Since preparing the present chapter on the manufacture of oil, the following just remarks came under our observation, selected from the _New Bedford Mercury_, January 16, 1857, and are worthy of the attention of all. "We embrace the present opportunity to offer some remarks and suggestions in the matter of the adulteration of sperm oil, which has been carried on to such an extent as to form one of the causes, we may safely say, for the decline of the article in price. Like every other commodity, it is liable to be counterfeited; and we know, after it has passed out of the hands of importers and manufacturers, adulteration has been practised to a wide extent. This is an evil beyond the control of our merchants, however much they may deprecate its influence upon the trade. To say that a system of adulteration is practised here, is a charge which cannot be substantiated by facts; and to suppose that the manufacturer would knowingly injure or damage his own business, is too absurd to require refutation.... We believe it would be a wise and judicious policy to establish agencies in different sections of the country, with agents of known honesty and integrity, for the wholesale and retail of the article; and that each barrel and cask bear the name of the manufacturer as a guaranty of its purity. "Consumers, especially those who buy for machinery purposes, would then know where to make their purchases, and have the assurance of 'value received.'" FOOTNOTES: [A] Master of the ship _South Seaman_, of New Bedford. [B] Master of the ship _William Wirt_, of New Bedford. [C] First officer of the ship _General Pike_, of New Bedford. [D] First officer of the ship _William Henry_, of Fairhaven. [E] See the Report of the New Bedford Port Society for 1857. [F] Chambers. [G] Macy's History of Nantucket. [H] Christian Review, vol. xii. [I] Average, eight feet; longest, fourteen feet. [J] The author is indebted to Charles J. Barney, Esq., foreman of Dr. Daniel Fisher's oil factory, in Edgartown, one of the largest, if not the largest in the country, for the principal facts respecting the manufacture of oil. [K] Harris. SOME OF WENTWORTH & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS. LIFE AMONG THE FLOWERS. BY LAURA GREENWOOD. This whole work forms a delightful Gift Book for any and all seasons of the year, particularly when God's choice and beautiful ornaments adorn our land, and fill the air with their fragrance. The writers of our own country are well represented, and in the language of another, "whoever 'Laura Greenwood' may be, she has the taste and skill of an accomplished editor." As such, "we cheerfully recommend the 'Life among the Flowers' to every man, woman, and child who has a taste for the good and beautiful." The work is printed in bold, clear type, on the first quality of paper, and bound in a superior manner. 12mo., 247 pages. HAPPY HOURS AT HAZEL NOOK. BY HARRIET FARLEY.