This, the most famous of all the perfumed waters, was originally a distillate from a mixture of spirit and lavender flowers. This was the perfume. Then came a compound water, or "palsy water," which was intended strictly for use as a medicine, but sometimes containing ambergris and musk, as well as red sanders wood. Only the odor of the old compound remains to us as a perfume, and this is the odor which all perfume compounders endeavor to hit. The most important precaution in making lavender water is to use well-matured oil of lavender. Some who take pride in this perfume use no oil which is less than 5 years old, and which has had 1 ounce of rectified spirit added to each pound of oil before being set aside to mature. After mixing, the perfume should stand for at least a month before filtering through gray filtering paper. This may be taken as a general instruction:

I

Oil of lavender.....     1$ ounces

Oil of bergamot ....     4 drachms

Essence ambergris..     4 drachms

Proof spirit........     3 pints

II

English oil of lavender.............     1 ounce

Oil of bergamot....     1.5 drachms

Essence of musk (No. 2)......... 0.5 ounce

Essence of ambergris............. 0.5 ounce

Proof spirit........     2 pints

III

English oil of lavender............. 0.5 ounce

Oil of bergamot....     2 drachms

Essence of ambergris.............     1 drachm

Essence of musk (No. 1)..........     3 drachms

Oil of angelica......     2 minims

Attar of rose.......     6 minims

Proof spirit........     1 pint

IV

Oil of lavender.....     4 ounces

Grain musk........   15 grains

Oil of bergamot....     2.5 ounces

Attar of rose.......     1.5 drachms

Oil of neroli........ 0.5 drachm

Spirit of nitrous ether............     2.5 ounces

Triple rose water.. .   12 ounces

Proof spirit........     5 pints

Allow to stand 5 weeks before filtering.