‘Enrich’d with all the gay perfume,
She wafts a stench around the room.’
The sale of these oils, as also of the missy, which is applied by both sexes to their teeth, and, by forming a black coating, or varnish, is supposed to preserve their enamel from the action of the lime contained in the pawn, or beetle, they generally chew, as also of the soormah, or levigated antimony, used for blackening the edges of the eye-lids, together with a variety of rubbish, is confined to a class of men called gundies, who carry their ware about in small baskets. The oils, and especially the utr, or ottah of roses, are very carefully packed in cotton-wool, and every pretence is made of their being of great value. It is wonderful what deceptions this class of hawkers practise! They are most consummate in the arts of flattery and intrigue; from the exercise of one or the other, not unfrequently of both conjoined, they could not fail to become very rich, did they not generally lead most dissipated lives, and often take payment in kind for their wares.
With respect to the perfumed oils in common use among the Hindostanee ladies, their preparation is very easy; being, for the most part, merely sweet oils of any kind; such as that extracted from linseed, or from the cocoa-nut, or from any plant coming under the denomination of metah, (i.e. sweet,) perfumed by means of a small quantity of the essential oil of any fragrant flower, particularly the rose, the jasmine, the bale, &c. All these oils are extremely common, rarely selling for more than two or three rupees per seer; which corresponds with about seven shillings for an English quart.
That highly fragrant oil extracted from the rose, called attar, or by us ottah, is by no means so common as might be expected, at least not in perfection: as to reputed attar, that may be had of every gundy, and at even a few annas per tolah (or half ounce weight). Genuine attar can only be had of particular persons, and then at a very high price; commonly about four guineas, (i.e. two gold mohurs) per ounce. The natives, for many years, pretended to make a great secret of the process whereby this valuable oil was extracted; whence they not only retained the whole profit to themselves, but were enabled to practise various deceptions of great advantage to themselves but extremely injurious to the extract.
Although many gentlemen had occasionally endeavored to ascertain the proportions used by the venders of attar, it was not until about the year 1781, or 1782, that any attempt was made, on an extensive scale, to competite with that class of distillers. The late Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Polier, who resided for many years at his beautiful villa, some miles from Lucknow, was, I believe, the first whose researches included the distillation of attar, in which pursuit he was remarkably successful; considering how much intrigue, corruption, and ignorance he had to contend with, I have heard that gentleman declare, that, in almost every train of experiments he undertook, some latent opposition was sure to prevail; often baffling every effort, and sometimes compelling him to abandon his design.
This resulted from the jealousy entertained by the natives of distinction at the court of the Nabob Vizier of Oude, Azoph ul Dowlah, with whom his extreme urbanity, suavity of manners, ingenuity, and incorruptible integrity, rendered him a great favorite. The courtiers apprehended, that, through the united intelligence of Colonel Polier, and of Colonel Claude Martine, whose genius in every mechanical art was on a par with that of the former in the polite arts, as well as in most branches of useful science, the several expensive establishments supported by the Nabob would ultimately be set aside, as useless, and as devouring a revenue, which might be turned towards purposes in which they should have no concern; or, at least, no profit. Therefore, notwithstanding his highness’s positive orders, most of the indispensables were either withheld, or, when furnished at all, proved of the worst quality: any man less mild than Polier, would have insisted on a due attention to his requisitions; but he forbore from remonstrance, except when so closely pressed as to render representation inevitable. Whenever, in spite of all direct hostility, and of underhand resistance, the Colonel fulfilled his wishes, displaying the complete success of his ingenuity and learning; then, all was cried down as j’haddoo, as witch-craft; and the whole body of Mahomedan ecclesiastics joined to crush the growth of science.
Being provided with an ample still, and having very extensive plantations of roses, in which I have often passed a leisure hour, admiring equally their fragrance, and the amiable qualities of their planter, the Colonel made a shift to carry on his operations, but not with invariable success; the native distillers having frequently influenced his servants, by means of bribes, to mix various ingredients, which either tainted, or otherwise deteriorated, the produce of his still. At length, after a great variety of experiments, in which he, of course, experienced many most mortifying, and equally unaccountable disappointments, he hit upon the just proportions, and the most favorable process. His method was as follows. To a maund (i.e. 82lb.) of roses, he put about a maund and a half of water: the roses being entire, and having their stems cut away close under the chalices. These being all duly mixed, by hand, in the still, a gentle fire was made under it; the head not being applied until the water began to throw off a vapor: after that, it was put on, and carefully luted down. The fire was, throughout the distillation, kept rather slow than fierce; especially after about a tenth part of the water had come over into the receiver: in about five hours, half the water had come over tolerably clear. The rose-water thus obtained, was again put to another maund of roses, which were subjected to the same operation, until about half its quantity had passed into the receiver. As the former was called ‘single rose-water,’ so was this designated ‘double rose-water;’ but it is evident that the term ‘quadruple’ would be more appropriate, since double the quantity of perfume was brought into half the former space. The produce of the last distillation was put into broad pans, either of earthen ware, or of tinned metal, and left exposed, during the night, to the cold air.
Here, I should remark, that the roses generally bloom early in the year, and that, during the month of January, sometimes, also, in February, ice is produced by pouring hot water into shallow pans of porous crockery; which, being placed on beds of loose sand, in exposed situations, during the whole night, generally yield a substantial pellicle, and, in very favorable instances, sometimes cause the whole of the water to be congealed. The colonel’s object, in exposing the rose-water, as above shewn, was to congeal the essential oil, called attar, which has the peculiar property of becoming compact, and flaky, when exposed to a degree of cold far above freezing point; in this instance, bearing some affinity to animal oils in general.
Now, it is evident, that such an exposure subjected the attar, which floated on the surface as it became cold, to the access of dust, at least, if not of other grosser rubbish; therefore the plan was certainly injudicious: this the colonel soon perceived, for the quantity of, what he considered to be, fæces, proved that there was some mismanagement. Accordingly, he took a hint, and, while the rose-water was yet lukewarm, poured it into a large caraboy, or glass bottle; so as to fill it completely. The caraboy was then subjected to a refrigerating process; by which the attar was condensed on its surface in its neck, whence it was easily removed into a large-mouthed phial, furnished with a ground stopper. What little adhered to the neck of the caraboy, did not come away with the rose-water, as it was poured off, but, on the vessel being reversed, and subjected to a considerable degree of heat, dropped slowly into a phial placed below it, but protected from the action of the fire.