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oil. The difference in price between the two oils being only small, those 

 'who, like ourselves, consume large quantities of the oil in the manufacture 

 of linalol and linalyl acetate, prefer the Cayenne oil to the other. A few 

 parcels of Mexican oil consigned to Hamburg were moreover of such 

 inferior quality as hardly to deserve the name of linaloe oil. The shippers 

 in Cayenne continued to complain of the low prices, but in the end there 

 was no other course open to them but to sell their oil at the price of 

 the day, unless they wished to have it thrown on their hands. But at 

 the beginning of February a serious rise took place in bergamot oil, and 

 suddenly such a demand set in for linalyl acetate and other substitutes 

 that the linaloe oil market recovered within a few days. In the end 19 cJt 

 was asked for Mexican oil, while Cayenne oil rose quickly from 19 francs 

 cif. Havre to 30 francs. Thus far the prices of both oils have been main- 

 tained at this level, and the demand remains exceedingly keen; their further 

 course will mainly depend upon the position of the bergamot oil market. 

 We understand that at a selling price of 19 to 20 francs the manufacture 

 of Cayenne linaloe oil is far from paying, especially because of late, owing 

 to the drying-up of the water-courses, the conveyance of the wood from 

 the primeval forest to the distilling-place has become difficult. In how 

 far the revolution which is now again spreading in Mexico will affect the 

 linaloe oil market is a problem for the future. According to a report by 

 the British Vice-Consul in Cayenne, the exports of linaloe oil from French 

 Guiana have been as follows: — 



In the year 1908, 7470 kilos, value 186750 Francs, 

 „ „ „ 1909, 12497 „ „ 312400 „ , 



„ „ „ 1910,22066 „ „ 551650 „ . 



These figures clearly show the enormous increase of the linaloe oil 

 industry in Cayenne. 



The distillation of a large quantity of Cayenne linaloe wood afforded 

 us an occasion for investigating more closely the distillation-waters as 

 well as the first runnings of the oil. The cohobation-water still contains 

 considerable proportions of oil, and especially of linalool, and in addition 

 to these there occur two aldehydes which have already been observed 

 on several occasions in the distillation-water or in the first runnings, or 

 both, of essential oils. These aldehydes are furfural and, possibly, iso- 

 ^aleraldehyde. We isolated the furfural by treating the oil obtained from 

 trie cohobation-water with bisulphite liquor. The aldehyde boiled between 

 159 and 161° and had d 150 1,160; with /?-naphthylamine it gave the well- 

 known colour-reaction; the phenylhydrazone melted between 96 and 98° 

 and the semicarbazone at 196°. In comparison with furfural the first 

 runnings only contain very small proportions of isovaleraldehyde. Judging 

 from the irritating, cough-compelling odour and from the b. p. (90 to 95°) 



