LlOOl -‘t THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. May, mt. 
improvement societies of the district. These lectures have 
always been well attended. 
The Chemical and Electrical Industries Society, started 
some time ago by the vice-president, continues to meet fort- 
nightly. During the term a course on applied chemistry was 
delivered, together with a variety of lecturettes. 
Arrangements are being made to deliver a series of lectures 
on chemistry and metallurgy to the miners in the neighbour- 
hood of Redan. 
A further series of popular lectures is also being organised 
to be held in the school, Mr. Ellery having been invited tc 
deliver the first on the electric light. 
A very large number of donations have been made to the 
school, including books, pamphlets, and museum specimens; £50 
from the Hon. Francis Ormond, and £50 from Messrs. Ham, 
Goodall, Morey, and Stoddart, for the purchase of the Preshaw 
collection. The new term commences on Monday, 24th April. 
COUNTRY DRUGGISTS. 
We are informed that in many of the country towns where 
surgeons make up their own medicines prescriptions are few 
and far between, unless they are dispensed for visitors, or are 
in the possession of those residents who have sought advice 
from Melbourne physicians. It consequently transpires that 
pharmacists are shorn of one of the most lucrative portions of 
their business, and great dependence has to be placed upon the 
sale of drugs and patent medicines. 
Now, since the Americans have poured such a continuous 
stream of the latter article into this market, combined with a 
more copious supply from England, this trade has assumed 
unusual proportions ; and in some measure the sale of them 
would make up for other deficiencies, if confined to those who 
naturally consider it one of their rights. Unfortunately, 
however, the mutual stores, the friendly societies’ dispensaries, 
and the grocers are gradually absorbing into their business 
much of this trade also, and, for the sake of diverting custom, 
are underselling the druggists. Thus, unless some remedy can 
be suggested for this evil, a druggist will shortly be left as the 
sole admirer of his gold-labelled bottles and show jars. 
Previous to the passing of the Pharmacy Act, and when its 
provisions were being considered by the society, it was 
suggested that a clause should be inserted whereby the sellers 
of patent medicines should pay an annual license fee, but it 
was strongly opposed by the metropolitan druggists, as likely 
to imperil the passing of the bill, but, as a remedy against the 
incursions of other traders, it is a pity that some such enact- 
ment was not adopted, and sooner or later it must come to 
pass, if the trade in them is valued. 
A custom that helps to place this class of business in the 
hands of storekeepers arises from the fact that a druggist’s 
shop is never frequented with the same regularity that other 
shops are, and as such medicines as Cockle’s and Holloway’s 
pills enter largely into household arrangements, orders are 
given for them along with groceries. 
The home druggists make the same complaint, and a regular 
correspondence has for some time been carried on in the 
columns of the Chemist and Druggist, with a view to 
remedy this state of things ; various methods have been pro- 
posed, and the most likely one is to combine other trades with 
the business. 
It is very certain that country druggists might do this 
with every degree of satisfaction so far as regards having time 
at their disposal, but most of them are wanting in inclination; 
and if it were entertained at all, a very different class of shops 
would be required. However, in these days of protection in 
this colony, something is requisite, and with the high class of 
education that is now needed to fit persons for the position of 
a chemist, the sooner a change comes the better. 
THE RUSSIAN JEWISH RELIEF FUND. 
Messrs. Bowen, Thomas, and Shillinglaw (the president, vice- 
president, and hon. secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society), 
waited on Mr. E. Zjx, M.L.A., the treasurer of the fund for 
the relief of persecuted Jews in Russia, on the 27th April, 
and presented that gentleman with a cheque for £30, being 
the amount collected among the members of the society. In 
making the presentation Mr. Bowen said that the society had 
selected this mode of expressing their appreciation of Mr. Zox’s 
services as the one they thought would be most agreeable to 
his feelings. 
Mr. Zox said he felt great pleasure in having given the 
society any assistance in his power in supporting their appli- 
cation to the Government for a grant of land for a museum, 
school, and laboratory ; the establishment of such an institution 
was a matter of national importance. He could only assure 
them that his services would always be at their disposal when 
r equired. ___ 
/ OCCURRENCE OF BASSORA-GUM IN CYCADEiET^ 
^(By C. R. Blackett, M.P., Hon. Memb. Ph. S., Austria.) 
Baron von Mueller, the Government botanist, in\he course 
of his scientific researches upon some hitherto undefined 
species of cycadaceous plants, being anxious to examine the 
gum exuded by Macro-zamia Fraseri, collected by Mr. John 
Forrest, the Australian explorer, and Macro-zamia Miguelii, 
procured by the Rev. Dr. Wools, requested me to make an 
examination as to the character of this gum. 
It would seem that hitherto it has not been recorded that a 
kind of gum is exuded by cycadaceous plants, although the ' 
abundance of a peculiar starch in the stems of the Australian 
Macro-zamias has been noticed in various publications, and 
also in the pages of this journal by Baron von Mueller. This 
gum is similar to bassora and cherry gum, is secreted both 
from the stem and fruit-cones of the Macro-zamias ; in general 
appearance it is not unlike gum acacias, it is very tough and 
of a brownish colour. In the experiments upon these gums 
from M. Fraseri and M. Miguelii, it was found that they were 
with difficulty fractured, and swell up and soften on being 
macerated in cold water, becoming transparent gelatinous 
masses, and not rapidly dissolving ; by long-continued digestion 
in boiling water, the less soluble matter is gradually brought 
into solution ; the clear solution dried at 100° C. forms a clear 
and hard gum, adhesive to the touch of the slightly mois- 
tened finger. The addition of potassic hydrate renders the 
gum readily soluble, but darkens the colour considerably. In 
water, acidulated with H 2 S0 4 it is soon dissolved, and a 
floculent precipitate is formed, and after boiling for a short 
time the presence of sugar was detected on the addition of 
Fehling’s copper test, absolute alcohol produced only a slight 
turbidity in the watery solution. The latter will keep unde- 
composed for several days, and dries up very slowly ; there- 
fore, this gum, even if more adhesive, could not be used as a 
substitute for gum arabic. Ferric chloride produces no action 
upon the solution whatever. The ash yielded was found to be 
equal to 1*75 per cent., and composed of lime, iron, sodium, 
potassium, carbonic acid, sulphuric acid, and chlorine. 
This gum is therefore analogous to Bassora-gum, or traga- 
canth, and similar gummous exudations of plants, whether it 
can be used instead of gum tragacanth has yet to be tried. 
This gum was not found to possess any of the deleterious 
acridity which pervades the sap of the cycads generally, and 
which renders their fruit, in a raw state, poisonous. Since 
writing the above, I find that Dr. Pareira, in his Materia 
Medica, p. 288, Yol. 3, under Cycas, says — “ A clear mucilage, 
which converts into a gum like tragacanth, exudes from fresh 
wounded plants of several species of cycas.” 
Gum of Bassora, which appears to be the produce of a cactus, 
is white and honey-coloured, mealy, and silvery on its surface, 
and in the form of somewhat flattened and elongated masses. 
It is insipid, and crackles between the teeth. In water it 
swells up to a transparent jelly, but only a small portion 
dissolves. The soluble portion contains arabin, amounting to 
about one per cent, of the gum ; the insoluable portion contains 
Bassorin. It dissolves with the aid of heat in potash and 
weak acid. — Watts’ Die., p. 955. 
Baron von Mueller informs me that he “ has just obtained a 
specimen of gum from Brachychiton ramiflorum, which behaves 
like the Bassorin gum of the Cycadem.” He also says : — “ In 
my travels I have noticed gummous exudations from all the 
Brachychitons and Sterculias in Australia, including the 
famous “ bottle-trees,” and I have no doubt that the gum of 
the various Sterculia trees of the tropics of Asia, Africa, and 
America consists of Bassorin, one species from W estern Africa 
being described by Professor Bindley as Sterculia tragacantha, 
on account of the tragacanth-like gum exuding from its stem 
and branches. Whether by chemical action this Bassorin gum 
can be turned to important practical uses has yet to be seen.” 
CHINESE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING VER- 
MILION. 
(Ry Hugh Maccallum). 
There are three vermilion works in Hong Kong, the method 
of manufacture being exactly the same in each. The largest 
works consume about six thousand bottles of mercury annually, 
