258        ALCOHOL  FROM  BICARBURETTED  HYDROGEN  GAS. 
This  shows  a  cost  of  p.  91.23  per  chequee, 
to  which  add    .      9.00      "        shipping  charges  to  Europe 
P.  100.23 
Or,  at  the  exchange  of  110  piasters  for  £  sterling  and  usual 
equivalent  per  chequee  of  1  x\\  lb  avoircl.,  it  would  cost  lis.  Id. 
per  lb.  free  on  board  ;  add  charges  in  England,  insurance,  freight, 
&c,  5d. =lls.  6d. 
This  year  (1854)  the  crop  of  opium  being  only  600  or  800 
baskets,  the  price  at  present  (October,  1854)  is  p.  140,  or  16s. 
2d.  per  lb.  on  shipboard ;  but  were  it  not  for  the  revolution  in 
China,  which  diminishes  the  demand  for  that  country,  the  price 
would  be  fully  20s. 
The  average  price  of  opium  in  Smyrna  is  p.  100  per  cheques 
of  1  ,J|  lbs. ;  to  this  added  for  commissions  and  duties,  &c,  9  per 
cent.,  would  give  an  average  value  in  sterling  of  12s.  per  lb.  on 
board  ship.  The  exchange  on  London  varies  from  p.  110  to  p. 
115  per  £  sterling. 
This  price  of  p.  110  must  be  reckoned  when  the  crop  is  fair, 
say  about  2000  baskets  ;  an  increase  on  this  quantity  would  re- 
duce prices  below  p.  100,  until  a  crop  of  3000  would  make  prices 
fall  to  p.  60  per  chequee,  or  about  7s.  2d.  per  lb.,  including  ship- 
ping charges  London  Pharm.  Journal,  March,  1855. 
ON  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  ALCOHOL  FROM  BICARBURETTED 
HYDROGEN  GAS. 
By  M.  Berthelot. 
I.  1.  A  large  balloon,  capable  of  containing  31  or  32  litres, 
was  filled  with  pure  bicarburetted  hydrogen  gas  ;  900  grms.  of 
pure  boiled  sulphuric  acid  were  then  added  in  several  portions, 
followed  by  several  kilogrammes  of  mercury,  and  the  whole  was 
then  violently  shaken  for  a  long  time.  The  gas  was  gradually 
absorbed.  After  53,000  shocks,  the  absorption  becoming  very 
slow,  the  operation  was  stopped  ;  30  litres  of  the  gas  were  ab- 
sorbed. 5  or  6  vols,  of  water  were  added  to  the  sulphuric  acid, 
and  this  was  distilled  ;  by  repeated  distillations  and  separations 
by  means  of  carbonate  of  potash,  52  grms.  of  alcohol  were  at 
last  obtained,  representing  45  grms.  of  absolute  alcohol.  This 
