524 



OlEAGIIS-OTJS PLANTS. 



desired to obtain, are thinly sproad over flakes of cotton wool saturated with 

 this oil, and the whole enclosed i;i air tight tin cases, where they are suffered 

 to I'emain till they begin to wither, when they are replaced by fresh ones, and 

 the process thus coi-tinued till the oil has absorbed as much as was desired of 

 the aroma ; it is then separated from the wool by pressure, and preserved under 

 the name of essence^ in well stopped bottles. 



By digesting the oil thus impregnated in alcohol, which does not take up the 

 fixed oil, a solution of the aroma is effected in the spirit, and many odoriferous 

 tinctures or waters, as they are someM-hat inaccurately termed, prepared. By this 

 process most delicious perfumes might be obtained from the flowers of the Acacia 

 toj'tuosa^ Pancratium carriieum, Plumeria alba, Plumeria rubra, and innumerable 

 other flowers, of the most exquisite fragrance, which abound within the tropics, 

 blooming unregarded, and wasting their odors on the barren air." 



THE OIL PALM. 



Thetie are several species of this genus of beautiful palms of the 

 tribe OocociiKS, but that chiefly turned to account is Mlais guine- 

 ensis, a native of the Coast of Gruinea to the south of Fernando 

 Po, which furnishes the best oil. 



There are three other varieties — E. melanococca, a native of New 

 G-ranada, JE. Pernamhucana, common on the coast of Brazil, and 

 E. occidenlalis, indigenous to Jamaica. All the species grow well 

 in a sandy loam and may be increased by suckers. 



The value of the oil of this palm, as an article of commerce, is 

 exemplified by the large annual imports, averaging more than 

 516 ,000 cwt. for many years past. 



Our supplies of palm oil are ahnost wholly derived from the 

 West Coast of Africa, of which it is the staple article of export. 



Palm oil has the greatest specific gravity of any of the fixed 

 vegetable oils. It is used principally in this country for making 

 yellow soap. But the inhabitants of the Guinea coast employ it 

 for the same purposes that we do butter. 



The trade in palm oil has almost driven out the slave trade from 

 the Bight of Benin, which was a few years ago one of its principal 

 seats. The old slave traders at Whydah have generally gone into 

 the palm oil trade, and are carrying it on to a very great extent. 

 In August 1849, no less than twelve vessels were lying at that 

 port taking in oil ; whilst, only three years before, it was rare to 

 see three vessels there at once, and of those in all probability two 

 would be slavers. 



This j)alm is called Maba by the natives about the Congo river. 

 It is monoecious, which indeed Jacquin, by whom the genus was 

 established, concluded it to be, although first described as ditecious 

 by Graertner, whose account has been adopted, probably without 

 examination, by Schreder, Willdenow, and Persoon. 



The average imports of this oil into Liverpool alone, have now 

 been for some years upwards of 18,000 tons, worth nearly £800,000 

 sterling, and giving employment to upwards of 30,000 tons of 

 shipping ; thus proving that the natives who formerly exported 

 their brethren as a matter of traffic, now find, at least, an equally 



