The Book of Perfumes. By EUGENE RIMMEL. (Chapman and Hall.) MR. RIMMEL has acquired great popularity by his skill in extracting the aromas from plants, and instilling them into perfumery; and he is now likely to add still more to his popularity from the production of the work before us, in which he traces the history of perfumes and cosmetics from the earliest times to the present period, and describes the various modes in use for extracting the aromas from plants and flowers, and the many fragrant materials used in the manufacture of scents. Mr. Rimmel in this work shows himself a thorough master of his subject, and his style is so free and pleasant, and so full of information, that one cannot take up the book without experiencing much entertainment. His work starts off with the physiology of perfumes; and, as the author in this chapter is pleasingly eloquent and poetic, we cannot do be ter than let him speak for himself:

Among the many enjoyments provided for us by bountiful Nature, there are few more delicate and, at the same time, more keen than those derived from the sense of smell. When the olfactory nerves, wherein that sense resides, are struck with odoriferous emanations, the agreeable impression they receive is rapidly and vividly transmitted to the brain, and thus acquires somewhat of a mental character. Who has not felt revived and cheered by the balmy fragrance of the luxuriant garden or the flowery meadow ? Who has not experienced the delightful sensations caused by inhaling a fresh breeze loaded with the spoils of the flowery tribe ?-that 'sweet south,' so beautifully described by Shakes

peare as

"Breathing o'er a bank of violets,

Stealing and giving odour.' An indescribable emotion then invades the whole being; the soul becomes melted in sweet rapture, and silently offers up the homage of its gratitude to the Creator for the blessings showered upon us; whilst the tongue slowly murmurs with Thom

"It is when nature awakes from her long slumbers, and shakes off the trammels of hoary Winter, at that delightful season which the Italian poet so charmingly hails as the "youth of the year,"

"Primavera, gioventu dell' anno"

that the richest perfumes fill the atmosphere. The fair and fragile children of Spring begin to open one by one their bright corols, and to shed around their aromatic trea

sures:

"Fair-handed Spring unbosoms every grace;
Throws out the snowdrop and the crocus first;
The daisy, primrose, violet darkly blue,
And polyanthus of unnumber'd dyes;
The yellow wallflower, stained with iron-brown,
And lavish stock, that scents the garden round.'

"But soon-too soon, alas!-those joys are doomed to pass; like the maiden ripening into the matron, the flower becomes a seed, and its fragrance would for ever be lost, had it not been treasured up in its prime by some mysterious art which gives it fresh and lasting life.

"The roses soon withered that hung o'er the

wave,

But some blossoms were gathered while freshly they shone,

And a dew was distilled from their flowers that gave

All the fragrance of summer when summer

was gone.'

Thus the sweet but evanescent aroma, which would otherwise be scattered to the winds of heaven, assumes a durable and tangible shape, and consoles us for the loss of flowers when Nature dons her mourning garb, and the icy blast howls round us. To minister to these wants of a refined mind-to revive the joys of ethereal spring by carefully saving its balmy treasures-constitutes the art of the perfumer."

The Egyptians, Greeks, Jews, Romans, Hindoos, Africans, Japanese, Chinese, and indeed all known peoples, are brought under notice, showing the various methods they have adopted in decorating themselves, and imparting sweet odours to their persons and apparel. Many of these methods and contrivances are exceedingly interesting and curious.

Speaking of the Jews as, although the most ancient race, occupying the second place in the history of perfumes, Mr. Rimmel says:

"During their long captivity in that highly civilised country they became initiated in all the refinements of their masters, being gradually transformed from a simple, pastoral people to a polished, industrious nation; and among the many arts which they brought back with them into their own country was that of perfumery.

"Long before that time, however, they had probably discovered the aromatic properties of some of their native gums, and, prompted by that natural instinct to which I have already alluded, they had offered those fragrant treasures on the altars raised to their God. Thus we find Noah, on issuing from the ark, expressing his gratitude to the Almighty for his wonderful preservation by a sacrifice of burnt offerings, composed of every clean beast and every clean fowl.' It is true that Genesis does not mention incense as having formed part of the holocaust, but the very words that follow, And the Lord smelled a sweet savour,' may lead us to assume that such was the case.

"The mountains of Gilead, a ridge running from Mount Lebanon southward, on the east of the Holy Land, were covered with fragrant shrubs. The most plentiful among them was the amyris, which yields a zum known under the name of 'balm of Gilead. Strabo also speaks of a field near Jericho, in Palestine, which was full of these balsam-trees. This gum seems to have formed an article of commerce at a very early period, for the Ishmaelite merchants to whom Joseph was sold by his brethren, came from Gilead with their camels, bearing spicery, and balm, and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.'

calamus two hundred and fifty shekels. And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil an hin.

"And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary (or perfumer): it shall be a holy anointing oil.

"This oil served to anoint the tabernacle, the ark of the testimony, the altar of burnt offerings, the altar of incense, the candlesticks, and all the sacred vessels. It was also used to consecrate Aaron and his sons, conferring upon them perpetual priesthood from generation to generation. The ceremony was confined to the high priest, and was performed by pouring oil on the head in sufficient quantity to run down on the beard and the skirts of the garments. There is a controversy as to when this practice was discontinued-some of the rabbis pretending that it was given up about fifty years before the destruction of the temple; while Eusebius is of opinion that it remained in use until our Saviour's time.

"Jewish kings were also anointed, but opinions differ very much as to whether it was done with the holy oil or common oil. Talmudic writers maintain that it was the peculiar privilege of the kings of the family of David to be anointed with the same holy oil which was used in the consecration of the high priest; but this can scarcely agree with the directions contained in Exodus, by which the use of the holy ointment is confined to Aaron and his generation, to the exclusion of every other person.

pounding the holy oil and perfume:~ And thou shalt make an altar to burn cense upon of shittim wood shalt thou

make it.'

more than a gallon) without destroying its liquidity. Maimonides pretends to explain this by saying that the four spices were pounded separately, then mixed together, and a strong decoction of them made with water, which, being strained from the ingredients, was boiled up with the oil till all the water had evaporated.

"The instructions given to Moses for compounding the holy incense were as follows:

"Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure franckincense; of each shall there be a like weight: and thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the

art of the apothecary (or perfumer), tempered together pure and holy.'

"The word perfumer occurs in some translations instead of that of apothecary, which is easily accounted for by the fact that in those times both callings were combined in one."

We will now take an extract on the commercial uses of flowers and plants, with a few descriptions of the various modes used for extracting the aroma :

This manufacture is carried on principally in the south of France, Italy, Spain,

far-famed otto of roses, which enters into the composition of many scents. Spain and Algeria have yielded but little hitherto, but will no doubt in after times turn to better account the fragrant treasures with which nature has endowed them. Travelling in the plains of Spanish Estramadura, I have passed through miles and miles of land covered with lavender, rosemary, iris, and what they call rosmariño' (Lavandula Stachas), all growing wild in the greatest luxuriance, and yet they are left to waste their sweetness on the desert

Turkey, Algeria, India-in fact, wherever the climate gives to flowers and plants the intensity of odour required for a profitable extraction. The south of France furnishes the most abundant supply of perfumery materials; there the most oderiferous flowers-such as the rose, jasmine, orange, &c.-are cultivated on a large scale, and form the basis of the finest perfumes. Italy produces chiefly essences of bergamot, orange, lemon, and others of the citrine family, the consumption of which is very great. To Turkey we are indebted for the

air,' for want of proper labour and attention. I also found many aromatic plants in Portugal, and among others one named alcrim de norte (Diosma ericoides), which has a delightful fragrance.

66 From British India we import cassia, cloves, sandal-wood, patchouly, and several essential oils of the andropogon genus; and the Celestial Empire sends us the much-abused but yet indispensable musk, which, carefully blended with other perfumes, gives them strength and piquancy, without being in any way offensive.

for which they are prized, whilst in France and other warm countries they grow strong and rank."

The principal English manufacturers of perfumery and toilet soaps reside in London, where they number about sixty, employing a large number of men and women -for female labour has been introduced for nearly twenty years in all the London manufactories, and has been found to answer very well for all kinds of work requiring more dexterity than strength.

"According to the official returns published, the exports of perfumery from the United Kingdom for the year 1863 amounted to £106,989; we must, however, say that very little reliance is to be placed on these figures, which do not represent perhaps one-fourth of the actual amount exported. Taking, for instance, the sum given for Australia at £18,921, it appears ridiculously small; there are undoubtedly several manufacturers in London who each

and individually ship perfumery to nearly that amount every year to our Australian

colonies."

We have now given our readers a fair sample of this most interesting and instructive work, and would recommend those who are lovers of refinement, and curious about scents and cosmetics, to avail themselves of it. We have only to add that its illustrations are numerous and first-class; that it is beautifully printed on excellent paper; and that it cannot fail to have a large circulation.

Rimmel's New Perfumed Valentines (96, Strand).

THESE are very beautiful: the flowers representing their natural state with their natural odours.

article on "Orchid-growing for the million," which cannot fail to prove highly acceptable to ardent floriculturists of moderate means. The "Garden Oracle' is in its seventh year of publication. It is not, therefore, an unknown and unappreciated candidate for popular favour; we recommend it most heartily to the gardenloving portion of the readers of the "Family Friend," and to all who wish to learn for themselves something of the necessary operations which precede the flowers, fruit, and vegetables of the various seasons of the year.

Conflict and Victory; or, Thoughts in
2 Chron. XX.
By HETTY BOWMAN,
Author of "Christian Daily Life," "Our
Village Girls," &c. London, The Book
Society, 9, Paternoster-row, and Bazaar,
Soho-square.

A MOST excellent and valuable little book for Christian perusal; it relates, of course, to the story of Jehoshaphat, when the "Children of Moab" from their fastnesses among the dark hills which rise beyond the Dead Sea, and with them their neighbours, the Ammonites, and "others beside them' came against Judah to battle. To all Christian people, especially to those who are in any distress of "mind, body, or estate," we cordially recommend the few pages of this sweet and strengthening little pamphlet. The profits arising from the sale of "Conflict and Victory" will be devoted to the London Rescue Society.

CHILDREN are household gods, formed in more exquisite mould than sculptor could model or artist paint. The pattering of their little feet, the sound of their small, powerless voices, raised in pleasant, gleeful

Groom

A REMARKABLY cheap shilling's worth of valuable information. It should be in the hands of every amateur florist and kitchen gardener. Every month has its calendar of garden work, giving clear and succinct directions for the management of greenhouse and conservatory, stove, vinery, pinery, pits, and frames, flower, kitchen, and fruit gardens. Then follows a list of the new plants of 1864. Also new fruits, or, rather, new species of fruits. The book also contains an excellent almanack for general reference, and concludes with an

cent little quarrel they have had, give a clearer, fuller insight into character, and form a graver and deeper study, than the expension of a whole life in reading books on human nature, even framed by those who have studied its depths, or made deep search into the human mind. To see is to believe; and thus to watch the gradual development of a human character bud, blossom, and then expand its leaves into full-blown perfection, must surely warm one into interest, and supply one with an easily-acquired knowledge, that all the books in the world could not rival, if perused for that purpose from year to year. MIGNONETTE.