S P E 



of this plant. It vies in magnitude with S. laric'ma, but is 

 much mor; flender in Xhefoliiige, as well as quite fmooth. 

 Petals white, twice as long as the calyx. Stamens ten. 



SPERGULASTRUM, (fo called from its releinblance 

 to Spergula,) a genas of Michaux, Flora Bofeali-Ainerkana, 

 V. I. 27y. The author fpeaks of it as a doubtful genus, 

 differing from Spergula chiefly in having but four Jligmas, or 

 rather _^^/i,f, which in one fpecies vary to three. Perfoon 

 and Purlh have publifhed this genus under the appellation of 

 Micropetalum, the original name being equally contrary to 

 fenfe and ulage, becaufe it is formed of another ellablifhed 

 one, merely varied in termination. 



SPERILEN, in Geography, a lake of Norway, in Ag- 

 gerhuus ; 35 miles N. of ChrilUania. 



SPERLING, Otto, in Biography, fon of a perfon of 

 the fame name, was born at Chriitiania, in Norway, in 1634. 

 He received the early part of his education at Copenhagen ; 

 he afterwards Itudied at the gymnafium of Bordcftiolm, and 

 then at the academy of Helmftadt. In 1655 he became 

 private tutor to the fon of M. Wrangel, governor of Swedifh 

 Pomerania, and in 1658 made a tour to Holland, France, 

 and England. In 1662 he went to Hamburgh, as tutor to 

 the youngeft fon of Corfits Ulfeld, and in 1674 took the 

 degree of doftor of laws at Kiel. In 168 1 he travelled 

 with the fons of J. A. Von Bachwald, and fpent fome time 

 at Paris, where he was -employed in arranging the library of 

 the celebrated Colbert, for which fervice he received a pen- 

 fion of 200 rix-doUars as long as that noble-minded man 

 lived. On his return he proceeded to Hamburgh, where he 

 praftifed the law : he was afterwards afleflbr in the court of 

 Glucklladt, and in 1690 he was invited to Copenhagen, 

 where he was employed in various important aftairs. In 

 1692 he was elefted profeflbr of jurifprudence and hiftory, 

 and afterwards of oratory and hiftory, in the new knights' 

 academy at Copenhagen. In 1698 he obtained leave to re- 

 ilgn, on account of \\h age, but in 1701 he refumed his 

 former ftation as profelibr of hiftory and oratory, in which 

 he continued till the fuppreffion of the academy in 17 10. He 

 became a member of the Royal Society of London in 1700, 

 and died in 1715. He was author of a great many works, 

 among which were the following : " Monumentum Ham- 

 burgenfe Benedidlinum ;" " De Danicae Linguae ac Nomi- 

 nis antiqua Gloria et Praerogativa inter Septentrionales," 

 &c. Gen. Biog. 



Sperling, in Geography, a town of Pruflia, in the pro- 

 vince of Natangen ; 15 miles E. of Angerburg.' 



SPERLINGA, a town of Sicily, in the valley of De- 

 mona; 10 miles S. of Miftretta. 



SPERLONGA, a town of Naples, in Lavora ; 7 miles 

 S. of Fundi. 



SPERM, Speu.ma, a-xifi^K, the feed of which an animal 

 is formed. 



Si'ERMACETI, or Parma.sitty, in Pharmacy, is a 

 whitifti, flaky, unftuous (ubftaiice, prepared from oil ; prin- 

 cipally from that of a cetaceous fifli, called by fome the male 

 •whale, by others cachalot, and by the Latins crga ; diftin- 

 guifhcd from the common whale by its having teeth in lieu 

 of whale-bone, and by a bunch on its back. See Piiyseter. 



The ancients were ftrangers to the nature of this prepara- 

 tion ; and even Schroder feems io doubt, whether to reckon 

 it an animal or mineral fubftance. 



It had its name Jperntaceti, feed or fpcrm of whale, given 

 it, no doubt, to raiie it^ value, by a notion of its fcarcity. 

 The fpongy oily mafs from wliich it is made, is found in a 

 large triangular trunk, four or five feet deep, and ten or 

 twelve long, filling almoft the whole cavity of the head, and 

 feeming to be entirely different from the proper brain of the 



S P E 



animal. The oil is leparated from it by dripping. In this 

 ftatc it has a yellow unftuous appearance, and is brought 

 to England in barrels. An ordinary fized whale, it is faid, 

 will yield upwards of twelve large barrels of crude fperma- 

 ceti. The mode of purifying it in the large way is as fol- 

 lows : the mafs is put into hair or woollen bags, and prefled 

 between plates of iron in a fcrew-prefs, until it becomei 

 hard and brittle. It is then broken in pieces, ard thrown 

 into boiling water, where it melts, and the impurities, which 

 rife to the furface or fink to the bottom, are fl<immed off or 

 feparated from it. After being cooled, and fcparated from 

 the water, it is put into frefli water in a large boiler, and a 

 weak ley of the potalh of commerce added to it by degrees. 

 This part of the procefs is thrice repeated, after which the 

 whole is poured into coolers, when the fpermaceti concretes 

 into a white femitranfparent mafs, which, on being cut into 

 fmall pieces, affumes the flaky appearance which it has in the 

 fhops. Some of our druggifts, it is faid, pofiefs the art of 

 makmg it from the fediment or fices of any kind of oil. 



Some fophiiticate it with wax ; but the deceit is dif- 

 covered, either by the fmell of the wax, or by the dulnefs of 

 the colour. Some alfo fell a preparation of oil gained from 

 the tail of the whale, iuftead of that from the brain ; which 

 laft kind turns yellow, as foon as opened to the air. In the 

 general, there is no merchandize that fhould be kept clofer 

 from the air than fpermaceti. 



Purified fpermaceti is an almoft filvery white, friable, 

 femitranfparent, unAuous fubftance, inodorous and infipid, 

 or having very little flavour, and only a flight tallowy odour. 

 It is fofter and more brittle than white wax ; and it is dif. 

 tinguifhed from every other fpecies of concrete oil, by itt 

 fuperior tranfparency, high luftre, and cryltalline texture. 

 Its fpecific gravity is 9.433, and it melts at 112^ Fahr. ; 

 and at a higher temperature evaporates, with little altera- 

 tion. By the afTiftauce of a wick, it burns with a clear 

 white flame, fuperior to that of tallow, and without any 

 difagreeable odour ; and this conftitutes its excellence as a 

 material for candles. By repeated diltillation, the fperma- 

 ceti becomes permanently fluid at the common temperature. 

 According to the experiments of Crell, its diilillation requires 

 a greater heat than fat ; and the coagulated oil, thus pro- 

 cured, partly white and partly brownifh. By repeated dif- 

 tillation it affords a yellowifh acid, and becomes more fluid, 

 but coagulates in the cold. The acid, redified by diftilla* 

 tion, is entirely colourlefs, and affords tlie fame falts with 

 earths and alkalies as Crell's fubacic acid. The oil unites 

 with ammonia into a faponaceous emulfion. It may be 

 diffufed in water by means of the yolk of egg or mucilage. 

 It is fparingly foluble in boiling alcohol, 150 parts of the 

 menftruum being neceffary for this purpofe ; and as the fo- 

 lution cools, the fpermaceti is again precipitated. Pure 

 ether very copioufly difTolves it, but feems to retain none 

 of it when cold. Oil of turpcnlijie has the fame eftefl. 

 With cauftic potafh it combines into a fo.ip, foluble in warm 

 water. Fluid ammonia, when cold, has no a£lion upon it ; 

 but when warm, very eafily diflolves it, forming an emul- 

 fion, which is not decompofcd either by fimple cooling, or 

 by mixture with water ; but the addition of an acid inttantly 

 precipitates the fpermaceti. Willi concentrated fulphuric 

 acid it forms a brownifh folution, wliich, dropped into wa- 

 ter, gives up its fpermaceti, apparently unaltered. Like 

 the other fat oils, it diifolvcs fnlphur. By long cxpofure 

 to the air, it acquires a yellow tinge, and becomes rancid ; 

 but it may be again purified, by being waOied in a warm 

 ky of potafs. The great ufc of fpermaceti is for making 

 candles ; and it is alfo employed in medicine. 



Spermaceti candles are of modern manufadturc : they are 

 3 R 2 made 



