It will be seen that the loss on toughening 40,000 ounces was only one-tenth of an ounce, and the process may now be considered to have fairly taken its place as an operation of minting. The accuracy of the automatic weighing machines, in which each piece of gold and silver is weighed before it is issued, has, during the large coinages of the year, been severely tested, and, owing to the rapid execution of the work in the rolling and adjusting rooms, and the increased liability to error consequent upon it, additional care has been necessary in the weighing-room to prevent the issue of coins not within the remedy of weight prescribed by law. It is necessary in weighing coins to use a still smaller remedy than that which the law allows; and it may serve to give some idea of the delicate nature of the work performed by these machines if it be stated that the 100th part of a grain is sufficient to cause a sensible deflection of the beam, and that the weight which denotes whether a sovereign is or is not within the remedy is represented by a piece of wire of fine gold, 01355 of an inch in length, and 0.018 of an inch in diameter, and weighing 0·17 of a grain. On the completion of the last gold coinage, which amounted to £6,500,000, it was found that the aggregate weight of the pieces corresponded precisely with the standard weight prescribed by law. Such exactitude it is believed, has never been attained before on so large a coinage; but it should be remarked that so close an agreement with the standard weight depended upon conditions which cannot always be secured. During the year 1871, the staff has been increased by the appointment of "balance mechanician," to undertake the repairs and adjustant of scales and weights; work hitherto performed by private firms. The abolition of the office of non-resident assayers, and the return to the ancient system under which all bars when allowed and melted in readiness for coinage, and coins selected from all the coined work, were assayed within the mint itself, is reported to have been attended with most satisfactory results, it having rendered possible the exercise of a more direct and efficient control than heretofore over many details upon which the accuracy of coining in a great measure depended, and materially contributed to a more rapid execution of the coinage. But in order to provide for a portion of the duties for merly performed by the non-resident assayers, namely that of determining questions that might arise between the Master of the Mint and importers of bullion for coinage as to the corectness of assay reports, a Consulting Assayer to the Mint has been appointed in the person of Dr. John Percy, F.R.S. In the new assay office the volumetrical method of assaying silver has been introduced, and it has been found that the method is peculiarly well adapted for the verification of the composition of silver alloys which vary little in fineness. and the establishment of a uniform coinage based on the Half-eagle or 5-dollar piece (United States) 7.52 grms. 7.32 99 25-Franc piece (proposed for France, and the In the die department amongst the new designs must be noticed the sovereign bearing the reverse of St. George and the Dragon, which, having been authorized by Order in Council, has been issued concurrently with those of the design already in use during the present reign. The Mint has also been called upon to furnish a medal to be awarded annually to the best shot in the infantry of the army, which will shortly be issued. In concluding the report, allusion is made to the proposed change of site for the Mint. It is stated that the works of the Mint are in no way of a nature to create a nuisance to a neighbourhood, no refinery being now attached to the department. Only refined metals are melted, in the fusion of which no acid is employed, and any fear that the processes carried on might be injurious to health are said to be without foundation. POISONING BY WATER HEMLOCK. On Monday afternoon the coroner, Mr. Tatlock, held an inquest at the Turf Tavern, Chester, on the bodies of two boys, inmates of the Workhouse, named George Dobson and Albert Kinsey, who met their deaths on Sunday by eating what they supposed to be wild celery, but which was in reality water hemlock. From the evidence it appeared that the schoolmaster took the boys out for a walk on the Roodee after morning service, and, having proceeded with them as far as the railway arches which span the river Dee, told them they might amuse themselves till they were called, and then returned to the Workhouse. The boy Dobson, who had been in the same place on the previous Tuesday eating the roots of the plant, and who had suffered most severely in consequence, persuaded the other boy to go down to the edge of the river to gather some of the "wild celery," which they did, and having filled their pockets returned to the yard of the Workhouse, where they freely indulged. The roots, according to the evidence of Dr. Britain, have the taste of soft cocoanuts, are quite palatable, but are most dire in their effects. Shortly after eating them the boys became extremely ill. The doctor was sent for, and he at once administered an emetic of mustard and hot water, which took effect on all except the two deceased boys, to whom it was imThe most important which have taken place during possible to administer any in consequence of their the year 1871 in the coinages of European countries, has suffering from severe convulsions, and their teeth being been the introduction of a new coinage of gold into the tightly clenched. He, however, applied turpentine excurrency of Germany, as a preliminary step to the ternally, but without avail, and the boys died most agonizoption of gold as the single standard of value. It is ing deaths. The jury returned a verdict of died from satisfactory to note the steps taken by the German the effects of eating water hemlock.-Liverpool Daily Government, namely, the introduction of a gold standard, Post. Correspondence. No notice can be taken of anonymous communications. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the name and address of the writer; not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. THE PHARMACY ACT AND The Sale of Sir,Permit me to avail myself of your columns to inquire of those of my brethren skilful in interpreting the Pharmacy Act "whether homeopathic chemists may legally keep open shop for the dispensing of physicians' prescriptions and the sale of poisons without being on the register of the Pharmaceutical Society?" and, if not, why have they been treated with such considerate tenderness by the officials of the Society? I am myself under the impression that the Act applies to homeopathic quite as fully as to allopathic chemists; indeed, if such be not the case, any person desirous of entering the sacred precincts of pharmacy without passing through the legitimate but tedious path of the examinations, may easily do so, and entirely evade the Act by placing the adjective 'homoeopathic' before his assumed title of chemist, and exhibiting in his shop some pilules, globules, a few bottles of arnica, strong solution of camphor, etc. But having reported to the Society, a considerable time ago, what appeared to me to be a most flagrant case without their taking any decisive action therein, I presume the possibility of my opinion being erroneous, and think it desirable to bring the subject before the notice of the trade, as it undoubtedly affects all pharmacists in no small degree, and should, I think, be no longer overlooked by the Society's executive. POSITION OF Widows under CLAUSE 16 OF THE Sir,-Without wishing to make special reference to the particular case to which Mr. Smith alludes, may I ask you to give information to prevent the repetition of so sad a calamity If a chemist makes his will and leaves his wife executrix, jointly with a (male) friend, can he (if not a chemist) carry on the business, with a qualified assistant for her benefit and that of her family? As I, with many others, have been toiling on for many tence on our part, our wives or children were deprived of the years, I should deeply regret if, through any act of inadverfruits of our industry and application. Kingston-on-Thames, June 15th, 1872. JOSEPH BARKER. The other day I again received the following rather obscure 3ij. G. H. The popular notion of the trade of a homoeopathic chemist is that it is confined to supplying drugs (poisonous or otherwise) in doses so infinitesimal as to possess no more thera-There being no official preparation of this kind in the P.B. peutic activity than Sac. Lactis or Sp. Vini Rect. That this or any other Pharmacopoeia that I knew, I at once wrote to is an erroneous notion, fifteen years' experience of homoeo-him for information about it, but whether he is ashamed of pathy enables me to prove. In the first place, it is by no his ignorance, or what, I know not, but he has not yet remeans an uncommon occurrence to retail the mother tinctures plied, and the prescription remains with me undispensed. of aconite, belladonna, nux vomica, etc., prepared in the proportions of 1 to 10, as directed by the British Homœopathic Pharmacopoeia, or the first or second decimal of arsenicum, morphia, antim. tart. and other potent medicines; and, secondly, it is a portion of almost every day's work to dispense prescriptions for liniments or applications containing chloroform, aconite, and belladonna liniments, or tinct. opium, etc., in sufficient quantity to poison very many people. The following are copies of prescriptions written by a homœopathic physician in large practice, and who invariably directs his patients to have their medicine prepared by a certain homoeopathic chemist, who has passed no examination, is not on the register, and who, therefore, in vending poisons and preparing prescriptions, is surely violating the very letter of the Pharmacy Act; yet it is against such an offender that the Society declines to take proceedings. R. Trit. Podolph. Resin 1 gr. xij. R. Divide in pulv. vj cujus j bis in hebdomadâ sum. Aq. Dest. ad 3 iv. Misc. Cap. 3j ter die. Divide Trit. Morph. Hydroch. 2 x gr. 100 in pulv. æq. x. Cap. j ex aquâ coch. amp. omni nocte et repet. post horas quatuor si opus sit. R. R. Lin. Belladon. P. B., 3 iij. Chloroform, 3j. M. ft. lin. more dict. utend. Kali. Brom. gr. 80. Aq. Dest. ad 3 iv. M. Cap. 3 ss. ex aqua bis die. June 18th, 1872. W. Dixon.-We will endeavour to obtain the information asked for by you. G. Broom.-A communication that we have received through the publishers bearing the above signature, appears to be a résumé of what has recen ly appeared in the medical papers on the subject. The subject, however, is too purely a medical one, to be suited for our columns. "A Registered Student of the Society."-Your question shall be answered next week. G. C. Cottrill.-We beg to acknowledge your communication, and think your resolution a very wise one. "Pharmacien," ‚"'"An Apprentice of the Pharmaceutical Society," and E. W. B., are all referred to the rule as to anonymous communications. “Ňemo.”—(1 and 2.) Yes. (3.) We think such sales in wholesale quantities, and under the regulations prescribed by clause 17 of the Pharmacy Act and the Arsenic Act, would not be construed as being an infringement of the Act. “One who has known the Drug more than Thirty Years." Thanks for your cutting. It does not look healthy, and we regret to see it. The following journals have been received:-The British Medical Journal,'June 22; the 'Medical Times and Gazette, June 22; the Lancet,' June 22; the Medical Press and Circular, June 22; Nature,' June 22; the Chemical News,' June 22; English Mechanic,' June 22; Gardeners' Chronicle,' June 22; the Grocer,' June 22; the Journal of the Society of Arts,' June 22; Grocery News,' June 22; Is it not decidedly unfair that those of us who have given Madras Monthly Journal of Medical Science' for May; 'American Chemist' for May; 'Practitioner' for June; the both time and money to procure the requisite qualifications for business, should find ourselves opposed by persons pos-nal of Pharmacy for June; the Western Lancet' for 'New York Druggists' Circular' for June; American Joursessing no legal title whatever, whilst a great and wealthy Society, supposed to keep a sharp eye on such offenders, stands coldly aloof and declines to protect the interest of its A CHEMIST. members? April; the Pharmacist' for May; the Devonport Independent,' June 22. COMMUNICATIONS, LETTERS, etc., have been received from Mr. J. Paget, Messrs. Thorne Bros., Mr. Nuthall, A. P. S. 'Mel.' INDEX TO VOL. II. (THIRD SERIES.) All Letters to the Editor will be found arranged under the head of" Correspondence;" Leading Articles, etc., dicine Adjourned Special Meeting of the Adrian, M., Adulterations of Bro- Adulteration 11 America, Pharmaceutical Affairs 187 596, 617, 793 Leeds Chemists' Association 376 Liverpool Chemists' Associa- tion. 312 189 Manchester Chemists' and 241 1047 Almonds, Attempted Suicide by Druggists' Association 335 217 117 Aloes, Natal, Preliminary Notice Midland Counties Chemists' As- 1057 The Action of Nitric Acid Northampton Chemists' Assis- tants and Apprentices' Asso- The Crystalline Principles 675 91 Althaus, Dr. J., Croton Chloral 424 186 631 Answers to Correspondents, 20, 40, 60, Liquors 617 Esthetics of Labels, The (J. R. Mercein) Agnew, E.T., The Economic Uses Dr. T., Gaseous and Li- 62 Albumen, of Malvaceæ. Fundamental Dif- ference between the Structure of, and that of Caseine (J. A. 82 66 Address before the Chemical bus) 695 Apprenticeship (S. R. Atkins) 781 and the Prelimi- 651 689 nary Examination. 389, 511 3 I |