n_.

Cahours' excellent researches concerning the essential oil of
_Gaultheria procumbens_ (a North American plant of the natural order of
the Ericinae of Jussieu), which admits of so many applications in
perfumery,[I] have opened a new field in this branch of industry. The
introduction of this oil among compound ethers must necessarily direct
the attention of perfumers[J] towards this important branch of
compounds, the number of which is daily increasing by the labors of
those who apply themselves to organic chemistry. The striking similarity
of the smell of these ethers to that of fruit had not escaped the
observation of chemistry; however, it was reserved to practical men to
discover by which choice and combinations it might be possible to
imitate the scent of peculiar fruits to such a nicety, that makes it
probable that the scent of the fruit is owing to a natural combination
identical to that produced by art; so much so, as to enable the chemist
to produce from fruits the said combinations, provided he could have at
his disposal a sufficient quantity to operate upon. The manufacture of
artificial aromatic oils for the purpose of perfumery[K] is, of course,
a recent branch of industry; nevertheless, it has already fallen into
the hands of several distillers, who produce sufficient quantity to
supply the trade; a fact, which has not escaped the observation of the
Jury at the London Exhibition. In visiting the stalls of English and
French perfumers at the Crystal Palace, we found a great variety of
these chemical perfumes, the applications of which were at the same time
practically illustrated by confectionery flavored by them. However, as
most of the samples of the oils sent to the Exhibition were but small, I
was prevented, in many cases, from making an accurate analysis of them.
The largest samples were those of a compound labelled "pear-oil," which,
by analysis, I discovered to be an alcoholic solution of pure acetate of
amyloxide. Not having sufficient quantity to purify it for combustion, I
dissolved it with potash, by which free fusel-oil was separated, and
determined the acetic acid in the form of a silver salt.

0.3080 gram. of silver salt = 0.1997 gram. of silver.

The per centage of silver in acetate of silver is, according to

Theory, 64.68
Experiment, 64.55

The acetate of amyloxide, which, according to the usual way of preparing
it, represents one part sulphuric acid, one part