glass worm, the upper extremity of which divides in two branches
or tubes, which are provided with funnels. Through one of these funnels
passes a stream of concentrated nitric acid; the other is destined as a
receiver of benzol, which, for this purpose, requires not to be quite
pure; at the angle from where the two tubes branch out, the two bodies
meet together, and instantly the chemical combination takes place, which
cools sufficiently by passing through the glass worm. The product is
afterwards washed with water, and some diluted solution of carbonate of
soda; it is then ready for use. Notwithstanding the great physical
similarity between nitrobenzol and oil of bitter almonds, there is yet a
slight _difference in smell which can be detected by an experienced
nose_.[M] However, nitrobenzol is very useful in scenting soap, and
might be employed with great advantage by confectioners and cooks,
particularly on account of its safety, being entirely free from prussic
acid.

There were, besides the above, several other artificial oils; they all,
however, were more or less complicated, and in so small quantities, that
it was impossible to ascertain their exact nature, and it was doubtful
whether they had the same origin as the former.

The application of organic chemistry to perfumery is quite new; it is
probable that the study of all the ethers or ethereal combinations
already known, and of those which the ingenuity of the chemist is daily
discovering, will enlarge the sphere of their practical applications.
The capryl-ethers lately discovered by Bouis are remarkable for their
aromatic smells (the acetate of capryloxide is possessed of the most
intense and pleasant smell), and they promise a large harvest to the
manufacturers of perfumes.--_Annalen der Chemie._

* * * * *

CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE "JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS."[N]

CHEMISTRY AND PERFUMERY.

SIR,

When such periodicals as "Household Words" and the "Family Herald"
contain scientific matters, treated in a manner to popularize science,
all real lovers of philosophy must feel gratified; a little fiction, a
little metaphor, is expected, and is accepted with the good intention
with which it is given, in such popular prints; but when the "Journal of
the Society of Arts" reprints quotations from such sources, without
modifying or correcting their expressions, it conveys to its readers a
tissue of fiction rather too flimsy t