Native stills are let out at so much per day or week, and it frequently occurs that the residents prepare some rose-water for their own use and as a present to their friends, to secure their being provided with that which is the best. The natives never remove the calices of the rose flowers, but place the whole into the still as it comes from the gardens. The best plan appears to be to have the calices removed, as by this means the rose-water may be preserved a longer time, and is not spoiled by the acid smell occasionally met with in the native rose-water. It is usual to calculate 100 bottles to one lakh of roses. The rose-water should always be twice distilled ; over 10,000 roses, water may be put to allow of 16 or 20 bottles coming out ; the follow ing day these 20 bottles are placed over 8000 more roses, and about 18 bottles of rose-water are distilled. This may be considered the best to be met with. The attar is so much lighter than the rose-water, that previous to use it is better to expose the rose-water to the sun for a few days, to allow of its being well mixed ; and rose-water that has been kept six months is always better than that which has recently been made.
At the commencement of the rose season, people from all parts come to make their pur chases. There are about thirty-six places in the city of Ghazipur where rose-water is distilled. The distillers generally put a large quantity of sandal oil into the receiver ; the oil is afterwards carefully removed and sold as sandal-attar, and the water put into carboys and disposed of as rose-water. At the time of sale, a few drops of sandal oil are placed on the neck of the carboy to give it a fresh scent, and to many of the natives it appears perfectly immaterial whether the scent arise solely from the sandal oil or from the roses. Large quantities of sandal oil are every year brought up from the south and expended in this way. Tho chief use the natives make of tho rose-water, or the sandal-attar, as they term it, is on the occasion of their festivals and weddings. It is then distri buted largely to the guests as they arrive, and sprinkled in profusion in the apartments. A large quantity of rose-water is sold at Bemires, and many of the native rajas send over to Ghazipur for its purchase. Most of the rose-water as soon as distilled is taken away, and after six months from the termination of the manufacture there are not more than four or five places where it is to be met with.
The bulk of the otto of roses of commerce is made in Turkey, where it is almost invariably adulterated with the oil of an Indian andropogon.
In India, all the perfumed oils obtained from all flowers are called atr or otto, but for making adulterated rose otto or atr, sandal-wood is well pounded and mixed with water, and then sub jected to the usual process of distillation with roses. This gives a greater quantity of oily sub stance than could be expected from roses only. The same water is distilled over and over again, with an additional quantity of flowers as many fresh times as suits the fancy of the manufacturer. The value of this alloyed attar rises in proportion to the number of distillations, and the best of the kind is sold for 10 rupees per tola, down to the lowest rate of 2 rupees for the inferior sorts. The process of collection of this attar is the same as that of the other, the only difference between the two being in the admixture or not of sandal wood. It is difficult to estimate with any degree of accuracy the quantity of alloyed attar annually produced in Ghazipur, for a large number of out siders come every year, stop for the season only, and then carry off what they produce. Probably a maund would be near the mark ; but the value cannot be accurately computed, owing to the great variety of rate for the different qualities manu factured.
Other perfumed oils are manufactured without resorting to distillation. Layers of jasmine or other flowers, four inches thick and two inches square, are laid on the ground and covered over with layers of sesamum or any other oil-yielding seed. These are laid about the same thickness as the flowers, over which a second layer of flowers like the first is placed. The seed is wetted with water, and the whole mass covered with a sheet held down at the end and sides by weights, and allowed to remain for eighteen hours in this form ; it is now fit for the mill, unless the perfume is desired to be very strong, when the faded flowers are removed and fresh ones put in their place.
I The seeds thus impregnated are ground in the usual way in the mill, the oil expressed having the scent of the flower. At Ghazipur, the jasmine and bela are chiefly employed ; the oil is kept in dubbers, and sold for about 2 rupees a seer. The newest oils afford the finest perfumes. The pro cess here described is the same as that pursued at Bombay. In Europe, a fixed oil, usually that of the bean or morunga nut, is employed. Cotton is soaked in this and laid over layers of flowers, the oil being squeezed out so soon as impregnated with perfunte.—Monthly Bombay Times, 25th Nov. to 24th June 1850; Dr. Jackson in Trans. Ben. As. Soc. viii.; Pioneer Newspaper.