230 



has, strange to say, been manufactured only of late and on a very limi- 

 ted scale, in the land which produces all the raw materials for its prepa- 

 ration, except, perhaps, to a certain degree, the combustible employed, 

 which from the scarcity of wood and absence of coal, has necessarily to 

 be imported in a great measure from foreign lands. Indeed, up to quite 

 recently, the very idea of making citric acid in Italy was scouted, and 

 is only now manufactured in small quantities by one or two firms, no- 

 tably by the firm of Aveline Brothers, who produce at Messina consid- 

 erable quantities of citric acid in conjunction with tartaric and even sul- 

 phuric acids. Nevertheless, there seems to be no valid, or at least no 

 insurmountable reason militating against the introduction of this indus- 

 try into Sicily on a larger scale, and indeed the arguments adduced by those 

 " laudatores temporis acti" who oppose on principle all innovations, are 

 substantially but a repetition of those already used on other similar occa- 

 sions, and especially against the feasibility of the manufacture of citrate 

 of lime and of sulphuric acid. These arguments have been proved to be 

 utterly unsound in the two latter instances, and they appear to be 

 equally weak when brought forward against the introduction and dif- 

 fusion of the manufacture of citric acid, as is shown by the favorable re- 

 sults of the few attempts made by foreigners, and as I have already 

 stated, especially by Messrs. Aveline and Co., of Messina. 



The citric acid, as produced at present is prepared as follows : — The 

 citrate is mingled with a liquid composed of six parts of water and one 

 part of undiluted sulphuric acid. The latter decomposes the citrate of 

 lime and unites with the lime to form sulphate of lime or gypsum, libe- 

 rating the citric acid which remains in solution in the water until 

 evaporated into a bain-marie when the citric acid eventually crystallises 

 in small rhombohedrons of various tints, it is finally purified with 

 animal carbon and hydrochloric acid. 



Essential Oils. 



The essence industry in Sicily is both widespread and prosperous. Es- 

 sence-producers and exporters are, indeed, numerous. The essential 

 oils are derivable and derived from the rind of all varieties of the citrus 

 group, albeit they differ considerably in quality. That expressed from 

 bergamot rinds being the best, then follow in the order named, lemon, 

 orange and citron essences, the relative values of the essences being in in- 

 verse order to that of the juices. The lemons and oranges serving for 

 this purpose must be outwardly intact as well as internally healthy and 

 sound, hence those slightly punctured, windstrewn, undersized fruit, &c , 

 which are utilised for the production ot concentrated juic^ are practi- 

 cally valueless in the expression of essence. From what I 

 have been able to gather, the rind is first prepared by soak- 

 ing it in cold water for about 20 minutes or thereabout, which 

 preliminary operation is conducive to the turgidity of the oily vesicles 

 and thus contributes, it is said, greatly to the expression of the oily 

 essence. The rind is next rotated and pressed against the sponge held 

 in the left hand, when this has become completely saturated it is 

 squeezed over a vessel of glazed porcelain or of common earthenware. 

 This first yield is far from pure, containing as it does a small quantity 

 of juice and of mucilage or other organic matters, which, however slowly 

 subsiding, form a deposit at the bottom of the vessel, the liquid sinks 



