July, 1882. 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. 
25 
president of which would be the president of the principal 
society, and its vice-presidents the board of pharmacy. A 
■committee would also be elected. The object of this sub- 
society would be to discuss matters of interest in pharmacy 
and chemistry, and to form such classes for instruction as 
might be useful in promoting the knowledge of members. 
This scheme, he thought, would be of great advantage, not 
only to the main society, but it would also have a good effect 
in the education of the students. He mentioned that the 
Technical College had formed a class for botany, but not a 
pupil had applied to be enrolled. He offered as a prize to the 
student of the new society who should pass the best examina- 
tion on chemistry a three-guinea set of chemical instruments. 
The president was sorry to say that the young men did not 
take their studies to heart as they should. The examinations 
were comparatively a farce, and yet none of those who pre- 
sented themselves seemed to have thought of reading up. He 
thought to compel them to do so the examination should be 
made much more difficult. 
Mr. Lane offered a prize to the student who would pass the 
best general examination in the detection of adulteration in 
drugs, &c., a first-class student’s microscope, with objectives 
and other fittings. 
The meeting was terminated by a vote of thanks being 
passed to the chairman . — Sydney Morning Herald , 16th June, 
1882. 
The monthly meeting of the Parmaceutical Council was held 
on Tuesday, 20th June, at the boardroom, Philip-street. Pre- 
sent : — Mr. W. T. Pinhey (in the chair), and Messrs. Senior, 
Watt, Abraham, Guise, and Larmer. 
The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. 
Report of proceedings at the annual meeting, together with 
the annual report and balance-sheet, was laid on the table, 
and the board ordered the same to be printed and circulated. 
The secretary reported that the council was now complete 
by the election of Messrs. Abraham and Macarthy at the 
annual meeting. 
The council then proceeded to the election of a president 
for the ensuing year. It was moved by Mr. Guise, and 
seconded by Mr. Abraham — “That Mr. F. Senior be president 
for the ensuing year.” Carried unanimously. 
It was proposed by Mr. A. J. Watt, and seconded by Mr. 
Larmer — “That Mr. Abraham be treasurer for the ensuing 
year.” Carried unanimously. 
A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. A. J. Watt for his ser- 
vices as treasurer during the past twelve months. 
Applications for membership were received from Mr. Par- 
kinson (of Paddington), Mr. Osmond (of George-street), Mr. 
F. Ryan (William-street), and Mr. J. Butterfield. Mr. Par- 
kinson and Mr. Osborne were admitted members. The appli- 
cation of Mr. Ryan was referred to the Medical Board. The 
application of Mr. Butterfield was postponed for the examina- 
tion of the candidate. 
The indentures of C. C. T. Magee, apprenticing him to Mr. 
Hudson, of Corowa, were received for registration. 
The meeting then adjourned. 
The annual meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society, held on 
the 10th of June, was by far the most successful gathering that 
the trade has ever held in the colony. The increased interest 
shown in the proceedings speaks well for the future of the 
society. 
In some of the speeches made at the meeting reference was 
made to the large trade done by the wholesale houses with 
persons whose custom, the speakers thought, should go to in- 
crease the profits of the retail chemist. For instance, the 
doctors are supplied with drugs on the same terms as the 
druggists, and thus are encouraged by the wholesale houses in 
the pernicious practice of dispensing their own medicines. 
The furniture polisher, the blacking manufacturer, and the 
cordial maker, or even the tobacconist, can purchase the 
articles required in their business at the wholesale drug ware- 
houses, and thus the retailer is robbed of what he considers 
his legitimate business. 
In the daily papers great outcry has been raised to the 
practice of medical men dispensing their own medicines. The 
fact is, the medical men get their sons or daughters, their 
stableman or their kitchen girl, their coachman or their gover- 
ness to do the work, and if the public only knew by whom the 
medicines were at times compounded, they would hesitate a 
little before they entrusted their lives into such hands. 
Messrs. Elliott Bros, have taken additional precautions to 
prevent private persons buying articles under the pretence that 
they are in the trade, or are buying the goods for use in their 
business. No employe is allowed to make any purchase with- 
out special permission from a member of the firm. 
12th July, 1882. 
THE MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 
The monthly meeting of the Microscopical Society was held 
on 29th June, at eight p.m. There was a good attendance, and 
the chair was occupied by the Rev. J. J. Halley, vice-president. 
The secretary acknowledged the receipt of a number of 
journals and other publications. The Rev. T. Porter read a 
paper describing his method of preparing and mounting 
double-stained plant sections, and illustrated it by a number of 
specimens, very beautifully executed, principally stained with 
carmine and aniline green. Mr. Barnard also sent a series of 
sections of native and other woods, showing double staining 
with carmine and picric acid. The Rev. J. J. Halley described 
and exhibited a new form of turntable designed by him, in 
order to provide a simple and ready means of clamping a 
slide in any position, either central or eccentric. Mr. Hailey 
also made some remarks on the use of starches as adulterants, 
&c., and presented a series of seventeen slides of various 
starches for the society’s cabinet. Mr. W. W. Allen exhibited 
a recent microscope by Hartnack, furnished with an adjusting 
binocular eye piece, and a very complete set of objectives and 
accessories. Mr. J. F. Bailey distributed among the members 
present some valuable microscopic material, principally 
obtained during the voyage of H.M.S. “Challenger,” com- 
prising several samples of globigerina, radiolarian, and diato- 
maceous ooze, dredged from depths varying from one and a 
half to nearly three and three-quarter miles ; also, coral sand 
from Raimie, North Australia, and from the coast of Bermuda, 
containing many forms of foraminifera. 
REMARKS ON AUSTRALIAN ACACIAS. 
(By Baron Feed, yon Mueller, K.C.M.G., M. & Ph.D., 
F.R.S.) 
The great genus Acacia claims in the whole range of Aus- 
tralian vegetation the particular attention of pharmacists. 
Irrespective of the durable and hard yet pliable timber for 
carriages, furniture, casks and implements supplied by some 
of the large arboreous species, several Acacias furnish like the 
sandal tree scented wood likely available for the distillation 
of oil ; others in not a few cases yield bark extraordinary rich 
in mimosa-tannin, while many kinds exude gum, rivalling 
in some instances with the best gum Arabic. Furthermore a 
multitude of Acacias in all parts of Australia exhale a 
fragrance, widely wafted through the air by their flowers, 
when such successively burst forth from various species in 
spring and early summer. It is more particularly to the 
latter quality of the Acacias, that it is wished to direct the 
practical interest of pharmaceutic gentlemen all over Aus- 
tralia on this occasion, as still further experiments have to be 
carried on for ascertaining whether the subtle fragrant 
principle could be concentrated and isolated by any process, 
not impairing so much the delicate odour as the heat of 
ordinary distillation, or simpler and more expeditious as the 
“ eufieurage” method. Possibly the vapours of the cheaper 
kinds of pleasantly odourous essential oils, such as that from 
the peels of the sweet orange, might at very moderate heat in 
a vapour-still be passed through Acacia blossoms, thus to 
produce new cosmetics of mixed essential oils ; or even 
perhaps the aid of good-sized air-pumps might be invoked, to 
withdraw the delicate fragrance from the selectest kinds of 
flowers of this kind also, to be condensed by some apt 
absorbent. Not all Acacias however possess an odour of 
pleasantness and strength ; therefore it would be well, if the 
various species were studied in their fresh state locally all over 
Australia. The importance of this also for other industrial 
as well as systematic purposes will be apparent, when it is 
stated, that of about 450 species known from all the warmer 
regions of the globe, fully 300 are endemic in Australia. Of 
these however a considerable number remain imperfectly 
described, either the well developed flowers or the ripe fruits 
being as yet unknown. As a further contribution to the 
systematic of this, the largest of all genera of Australian plants, 
the descriptions of a few new species are offered, by which 
means the search for additional novelties may also become 
stimulated for the perfection of works on the Australian flora. 
