June 2 \ 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1051 
could not be brought to bear upon the principles isolated, 
owing to the presence of chlorophyll, but as far as exa¬ 
mined they agree with urson. 
A portion of the precipitates obtained by treating the 
infusions with acetate, of lead was freed from lead. The 
presence of tannin in the solution was indicated by the 
production of precipitates with solutions of gelatine, 
salts of iron (black), tin, mercury, copper, silver (a libera¬ 
tion of the metal by heat), and by the deep red colour 
with alkalies. After freeing the solution from tannin 
'by gelatine, several reagents indicated the presence of 
gallic acid. After evaporating a portion of the solution 
with some sand to dryness, and subliming in Mohr’s 
benzoic acid apparatus, pyrogallic acid was not obtained ; 
therefore gallic acid is not present, but a principle having 
similar reactions. Trommer’s test gave reactions indi¬ 
cating grape sugar. 
A concentrated infusion of the leaves was precipitated 
•by alcohol, and the dried precipitate was found to con¬ 
tain gum. 
The stems and the leaves of Gaultheria and Epigcea, 
when distilled with water, did not yield chimaphilin, 
•discovercdjby Mr. Samuel Fairbank. In the distillate 
from the stems of Chimaphila umbellata orange red crys¬ 
tals of chimaphilin were obtained, and the yellow 
aqueous distillate yielded more of the same crystals 
when agitated with ether. 
Among the organic constituents of Gaultheria and 
Epigcca have been found, by this examination, arbutin, 
•urson, ericolin, tannic acid, and a principle analogous to 
gallic acid, formic acid (in Epigcea), grape sugar, gum 
and colouring matter.— American Journal of Pharmacy. 
THE MANUFACTURE OF ATTAR OF ROSES IN 
TURKEY. 
The art of extracting the odoriferous liquids from the 
rose,—the favourite flower of all civilized nations,—is very 
■old. The ancient Greeks and Romans, the Egyptians and 
the Hindoos, were acquainted with rose-waters, but the 
-oil of roses, that most precious part of the blossom of the 
flower, which alone gives the delicious flavour, and which 
is to be found only in extremely smallest quantities in 
'the leaf cells of the blossom, was unknown to the Greeks 
and Romans. The preparation of it was the inven¬ 
tion of the old Hindoos, and even at the present time a 
great quantity of the oil is produced in India. Ghazim- 
poor on the Ganges is now the most important place 
where this dear and precious ethereal oil is manu¬ 
factured. But rose-waters are produced in other parts of 
the world in as great quantities as there. The Indian 
oils and rose-waters are consumed in that country, where 
these perfumes are in as much favour and used as ex¬ 
pensively as the Eau de Cologne with us. It is most re¬ 
markable that, of the large quantity of rose-oil which 
England consumes, none of it comes from India. The 
produce of the “ Shiraz plain” in Persia is also very in¬ 
significantly represented in the European market. It 
has been noticed that Persian rose-water is not exported 
for the European trade, and that rose-oil is not produced 
there but imported from India. The famous rose dis¬ 
tricts of “ Medinet Fayum,” south-west from Cairo, are 
-only of advantage to Egypt; and the once important 
rose-oil produce of Srinagars is in decay. 
The rose-oil which Europe consumes at present comes 
almost exclusively from the southern slopes of the Balkan, 
where, in some one hundred and fifty places, the ingather¬ 
ing of the rose blossoms and the manufacturing of the 
rose-oil takes place. The quantity of oil which is pro¬ 
duced in the south of France is very unimportant as 
compared with the quantity of the Turkish produce. 
The most important Turkish districts where this 
•valuable article is produced are Tchirpan, Philippopolis, 
•Carlova, Yeni-zaghra, and Kizanlik: this last is the 
most important of all. The ^produce of this place alone 
.amounted in 1857 to 199,000 midkals or metticals (1 
mettical equal to 4*79 grams). Now the quantity is esti¬ 
mated at 500,000 metticals. 
Professor Dr. Hochsteller, from the Vienna University, 
in his most interesting reports to the Geographical So¬ 
ciety at Vienna, of his travels through Roumelia in the 
summer of 1869, has given very important data of the 
produce of oil at Kizanlik which he gathered chiefly from 
Mr. Julius Kasselmann, settled there. These data may 
serve to remove many incorrect statements published on 
the subject. 
The roses planted in the basin of Kizanlik have light 
red blossoms. They are planted in rows like the vine. 
Sometimes roses and vines are planted intermingled on 
the same plot. The most important species of roses 
planted there are Rosa damascena, It. sempervirens , and It. 
moschata ; the first of these is also planted in the south 
of France ; the last mentioned, which has a slight musk 
flavour, gives the chief material of the produce of the 
Indian rose-oil. 
The roses are gathered in their blossom state during 
the month of May, and are subjected to distillation to¬ 
gether with their green calyx leaves. The still con¬ 
sists of a tinned copper boiler from which a pipe runs 
into the cooling tub. In every boiler are placed 50 okes* 
of water and 10 to 20 okes of roses, and the heating 
takes place over an open fire. The mass is boiled for 
two hours, the first part of the distilled fluid is put again 
into the boiler; the fluid, then condensed, is gathered into 
bottles with broad bottoms and strait necks. Water and 
oil distil over at the same time, the latter of course 
floating on the surface. 
When there is a layer of oil of the thickness of a 
finger, it is removed. This is done by a funnel-shaped 
spoon with a very thin opening at the top which permits 
a passage to the water but not to the oil. 5000 lb. 
(German weight) of roses gives by careful distilling 1 lb. 
of oil. 
The so-called freezing degree, that is, the degree of 
temperature when the separation of the solid parts takes 
place, varies with the oils of Kizanlik between 8 to 16 
degrees Reaumur, equal to 50 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. 
The best oils get solid or stiff at these temperatures; 
they come from the colder mountain districts, whereas 
the oils from the warmer localities get solid at 12 to 16 
degrees Reaumur equal to 59 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. 
These oils, marked strong oils, have a less delicate 
flavour, and are preferred by ignorant traders. 
It is evident that such a valuable substance as the 
rose-oil is very much exposed to adulteratiou. The adul¬ 
teration takes place most extensively at the home of the 
oil, where also the substance for adulteration is produced 
on a large scale. This article, also an ethereal substance, 
is called in India “ rosia-oil,” in Egypt “ idris-oil,” and 
in England “ginger-oil.” It is distilled from species of 
Andropogon and Cymbopogon. f The idris-oil is sometimes 
called “geranium-oil.” Among the data furnished by 
Mr. Kasselmann is one that the distillers often adulterate 
the rose-oil with geranium-oil which is imported from 
Alexandria. This is but idris-oil exported from Bom¬ 
bay. 
The rose-oil is exported in round tinned copper bottles 
called “ kunkoumas,” which, when filled, are closed by 
soldering. The price on the spot per German pound is 
120 to 125 thalers. 
To the above particulars, which are translated from 
the Vienna Neue Frcie Presse , Mr. Blunt, Her Majesty’s 
Vice-Consul at Adrianople, in a recent report, j adds 
some further information as to the manufacture of attar 
of rose in that district. He says that since his last re- 
* Oke = 1200 grams. 
f Cymbopogon is synonymous'witli the genus Anatherum ; 
the latter is the name used. Both Anatherum and Andro¬ 
pogon belong to the Order Gramminacece (section Andro- 
pogonece). 
X Reports from Her Majesty’s Consuls, No. 1 (1872), p. 
266. 
