584 Notes on Glycerine. 
mode of manufacturing, devised by an American named 
Tillman, consisted in the distillation, at a high temperature 
with steam, the oily matter containing the glycerine. 
To fully comprehend the advantages of this process, it is 
requisite for the reader to revert, for a moment, to the old 
method by which glycerine was procured. Saponification, 
in fact, was the admixture of the oils or fats with various 
bases, which, by their action during boiling, converted the 
whole mass into a homogeneous, viscid, semi-transparent 
compound—viz., soap. During saponification, the glycerine 
is set free from the stearic, margaric, and oleic acids with 
which it was previously combined, and remains in the 
liquor, from which it may be subsequently separated. 
Glycerine, thus obtained by the ordinary process of 
saponification, must necessarily be more or less impure, ac- 
cording to the different bases used in the preparation of the 
soap. By obviating the necessity for their employment, 
Tillman’s process led to the manufacture of a pure, valuable 
article, which soon became known and appreciated. Till- 
man’s patent was purchased by Price’s Candle Company, 
who have since continued to be the largest manufacturers 
of glycerine. The quantity made by them annually is 
enormous, and every year increases the demand for this 
important substance. Some idea of the amount produced 
by this company may be derived from the fact that, ona 
recent visit to their works, I was shown a sample of glyce- 
rine taken from a still in which six tons had been made on 
the previous day. By the introduction of various modifi- 
cations and improvements, carried out under the supervision 
of their able chemist, Mr. Payne, the manufacture of gly- 
cerine at Price's Company’s works has reached a point of 
perfection, which it would be impossible to surpass. 
The oil used in this process is palm oil, a fatty substance 
extracted from the fruit of the Alazs Guiniensis, a large 
species of palm found principally in Africa. This fruit, 
about the size of a nut, consists of a fleshy, oily portion 
externally, which encloses a solid fatty kernel. Two 
varieties of oil, which are separately extracted, are obtained 
from this fruit; that of the outer portion is yellow, always 
liquid at the ordinary temperature in Africa ; that which is 
expressed from the kernel,is white and more solid, and 
used as an article of food by the natives. The former is — 
the variety chiefly exported to this country. It is nearly of 
the consistence of butter, and of a deep orange colour, and - 
has a sweet taste, and a pleasant aromatic odour. 
