66 



morable siege, which they did by the beech 

 masts and acorns that their island afforded. 



An oil, equal in flavour to the best olive 

 oil, with the advantage of keeping longer 

 without becoming rancid, may be obtained 

 from the nuts by pressure. It is very com- 

 mon in Picardy and other parts of France, 

 where the masts abound ; in Silesia, it is 

 used by the country people instead of butter. 

 The cakes which remain from the pressure 

 are given to fatten swine, oxen, or poultry. 

 A bushel of masts are said to produce a 

 gallon of clean oil, but the beech-tree seldom 

 produces a full crop of masts oftener than 

 once in three years. 



A few years ago, an attempt was made 

 to introduce the making of beech-oil in this 

 country, and a patent was granted to the 

 projector; but the difficulty of bringing the 

 country people into any new measure, how- 

 ever beneficial to them, is so great, that it 

 often destroys the best concerted projects. 

 In this instance it was found, that they would 

 rather let the swine consume the masts, than 

 suffer their children to collect them for sale 

 to the patentee, and thus failed the making 

 of salad oil in England. 



In the reign of George the First, I find 



