132        PRODUCTS  OF  THE  NATURAL  ORDER  P-ALMACEiE. 
which  is  the  hard  albuminous  kernel  of  a  very  large  palm  called 
the  Phytilephas  macrocarpa,  and  does  not  range  under  any  of 
the  preceding  divisions.  Its  magnificent  primated  leaves  are 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height,  and  it  bears  immense  clusters 
of  its  curious  fruit  at  their  base.  When  immature,  this  fruit 
yields  a  delicious  liquid  resembling  a  custard  in  richness  and 
delicacy  of  flavor,  but  when  ripe  it  becomes  exceedingly  hard, 
and,  like  ivory,  it  can  be  carved  into  a  variety  of  ornaments. 
Mr.  Archer  illustrated  his  lecture  by  a  large  and  valuable  col- 
lection of  specimens,  among  which  were  a  complete  set  of  the 
products  obtained  from  the  cocoa  nut  and  palm  oils,  by  Price'3 
Patent  Candle  Company. 
The  thanks  of  the  meeting  were  given  to  Mr.  Archer  for  his 
interesting  and  instructive  lecture. 
The  President  said  he  was  glad  to  hear  that  Mr,  Hatcher, 
Chemist  to  Price's  Candle  Company,  at  their  Bromborough  Pool 
Works,  was  present,  and  he  was  sure  the  meeting  would  feel 
gratified  if  he  would  favor  them  with  an  outline  of  the  manu- 
facture carried  on  at  those  works. 
Mr.  Hatcher  remarked  thas  the  general  outline  of  the  manu- 
facture carried  on  by  Price's  Patent  Candle  Company,  at  Brom- 
borough Pool  Works,  is  as  follows  : — The  crude  palm  oil  is  melted 
out  of  the  casks  in  which  it  has  been  imported,  and  allowed  to 
remain  in  a  melted  state  in  large  tanks  until  the  mechanical 
impurities  have  settled  to  the  bottom.  The  clean  oil  is  then 
pumped  into  close  vessels,  where  it  is  heated  and  exposed  to  the 
action  of  sulphuric  acid.  The  glycerine  is  thus  separated  from 
the  oil,  and  the  coloring  matter  and  impurities  are  carbonized 
and  partly  rendered  insoluble.  The  oil,  which  has  now  a  greyish- 
brown  shade,  is  washed  to  free  it  from  the  acid.  From  the 
washed  product  distillation  now  separates  the  mixed  fatty  acids 
(palmitic  and  palm-oleic  acids)  as  a  white  crystalline  fat,  while 
the  residuum  in  the  still  is  converted  into  a  fine  hard  pitch.  This 
pitch  is  fit  for  any  of  the  purposes  to  which  ordinary  pitch  is 
applicable.  This  mixed  fatty  acids  may  be  made  directly  into 
candles,  or  they  may  be  separated  by  hydraulic  pressure,  aided, 
if  necessary,  by  heat.  The  effect  of  this  process  is  to  remove 
from  the  mass  the  liquid  part  (oleic  acid,)  which  is,  after  puri- 
fication, fit  for  burning  in  lamps  and  other  purposes.    The  hard 
