262 THE ANALYST. NOTES OF THE MONTH. It is a trite saying that in the best regulated families accidents mill occur, but we wish for the credit of analysts generally that such mistakes in weighing as that t o which Dr. Swete, of Worcester, has fallen a victim, were impossible. One great error seems to have been permitting a visitor to amist in his laboratory with official samples. We haye always held that in such a laboratory no person should ever be permitted to be present in the room devoted to official work, except the analjst himself and his properly-paid and qualified assistants.I n another part we print the report of DI*. Saete, extracted from the Worcestershz’re Chronicle, so that analysts may have the opportunity of fully considering his defence. There is one point which we confess we do not exactly understand, and we suggest that in his own interest Dr.Swete should give some further explanations. He is reported to say:-“The old plan was to use platinum dishes, and to measure, not weigh, the milk. Finding that this plan gave a disadvantage t o the vendors of milk, I adopted that of weighing the milk, and using porcelain dishes.’’ How it is possible that such a disadvantage could occur we freely confess that we are not chemists enough to see, as it appears to be all the other way so far as the measuring is concerned.If a man takes, say 10 C.C. of milk as being 10 grammes, he really uses 10 X 1’030 = 10.3 grammee of milk, and therefore his resulting solids must be in proportion too high, and con- sequently in direct fayour of the vendor ; so in giying up measuring for weighing he apparently does exactly the contrary of what he intends.Again, the uge of porcelain instead of platinum may be a measure of economy, but it certainly is not one of increased accuracy. Surely on this point the report has been incorrectly reported, or else specific gravity is not very clearly understood in some parts of the realm.What a dreadfully benighted county Dorset must be, seeing that, according to a statement at the Quarter Session, it contains no analytical chemist, qualified, according t o the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, to accept the ofice of analyst for the county ! What a glorious chance for some of the ‘‘ Peers of the chemical realm” who have been engaged in hatching the Institute, or some of the young lambs who have been secretly chosen iuto that happy fold.But tell it not in Gath, an awful idea is abroad that unfortunately the Local Government Board does not yet accept membership of the Institute as a qualification ! Whether telephones sometimes get a “ little too much” when attending a dinner or not is as yet an undecided point, but the private one belonging to the Chrnist and Druggist is a most amusing piece of apparatus.We reprint one of its reports for the entertainment of our readers, as being, perhaps, the nicest little piece of fun that the chebical world has had the chance of enjoying for some time. The poor Institute has had to stand a good deal, but to laugh at it in such a manner is really too bad, seeing that everybody has a right to make himself as ridiculous as he likes in this free country, even to the extent of dubbing himself and his friends chemists by limited liability.THE ANALYST.263 Talking about, the Institute, we were struck by a very deep allusion to parafins in a letter by Dr. Attfield to a contemporary. There was evidently some awful meaning underlying it, and people have been going about and wondering mightily. Would it be too much to ask the learned Professor to explain the meaning, and so relieve the minds of those who, like ourselres, sit humbly a t his feet ready to pick up and devour the crumbs from his iutellectual table.We are, however, quite ready to agree with him that there are certainly chemists and cheniists; and, furthermore, we say that the true sign of a really eminent chemist is an absence of jealousy, and a desire to keep in the back- ground until forced forward, in spite of himself, by the greatness of his scientific work, The great event of last month has been the election of Council a t the Chemical Society. The scene a t the meeting, when the alternative list was denounced was one of the most exciting that has been witnessed in the Society.We must say candidly that the issue of the alternative list was a great mistake. If any member or members desired to object to the nominetion of the Council, they should have headed snd printed their list, so as to distinctly show that it was in opposi- tion, and accompanied it with a circular stating their views. Even had no fault been committed in this respect the opposition was ill-judged, because the Chemical Society includes specially votaries of every branch of the science, and there can be no question of Mr.Carteighe’s eminence in the particular line of pharmaceutical chemistry which ho has chosen. We are the more entitled to unhesitatingly state this view, as we objected to his being on the Council of the Institute on the ground that if such an association was required it should be purely composed of analytical as distinguished from pharmaceutical chemists. Our opposition was theoretical and not personal, and we are pleased to see the right man when in the right place.The latest piece of dirt is thus thrown by an obscurs trade organ apropos of gin adulteration. “Recent decisions show that we ought to have the thing more clearly defined.At present the game seems beiog kept alive by an arrangement between the informer and the analyst, the latter of whom appears to get his fees whether the defendant is guilty or not.” Suppose, for an instant, that the analyst only got fees when he bad given a certificate under which a man was found guilty, what would the trade journals then s ~ y about a direct premium for prosecution? Having a bad case ant1 abusing the opposing attorney is a very old affair, but if the libuse is to have any weight it must be something less senseless and absurd than the above. Surely the organ in question cannot have a very exalted opinion of the intellectual and reasoning powers of those whose interests (P) it professes to guard. Dr.W. Norgan, Public Analyst for Swansea, has been appointed Public Analyst for Brecon. THE ADULTERATION OF ‘VIOLET POWDER WITH ARSERIC. CORBESPONDENTS in the Lancet having called attention to this somewhat extraordinary mode of adulteration, we have thought it our duty to institute a full inquiry into the matter; samples of violet powder have been obtained from various parts of the country, and we shall publish the results of our analjses in our next number.264 THE AQRALYST.ORGANIC MATERIA MEDICA.” As the above book is the work of one of the Editors of this Journal, it would be obviously unbecoming in us to insert any review of it. We therefore content ourselves with saying that it has been entirely rewritten, and is carefully and completely indexed.As to all other points we must leave our readers to form their opinions, either from reviews in other journals or from the book itself. RECENT CHEMICAL PATENTS. The following specifications have been published during the past month, and can be obtained from the Great Seal Office, Cursitor Street, Chancery Lane, London. 1876. Xame of Patentee. Title of Patent.Price. XO. 1877. 4553 H. Augustin (8ohering’a Patent) ... Manufacture of Salicilic Acid . . . . . . . . . 8d. 3159 J. H. Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . Converting Hydrocarbons into Gas . . . . . . . . fid. 3229 D. Machnie and W. Gentles . . . . . . Manufacture of Sulphuric Acid . . . . . . . . 2d. 3331 H. Garth and J. Ostler,.. . . . . . . Extracting Alcohol and Acetic Acid from Locu4 3323 C.Humfrey . . . . . . . . . . . . Treating Phosphates for the Elimination of Alumina therefrom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. Beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. 3387 E. P. Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . Manufacture of Sulphate of Alumina . . . . . . 2d. 3396 B. B. Standen . . . . . . . . . . . . Treating Sewage, &c . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Bd. 3129 M. J. Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . Lubricating Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . fid. 3439 J. H. and T. Butterfield . . . . . . Steam Engine Lubricators . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. 3145 F. J. Evans and \V. T. Sngg . . . . . . JInnufircture of Coal Gas . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. 3160 J. A. Ditch . . . . . . . . . . . Composition for Coating Substanccs to be used in lieu of Slate .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2d. 3547 J. H. Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . Manufacture of Chloride ofLime . . . . . . . . . 2d. 3571 J. Gray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treating and Utilizing Sewage, &c. . . . . . . 4d. 3980 J. Von Quaglio . . . . . . . . . . . . Purifying Coal Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4d. 1878. 182 W. R. Lake . . . . . . . . . .. . Producing and Applying Magneto Electricity ... 6d. VANTED, AN ANALYST.-It was stated a t the ])orset Quarter Sessions lately that it had been ascer- tained there was no analytical chemist in the county, qualified according to the Sale of Food Act, and who was willing to accept the office of analyst for the county. The committee appointed on the subject reported that any further search for an analyst be postponed until the October Quarter Sessions, because the appointment is to vest in the new County Government Board, as proposed by the Blll now before Parliament, and by that time the Court will be better informed on the matter.The report was adopted,- Grocer. A t the moment of going to press we deeply regret t o learn that, on the 29th inst., Mr. William Baker, of Sheffield, fell over the banisters of his club and sustained very serious injuries. His forehead was fractured and the brain protruded ; the bones of his nose were broken, and he was otherwise badly injured. He is in a very critical condition, but we are glad to hear there is a ray of hope of his recovery. BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED. The Chemist and Druggist; The Brewers’ Guardian; The British Medical Journal; The Medical Examiner ; The Medical Times and Gazette ; The Pharmaceutical Journal ; The Sanitary Record ; The Medical Record ; The Miller; The Anti-Adulteration Reviev ; Jcurnal of Applied Soience ; The Country Brewers’ Gazette; Sanitary Reform, by Kenneth Maclcod; A Manual of Microscopic Mounting, by J. H. Martin. * Second E d i t i o n . - S ~ ! d ~ ~ i ~ & ~IAHSHALL, Stationer’e Hall Court, London.