70         ON  CELLULOSE  AND  THE  COMPOSITION  OF  WOOD. 
previous  year  it  was  only  about  300,000  meticals.  If  we  how- 
ever, compare  this  with  the  last  year  as  regards  the  qualities,  a 
quite  different  result  wiil  be  manifest.  It  is  no  doubt  known 
that  the  mountainous  districts  yield  a  very  strong  and  quickly 
congealing  oil,  whilst  the  villages,  the  lower  they  are  situate,  pro- 
duce an  oil  so  much  the  weaker,  and  only  with  very  cold  water 
either  to  be  slowly  congealed,  or  not  at  all.  Last  year  those 
places  situated  in  the  mountains  delivered  about  70,000  meticals 
1st  strong  otto  of  roses,  and  about  50,000  meticals  of  2d  quality  ; 
the  lowlands  gave  about  60,000  meticals  2d,  and  about  120,000 
meticals  3d  quality  ;  this  year,  on  the  contrary,  one  can  only 
reckon  to  receive  from  the  mountainous  districts  about  30,000 
meticals  1st,  and  40,000  2d ;  and  from  the  lowlands,  on  the 
other  hand,  about  105,000  meticals  2d,  and  about  163,000 
meticals  3d  quality. 
The  decrease  this  year  in  1st  strong  quality  will  hardly  be 
noticed  in  Europe,  as  this  description,  with  few  exceptions,  is 
not  yet  known  there ;  the  dealers  here  prefer  buying  the  strong- 
est quality,  as  it  can  bear  a  strong  mixture  of  3d  quality,  and 
even  of  geranium  oil,  and  yet  congeal  pretty  well.  That  which 
is  known  in  Europe  as  1st  quality  passes  here  for  2d. 
They  mostly  sprinkle  the  leaves  before  distilling  with  ger- 
anium oil ;  these  sorts  of  spurious  oils  we  found  at  Kezanlyk, 
Kossol-atsch,  Mughluss,  Akhbasch,  Schibbkarr,  &c;  at  Carlova, 
Rachmanlo,  Bojuk  Oba,  the  manufacturers  offered  us  oils,  which, 
on  examination,  we  found  to  contain  not  only  geranium  oil,  but 
also  cetaceum. — London  Pharm.  Joum.,  Nov.,  1859. 
ON  CELLULOSE  AND  THE  COMPOSITION  OF  WOOD. 
A  highly  important  discussion  has  been  recently  carried  on  in 
the  French  Academy,  involving  some  valuable  investigations  into 
the  chemical  nature  and  composition  of  the  proximate  principles 
of  vegetable  tissues.  The  discovery  by  M.  Schweitzer  of  the 
solubility  of  cellulose  in  cuprate  of  ammonia,  first  suggested  the 
means  of  further  inquiry  into  the  nature  of  the  material  of  which 
the  vegetable  cells  are  constructed.  It  was  early  ascertained 
by  M.  Cramer,  M.  Payen,  and  others,  that,  while  this  cupric  so- 
lution immediately  dissolved  the  cellular  tissue  of  cotton  and 
