The Meeker herald., 1897-03-27

| What In amberHris7 In the Arabian
Nights" we arc told Of eastern baaaties
| whose cheeks were marked with noles
like bits of ambergris: and n the
story Of tho sixth voyage NJ '6inbad
| the Sailor" we read in the description Of
the place where the voyagers were
wrecked: 'Herc II also . fountAia of
pitch and bitumen that runs Into the
sea, which the fishes swallow and then
| vomit It up again. turned into anber-
gris!" That antique author. Robert
Boyle. considered it TO be OF vegetable
production and similar To yellow am
her; thus II received its name. amber
girls (gray)-grny amber.
This and other even mora plausible
theories are but indeed fallacisa that
| puzzled savants have set forth when
| they were At . loss to account Tor its
origin. II In now ascertained beyoed
doubt to be generated by the large
headed sperm whale and 10 The rssnt
of diseased state of the animal The
victim Of this rnre malady ynay possi-
bly throw of tho 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
q hillary Irritation. After q 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 all
ment that has but lately been under
stood by the surgeons and medical men
| of the world.
1t il known that the ambergris whale
feeds upon the cutie fish. This crea-
ture In armed on its head with sharp
pointed. curved black horn resembling
a birds beak, much like that of par
| rot, only the lower mandible Is the
larger. This is found-as it is too in
destructible TO be digested- in many
| specimens of ambergr.s, and may often
times aid in establishing oeated dis
ease. II may be considered though to
be but the primary cause OF irritation,
us much of the finest ambergris is en-
tirely free from the tough little
horns. Such is the effect in the
whnle of the magnified-and tremend-
ously magnified- illness which, when
established in our own comparatively
| puny organism, causes an instant and
fatal collapse unless quickly and be-
roically attacked by the skill of the sur
geon. The habits of the greet water
mammals, however, tend to op,olong life,
and their resisting power against this
insidious destroyer in eloquent OF their
tenacious hold on existence.
| To the conservative whale hsher Of
New Bedford or Provincctown, the dis-
| covery OF amDcrYrls IL as uiroA Fssctea1
and as longedfor Us the sheeny splsndor
Of the pearl that gladdens the PEARL
fisher. Almost nwe-stricken are the
ssiiors when the cry of "ambergris" is
uttered. This is the happy event of
| lifetime. The substance il carefully
taken from the bowels Of the whale and
is packed in casks, II it is in liquid form,
or in sacks, II it is dry enough.
1t is then brought direct to Boston,
where it is appraised by the head Of the
largest wholesale drug firm in the city.
This young man has no enyiable task
before him in asccrtaining the value of
the article. He has to examine the fetid
mass, which is sometimes Of . rank
Iiguid state, sometimes of .he consis-
tency Of soft putty, and again, chalk
like substance. That which is moro like
putty usually is to be relied on for max
1 ing the best market ambergris, and
gradually, as it dries. the only curing
process it undergces, The unwholescme
dark shade gradually turns to . soft
squirrel grny. The substance lightens
in weight and the fascinating odoe de-
like the blending of new-mown hay,
the damp woody fragrance Of fern
copse, and the faintcst poesibls per-
fume Of the violet.
| And to what use il ambcrgris put?
II is an Indispensable article with fine
perfumers, as 1t Is used to give per-
mnnency and lasting qualities to very
fieeting scents. 1t is q curious fact
that the keynote or basis of 'nose-
gays" or bouquets" a. Handkerchief
odors are called, In not, as one might
suppose, the altar of garden flowers,
neither the penetrating balsams.
These arc Indispensable, but are not the
groundwork. That basis il alwnyaAs,s
gris musk, obtained from small upaea3k
deer OF Asia; civet, from the cive4 ,eet
OF India, and castor, secretion ofAhe
castor beaver. and now almost obaa}s4e
in the perfume trade. The pure and
separate tincturc OF any one of these
| odors II too intense and powerful 70
be tolerated. Like all substances o4
these kinds, 1t must undergo slow
decomposition, till the remnindersjpos-
sess very little volatility. Even thsn
they contain virtue which clings per
tinacioasly to woven fabrics. and not
being soluble In weak alkaline lyss =
still to be detected in the material, altar
passing through the sevcrest lavaAnry
ordeal. They are. therefore, of eass4
value to the perfumer, and are tt -
sential foundation in almost svesy
| formula.
As ambergris In the most costly of
the animal perfumes, the bouquets ocn-
tanning It arc of the most expressive
kinds. 1t IL used more in France tAnn
In this country. civet being cxtenstsoly