578  Pure  and  Adulterated  Oil  of  Cassia.  {Am*Nov.r,'Sarm- 
With  regard  to  the  control  to  be  exercised,  the  proposal  made  by  a 
Hougkong  firm,  appears  to  us  to  be  very  practical.  Its  purport  is 
to  appoint,  in  conjunction  with  the  other  firms  mostly  interested  in 
the  export,  a  chemist  entrusted  with  the  examination  of  the  oil  in 
accordance  with  our  system.  The  intention  of  testing  each  tin,  appears 
to  be  going  slightly  too  far,  and  probably  it  would  be  sufficient  to  test 
one  tin  out  of  each  case. 
We  think  that,  by  what  precedes,  we  have  cleared  up  this  matter 
so  far  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  any  unprejudiced  person, 
remaining  in  doubt  about  it.  But  with  a  view  to  offering  an  oppor- 
tunity to  the  numerous  firms  at  Hongkong  and  Macao, — who  in  the 
existing  state  of  matters  have,  no  doubt,  but  rarely  obtained  any  per- 
sonal insight  into  shipments  of  cassia  oil, — to  convince  themselves  in 
what  unheard-of  manner  dealers  in  and  consumers  of  cassia  oil  have 
been  deceived,  we  have  sent  to  the  Imperial  Consulate  for  Germany 
in  Hongkong  some  good  sized  samples  of  the  above-mentioned  pui-e 
and  adulterated  oils  (Nos.  1-7,  8,  10  and  ]2),  requesting  that 
authority,  after  the  arrival  of  the  said  articles,  to  invite  the  parties 
interested  at  Hongkong  and  Macao  to  inspect  them ;  together  with 
the  light  hydrocarbous  obtained  from  the  adulterated  oils,  and  the 
resins  from  Nos.  8,  10  and  12. 
It  will  cause  surprise  that  the  oils  No.  1  and  2  of  the  foregoing  list, 
distilled  by  ourselves,  show  a  materially  lower  specific  gravity  than 
the  pure  Chinese  oils.  Probably  the  reason  of  this  deviation  is  that, 
by  means  of  our  more  perfect  distilling  apparatus,  we  are  able  to 
remove  more  efficiently  the  highest  boiling  ingredients  of  the  oil,  than 
it  is  possible  for  the  Chinese  to  do  with  their  primitive  apparatus. 
However  the  idea  is  not  excluded  that  the  condition  of  the  raw- 
material  employed  may  also  have  to  be  taken  into  account. 
The  demarcation  of  the  value  of  the  mercantile  cassia  oils,  on  a 
scientific  basis,  will  have  to  take  its  departure  from  the  ascertained 
quantity  of  cinnamic  aldehyde  contained  in  it.  We  have  also  enquired 
into  the  matter  and  found  a  process  which  gives  satisfactory  results, 
if  handled  by  a  skilled  operator. 
The  following  represents  the  results  obtained  by  us : — 
a.  Pure  oils.— No.  1.  88  9  p.  ct.     No.  3.  76-0  p.  ct.     No.  5.  89*4  p.  ct.     No.  7.  78*4  p.  ct. 
No.  2.  80  4    "         No.  4.  72-9    "         No.  6.  76*6   "         cinnamic  aldehyde. 
b.  Adulterated  oils.— No.  8.  58"0  p.  ct.         No.  10.  58*7  p.  ct.         No.  12.  57-8  p.  ct.  cinnamic 
No.  9.  63-2    "  No.  11.  52  9    "  Ino.  13.  47'1    "  aldehyde. 
The  amount  of  cinnamic  aldehyde  has  been  found  from  the  percent- 
