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finding the needful funds. Even at the present day some of these diffi- 

 culties cannot be regarded as entirely removed, and in these circumstances 

 the renewed demand of the landed proprietors has so far met with no very 

 favourable reception. There is no doubt, however, that in the end the 

 Italian Government would have given way to the pressure of the Sicilian 

 proprietors if the manufacturing and commercial interests had not imme- 

 diately opposed those demands to the utmost of their power. 



To all appearances the danger of a monopolisation of the essential 

 oil trade by means of an organisation constituted by Act of Parliament 

 is laid for the present. But it is absolutely necessary to remain on guard, 

 in order to be able immediately and energetically to oppose further similar 

 attempts which the future in all probability will have in store. 



It would be of particular advantage for the local champions of free 

 trade in essential oils if the proper authorities abroad would enter oppo- 

 sition against the realisation of such a project threatening the freedom of 

 commerce. If the Italian Government knew that foreign countries would 

 by no means be inclined to submit to pay higher prices for the oils in 

 question than are warranted by the natural conditions of production and 

 commerce; if, in a word, foreign nations would make it known that they 

 would not be willing to submit to unjustified monopoly prices, which would 

 extract additional millions from their pockets, and that they were deter- 

 mined if necessary to make reprisals, the large landed proprietors would 

 have much less prospect than they have now of realising their egoistical 

 schemes in the future. 



Bergamot Oil. It is the common practice in the bergamot oil trade to 

 base the transaction strictly upon the ester-content of the oil, and the 

 producer in particular insists upon being paid a commensurate increase 

 in price for every additional per cent (or, if possible half per cent) of ester. 

 This practice is responsible for many disputes, because the results obtained 

 by different analysts only agree fully in exceptional cases, and even where 

 the greatest possible care has been taken differences of up to 1 /a p. c, 

 or even a little more, are not impossible. To this must be added the 

 fact that the ester-content is not always correctly determined, for many 

 analysts, in estimating the ester, leave the acid-value out of account, and 

 infer the ester-content not merely from the ester-value but from the 

 saponification-value, that is to say from acid-value + ester-value. This is 

 of course incorrect, for it is absurd to treat the free acid, which does 

 not affect the aroma of bergamot oil at all, as if it were ester. The only 

 value which can be authoritative for the ester-content is that calculated 

 from the true ester-value. It is necessary to lay special stress upon this 

 point here, for although the acid-content of bergamot oil is only small 

 as a rule, we have frequently been able to notice that it is just this factor 



