VEGETABLE WAX. 541 



high melting point and other physical characteristics, has of late at- 

 tracted a good deal of attention ; it is admirably suited as a 

 material for the manufacture of candles. 



At a meeting of the Central Board, at' Cape Town, in March, 

 1853, the members voted about 300, to employ some 20 or 30 

 men, in gathering berries from the Downs, and making wax during 

 the winter months, that is, from the beginning of May to the end 

 of September. The wax fetches a good price in the Cape market. 



In the annual report of the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society, in May, 

 1853, a very fine sample of myrtle, or berry wax, grown on the Cape Flats, was 

 exhibited by Mr. Feeny, Superintendent of the Road Plantation, by direction of 

 the Commissioners of the Central Eoad Board-, in different stages of purification, 

 from green to white, as also some candles ; and it being conceived by the 

 meeting that this article might ultimately become one of considerable 

 importance for purposes of export, a letter of thanks was addressed to Mr. 

 Feeny ; and Nathaniel Day, the constable who assisted him, was presented with 

 the sum of 5, as a remuneration for his trouble in assisting to purify and pre- 

 pare the wax. On reference to the juror's report on the Great Exhibition, it 

 will be gratifying to find that the berry wax, forwarded by this Society, had 

 attracted peculiar notice, and a prize medal been awarded for it ; the following 

 reference is therein made to it : " some fine specimens of myrtle or berry wax, 

 from the Cape of Good Hope, are exhibited by J. Lindenberg, of "Worcester. 

 This is an excellent material for the manufacture of candles, when employed 

 in conjunction with other solid fats. The jury awarded a prize medal for 

 these specimens." 



Your Committee would suggest every possible attention being drawn to this 

 subject, in which they are gratified to state, the Commissioners of the Central 

 Road Board have evinced a readiness to co-operate, by offering to place at the 

 Society's disposal the sum of 10 10s., " to be given as a premium for the best 

 information respecting the wax berry plant, the soils and situations in which it 

 is found to grow most luxuriantly : the best mode of propagating and cultivating 

 it, of collecting the berries, and extracting and preparing the wax, &e." And 

 from a letter received from the Secretary to the Central Road Board, it ap- 

 pears that the Board had authorised the shipment to England of 2,561 Ibs. 

 of the wax, by the Queen of the South in November last, which, from the account 

 sales lately received from Messrs. J. R. Thomson & Co., realised as follows, 

 viz. : 



4 cases weighing nett 856 Ibs. a 8d. 28 10 8 



4 1040 Ibs. a 9d. 39 Q 



3 745 Ibs. a lid. 34 2 11 



3 6 Ibs. a lid. 056 



101 19 1 

 Discount 2| per cent. 211 



99 8 1 

 CHARGES. 



Warehouse Entry 3s. 6d. Fire In- 

 surance 2s., Ports 2s. 6d 8 



Freight 7 3 3 



Primage 014 4 



Dock Charges 3 9 6 



Sale Expenses 9 



Brokerage 1 6 



13 4 7 



Commission at 2 per cent 2 11 



Carried forward 15 15 7 



