Xantheine is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether, but crystallizes from none of these solutions.  Alkalies color it intensely brown.  Its power of coloration is considerable.  It dyes various fabrics of a yellow tone, which is without brilliancy.  Acids again destroy the brown coloration produced by alkalies.  Xantheine combines with most metallic bases, and forms therewith yellow or brown insoluble lakes.

The facts here related agree with all which has been previously observed regarding the coloring matters of flowers.  It is known that blue flowers can become red, and even white, where their coloring matter is destroyed, but never yellow—­and vice versa.  These three coloring matters can generate the colors either alone or by admixture, which are seen in flowers; but whether they are the only matters which color flowers, we are at present unable to determine.—­Journal de Pharmacie.

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IMPROVED PROCESS FOR BLEACHING BEES’-WAX AND THE FATTY ACIDS.

BY MR. G.F.  WILSON.

This improved process consists of two parts:—­1st, the application of highly-heated steam to heat the fatty matters under treatment, by which means the requisite heat for melting these substances is obtained, and at the same time the atmosphere is thereby excluded; the heated steam so applied in its passage off, carries with it the offensive smells given off by the fatty matters, and being made to traverse a pipe or passage up or along which gaseous chlorine is allowed to flow, a complete disinfection of the offensive products is thereby effected. 2dly, the treating of bees’-wax in a mixture of hard acid fat and bees’-wax, with compounds of chlorine and oxygen, preferring to employ that disengaged from chlorate of potash by treating it with sulphuric acid.  For this purpose, Mr. Wilson takes at the rate, say, of a ton of yellow bees’-wax, and melts and boils it up with free steam for about half an hour.  It is then allowed to stand a short time, and is then decanted into another vessel provided with a steam-pipe to emit free steam; about 20 lbs. of chlorate of potash is added, and the steam turned on; 80 lbs. of sulphuric acid, diluted with a like weight of water, is then gradually added.  The matters are allowed to stand for a short time, and are then decanted into another vessel, and again boiled up with free steam, and treated with a like quantity of diluted sulphuric acid.  The bees’-wax is then decanted into a receiver, and is ready for use.  The bees’-wax may, before undergoing these processes, be combined and boiled up with a hard fatty acid, and then treated as above described.

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CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF NAPLES SOAP.

A. Faiszt has submitted this celebrated shaving soap to analysis.  He states that it is made by saponifying mutton fat with lime, and then separating the fatty acids from the soap thus formed, by means of a mineral acid.  These fatty acids are afterwards combined with ordinary caustic potash to produce the Naples soap.  He found that 100 parts of this soap contained