FIXED OILS. 227 



sumed, and the management required in conse- 

 quence for its equable combustion, caused its use in 

 this way to be very circumscribed. 



Recently, however, a discovery has been made of 

 a method for separating the concrete matter from the 

 liquid part of cocoa-nut oil producing a pale, limpid, 

 tasteless fluid, possessing the property of combus- 

 tibility in an equal degree with the best sperm oil, 

 while the solid unctuous substance is applicable to 

 the manufacture of candles, and to other uses in 

 which fatty matter is generally employed. 



In the year 1815, and during a few succeeding 

 years, considerable interest was taken in this country 

 by mercantile houses connected with the island of 

 Ceylon, to discover the most efficient manner of ob- 

 taining oil from the cocoa-nut ; and accordingly many 

 methods were pointed out, and machinery with direc- 

 tions for its use was shipped from England to that 

 island. 



The Cingalese, or natives, extracted the oil from 

 the kernel of the cocoa-nut either by the process of 

 decoction or by compression. The process of decoc- 

 tion rendered by far the best quality of oil, but it was 

 slow and tedious. 



The separation of the fluid and concrete parts of the 

 oil is now produced in this country by pressure. 

 The use of this process, and of the subsequent pre- 

 paration of the solid part, is secured to the inventor 

 by patent. The oil is obtained by putting the con- 

 gealed cocoa-nut oil of commerce into strong linen 

 bags ; these are covered with thick sackcloth, and 

 laid flat upon the horizontal bed of an hydrostatic 

 press, leaving a small vacant space between the bags. 

 Pressure is then given to them and continued until the 

 oil ceases to flow through into a cistern fixed beneath. 

 After the oil has remained a sufficient time at rest for 



