— 115 — 



receiver which rests in a porous earthenware dish filled with water. For 

 distilling purposes the wood is cut into chips and placed in the still. 

 Water is then added and the distillation of the same charge is continued 

 uninterruptedly day and night for a whole month. Fresh supplies of 

 water, consisting of the luke-warm water taken from the cooling vessel, 

 are poured into the still about 15 times every 24 hours. The oil-yield is 

 said to be as follows: — 



Roots . . . about 4,34% 

 Jugpokals . . „ 3,47 °/o 

 Ain Chiltas . „ 2,60 °/o 



The oil is partly brought to market at Udipi and partly at Mangalore. 

 The latter is the most important centre, and according to local statements 

 the shipments from this port last year attained a value of about 

 150 000 rupees (?), but doubtless this also includes oil distilled in Mysore, 

 which also sometimes finds its way to Mangalore. Almost all the oil is 

 shipped by steamer to Bombay, whence it is exported to the Persian 

 Gulf and to China. The present value of good pure oil at Mangalore is 

 about &tl 32. — per kilo, a price which is apt to excite the envy of many a 

 European manufacturer. 



It hardly needs to be pointed out that under the primitive conditions 

 of distillation which have been described, it is impossible to obtain any 

 really good sandalwood oil. Owing to the prolonged duration of the 

 distilling process, decomposition-products must necessarily be formed, 

 which much injuriously affect the quality of the oil and must be equally 

 unfavourable to its colour and odour. The anomalies existing in Indian 

 oil also find expression in their properties. A sample of oil distilled in 

 India, which was sent to us by Mr. Reinhart with the particulars detailed 

 above, behaved as follows: — di 5 o 0,9898, « D — 8°, acid no. 3,7, ester 

 no. 7,l=2,8°/o esterified santalol, ester no. after acet. 205,3 = 95,4 °/o 

 entire santalol (C15H24O), insoluble in 70°/o alcohol, soluble in 1 vol. and 

 more 80% alcohol. The extraordinarily high specific gravity of the oil 

 was the chief proof of its being contaminated by decomposition-products, 

 the sp. gr. of good oil being never over 0,985. Another proof was the 

 extremely unpleasant train-like subsidiary odour, which could not be 

 removed even by rectification. A further drawback was its insufficient 

 solubility, the exceptionally low rotation being also worthy of notice. In 

 view of these considerations the oil, in spite of its high santalol content, 

 is of poor value, and it is a marvel how such products are able to realise 

 the fancy prices mentioned above. 



The fact that is the practice, in London, to offer at an improportionately 

 low price sandalwood oils with a guaranteed content of 94% santalol, 

 caused us, last spring, to sound the conditions of the market there. As 



8* 



