 

 of the consistence of honey, at 45 it is propor- 

 tionably thicker, but still retains a degree of soft- 

 ness. It is heavier than most other expressed oils, 

 its specific gravity being "968. The oleaginous pro- 

 portion of these palm-nuts is very considerable, one 

 gallon of them usually producing a quart of oil. 

 This is used as butter by the natives of the Gold 

 Coast, forming part of all their culinary preparations, 

 and when eaten fresh is a delicate and wholesome 

 article of diet, differing as much from the palm oil 

 imported into England, as fresh butter from that 

 which is rancid. It is used in this country in the 

 manufacture of a particular kind of soap, as well 

 as in the composition of some pomades, and other 

 perfumery. 



The quantity retained for home consumption alone 

 in the year 1830 was about 160,000 cwt. The 

 import duty is 2s. 6d. per cwt., its price being about 

 \ . 8s. for that quantity. 



COCOA-NUT OIL. 



The kernels of cocoa-nuts contain a considerable 

 proportion of oil, which may be extracted and applied 

 with great advantage to those uses in which other 

 unctuous substance is employed. This oil congeals 



