226 Brandt^ from Potatoes. — White Precipitate. 



for producing nausea ; and of course six times this quantity as 

 a purge, is equal to six drachms of aloes. 



A single grain of the Croton Tiglium seeds, or even half 

 a grain, is a powerful purgative to the human creature. 

 Rumphius of old speaks of 4- grains of the seeds as a poi- 

 son used by " wicked wives to get rid of their husbands." 



siemen's improvement on the process of making brandy 

 from potatoes. 

 The intioduction of this process, which has been adopted 

 in many parts of Germany and in the north of Europe, has 

 been recommended to the Swedish government by M. Ber- 

 zelius, and to the Danish government by Professor Oersted. 

 From the trials made at Copenhagen, it would appear that 

 one-third more brandy is produced than by the usual processes. 

 In Professor Oersted's report, we find the following account 

 of the process : — The potatoes are put into a close wooden 

 vessel, and exposed to the action of steam, which heats them 

 more than boiling watei'. The potatoes can thus be reduced 

 to the state of the finest paste with the greatest facility, it 

 being necessary only to stir them with an ir(m instrument 

 furnished with cross pieces. Boiling water is then added to 

 the paste, and afterwards a little potash, rendered caustic by 

 quicklime. This dissolves the vegetable albumen which op- 

 poses the complete conversion af the potato starch into a fluid. 

 Professor Oersted frees the potato brandy from its peculiar 

 flavour by means of the chlorate of potash, which is said to 

 make it equal to the best brandy made from wine. — GilVs 

 Tech. Repos. 



NATURE OF WHITE PRECIPITATE. 



In some inquiries connected with the preparation of calomel 

 upon the large scale conducted in the laboratories at Apo- 

 thecaries' Hall, Mr. Hennell has discovered several curious 

 and important facts I'especting the chlorides of mercury, more 

 especially in relation to the triple compounds formed by corro- 

 sive sublimate with other chlorides. He has ascertained that 

 certain chlorides which appear to have no action upon calomel 

 at common temperatures, decompose it at a boiling heat, to a 

 greater or less extent, and resolve it into corrosive sublimate 

 and metallic mercury. 



" I had repeatedly noticed," he observes, " a bluish tint 

 which calomel acquires when washed in a boiling solution of 

 muriate of ammonia, as directed by the London Pharma- 

 copoeia, to remove corrosive sublimate. To ascertain the 

 cause, I boiled 100 grains of pure calomel in a solution of 



nmriate 



