ESSENTIAL OILS. 



275 



sequently termed oxygenated oils. The following oils of 

 this class occur in commerce : — 



Oil of La\t:nder^ distilled from the flowers of the Com- 

 mon Lavender^ Lavandula spicata (Nat. Ord. LahiatcB), is 

 imported from France and Germany^ but the foreign oil 

 is much inferior to that made in this country. Very large 

 quantities of this and several other essential oils have been 

 manufactured for some time at Mitcham^ in Surrey, and the 

 English essential oils have gained pre-eminence over all 

 others. It is exclusively used in perfumery. 



Oil of Eosemaey, distilled from the leaves of Eosemary 

 {Rosmarinus officinalis, Nat. Ord. Lahiatce), — This oil is 

 very rarely imported, as it is procured in great abundance 

 and at a very cheap rate in England. 



Oil of Thyme, Oil of Origanum. — These two names 

 would imply that the oil was distilled from two plants, the 

 Thyme and Marjoram, but it is now generally understood 

 that the common thyme. Thymus vulgaris (Nat. Ord. La- 

 hiat(B), yields the oil which bears these names ; it is dis- 

 tilled from all parts of the plant. Occasional imports are 

 received from Hamburg, and latterly from the United 

 States. It is used in scenting Windsor soap and in vete- 

 rinary pharmacy. 



