so A 
where the olive grows, especially in the 
south of France, in some parts of Italy, and 
in Tripoli. 
Soap is manufactured in this country prin- 
cipally from tallow, or any other fat ; and 
the alkali employed is either barilla or 
pearl-ash, or a mixture of the two, according 
to the price and practice of the manufactu- 
rer. But as potash alone will not make a 
stiff soap, recourse is had to the action of 
common salt, which, when added after the 
potash and oil are united, produces a separa- 
tion of the compound from the water incor- 
porated with it, hardens it, and renders it 
equal to the soda soaps. The following is 
the usual method of making the common 
white and yellow soap used in domestic 
purposes. White hard soap is generally 
made with three separate charges of ley. 
The potash (supposing this to be the alkali) 
is previously dissolved with water in a small 
boiler, with a little fire, and the solution is 
poured over a vat, containing common wood 
ashes mixed with lihie, which makes the 
first and strongest ley. As soon as this has 
run off, the ashes are turned, more lime is 
added, and water is pumped on, which 
forms the second, or weak ley. The large 
boiler is then charged with the tallow, and 
about two-thirds of the strong ley being 
added, a moderate fire is kept up to incor- 
porate the materials, which is known by 
their running into a stiff glue. If this does 
not take place in about seven hours (with 
S9 cwt. of tallow in the boiler) more alkali 
must be added. The tallow is then killed, 
or saturated, and the fire is drawn, and the 
materials allowed to remain at rest for a 
short time. Common salt is then thrown 
in, and stirred up wi^h long poles till it is 
thoroughly incorporated, and till the matter 
changes from a dark coloured glue to a thin 
soapy substance. A brisk fire is then made, 
and the materials boiled for a few minutes, 
when the fire is again drawn, and the mate- 
rials inf the boiler allowed to settle for an 
hour and a half, during which the spent lees 
sink to the bottom of the boiler, and are 
pumped off. The second operation begins 
with raising the fire, and adding to the 
soapy mass the weak ley, which is to be 
managed the same as at first, and again 
brings it to the state of a glue, which a very 
little salt will restore to the saponaceous 
state, and after boiling and cooling the se- 
cond lees are pumped off. In the third 
operation, tire third part of the strong ley 
which was reserved is added, which, as be- 
fore, changes the mass to a thick glue, that 
soc 
must be grained with salt as before. The 
contents are then boiled strongly for three 
hours, more or less, till by taking samples 
occasionally with a trowel, the soap feels 
sufficiently hard and dry to the touch, and 
the ley will be seen to run quite clear from 
the soap on the trowel, leaving this latter in 
round lumps. The boil of soap is then 
finished, by pumping off the spent ley, and 
scraping off a quantity of light froth from 
the top of the soap, and the soap is fit for 
framing. 
Soap is soluble in alcohol. The solution 
of soap is decomposed by all the acids, 
which curdle it, or separate thp oil in the 
form of white lumps. An excess of acid 
re-dissolves the curd, and the oil is trans- 
ferred to the acid ; but on boiling this solu- 
tion, the oil separates entirely, and rises to 
the surface. The solution is also curdled by 
lime, barytic, or strontian water, and in this 
case the curd consists of the oil united with 
the earth, and concreted by this union. All 
the soluble salts of these and the other 
earthy bases equally deeompose soap water, 
and form a curdy precipitate, which is the 
reason why hard water, that always con- 
tains sulphate of lime, and often other 
earthy salts, immediately curdles soap, in- 
stead of forming an uniform solution. The 
metallic salts will produce the same effect,/ 
and a combination of the oil and metallic 
oxide is produced. See Aikin’s Diet. 
SOCAGE, a tenure of lands by or for 
certain inferior services of husbandry to be 
performed to the lord of the'fee. This was 
a tenure of so large an extent, that all the 
lands in England, which were not held in 
knight-service, were held in socage. Since 
the time of Charles II. all the lands in Eng- 
land are reduced to socage tenures. 
SOCIETIES. This word includes a vast 
circle of associations of men, calculated in 
some instances to promote the cause of 
science and literature, and in others intend- 
ed for the benefit of the individuals and their, 
families who compose them. 
Of the former class are the Koyal and 
Antiquarian Societies, and the more recent 
establishments, under the term of institu- 
tions. 
Society, Royal, had its origin from 
the voluntary intercourse of learned men, 
who conceived that their pursuits might be 
improved and forwarded by the communi- 
cation of their thoughts and observations to 
each other during their leisurehours. Dr.Wil- 
kins, of Wadham College, Oxford, who en- 
tertained the resident philosophers of tha^ 
