CASSIUS, PURPLE OP 747 



CASSEIiI. YEXiXiOW. An oxychloride of lead. It seems to be the same as 

 Patent Yellow and Turner's Yellow, Cassell yellow may be prepared by melting together 

 one part of sal-ammoniac with ten parts of massicot, minium, or white lead. 



CASSEIiMANN'S GREEN. A fine green pigment, destitute of arsenic. It 

 is a basic sulphate of copper, obtained by mixing together boiling solutions of sulphate 

 of copper and an alkaline acetate. 



CASSIA. (Cinnamomum Cassia.) A bark employed for flavouring. The cin- 

 namon cassia is a native of China, and is cultivated in Java. It is imported from 

 Singapore, Calcutta, Bombay, and Manilla. This bark is imported principally for 

 the sake of its essential oil, which it yields by distillation. One hundred pounds of 

 good cassia bark will thus yield 12 oz. of essential oil of cassia. This oil is princi- 

 pally consumed in scenting what is called Brown Windsor Soap. 



CASSIA BUDS. (Flores cassia immature.) The cassia buds and bark are both 

 obtained from the same tree (Reeves). 'According to the latest observations which 

 the elder Noes has made known, cassia buds are the calyces (Fruchtkelche) of Cinna- 

 momum aromaticum, about ^th of their normal size. It is also said that they are 

 collected from Cinnamomum duke which is found in China.' Martins, quoted by 

 Percira. 



CASSIA FISTULA. The pudding pipe tree, or purging cassia. The pods of 

 this tree are imported from Madras and Ceylon, from Barbadoes, and from Cartha- 

 gena and Savanilla. 



CASSIS. The Acacia Farnesiana is grown extensively in the south of Franco 

 for the sake of its fragrant flower balls : these are termed Cassie, and used in per- 

 fumery. The young plants are raised from seed in beds : in the third year they are 

 planted out in fields and require for each tree about twelve square feet of land. 

 When in maturity Acacia Farnesiana will yield flowers to the value of 30J. an 

 acre. 



CASSIS, the black currant (Ribes nigra, Linn.), which was formerly celebrated 

 for its medicinal properties, with very little reason. 



The only technical use to which it is now applied is in preparing the agreeable liqueur 

 called ratafia, by the following French recipe : Stone and crush 3 pounds of black cur- 

 rants, adding to the magma 1 drachm of cloves, 2 drachms of cinnamon, 4 quarts of spirits 

 of wine, at 98 Baume, and 2- pounds of sugar. Put the mixture into a bottle which 

 is to be well corked ; let it digest for a fortnight, shaking the bottle once daily during 

 the first 8 days : then strain through a linen cloth, and finally pass through filtering 

 paper. 



C ASSITERITE. Oxide of Tin ; Stream Tin. Stream tin is the alluvial debris of 

 tin veins. Cassitef ite is one of the objectionable names, of which a very great number 

 have been introduced into the science of Mineralogy. The names which are derived 

 from districts or towns give no indication of the character of a mineral, and they 

 indicate one locality only, for example, REDKUTHITE (Copper glance} is found in many 

 other places beyond Kedruth, and CASSITERITE, derived from the Cassiterides of the 

 ancients, is used to designate a mineral which is found in all parts of the world. The 

 confusion existing in mineralogical nomenclature is to be lamented. (See TIN 

 ORE.) 



CASSIUS, Purple powder of. A preparation used in the arts as a colour, chiefly for 

 stained glass and porcelain. It is also employed in medicine by some French physicians, 

 and has been prepared in the following manner: 10 parts of acid chloride of gold 

 are dissolved in 2,000 parts of water. In another vessel, 10 parts of pure tin are dis- 

 solved in 10 parts of nitric acid mixed with 20 parts of hydrochloric acid, and this 

 solution is diluted with 1,000 parts of distilled water. The solution of tin is added by 

 degrees to that of the acid chloride of gold, so long as any precipitate results. This 

 is allowed to subside ; it is then washed, filtered, and dried at a very gentle heat. 

 The tin salt above used contains both the protoxide and binoxide in certain proportions. 

 The double compound of chloride of tin with sal-ammoniac, called the pink salt of tin, 

 is the preferable form ; as it is not altered by the atmosphere, is of definite composition, 

 and when boiled with metallic tin it takes up just so much as will form the protochlorido : 

 100 parts of pink salt require for this purpose 10'7 parts of metallic tin. 



Professor Graham, in his ' Elements of Chemistry,' gives the following account of 

 the Purple of Cassius, and of its preparation : ' When protochloride of tin is added to 

 a dilute solution of gold, a purple powder falls. It is obtained of a finer tint when 

 protochloride of tin is added to a solution of the sesquichlorido of iron till the colour 

 of the liquid takes a shade of green, and the liquid in that state added, drop by drop, 

 to a solution of sesquichloride of gold, free from nitric acid, and very dilute. After 

 24 hours a brown powder is deposited, which is slightly transparent, and purple-rod, 

 by transmitted light : when dried and rubbed to powder, it is of a dull blue colour. 

 Heated to redness it loses a littlo water, but no oxygen, and retains its former 



