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leather for the manufacture of which was imported already perfumed, 
and often strips of this leather were sold to scent linen chests, hence 
arose the union of the two trades, glover aud perfumer ; the only 
scented leather of to-day, liussia leather, owes its perfume to the 
oil of Birch, used in the tanning. 
The latest triumph of the perfumer’s art is the extraction of some 
of the choicest perfumes from coal-tar, or rather from coal-tar 
products, and these compounds are chemically identical with those 
which have been elaborated by the processes of nature in the living 
plant. The first of these to be discovered, essence of mirbane,” 
is made from benzene, and passes under the name of artificial 
oil of almonds, others are “ new mown hay,” which is now obtained, 
not from the sweet-scented vernal grass, but from tar ; and white 
Heliotrope, which is made by mixing mirbane with vanillin, tin- 
latter closely resembling and to a great extent taking the place of 
the vanilla bean. 
I will give but one further illustration of blessings brought to 
man by floral perfumes. There can be no doubt that the sense of 
smell recalls to our minds scenes of bygone years more vividly 
than sight or sound, and the reason for this is said to be that 
stimulation of the olfactory nerve “ gives a massive sensation. ’’ We 
all acknowledge the joy which comes from happy memories, and 
perfumes bring back to us long forgotten incidents, and days in the 
distant past, 
“ When nature pleased, for life itself was young.” 
Then indeed the evening fragrance of Honeysuckle gave a charm 
to country lanes, and in the morning air the heart exulted in the 
scent of wild Thyme on a breezy common ; then all the trees of 
the wood rejoiced, and the flowers offered up their incense of praise. 
Thus of a truth 
“ The present joys of life we doubly taste 
By looking back with pleasure on the past.” 
