228 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



the East the Rose has ever been a favourite flower, and in the imaginative language of 

 the poet its praises have been set forth. It is tlie Musk Rose, R. niosohata, which we 

 are told in Eastern story is the chosen flower of the niglitingale, among the branclies 

 of which he is supposed to sit and sing his love-tale, and the delicate petals of which 

 constitute his only food : — 



" For there the Rose, o'er crag and vale 

 Sultana to the nightingale, 

 Blooms blushing to her lover's tale, 

 His queen, his garden queen, his Rose." 



Moore alludes to this legend with his usual fervour : — 



" O ! sooner shall the Rose of May 



Mistake her own sweet nightingale, 

 And to some meaner minstrel's lay 



Open her bosom's glowing veU, 



Than love shall ever doubt a tone, 



A breath of the beloved one." 



But it is not only when in all its blushing beauty that the Rose possesses its 

 fragrant charms : even when about to wither and fall away, the scent remains ; and 

 large quantities of Roses are cultivated for the sole purpose of making extracts of 

 different sorts. In hot countries a large quantity of volatile oil is elaborated by the 

 flowers of the species of Roses which gi'ow in those climates, — such as R. moschata, 

 R. Damascena, and others. The valuable and delicious perfume known as " attar " or 

 " ottor of Roses," is said to be procured in the following simple manner : — A large 

 vessel is filled with the picked petals of Roses ; they are covered with spring-water, 

 exposed to the sun daily for a week ; oily particles gradually rise to the top and come 

 together : these are carefully removed by a piece of cotton, and tightly corked in 

 small bottles. A perfumer in Paris, who made this costly preparation for Louis XVI., 

 declares that four thousand pounds weight of rose-leaves yielded only seventeen ounces 

 of the oil. We can estimate in this way the costliness of the scent and the great 

 temptation there is to adulterate it with other oils. Rose-water is made by distillation, 

 and was at one time in extensive use among the great and rich, and on state occaaious 

 was always presented in silver-gilt ewers : — 



" Attend him with a silver basin 

 Full of rose-water." 



This custom is now almost entirely confined to our City feasts, and goes in company 

 with the loving-cup, and some other remnants of an age when the pleasures of the table 

 were regarded in quantity rather than quality. 



The old-fashioned compound called pot j)ourri preserves much of the original 

 freshness of the scent of the flower ; but for this purpose the Wild Rose and the new 

 varieties which fill our gardens are alike useless ; no kind .should be used but the old 

 sweet-scented damask, cabbage, or moss Roses. The Rose petals should be strewn on 

 sheets of paper and carefully dried in the sun. and should then be put in a large China 

 jar with bay-salt between the layers. Lavender-flowers and other ingredients may be 

 added at discretion. The flowers generally used are clove-pinks, violets, orange-flowers, 

 jessamine, aud rosemary ; but only a small quantity of each, so as not to overpower the 



