Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1883-02-10
". c. SMITH. Publisher.
AmbergTis.

smelling substance, and is only found
in the intestines of a dead sperm
whale-one that has suffered with
some peculiar disease before being
killed by the harpoons and lances of
the intrepid whalemen. Fifty years
ago seekers for the Ieviathan did not
realize that in the body of the whale
living alongside were 100 or 200 pounds
of an article worth from $40 to $50 an
ounce, according to its purity, but
after the valuable discovery was made
that some whales contained this fatty
dark green substance, no whales car
cass was cut adrift from the ships side
until a thorough examination had
been made for this hidden treasure.
Ambergris is the basis for all of the
best of perfumery. 1t has the prop
erty of retaining the scent of cologne
and other choice extracts, which would
speedily evaporate unless ambergris
was very small part. When cologne
or any h cheap perfume does not
contain ill-smelling substance, you
NAV know that ambergris is not one
of its ingredients, and so reject it as
worthless, for it will evaporate as soon
as applied, and leave an unpleasant
smell. Although ambergris is not
pleasant to inhale in its crude state,
vet if it is heated it will please the ol-
factory nerves as much as manufac-
tured perfumery, while counterfeit
ambergris smells badly, hot or cold.
The largest quantity of ambergris
ever taken from diseased sperm
whale Except in the case we are about
to relate) weighed 182 pounds, and
some humps have been found that did
not weigh more than one pound, the
last the lowest on record. Some
twenty years ago or more there arrived
in Boston an old whaling captain from
the cape with cask of ambergris that
contained over 500 pounds. He had
taken the whole of it from a diseased
whale that he had killed in the At
lantic ocean. This was the largest
quantity that was ever known before
OF since, and while the captain knew
that ambergris was valuable he
did not realize its worth, and
thought that he could work it
off in small lots to the apothecaries.
but while some agreed to take an
ounce. others refused to buy at any
price. and so the skipper wandered
around the city utterly discouraged.
One evening, adds the New Bedford
Mercury. member of the large firm
of Months & Pestle, wholesale drug
cists 1.-THE names are fictitious), heard
of the captain and his cask of amber
girls. He did not lose moment in
hunting up the captain, but took
carriage and drove all over the north
end, from one boarding house to an
other, and ran down his man at
o'clock in the morning. The skipper
was routed out of bed. and then Mr..
Months made an offer for the precious
ambergris. He ventured on $4,000.
hut the captain thought he would not
have been called upon at l o'clock in
the morning unless ambergris was on
the rise. and he declined the offer.
Then came offers of $1,000, $1,000.
5000, $4,000, and last bid of $4,000
closed the bargain, and papers were
drawn up and signed, and that fore
noon the precious cask and its con-
tents were rolled into Months & Pes
ties cellar, and the skipper received
check for $4,000 and few dollars
over for his expenses at the boarding
house. The transaction was kept Sc
cret, and the next steamer that left
Boston contained Mr.. Months, who
hurried TO London, Paris and Vienna.
sold ambergris at each place, and made
the handsome sum of $4,000 net out
of that one cask of ill-smelling sub
stance. From that day to this Messrs.
Months & Pestle have controlled the
trade of the country, and now amber
girls of the best quality is worth from
SIS TO $50 per ounce, with but little
on the market.