334 THE ANALY8T. NOTES OF THE MONTH. TEE Brewer’s Guardian in waxing jubilant over the recent dictum of the Lord Chief Justice that a sale to an inspector is not to the “prejudice of the purchaser,” has the following beautiful little specimen of trade journalism. 6‘ The Adulteration Act waa intended to protect poor persons from being imposed upon ; if they have reason to suspect any article they have purchased has been adulterated, they can get it analysed for themselves, at nominal fees, or report the matter to the local inspectors ; but we feel convinced the framers of the Act never intended that inspectors should be continually roaming about to obtain samples for the purpose of analysis, often only with the view of harassing and annoying a respectable tradesman.” The Act was undoubtedly made to.protect the poor, and the appointment of Inspectors is the only may by which such protection can be obtained. We can well picture the Brewer and his friend the respeutable (3) tradesman rubbing their hands with glee over the passing of an Act which would protect the poor man by compelling him first to find the necessary bottles, corks, and wax for dividing the sample; secondly, to advance tho necessary sum of half-a-guinea for the analysis, on the chance of recovering it afterwards on conviction; and thirdly, to lose one half-day’s work in taking the sample to the analyst, and another in attending the police court.We fear that the Brewer’s Guardian in the character of the Poor Z a d 8 Guardian ~avours somewhat of the wolf in ahee$s clothing. Recent correspondence in the #roaer shows that the National Chamber of Trade has not been glow to take what advantage i t could of the introduction of Mr. Isaac’B amendment into the abortive Sale of Food and Drugs’ Amendmmt Bill, sanctioning the sale of spirits diluted by water without defining any standard of strength, but only vaguely stating that regard should be had both to the extent of the admixture and the price at which the article is sold.I n writing to Mr. Sclater-Booth, on the subject, Mr. Morrison, the Secretary, remarks, it would be most unfair and illogical not to 6‘ recognise the same principle in the case of milk, or any other liquid or compound article ( 6 of food not injurious to henlth.” We oordially agree with Mr.Morrison’s remarks, as it is absurd to say that a publican should be permitted to dilute without making a declaration or being bound to a standard, while the unfortunate milkman who may follow his example is to be fined. It is stated that Mr. Anderson now bitterly regrets that he consented to Nr. Isaac’s amendment, and as a thinking man anxious to protect the public, he must feel that he has much cause to do so.But the worst complication was still to follow when the amendment was supported by the government, which is now pledged in principle to a course of action, which if logically carried out, must lead up to the point that a tradesman may sell without declaration any mixture he chooses, and so make a profit at the expense of his customers, so long a8 he does not introduce anything dangerous to health. So after all the National Chamber of Trade may congratulate itself that its advice ma8 not listened to,‘1’H B ANALYST.335 The necessity, however, for a comprehensive amending Act is becoming more and more apparent every-day, and the course lately adopted by the Hull Sanitary Committee affords another good illustration of it.Acting on the advice of the Town Clcrk, they decided not to prosecute in five cases of adulteration ; first, because of the recent decision that an Inspector when purchasing samples must use the exact words of the Act, and not merely state that they are being purchased for analysis ; and secondly, because of the view held by the Lord Chief Justice, or as Mr. Sclater Booth called it, “the arbitrary dictum of one learned judge,” than tin Inspector was not prejudiced by the sale to him for analysis of an adulterated article.Although the decision of the Sanitary Committee is much to be regretted, it is satisfying to note that the opinion of the Town Clerk, which was evidently based upon an imperfect knowledge of the facts was not allowed to pass unquestioned, even in the Hull local papers.We really hardly know whether to congratulate or sympathise with Faversham. It may be remembered that early in the present year the Town Council twice refused to appoint a Public Analyst, but ultimately, after receiving a third letter from the Local Government Board on the subject, agreed-though by no means unanimously-to have the terrible official the Board thought such a town should possess.Some six months or ao after this reluctant decision was come to we hear of a gentleman being appointed to the post. However, better late than never, say we, and we can only hope that hi8 office may not be made a sinecure, and that the members of this Town Council may soon find that the provisions supplied to them have improved in quality, which, we presume, is the only fact that would convince these gens of Solomon that wisdom is not the exclusive possession of Town Councillors.We cannot help referring t o another benighted place with a Town Council compoaed of wiseacres who are so satisfied with the condition of their town that they, like tho Frrversham Councillors, object to a Public Analyst coming in their midst, and in reply to a communication, the Town Council of Godalming have informed tho Local Government Board that they consider a Public Analyst for that place is not needed ! We don’t know what these Town Councillors are, whether tradesmen or manufacturers, but we hardly think they are competent to decide whether the town needs an Analyst.We should think the inhabitants-and especially the poorer class-would have given a different opinion as to the necessity of appointing one, and we have no doubt that in twelre months the gentleman appointed, if supplied with samples for analysis, would show such a raison d’etro for his office as would utterly astonish these intelligent Town Councillora.Perhaps we ought to apologize to our readers-we hardly know-for not publishing tho address of the President of the British Association, but when we Eaw that nearly every journal-medical, chemical, or comio-had found room for it, we came to the oonclusion that it would be better, considering our limited space, not to bore our readers with even an abstract of it; not by any means because the address was a bad one, but even chemists may have too much of a good thing.336 THE ANALPBT.GODALMINe.-At the quarterly meeting of the Town Council a letter from the Local Qovernment Board was read asking why a public analyst had not been appointed, and after a short discussion it was decided that they should be informed that in the opinion of the Town Council a public analyst is not needed.” Mr, Sidney Harvey has been appointed Public Analyst for Faversham.THE HULL SANITAXY COMMITTEE AND ADULTEEATION.-A meeting of this committee was held a t the Town Hall lately, Alderman King, M.D., in the chair. The Town Clerk (Mr. Todd) reported with respect to five cases of alleged adulteration referred to him that he recommended no prosecutions in consequence of two recent legal decisions. By the first deckion it was necessary that the inspector, on purchasing, should state not only that the articles were for analysis, but that they were for analysis by the borough analyst.The next decision waR the more important one, for if it was confirmed the Act was rendered nugatory, and would require amending in the future. The decision was that a borough Inspector was not a person prejudiced, as he did not purchase the articles to eat.Several of the committee remarked that it was an unfortunate state of affairs and adulteration might be as rife as ever unless private persons purchased goods and emploied analysts at their own expense. .4 resolution was passed adopting the recommendation not t o prosecute. Xastem Zoming News. 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. 1871.Name of Patentee. Tltle of Patant. Price. NO. 4576 M. Hilton . . . . . . . . . . . . Manufacture of Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8d. 4647 C. D. Abel . . . . . . . . . . . . Manufacture of Loaf Sugar . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. 4771 F.A. Zimmerman . . . . . . . . . Treatment of Pyroxylin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6d. 4888 8. Pitt . . . . . . . . . . . . Agglomerating Chemical Substances . . . . . . . . . 2d. 4833 H. Simon . . . . . . . . . . . . I’rocess and Apparatus for Developing Bromine. . . . . . 2d. 4880 W. Weldon . . . . . . . . . Manufacture of Soda and Potash by the Loblanc Procees 4d. 1878. 12 36 92 120 133 186 195 208 230 256 304 356 523 A.Robinson nnd J. C. W. R. Lake .,. W. East . . . . . . W.R.Lake ... W. Weldon ... R. Messel . . . . . F. H. Atkins ... J. H. Johnson ... R. W. Wallace and G, W. Majert . . . . . . 1‘. T. Jones ... G. W. Von Nawrocki H. Simon . . . . . . Mellish ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treatment of Sewage and Impure Waters Artificial Caoutchouc . . . . . . . . . Treatment of Sewage and other Waters ... Treatment of Carbonated Mineral Phosphates Manufacture of Soda and Potash . . . . . . Manufacture of Sulphuric Acid . . . . . . Preparing Materials for Filtering Water ... Dyeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purification of Gas... . . . . . . . . . Manufacture of Sulphuric Acid . . . . . . Manufacture of Nitro-Glycerine . . . . . Manufacture of Soda and Potass . . . . . . Carbonizing Wool, Rags, &c. . . . . . . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 9 . . ... ... I.. ..* ... ... ... ..I ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4d. 4d. 4d. 4d. 4d. 4d. 4d. 4d. 2d. 2d. 4d. 4d. 4d. BOOES, &c., RECEIVED. The Chemist and Druggist; The Brewers’ Guardian; The British Nedical Journal; The Medical Examiner ; The Medical Times and Gazette; The Pharmaceutical Journal ; The Sanitary Record; The Medical Record ; The Miller; The Anti-Adulteration Review ; Jcurnal of Applied Science; The Country Brewers’ Gazette ; The Dairyman; The bmericau Dairyman ; The Practitioner,