3 



there is a large amount of wax in cane juice has been known for a long- 

 lime, and palmitic acid has been found in rum.* It would appear, there- 

 fore, that in the process of manufacture a considerable portion of this aro- 

 matic oil will be lost, since being soluble in water it cannot be separated 

 by the preliminary clarification process in the cyphons, but must pass from 

 thence into the coppers, where a good deal of it will be dissipated in 

 the form of vapour. To a certain extent no doubt as the liquor gets 

 concentrated by ebullition, and the essential oil has less water for its 

 solution, and as the density of the liquor increases, it may rise to the top 

 in an insoluble form, in which it can be skimmed off. But on these 

 points further investigation is necessary. 



Its boiling point appears to be comparatively high. It comes over 

 from the still in the later runnings and can be extracted from dunder 

 in considerable quantity, and I have succeeded in extracting in small quan- 

 tity from molasses. The fact of its boiling point being high and that it 

 can be extracted from dunder, shews us at once that we do not obtain by 

 our distillation process, so much of this oil in our rum as we might do. 

 It seems also to indicate that the use of patent continuous stills with high 

 rectifying columns, would certainly be attended with a minimisation of 

 the aroma of the rum in so far as this was due to the essential oil ; and it 

 suggests to us as to whether or no this may not be the reason as to why a 

 low still head produces a better rum than a very high one — this seeming 

 to be a pretty general opinion among Planters. If this should prove 

 to be the case, it would seem as if the addition of an extra retort filled 

 with cane juice, which had been properly treated for the production of 

 the essential oil, through which the alcoholic vapours would have to pass, 

 would be a distinct advantage : though certainly care would have to be 

 taken that the lime was not present in excess, as this would lead to a 

 decomposing of the " fruit ethers" which might come over with the 

 alcoholic vapours. It is interesting to note that somthing of this sort 

 appears to be done in some parts of the colony though instead of lime, 

 common salt appears to be used. 



What was said in a previous paper concerning the possibility of the 

 existence of different " fruity acids" in different canes and in different 

 soils,, applies equally to this oil of rum. But here again a chemical 

 examination of juice from different sources alone can decide. I am 

 inclined to think however, alter having examined rums from different 

 estates and from different parishes, that, with the exception perhaps of 

 the" new leather" smell, which may be caused by the presence in the rum 

 of some single substance possessing that aroma, and which is not found 

 in other rums, that variation is more to be sought for in the quantity 

 in which this oil is present than that different soils each possess a char- 

 acteristically different essential oil. Turning to the results obtained in 

 the examination of samples of juice taken at different times from the 

 mill from the same estate, I have been surprised by the marked differ- 

 ences exhibited in the quantity of this oil present. In very many 

 cases it does not appear to be present at all. So far the samples have 

 been taken at random from the mill without any attention having been 

 paid as to the soil on which the canes yielding such juice were 

 grown,or as to the nature of the cane whether plant or rat- 



* Mulder. Jahresbericht fur Chemie, 1858, p. 302. 



