— 17 
Of the quantity of 1902, the shipments to America consisted of 
1308 cases, against 2090 cases in 1901. 
The last Chinese quotations, at the end of February, were: — 
The stock at Hongkong amounted to about 300 cases. 
At the present prices we consider this article a good subject for 
speculation. 
Cassia Oil ''Schimmel & Co." Although pure cinnamic 
aldehyde, free from chlorine, cannot at the present quotations com- 
pete with Chinese cassia oil, there are a fair number of consumers 
who use the first-named excellent product regularly for special purposes. 
Pure cinnamic aldehyde has also been used of late to cover the 
disagreeable odour of many technical and pharmaceutical products. 
This applies in the first instance to benzene and ether (collodion). 
It should also be employed largely in all cases where hitherto cassia 
oil has been used as a spice, i. e. more particularly in the manu- 
facture of the better-class confectionery, cakes, biscuits, condiments 
for cakes, and such like. In all these articles it is a question of 
the pure cinnamon -cassia flavour, and this is embodied in the pure 
aldehyde as in no essential oil. The manufacture, unfortunately, 
is not remunerative so long as the high-grade qualities of Chinese 
cassia oil are so low-priced, for the quotations of these two products 
must to a certain extent be proportionate to each other. 
Oil of Cassie flowers. As mentioned by us on a previous 
occasion 1), we succeeded at the time in isolating from the oil of 
cassie flowers [Acacia Farnesiana Willd.), in addition to methyl ester 
of salicylic acid and a ketone of a very pleasant violet-like odour, also 
benzyl alcohol, by means of phthalic anhydride. Recent examinations 
have shown that in all probability linalol and geraniol are also 
present. Further, we were lately able to obtain a crystalline com- 
pound, by shaking with bisulphite solution a fraction of the oil boiling 
from 95^ to 105° at 11 mm. When this compound was boiled 
with soda solution, an aldehyde was soon split off", which was im- 
mediately identified by its intense characteristic odour as decylic 
aldehyde. 
In a solution of glacial acetic acid it readily formed with sodium 
acetate and semicarbazide hydrochloride, a semicarbazone melting at 97^. 
By recrystallisation from benzene and petroleum ether, the melting 
point of the compound could not be raised to any appreciable extent, 
^) Report April 1901, 18. 
2 
