cinnamon, half a drachm; spirit of rosemary, and honey-water, each two ounces; spirits of wine, one pint: let the mixture stand two weeks, then put it in a glass retort, the body of which immerse in boiling water contained in a vessel placed over a lamp, while the beak of the retort is introduced into a large reservoir (a decanter, for example): keep the water boiling, while the mixture will distil into the receiver, which should be covered with cold wet cloths. In this manner Cologne-water may be obtained as good as the best Farina, at one-fourth the price. A coffee-lamp or nursery-furnace will best answer to boil the water.

The above is the most simple method of distilling, without the regular still.

610. To make Eau de Cologne.-Rectified spirits of wine, four pints; oil of bergamot, one ounce; oil of lemon, half an ounce; oil of rosemary, half a drachm; oil of Neroli, threequarters of a drachm; oil of English lavender, one drachm; oil of oranges, one drachm. Mix well, and then filter. If these proportions are too large, smaller ones may be used.

611. A very pleasant Perfume, and also preventive against Moths.-Take of cloves, caraway seeds, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, and Tonquin beans, of each one ounce; then add as much Florentine orris-root as will equal the other ingredients put together. Grind the whole well to powder, and then put it in little bags, among your clothes, &c.

612. Method of extracting Essences from Flowers.-Procure a quantity of the petals of any flowers which have an agreeable fragrance; card thin layers of cotton, which dip into the finest Florence or Lucca oil; sprinkle a small quantity of fine salt on the flowers, and lay them, a layer of cotton and a layer of flowers, until an earthen vessel or a wide-mouthed glass bottle is full. Tie the top close with a bladder, then lay the vessel in a south aspect to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days, when uncovered, a fragrant oil may be squeezed away from the whole mass, little inferior (if roses are used) to the highlyvalued otto of roses.

613. Curious small Cakes of Incense for perfuming Apartments. Take equal quantities of lignum rhodium and anise,

in powder, with a little powder of dried Seville orange-peel, and the same of gum benzoin, or benjamin, and beat all together in a marble mortar: then, adding some gum-dragon, or tragacanth, dissolved in rose-water, put in a little civet; beat the whole again together; make up this mixture into small cakes, and place them on paper to dry. One of these cakes being burnt in the largest apartment, will diffuse a most agreeable odor through the whole room.

614. To perfume Linen.-Rose-leaves dried in the shade, cloves beat to a powder, and mace, scraped; mix them together, and put the composition into little bags.

615. To make an excellent Smelling-bottle.-Take an equal quantity of sal-ammoniac and unslaked lime, pound them separately, then mix, and put them in a bottle to smell to. Before you put in the above, drop two or three drops of the essence of bergamot in the bottle, then cork it close. A drop or two of ether, added to the same, will greatly improve it.

616. Aromatic Vinegar.-Throw into two pounds of acetic acid one ounce each of the dried tops of rosemary and the dried leaves of sage, half an ounce each of the dried flowers of lavender and of bruised cloves. Let them remain untouched for seven days; then express the liquid and filter it through paper. This is useful in sick rooms.

617. Lavender Vinegar.-Prepare a stone jar or bot le, and to each pint of vinegar put into it, add half an ounce of fresh lavender flowers; cover closely, and set it aside for a day or two; then set the jar upon hot cinders for eight or ten hours; and when cold, strain and bottle it. It is a refreshing perfume.

618. Spirit and Oil of Roses.-A few drops of otto of roses, dissolved in spirits of wine, form the esprit de rose of the perfumers; and the same quantity dissolved in fine sweet oil, their huile antique á la rose.

619. Essence of Musk.-Mix one drachm of musk with the same quantity of pounded loaf sugar; add six ounces of spirit of wine: shake together, and pour off for use.

Musk is seldom obtained pure: when it smells of ammonia, it is adulterated. To preserve it, it should be made quite dry; when to be used as a perfume, it should be moistened.

620. Odeur Delectable.-Mix four ounces of distilled rosewater, four ounces of orange-flower water, one drachm of oil of cloves, two drachms of oil of bergamot, two grains of musk, one pint of spirits of wine. Macerate thoroughly, and add one drachm of essence of musk. This delicious scent is a universal favorite with the ladies of the beau monde in Paris.

621. Eau D'Ange.-Pound in a mortar fifteen cloves and one pound of cinnamon; put the whole into a quart of water, with four grains anise-seed; let it stand over a charcoal firo twenty-four hours; then strain off the liquor and bottle it. The perfume is excellent, and will be useful for the hands, face, and hair.

622. Shaving. The hone and razor-strop should be kept in good condition. The German hone is best: it should be frequently moistened with oil, and laid up in a place where it will not readily become dry: if it be rubbed with soap, instead of oil, previously to using, it will give additional keenness and fineness to the edge of the razor.

The strop should also be kept moist with a drop or two of sweet oil a little crocus and oil rubbed in the strop with a glass bottle will give the razor a fine edge; as will also a paste made of tutty powder and solution of oxalic acid.

Mr. Knight, president of the Horticultural Society, has invented the following apparatus and method of sharpening a razor: Procure a round bar of cast steel, three inches long, and about one-third of an inch in diameter; rub it smooth from end to end with glass paper; next, smear over its surface a paste of oil and the charcoal of wheat straw, and fix the steel into a handle. To set a razor, dip it in hot water, raise its back, and move it without pressure, in circles, from heel to point, and back again; clean the blade on the palm of the hand, and again dip it into hot water. This newly invented apparatus may be purchased at any cutler's.

A very small piece of nitre, dissolved in water and applied to the face after shaving, will remove any unpleasant sensation, though the first application may be somewhat painful.

623. Shaving Liquids.-1. Rub in a marble mortar an ounce of any fine soap, with two drachms of carbonate of potassa. When these two substances are incorporated, continue rubbing, and add gradually a pint of lavender-water, or any other odorous water made by dissolving essential oils in alcohol sixty degrees above proof. When the whole is well combined, filter the liquid, and bottle it for use. To make a lather, put a few drops into a wine-glass of tepid water; dip your brush in the mixture, and, when rubbed on the face, a fine lather will appear. 2. Dissolve any quantity of fine soap in alcohol, either with or without perfume. Use it according to the preceding directions.

624. An Easy Shave. The operation of shaving may be robbed of its unpleasant sensations by rubbing the chin over with grease, or a sweet oil, before the application of the razor. The best razor-strop in the world is one's own hand, moistened with its own natural oil or perspiration. Sharpen the razor thus before you wash your hands, and you will find this natural strop most efficacious. After shaving, to allay irritation, wash the chin with Portugal water.

625. Composition for Shaving, without the use of razor, soap, or water.-Mix one pint and a half of clear lime-water, two ounces of gum-arabic, half an ounce of isinglass, an eighth of an ounce of cochineal, a quarter of an ounce of turmeric-root (made into powder), an eighth of an ounce of salt of tartar, and an eighth of an ounce of cream of tartar, together: boil them for one hour at least (stirring up the mixture during the whole time of boiling, and be careful not to let it boil over), clear it through a sieve; then add two and a half pounds of pumice stone, finely pulverized; mix the whole together with the hands, by the assistance of the white of two eggs, well stirred up. Then divide the cake into twelve small ones. Dry them in the open air for three days; put them into an oven moderately heated for twenty-four hours, when they will be ready for use. Apply them, with a gentle friction, to the beard, and they will produce the effect of shaving by rubbing off the hair.

PART III.

HOME PURSUITS AND DOMESTIC ARTS.

Needle-work, Fancy-work-Preparations for Writing-Flow ers-House Plants-Birds-Gold Fish, &c.

THE first and best use of the needle is common or plain sewing. Every woman and girl should understand this art, the beginning of all arts, and the most indispensable to civilization.

It is unnecessary to dilate on the importance of common needlework, and to this female accomplishment, so universally necessary, we shall principally confine our directions.

626. Requisites for Sewing.-A neat work-box well supplied with all the implements required, including knife, scissors (of at least three sizes), needles and pins in sufficient variety, bodkins, thimbles, thread and cotton, bobbins, marking silks, black lead pencils, &c., should be provided, and be furnished with a lock and key, to prevent the contents being thrown into confusion by children or unauthorized intruders.

The lady, being thus provided, and having her materials, implements, &c., placed in order upon her work-table, to the edge of which it is an advantage to have a pincushion affixed by means of a screw-may commence her work, and proceed with it with pleasure to herself, and without annoyance to any visitor who may favor her with a call. We would recommend, wherever practicable, that the work-table should be made of cedar, and that the windows of the working parlor should open into a garden well supplied with odoriferous flowers and plants, the perfume of which will materially cheer the spirits of those