332 
THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
firm, with an elegant silver-plated jug and goblet with inlaid gilt chasing, as a 
souvenir from the rest of the staff, when similar sentiments were expressed by 
both presenter and recipient, after which Mr. Jackson’s health was enthusiastically 
drunk by those present, and feelingly responded to. 
An interesting letter from Mr. William Bowen, president of the Pharma- 
ceutical Society of Australasia, giving an account of his experiences in Yankee 
land, has been placed at our disposal, from which we make the following 
extracts. Of the people generally, he says: — “I like them very much. I 
found less of Yankeeism than I expected. When once properly introduced 
they are exceedingly kind and sociable.” Among other gentlemen whom he met 
in New York, special mention is made of Dr. Rice, of the Bellevue Hospital, 
who has entire control of the Department of Public Charities of the State of 
New York, and takes an active part in the management of the College of 
Pharmacy, and “ who appears to be thoroughly familiar with the proceedings of 
our society and college in Victoria.” From the President of the college, Mr. 
M ‘Intyre, and the members, Mr. Bowen met with a most gratifying reception. 
A meeting, to which he was specially invited, terminated in a champagne supper, 
at which he was entertained by as “ generous and jovial a company as ever I 
met in my life.” Speaking of the college, Mr. Bowen says : — “ The laboratory 
is fitted up in a very similar style to our own, but capable of accommodating 
four or five times as many students ; the lecture hall has raised seats, the 
lecturer taking his position on the floor.” While in Philadelphia, where the 
attention paid to him by Mr. Warner is specially mentioned, Mr. Bowen was 
present at a monthly meeting of the society, of which he says : — “ It was of a 
thoroughly practical character, any member relating and discussing his various 
observations in dispensing, etc., since the previous meeting. The discussions 
were all carried on in a general, conversational style, and were very entertain- 
ing. I am promised to have a full description of the proceedings, with the 
curriculum and all information respecting the college, forwarded to Melbourne.” 
We must postpone references to Mr. Bowen’s experiences in England until our 
next issue, but the nature of these may be inferred from the following 
sentence : — “ I am writing the latter portion of this in Glasgow, having just 
started on a three-weeks trip through Scotland and Ireland, somewhat glad, to 
tell you the truth, to escape for a time from the high pressure of London 
hospitalities.” 
A veet unpleasant business was ventilated early in the month. It had been 
alleged that the contractors for the supply of medicines to the Ballarat Hospital, 
Messrs. Cornell and King, had substituted inferior drugs for those specified in 
the contract. A sub-committee appointed to inquire into the matter reported the 
discovery of overcharges in the drug account to the amount of £90 18s. 3d., and 
that an article found upon analysis to be destitute of any trace of quinine, had 
been supplied in place of Howard’s citrate of iron and quinine. The sub-committee 
recommended that Messrs. Cornell and King be prohibited from tendering for 
drugs in the future. The report was adopted, and it was agreed that the drug 
complained of should be sent to the manufacturers (Fletcher, Fletcher, and 
Stevenson), with a request for an explanation. Messrs. Cornell and King 
attempted to dispose of the overcharge question by refunding the amount stated ; 
but they had no better answer to make to the complaint that they had supplied 
a different and inferior article to that contracted for, than to produce a 
letter of complaint which they had addressed to Messrs. Felton, Grim- 
wade and Co. (from whom the article had been purchased), and that firm’s 
reply. Messrs. Felton, Grimwade and Co. are to be commiserated upon having 
their name thus gratuitously connected with this unsavoury business, and the 
