ESSENTIAL OILS. 



279 



Oil op Indian Geass^ Eoosa Oil, or Roosa-ke-til 

 — is distilled from the leaves of Androjpogon Calamus- 

 aromaticus, supposed by Dr. Eoyle to be the siveet calamus 

 mentioned in Exodus xxx. 23, and the stveet cane, in Jere- 

 miah vi. 20, and the KoXafjbo^ apco/jLaTL/cb^ of the ancient 

 Greeks. It has a strong rose scent, too strong to be agree- 

 able ; in India its use is chiefly as a rubefacient in cases of 

 rheumatism, but in this country it is most probably used 

 for adulterating attar of roses. A genuine sample of this 

 oil was contributed to the Liverpool Collection of Imports 

 by the author, who received it from his friend Dr. Schol- 

 field, of Birkenhead, a gentleman curious in Indian pro- 

 ducts, of which he has a choice collection. 



Oil of Lemon-Geass — is distilled from another of the 

 scented grasses, Androjpogon citratum ?^ Dr. Pereira con- 

 founds this with the Oil of Cetronelle, which however he 

 rightly attributes to an androjpopogon ; but the author has 

 had many and ample opportunities of seeing both these |oils, 

 often imported in the same case ; the one called lemon-grass 

 {A^idrojoogon Schoenanthus most probably) has the odour of 



* In tlie Liverpool Botanic Gardens there is a tropical Andropogon, 

 with a powerful verbena scent, which the curator, Mr. Shepherd, pointed 

 out to the author as Andropogon Schcenanthus. It is most probably the 

 Molucca Lemon-grass. 



