October i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



*95 



one or two persons to be a substitute for quinine, it did 

 not necessarily follow that further investigation would 

 show that it possessed all the virtues ascribed to it. There 

 were two or three distinct varieties of the artificial substance 

 and its salts in the market. He had compared these with 

 some specimens wliich were made many years ago, when 

 Greville iVilliams first discovered the compound, and he 

 must say that he had found there was a very material 

 difference between them. The fact that this was the case 

 should be a warning to pharmacists not to use these pro- 

 ducts indiscriminately. The very strong way in which the 

 importers of the salts of chinoline spoke of their medicinal 

 properties ought to be a caution to pharmacists to be careful 

 in dispensiug them. 



Mr. Holmes said that Mr. AVilliams showed him in his 

 laboratory the experiment for producing the blue colour 

 from chinoline, and he succeeded in obtaining the colour 

 to perfection. The cyanine fell down as a resinous sub- 

 stance with a a coppery lustre like that of indigo when 

 rubbed. In treating artificial chiuoliue in the same way, 

 he obtained only a palo red colour which was perfectly 

 different from the colour produced from the natural body. 

 It would appear, therefore, that Greville Williams's chin- 

 oline was not the kind which was used in Germany. The 

 one with which the therapeutic experiments had been 

 made appeareil to be the German article. Whether the 

 latter was compound or a pure body he could not say, 

 but it appeared to him doubtful whether the chinoline 

 obtained from cinchonine had the same properties as the 

 one which Dr. Donath had described. It was an important 

 question to be decided for medical men and chemists : 

 whether artificial or natural preparations should be used. 

 Many medical men who did not closely observe the journals . 

 might not be aware that there was any difference in 

 physiological action between what were called the natural 

 and the artificial preparations. 



Mr. Walter Hills said that when an article like chinoline 

 was on its trial it was very -important that the kind 

 originally introduced should be used. The same remark 

 applied to salicylate of soda, concerning which they had 

 heard that the artificial compoimds had given rise to 

 certain disadvantages which might have tended to rather 

 lower those bodies in the estimation of those who prescribed 

 them. It was shown that there was some physical difference 

 between the artificial and the natural chinoline, and 

 possibly there was some medicinal difference also. 



Mr. Oarteighe said that it was obvious that the formation 

 of an alkaloid or any distinct organic body synthetically 

 in the proportion of 35 per cent was a matter of very 

 great interest chemically, but it was a question how far 

 such a substance might be useful in medicine with a small 

 amount of impiurity, which it was dilficult to remove. The 

 production of bodies of this class on a cheap scale was 

 a matter to be encouraged by pharmacists, if the artificial 

 preparations had the requisite therapeutic properties. Many 

 pharmacists would submit to a great deal of personal torture 

 to introduce them ; but they must know what they were 

 experimenting with, and must be assured that the pro- 

 cess of " vivisection " to which they submitted would ad- 

 vance therapeutics. They could not make statements as 

 to the value of a preparation when after all it was more 

 or less an impure product, and that appeared to be the 

 condition in which all the salts of cliinoUue were presented. 

 Mr. Cleaver suggested that the chinoline appeared to 

 be called a substitute for quinine, merely on account of 

 its possessing febrifugal properties or reducing the temp- 

 erature of the body. If so, there were plently of nicer 

 things which would do as well. 



Mr. Postans said that the opinions which had been ex- 

 pressed about chinoline quite coincided with his own. The 

 discussion raised the all-important question of the ethics 

 of isomers, for hardly two chemists were agreed on this 

 subject. That being so, it was extremely difficult for pharm- 

 acists to take iipartificial preparations it they could possibly 

 procure natural ones. If two bodies possessed an isomeric 

 composition, how was it that they presented different 

 appearances, and that as experiments were made by com- 

 petent men from time to time certain differences were 

 discovered which yearj before had not been found. They 

 were told that this was duo to a " re-arrangement of the 

 molecules," but it was curious that this re-arrangement did 

 not take place in the same wa; in natural products, and 



he could not help thinking that the artificial protlucts 

 were like the objects in Madame Tussaud's exhibition. There 

 was everything there most beautifully prepared to represent 

 life, but there was not life. 



The President said that he had tasted the artificial chinoline, 

 and he thought that it would take a person a very long 

 time to get fond of it. He thought that it would be 

 difficult for a delicate stomach to tolerate it. 



This being the last meeting of the session, on the motion 

 of Mr. Bobbins, a vote of thanks was cordially awarded 

 to the President. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



THE AUSTRALIAN TEA SEASON: 1882-83. 

 MELBOtmNE, Ist July 1882. 



The Calcutta Tea Syndicate, in conjunction with the 

 Government of India, will carry on their operations dur- 

 ing season 1882-83. 



The favom- with which Indian Teas have been received 

 during the season just closed, has been most gratifying 

 to the concerned, and whilst regretting that the supply 

 sent forward to the Colonies has not been found equal 

 to the demand, hope to obviate this drawback by increased 

 supplies during the cuiTent season. 



All teas passing through the hands of ' the Syndicate are 

 carefully selected aud examined prior to shipment from 

 India. Further, on arrival in Melbourne, the bulk of every 

 line of tea will be submitted for inspection and analysis, 

 and a warrantry given with full particulars of such ana- 

 lysis, and on every catalogue issued, if time before sale 

 permits of this. But in all cases the Syndicate guarantee 

 all their teas as pure and free from any adulteration. 



India, with her tea gardens at altitudes of from 400 to 

 7,000 feet above the sea-level, her climate and rich soil 

 possesses advantages unequalled in the world. Her teas 

 are prepared under the immeiUate supervision of Euro- 

 peans, and with the help of the fine.st machinery pro- 

 ciu-able, many of the Indian tea-growths are as much in 

 repute as some of the far-famed vintages of the Continent. 



The crops of Indian tea during the past 10 years have 

 been as follows: — 



1872 17,900,000 



1873 19,760.000 Increase 1,850,000 or 10-33 per cent. 



1874 23,300,000 „ 3,550,000 or 17-97 



1875 ?(i,100.000 „ 2,8i 0,000 or 1202 „ 

 187ti 29,-100,000 „ 3,300,000 or 12-64 „ 



1877 35,800,000 „ 6,400,000 or 21-77 



1878 35,000,000 Decrease 800,000 or 2-23 



1879 40,000,000 Increase 5,00 ,000 or 14-29 „ 

 18S0 46,500,000 „ 5,500,000 or 1375 „ 

 1881 48,300.000 „ 1,800,000 or 3-88 „ 



Total increase in ten years 30,400,000 or 170 per cent. 



and if the 1882 estimate of 51,619,000 is reahsed, and we 

 see no reason why it should not be, the increase since 

 1872 will have reached the enormous amount of nearly 

 190 per cent. London deliveries during the same period 

 have increased in like manner, being 12,276,000 lb. in 1872, 

 against 48,066,000 lb. in 1881, nearly 200 per cent. 



During the last twelve months the imports of Indian 

 tea (including Ceylon), into Melbourne, equals say — 



1st July, 1881, to 30th June, 1882 979,520 



Against same time, 1880-81 671,000 



showing an increase of over 40 per cent. The whole of 

 these imports have been sold, and no .stocks are held in 

 first hands, and only trifling quantities by the trade. 



By public auction, some — 

 655,429 lb. weight, sold at Is. OJd. to 2s. 5Jd. per lb. in bond. 



59,175 „ „ 9id. to Is. 



all Indian Tea, in addition to which some 51,435 lb. of 

 Ceylon tea sold at up to Is. 9d. per lb. — thus giviug to 

 Indian the position of having sold nearly one-third of all 

 the better class teas sold by public auction in Melbourne, 

 or say teas at over Is. per lb. in bond. 



Messrs. Cosmo Newbery & Dimu, who have analyzed 

 nearly 800 samples of teas, have kindly fiu-nished the fol- 

 lowing report, which is published in full and gives most 

 invaluable aud interesting information. 



