this: Mr. Septimus Piesse confines the term "perfumery" to such things
as Eau de Cologne, &c.; perfumed soaps, groceries, &c., he does not
appear to class as "perfumery." Now the artificial scents are as yet
chiefly used for the latter substances, which in common language, and, I
should say, in a perfumer's nomenclature also, would be included in
perfumery. The authority for cows' urine being used for perfumery is to
be found in a little French work called, I believe, "La Chimie de
l'Odorat" in which a full description is given of the collection of
fresh urine and its application to this purpose. I need scarcely say,
that it is the benzoic acid of the urine which is the odoriferous
principle.

Your obedient servant,
A PERFUMER.

[When benzoic acid is prepared by any of the wet processes, it is _free
from the fragrant volatile oil_ which accompanies it when prepared by
sublimation from the resin, and to which oil the acid of commerce owes
its peculiar odor. This fact completely nullifies the above
assertion.--SEPTIMUS PIESSE.]

CHEMISTRY AND PERFUMERY.[Q]

Sir,

If the author of the Letter on Chemistry and Perfumery, published in No.
50 of your Journal, and intended as a reply to mine--though none was
needed--which appeared in No. 49, really be a perfumer, as his signature
implies, he would know that I could not, though ever so inclined,
"confine the term perfumery" to various odoriferous substances, and
exclude scented soaps; because he would be aware that one-third of the
returns of every manufacturing perfumer is derived from perfumed soap. I
do however emphatically exclude from the term perfumery, "groceries,
&c.," the _et caetera_ meaning, I presume, "confectionery," because
perfumery has to do with one of the senses, SMELLING, while
groceries, &c., are distinguishable by another, TASTE; and had
not our physical faculties clearly made the distinction, commerce and
manufactures would have defined them: I therefore repeat, that the
artificial essences of fruits are not used in perfumery, as stated in
No. 47, from the quoted authorities. If any man can deny this assertion,
let him now do so, "or forever after hold his peace," at least upon
this subject. The "Journal of the Society of Arts" is not a medium of
mere controversy. If a statement be made in error, let truth correct it,
which, if gain-sayed, it should be done, not under the veil of an
anonymous correspondent, but with a name to su