148  Turpentine:  its  Nature  and  Adulterations.    { ^"^Mar'^'^isss*™^ 
The  chief  port  of  shipment  is  Wilmington,  and  most  of  the  turpentine 
from  this  port,  like  that  from  Bordeaux,  is  of  remarkably  uniform  quality. 
Thus,  out  of  thirty-five  samples,  representing  in  all  cases  bulks  of  several 
hundred  barrels,  and  in  a  number  of  cases  bulks  of  from  1000  to  2000  or  more 
barrels,  no  less  than  twenty-eight  samples  varied  in  rotatory  power  (value  of 
per  200  mm.),  only  within  the  very  narrow  limits  of  27°  6^  to  28°  35^ ;  four 
samples  had  an  inferior  rotatory  power  of  24°  29'  to  26°  40',  and  only  three 
had  a  superior  rotatory  power  of  respectively  29°  31',  31°  21',  and  32°  38'. 
That  shipped  from  Savannah,  on  the  other  hand,  is,  as  a  rule,  character- 
ized by  a  relatively  low  rotatory  power,  e.g.  : 
Ex.  1569  barrels  cl^='22P  21'         Ex.  1696  barrels  a^=19° 
Ex.1000     "   «o=24°   9'         Ex.1870       "   a„=20°33' 
Ex.  1383     "   ao=  20°  22'         Ex.  1200       "   a,=  21°  21 ' 
Ex.1571     "   a,=  19°39'         Ex.1595       "   «,=  19°  12' 
In  the  case  of  the  last  of  these  shipments,  I  had  the  opportunity  of  taking 
five  samples,  each  representing  about  one-sixth  of  the  bulk,  which  gave  the 
following  values :  21°  4',  21°  19',  18°  13',  17°  38',  and  20°  6'.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  ascertain  whether  the  turpentine  shipped  from  Savannah  is  the  pro- 
duct of  a  different  tree,  or  whether  the  difference  in  climate  between  the 
two  districts,  of  which  Wilmington  and  Savannah  are  "centres,"  is  the 
cause  of  the  marked  variation  from  what  may  be'  termed  the  Wilmington 
type.  I  trust  that  the  publication  of  this  paper  may,  as  one  result,  lead  to 
my  being  favored  with  information  on  this  point. 
Judging  from  the  opportunities  which  have  presented  themselves  for 
examining  turpentine  shipped  from  Charleston,  the  deliveries  from  this 
port  would  appear  to  comprise  turpentine  of  somewhat  high  rotatory 
power,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Wilmington  and  Savannah  types : 
Ex.  1000  barrels         «,=  30°  24'       Ex.  2179  barrels          ar.=  24°  15' 
  "   a,=r30°3S'        Ex.   "   rt,=  19° 
Ex.   250     "   a,=  33°33'        Ex.1874     "    a, =  26°  42' 
Ex.1689     "    a,  =  28°15'        Ex.1886     "   a,=  29°39' 
Ex.   200     "    «D=-4° 
Other  parts  also  furnish  a  somewhat  irregular  product;  the  values,  how- 
ever, always  lie  within  those  already  given,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases 
belong  to  the  Wilmington  tyi^e,  Brunswick  alone  exhibiting  a  marked  ten- 
dency to  furnish  a  product  of  the  Savannah  type. 
Commercially,  I  believe,  no  distinction  is  made  between  the  turpentine 
shippedfrom  various  American  ports ;  nor  indeed  is  French  turpentine,  which 
is  now  a  comparative  rarity  in  the  English  market,  regarded  as  having  dis- 
tinctive qualities.  My  observations  on  the  whole  justify  this  practice: 
French  turpentine  is  slightly  less  readily  oxidized,  absorbing  oxygen  some- 
what less  rapidly  than  American  turpentine,  but  the  difference  is  probably 
insufficient  to  make  itself  felt  in  practice. 
Russian  Turpentine. — Commercially  this  variety  is  of  no  importance,  as 
it  cannot  well  be  used  in  paint  or  varnish-making,  both  on  account  of  its 
unpleasant  odor  and  of  the  extreme  readiness  in  comparison  with  French  or 
American  turpentine  with  which  it  absorbs  oxygen,  forming  a  viscid  oil; 
its  vapor  appears  also  to  produce  far  more  marked  physiological  effects  than, 
either  of  the  ordinary  oils,  inciting  violent  headache  in  many  individuals 
