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Page 35
at the duty of 1_s._ per pound, yield a revenue annually of 9,766_l._
16_s._
It would appear by the above return that our consumption of otto of
cloves was exceedingly small; whereas it is probably ten times that
amount. The fact is, several of the English wholesale druggists are very
large distillers of this otto, leaving little or no room for the sale
and importation of foreign distilled otto of cloves. Again, otto of
caraway, the English production of that article is quite equal to the
foreign; also, otto of lavender, which is drawn in this country probably
to the extent of 6000 lbs. annually.
There were also passed through the Custom House for home consumption, in
1852--
Pomatums, procured by enfleurage, maceration,
&c., commonly called "French Pomatums,"
average value of 6_s._ per pound, and paying
a duty of 1_s._ per pound, valued by the importers
at �1,306
Perfumery not otherwise described; value �1,920
Number of bottles of eau de Cologne, paying
a duty of 1_s._ each,[D] 19,777
Revenue from eau de Cologne manufactured out of England, say 20,000
flacons at 8_d._ = 8,000_l._ annually.
The total revenue derived from various sources, even upon this low scale
of duties, from the substances with which "Britannia perfumes her pocket
handkerchief," cannot be estimated at less than 40,000_l._ per annum.
This, of course, includes the duty upon the spirits used in the home
manufacture of perfumery.
SECTION IV.
PERFUMES OF ANIMAL ORIGIN.
In the previous articles we have only spoken of the odors of plants; we
now enter upon those materials used in perfumery of an animal origin.
The first under our notice is--
AMBERGRIS.--This substance is found in the sea, floating near
the islands of Sumatra, Molucca, and Madagascar; also on the coasts of
America, Brazil, China, Japan, and the Coromandel. The western coast of
Ireland is often found to yield large pieces of this substance. The
shores of the counties of Sligo, Mayo, Kerry, and the isles of Arran,
are the principal places where it has been found. In the "Philosophical
Transactions" there is an account of a lump found on the beach of the
first-mentioned county, in the year 1691, which weighed 52 oz., and was
bought on the spot for 20_l._, but which afterwards was sold in London
for more than 100_l._ (Philos. Trans. No. 227, p. 509). We are quite
within limit in stating that many volumes concerning the origin of
ambergris have been written, but the question respecting it is still at
issue. It is found in the stomachs of the most voracious fishes, these
animals swallowing, at particular times, everything they happen to meet
with. It has been particularly found in the intestines of the spermaceti
whale, and most commonly in sickly fish, whence it is supposed to be the
cause or effect of the disease.
Some authors, and among them Robert Boyle, consider it to be of
vegetable production, and analogous to amber; hence its name
amber-_gris_ (gray) gray amber. It is not, however, within the province
of this work to discuss upon the various theories about its production,
which could probably be satisfactorily explained if our modern
appliances were brought to bear upon the subject. The field is open to
any scientific enthusiast; all recent authors who mention it, merely
quoting the facts known more than a century ago.
A modern compiler, speaking of ambergris, says, "It smells like dried
cow-dung." Never having smelled this latter substance, we cannot say
whether the simile be correct; but we certainly consider that its
perfume is most incredibly overrated; nor can we forget that
HOMBERG found that "a vessel in which he had made a long
digestion of the human f�ces had acquired a very strong and perfect
smell of ambergris, insomuch that any one would have thought that a
great quantity of essence of ambergris had been made in it. The perfume
(_odor!_) was so strong that the vessel was obliged to be moved out of
the laboratory." (Mem. Acad. Paris, 1711.)
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