148 
Poivrette. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       March.  1887. 
A  reply  was  forwarded,  in  due  course,  to  the  manufacturers  of 
"  pepperette,"  asking  for  further  particulars  and  references,  and  the 
following  letter  was  received  : — 
"  Dear  Sirs, — I  am  favored  with  your  letter,  16th  instant,  and 
note  contents,  '  Pepperette.'  What  you  ask  me  is  a  question 
that  is  very  frequently  asked  me  by  English  houses,  but  I  am  always 
in  the  impossibility  to  reply  to  it ;  in  fact,  I  must  not  do  it.  When  I 
sell  my  '  pepperette  '  (or  '  poivrette 7)  to  a  firm,  I  bind  myself  not  to 
mention  their  name  to  anybody,  and  will  do  so  with  your  good  selves, 
if  I  have  the  pleasure  of  being  favored  with  your  orders.  I  make  it 
a  point  of  the  question  of  secrecy  with  all  my  customers  for  this  arti- 
cle, and  cannot  make  an  exception  with  you.  Give  me  a  sample  or- 
der of  a  few  tons,  and  I  shall  execute  it  to  your  entire  satisfaction ; 
payment  after  receipt  and  approval  of  the  goods.  However,  for  your 
guidance,  and  according  to  what  I  promised  with  my  letter  of  the  1 3th 
inst.,  I  now  beg  to  subjoin  a  few  English  references,  who  can  inform 
you  concerning  my  respectability,  but  kindly  do  not  mention  to  them 
anything  about  ( poivrette/  the  same  being  houses  from  whom  I  im- 
port English  goods  (i.  e.,  my  firm,  ).    As  already  written, 
I  shall  be  able  to  send  sample  of  white  poivrette  of  lighter  color  by 
October  next.  In  the  meantime  1  trust  to  be  favored  with  your  es- 
teemed orders,  and  remain,  dear  sirs, 
 n 
I  therefore  examined,  amongst  other  substances,  walnut-shells,  al- 
mond-shells and  olive-stones.  The  cells  of  walnut-shells  are  dotted, 
though  otherwise  similar  to  poivrette ;  the  almond-shells  greatly  re- 
semble poivrette,  and  olive-stones  still  more  closely  resemble  it.  Chem- 
ical analysis  indicates  the  closest  correspondence  between  poivrette  and 
olive-stones,  as  the  following  figures  show : — 
Ash. 
Matters  sol- 
uble by 
boiling  in 
dil.  acid. 
Albuminous 
and  other 
matters  solu- 
ble in  alkali. 
Woody  fi- 
ber, insolu- 
ble in  acid 
and  alkali. 
Starch. 
White  pepperette  
1-33 
38-32 
14-08 
48-48 
None. 
Black  pepperette  
2-47 
34-55 
17-66 
47-69 
u 
2-05 
23-53 
24-79 
51-68 
£< 
1-61 
39-08 
15-04 
45-38 
The  stones  of  olives,  imported  in  pickle  for  table  use,  gave  3*68 
per  cent,  of  ash?  but  well  washed  olive-stones,  thoroughly  burnt  to  a 
white  ash,  gave  under  two  per  cent,  of  ash  like  poivrette.  u  White 
poivrette  n  is  therefore  cleaned  very  pale,  and  perhaps  partly  bleached 
