ROASTING  OF  COFFEE. 
481 
comes  a  matter  of  consequence,  especially  to  proprietors  of  ex- 
tensive manufacturing  works. 
We  are  glad,  however,  to  know,  and  to  be  the  first  to  an- 
nounce, that  a  source  of  supply  has  been  discovered  much  nearer 
home.  It  is  in  the  Island  of  Saba,  which  is  one  of  the  Dutch 
West  Indies,  and  is  situated  about  110  miles  south-east  from  St. 
Thomas,  and  40  miles  south-west  from  St.  Martha's.  Like  its 
Italian  prototype,  the  island  is  of  volcanic  origin,  being  about 
eleven  miles  in  circumference,  and  at  its  highest  point  about 
2,800  feet  above  the  sea.  Though  a  Dutch  possession,  the  lan- 
guage spoken  by  its  two  thousand  inhabitants  is  chiefly  English. 
The  sulphur  deposit  referred  to  was  discovered  by  an  enter- 
prising New  Yorker,  who  found  himself  there  on  a  search  for 
health,  and,  finding  indications  of  sulphur  ore,  set  to  work  with 
pick  and  shovel,  and  with  the  help  of  some  natives  quarried  two 
sloop  loads,  which  he  brought  here  and  submitted  to  analysis. 
The  report  of  the  chemists  employed  is  to  the  effect  that  while 
the  Sicily  ores  only  yield  about  thirty  per  cent,  of  brimstone  for 
the  ore  consumed,  the  Saba  ore  yields  an  average  of  oyer  sixty 
per  cent.  Adding  to  this  the  fact  that  the  island  is  only  about 
fifteen  hundred  miles  from  New  York,  it  will  be  seen  that  this 
is  an  important  discovery,  and  it  need  not  be  wondered  at  that 
steps  have  already  been  taken  to  secure  leases  of  the  best  tracts 
on  this  island.  We  understand  that  this  has  been  done,  and 
that  the  importation  of  crude  brimstone  will  soon  be  commenced. 
— Drug.  Circular,  Neiv  York,  June,  lS10,fi'om  iV^.  Y.  Times. 
THE  ROASTING  OF  COFFEE. 
In  distilling  a  cold  prepared  extract  of  roasted  coffee  with  lime 
or  magnesia,  an  alkaline  distillate  is  obtained,  which  by  evapora- 
tion after  the  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and  extracting  with 
alcohol,  yields  a  pure  chloride  of  methylammonium.  This  salt 
is  a  chloride  of  ammonium,  in  which  one  equivalent  of  hydrogen 
is  substituted  by  methyl,  the  radical  of  methylated  spirit  or 
methyl  alcohol,  this  being  the  lowest  one  in  the  series  of  alco- 
hols, of  which  ordinary  alcohol  and  ether  are  representatives. 
This  product  is  formed  by  the  decomposition  of  caffein,  when 
