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 croton-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 (Ricinus 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 
