ON AMBERGRIS. 
297 
floating on the sea are those that have heen voided by the 
whales, or liberated from the dead animal by the process of 
putrefaction. 
"It is not common," he adds, "for the whaler to find 
ambergris in the cachalots he destroys; nor does he, indeed, 
make a very rigid scrutiny of the intestines in search of it, 
unless a suspicion of its presence be excited by some marked 
peculiarity in the whale, as a torpid and sickly appearance, 
and the animal failing to void liquid excrement, as is usual 
with healthy whales, when alarmed by the sudden approach 
to the boats, or struck by the harpoon. Some years ago, 
the whale-ship 'Mary,' of London, discovered a dead cacha- 
lot floating on the ocean, and as there were no injuries on 
its body to account for death, that event was attributed to 
disease; consequently the whale was searched for amber- 
gris, and the captors were gratified by finding a very large 
quantity of that valuable drug impacted in its bowels. ,, 
The Greek merchants are purchasers of ambergris, in 
some quantity, it is believed for use in their religious cere- 
monies; and Mr. Payne stated that he had found their judg- 
ment useful in deciding on its quality, and had occasionally 
met with some small pieces in their possession of consider- 
able fragrance, and of apparently a different species to that 
usually met with in our markets. 
Although ambergris is seldom used in this country, ex- 
cepting as a perfume, it is esteemed as a valuable medicine 
in some eastern countries. 
Mr. Payne further observed, that a very spurious article 
is sometimes met with — which may be readily detected on 
the slightest examination of its external character by any 
one who has seen specimens of the genuine kind. 
Ibid. 
