aT 
II.—OIL OF BEN. 
Considerabie interest attaches to the origin of Oil of Ben, which is 
supposed to have been exclusively used many years ago by watch and 
clock makers. It was said to possess special prope rties, amongst others, 
that it would not thicken with age, that it remained liquid under y very 
low temperatures, and, lastly, did not become ranci 
Whether such an cil was a natural product or the result of a special 
treatment of olive and other oils is not clearly known. 
For many years an effort has been made by the Non. H. J. Kemble, 
of Jamaica, to prepare ta of ae a the seeds of Moringa pterygo- 
sperma, which is well kno the horse-radish tree of tropical 
countries, and plentifully distributed i in both the East and West Indies. 
The seeds of this tree yield 30 per cent. by weight of a clear, limpid, 
almost colourless oil, It has a specific gravity of 0:912 at 60° F., 
ead more than thirty years old, ae now in the Kew Museum 
profit, supply the whole world with Oil of Ben. Similar conditions 
exist i d 
pressing, at about 8s. to 10s. per g 
n the Report of the Director T Tan Botanical Department, Jamai 
y e extraction of Oil of Ben from the se ihe common horse 
“ radish tree Sg oe tant 2 td kid, Last year I took with me 
’ England a of oil prepared by pressure by Mr. Kennedy. 
i follows :— It is an oil altogether unknown in this market, the sample 
‘ is far from being bright, and in its present ee would be useless 
“ < for either of the trades named in your memora 
« < Whatever the oil may be in the West lina it appears to be very 
“& < tender here, an and although only about three parts congealed now, 
“ ¢ would in the winter months be entirel 
“Tf Moringa ae yields the true Oil of Ben, the prepara- 
“ tion evidently m different to that hitherto pursued; and it is 
* possible that the pad condition of the sample submitted to Messrs. 
S. W. Silver and Co. was owing to the presence in it of a large 
“ proportion of stearine which should be removed.” 
he properties and vir of the see Bad Moringa pterygosperma 
having been so far determined, the t question was to discover 
whether any other species of Mortiga “yielded the true Oil of Ben. 
The genus Moringa consists only three species, and these are 
M. pterygosperma, Gaertn, M. aptera, Gaerin, and M. concanensis, 
Nim 
leaflets; and it can very well” be passed over in the present inquiry. 
a apter 
This latter species has a comparatively iliro distribution, and 
appears to be confined to Upper Egypt, some parts of — and Aden. 
At the latter place it was collected by Sir Joseph Hooker in 1847, 
he describes it as a “ weeping tree, about 17 feet high, yielding a red 
