Show A COSTLY WAIF OF THE THC SEA sailors once la in a while rind a fortuno floating on tho witter two sailors entered a wholesale drag store on lower nassau street tho other day carrying carry hig with them thein a pared which they handled handle d as carefully as aa a y young oung mother fondles her infant they thought they bad a pil piece ce of ambergris which 1 I I 1 13 they bv a very ry costly or aly substance usually found in the ho belly of a dyspeptic whale they were confident confide it they had some thin tiling worth about but u upon pon examination unfortunately it was found to be only hardened tallow mixed with dirt and salt s lt about as 03 valuable as a chattel mortgage on a flock of pigeons the captain could not believe in the experts judgment and went out still clutching his long guarded treasure and expressing his dissatisfaction with a 3 liberal liber l use of profanity similar S mistakes to the one already d described bed aro ara often of ten made in this city the proprietor of the store spoke of the history and uses of ambergris as follows nearly every one is constantly using ambergris it is every day in the hands of ladies and gentlemen throughout the world but comparatively f few ew people know anything any thine about it its origin is disputed even scientists do not agree upon its true source and although it enters all houses where cai civilization reaches and an immensely proE profitable table trade in tho the commodity is carried on nine out of ten people whom you meet would not know what you meant if you mentioned its name it is d a elate slat elik liko 3 substance varying in color from dark to light gray th tho a darker shades which are also denser in fiber being the tha most valuable A dieco weighing from twenty to thirty five pounds is seen but once in a lifetime the most of it handled by the tha dealers is made up of pieces only a few ounces in in weight it is worth today to day about W 34 per ounce and during the last few years has sold as high as 10 40 per ounce in consequence of its scarcity finding a piece of it is like finding a 5 note not you are as likely U ely or unlikely to find fin d it in one place as in another there are several theories as to its origin the generally accepted one being 0 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 up on some shore or lodged inside the whale the greatest source of supply is the arctic ocean and also the tha southern latitudes the usual cruising ground of the whaling vessels the commanders are always on the lookout for it as among the superstitious of the sea it is considered an omen of good luck for the ship ever afterward when her master brings home a piece of ambergris ho he is always allowed a portion of the profits you could coul d put a dieco worth 1000 in your overcoat pocket and from this you can understand liow how the toilers boilers of the ocean never cease their vigilance in hunting for it I 1 the fact that it is ia 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 cassia or heliotrope for example the odor of the flowers would quickly pass away as the spirits forming the body of the liquid evaporate ambergris however prevents this and is the indispensable boon that liolis holds back 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 i on the fabric after the spirits have evaporated acting as minute reservoirs and holding the pure essence of the flower after tho the cloth is perfectly dr dry one ounce dissolved in a gallon of alcohol will make a strong tincture and you would bo be required to use only a single ounce of this tincture in a gallon of perfumery which convene convey an idea of how far a few 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 gallo gallons ns of perfumery fur nery when a large piece is found the news of the discovery is telegraphed to dealers and the markets of the world are affected in one instance a now new york firm some years ago bought up a large portion of the existing supply and realized largely on the corner thus produced boston is the most influential center as new bedford near at hand sends out more whaling ships than any other city of any country tho the owners of the ships sell the ambergris to the wholesale dealers and although all drug stores keep a little on oil hand it is bought directly from the wholesale men by the perfumery manufacturers I 1 new york mail and express |