ON ITALIAN CASTOR OIL. 
229 
that contained in these British galls ; yet, with so considerable a percentage 
of tannin, there are probably some uses to which they may be advantageously 
applied. I have not yet been able to make any experiments with a view to 
ascertain if gallic or tannic acids may be commercially prepared from them. 
I will, however, if deemed desirable, take up that point and report thereon 
at the next meeting of the Conference. 
One purpose for which these galls may undoubtedly be used is that of dyeing; 
and as large quantities of Aleppo galls are constantly in demand for this pur¬ 
pose, British galls would here find one of their most important applications. 
Another use would be in making ink. I have made some ink from a formula 
known as Wollaston’s, using the same weight of British as of Aleppo 
galls. The product is a fair average ink, with which this paper is written. 
I used the old perforated galls; had I used a larger quantity of these, or 
used some of the mature galls, it would probably have made a better ink. 
No other tannin-yielding material was added. They might also be used for 
some kinds of tanning. Oak-bark, according to Davy, yields from 5 to 7 per 
cent, of tannin, with which these galls stand in favourable comparison, and 
they might, in some cases, be advantageously substituted. 
The quantity of these galls in some districts is very considerable, and their 
collection in quantity would be easy. 
In conclusion, I may advert to a peculiarity I am unable to explain, which 
is the dense colour of an aqueous solution of the galls, the galls themselves 
being light in colour and very porous in texture. 
Dr. Attfield said he had just received a letter from Dr. Wihnot, of Tunbridge Wells, 
confirmatory of Mr. Judd’s results. From a rough examination Dr. Wilmot had found 
a large quantity of tannin could be obtained from English galls, but that they must be 
gathered at a particular period of growth. He hoped that if we were to suffer from 
a pest which was certainly on the increase, some good might be derived from it, and 
some check in its advance be furnished by the very means whereby that good was to be 
obtained. 
ON ITALIAN CASTOR OIL. 
Dr. Attfield stated that Mr. Henry Groves, of Florence, was engaged in 
ascertaining for the Conference the cause of the absence in Italian castor oil 
of that unpleasant taste characteristic of the chief commercial varieties of 
that well-known medicine, and would probably send a paper on the subject 
to the next meeting in 1866. Meanwhile, a recent pupil, Mr. Phillips, now 
of Naples, had sent him some remarks on the matter, which might be read 
at the present meeting, and would thus probably aid Mr. Groves in his in¬ 
vestigation. Mr. Phillips’s letter was as follows :— 
14, Strada S. Carlo , Naples. 
Dear Sir,—Seeing that the question No. 131 had been accepted by Mr. 
H. Groves, I thought it unnecessary to trouble you with any further remarks 
on the subject, nevertheless it has occurred to me, even at this late moment, 
that my promise ought to be kept, although I can offer but little information 
on the subject in question. 
The castor-oil plant here attains a height of from 10 to 16 feet, and is 
generally biennial, sometimes triennial; the seeds, which are ripe in the mid¬ 
dle of autumn, are generally smaller than the East Indian ; some are of a uni¬ 
form dark colour, others very prettily streaked. 
The oil is generally prepared during the following summer, the warmth of 
the weather causing a more abundant yield of oil. The outer skin is removed 
