The Meeker herald., 1896-02-01

whose cheeks were marked with moles
like bits of ambcrgris; and in the
story of the sixth voyage ~ "Sinbad
the Sailor" we read in the description of
the place where the voyagers were
wrecked: "Here is also u fountain of
pitch and bitumen that runs into the
SEQ, which the fishes swallow ans! then
romit it up again. turned into amber
gris!" That antique author. Robert
Boyle. considered it TO be of vegetable
production and similar to yellow am
her; thus it received its name, amber
girls (gray)-gruy amber.
This and other even mora plausible
theories are but indeed fallacies that
puzzled savants have set forth when
they were at n loss to account for Its
prigin. It is now asccrtainetl beyond q
ioubt to be generated by the large
headed sperm whale and is The result
bf diseased state of the animal. The
victim Of this rare malady may posi-
bly, throw of the morbific substance; or
finally die of the ailment. The disease
is located in the intestinal canal. and
some savants suppose it to be caused by
n hillary irritation. After a deep study
on the subject several modern scientists
have agreed that the disorder is akin to
that now fashionable human peril, ap-
pendicitis, intensified and prolonged in
this great mammal, yet that dread nil
ment that has but lately been under
stood by the surgeons and medical men
of the world.
1t is known that the ambergris whale
L. ~ In Gcl,
ture il armed on its head with n sharp
pointed, curved black horn resembling
j birds beak, much like thn' OF par
rot, only the lower mandib!e is the
larger. This is found-as it is too in
destructiblc to be digested, in many
specimens of ambergr.s, and may often
times aid in establishing a a.nted dis
ease. 1t mny be considered though to
be but the primary cnuse OF irritation,
as much of the finest ambcrGris is en-
tirely free from the tough little
horns. Such is the effect in the
whale of the magrifcd-and tremend-
ously magnified- illness which, when
established in cur own comparatively
puny organism. causes an instant and
fatal collapse unless quickly and he
roically attacked by the skill! of the sur
geon. The habits of the great water
mammals, however, tend toprclong life.
and their resisting power against this
insidious destroyer is eloquent OF their
tenacious hold on existence.
To the conservative whale fisher Of
New Bedford or Frovincetown, the dis
eovery. of ambergris is as unexpected
nndas s1ongcd-forts inc sneeny srtcnuor
of the pearl tina. glnddens the pearl
fisher. Almost nwe-stricken are the
s,.iiors when the cry Of .ambergris" is
uttered. This is the happy event Of
lifetime. The substance is carefully
taken from the bowels of the whale and
is packed in casks. If it is in liquid form,
or i'll sacks, if it is dry enough.
1t is then brought direct to Boston,
where it is appraised by The head Of the
largest Wholesale drug firm N the city.
This Young man has no cnviable task
before him in asccrtninirg the value of
he article. lie has TO examine the fctid
r;ass. which is sometimes of n rank
liquid state, sometimes of .he consis-
tency Of soft putty. and again, n chalk
like substance. That which Is more like
putty usually is to lie relied on for max
ing the best market ambergris, and
gradually, as it dries. the Gully curing
process it undcrgccs, the unwho!cso,nc
dark shade gradually turns to soft
squirrel gray. The substance lightens
in weight and the fascinating odor de-
,elons an cdor almost indescribablc,
like the blending of new-Inown hay.
the damp woody fragrance Of fern
copse. and the fnintcst possible per-
fume of the violet.
And to what use is ambcrgris put ?
It is an indispensable article with fine
pcrfumers, as it is used to give per-
mancrcy and lasting qualities to very
nceting scents. 1t is n curious fact
that the keynote or basis Of nose
gays" or "bouqucts," as handkerchief
odors are called, is not, as one might
suppose, the altar of garden flowers,
neither the penetrating balsams.
These are Indispensable, but n-c not the
groundwork. That basis is always one
OF the four animal odors, j. C., amber
| girls musk, obtained from small musk
deer of Asia; civet, from the civet cat
| of India, and castor, Il secretion OF the
| castor beaver, and ROW almost obsolete
in the perfume trade. The pure and
separate tincture OF my one of these
odors is too intense and powerful to
Ike tolerated. Like nll substances OF
these kinds. it must undergo slow
decomposition, till the rcma;ndcrs pos.
sess very little volatility. Even then
they contain virtue which clings per
| t;nnciousiy to woven fabrics nnd not
being soluble in weak alkaline lyes is
still to bc detected in the material, after
passing through the sevcrest lavatory
ordeal. They are. therefore. Of great
value to the perfulner, and nrc the es'
scntial foundation in almost every
formula.
As amtergris is the most costly OF
the animal perfumes, the bouquets con
tanning it nre OF the most expensive
kinds. 1t is used more in France thar
In this country, civet being extensively
| ,erl f,r rctrippr in Amprtcnn-ma(1f