248  VERIFICATION"  OP  CASTOR  OIL  AND  BALSAM  COPAIBA,  ETC. 
A  slight  modification  of  the  process  which  it  is  the  object  of 
this  note  to  point  out,  made  it  succeed  admirably,  and  at  the 
same  time  saved  the  whole  of  the  manual  labor. 
The  olive  oil  added  was  emulsed  in  the  aromatic  water  by 
solution  of  potash  :  after  standing  for  some  time,  the  emulsion 
was  destroyed  by  the  addition  of  an  acid,  when  the  olive  oil 
immediately  rose  to  the  surface,  dragging  with  it  almost  the 
whole  of  the  aroma.  From  the  fatty  oil  the  aromatic  oil  was 
easily  separated,  by  agitation  with  rectified  spirit. 
I  have  not  ascertained  by  experiment  either  the  best  fatty 
body  to  use  in  this  process,  or  the  best  mode  of  effecting  or  de- 
stroying the  emulsion ;  I  leave  these  points  open  for  those  who 
use  the  method  practically  ;  but  it  appearing  to  me  to  be  capable 
of  being  put  to  some  use,  at  least  in  scientific  inquiry,  I  have 
ventured  on  the  above  short  recital  of  the  facts. — Pharm.  Jour., 
Lond.,  Feb.,  1864. 
ON  THE  VERIFICATION  OF  CASTOR  OIL  AND  BALSAM  OF 
y  COPAIBA  BY  MEANS  OF  THEIR  COHESION  FIGURES. 
By  Charles  Tomlinson. 
Lecturer  on  Physical  Science,  King's  College  School,  London. 
Every  one  in  this  place  must  be  aware  of  the  mode  of  prepa- 
ration, and  the  properties  of  castor  oil.  The  seeds  of  Bicinus 
communis  are  boiled  and  pressed,  or  simply  pressed  without 
boiling,  forming,  in  the  latter  case,  what  is  called  cold-drawn 
castor  oil.  During  many  years  the  supply  of  the  oil  to  this 
country  was  almost  entirely  from  the  East  Indies*  (from  Bom- 
bay and  Calcutta).  The  price  was  low  and  the  oil  good,  both 
as  to  color  and  taste.  I  have  on  the  table  a  very  fine  specimen 
from  the  India  Museum,  furnished  to  me  through  the  kindness 
of  Dr.  Forbes  Watson.  Small  quantities  of  castor  oil  have 
been  sent  to  this  country  from  New  York,  the  West  Indies,  and 
Australia,  and  some  houses  in  this  country  have  imported  the 
seeds  from  the  East  Indies,  and  have  drawn  their  own  oil  by 
pressure. 
*  The  castor-oil  plant  is  cultivated  all  over  India  for  domestic  use, 
chiefly  for  burning.  The  oil  is  extracted  by  bruising  the  seed,  boiling  in 
water,  and  skimming. 
