| Show A COSTLY WAIF OF THE SEA sailors once in a while find a fortune floating on he water two sailors entered a wholesale drug nassau street the other apy carrying with them a parcel which they handled as carefully as a young mother fondles her infant they thought they had a piece of ambergris which is thought very costly substance usually found in the belly of a dyspeptic whale they were confident they had something worth about but upon examination unfortunately it was found to be only hardened tallow mixed with dirt and salt about as valuable as a chattel mortgage OL a flock of pigeons the captain could not believe in the experts judgment judg men and went out still clutching his long guarded treasure and expressing his dissatisfaction with a liberal use oi profanity similar mistakes to the one already described are often made in this city the proprietor of the store saoko of the history and uses of ambergris as follows nearly over one is constantly using ambergris it is every day in the hands of ladies and gentlemen throughout ho world but comparatively few people know anything about its origin is disputed even scientists do not agree upon its true source and although it enters all houses where civilization reaches and an immensely profitable trade in the commodity is carried on nine out of ten people whom you meet would nofa know what you meant if you mentioned its name IS is a substance varying in color from dark to light gray the darker shades which are also denser in fiber being the most valuable A pece weighing from twenty to thirty five pounds is seen but once in a lifetime the most of it handled by the dealers is made up of pieces only a few ounces in weight it is worth today to day about per ounce and during the last few years has sold as high as per ounce in consequence of its scarcity finding a piece of it is like finding a 5 note yon are as likely or unlikely to find it in one place as in another there are several theories as to its orgin the generally accepted one being that it is an accumulation of secreted and indigestible matter in the stomach of a sick whale it is found all over the globe at rare intervals by seafaring men either floating on the water cast upon some shore or lodged inside the whale the greatest source of supply is in the arctic ocean and also the southern latitudes the usual cruising ground of the whaling vessels the commanders are always on the lookout for it as among alie superstitious of the sea it is considered an omen of good luck for the ship over afterward when her master brings a piece of ambergris he is always allowed a portion of the profits you could put a piece worth in your overcoat pocket and from this you can understand how the boilers toilers of the ocean never cease their vigilance in hunting for it the fact that it is the most efficient known substance in producing the lasting quality in perfumery gives it its enormous commercial value civet and musk are used for the same purpose but are not as powerful when a perfume is made white rose bissia or heliotrope for example the odor of the flowers krould quickly pass away as the spirits forming the body of the liquid evaporate ambergris however prevents this and is the scent for days and weeks upon the handkerchief when treated with alcohol it divides itself up into an almost infinite number of fine particles which are mixed in the perfumery and remain on the fabric after the spirits have evaporated acting as minute reservoirs and holding the pure essence of the flower after tho cloth is perfectly dry one ounce dissolved in a gallon of alcohol will make a strong tincture and you would be required to use only a single ounce of this tincture in a gallon of perfumery which conveys an idea of how far a few ounces of ambergris will go its production is limited to a few pounds per year whereas it is the most important factor in the manufacture of millions of gallons of perfumery when a large piece is found the news of tho discovery is telegraphed to dealers and markets of the world aro affected in ono instance a new york firm some years ago brought up a large portion of the existing supply and re lazed largely on the comer thus produced boston is tho most influential center as new bedford near at hand sends out more whaling shin than any other city of any the owners of the ships ami bergeris to the wholesale healers and although all drug stores keep a little as bought directly from i act men by the perfumery manufacturers A peculiarity of hoods Sarsaparilla is that while it purifies the blood it imparts new vigor to every function of the body |
