268 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
PRIZES FOR HERBARIA. 
Professor Bentley was glad to say that on the present occasion there had 
been more competition than on some former ones, though not so much so as he 
should like to see; for, although botany was not a very favourite study, and was 
considered rather dry, if young men would take an interest in collecting plants, 
it would soon become a favourite occupation, and they would lose sight of any 
difficulty arising from the hard names connected with the subject. Three col¬ 
lections had been sent in, the first in order of merit being that of Mr. Wash¬ 
ington Gimblett, an apprentice of Mr. Stoddart’s, of Bristol. When it was re¬ 
membered that these collections were the work of apprentices or pupils, who had 
to search for specimens during the early hours of the morning, before commen¬ 
cing the business of the day, every one must consider that a collection of 300 
named plants, like that of Mr. Gimblett’s, was eminently worthy of a prize. 
Mr. Martin Luther Clift had obtained a certificate of honour for his collection, 
and Mr. J. Butten a certificate of merit. Both these gentlemen well deserved 
the distinctions which had been awarded them. 
The medal and certificates were awarded as follows:— 
Bronze Medal .Washington Gimblett. 
Certificate of Honour... Martin Luther Clift. 
Certificate of Merit. Joseph Butten. 
PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY. 
Professor Attfield said that, like his colleagues, he could only speak in terms 
of the highest praise of the students he had had the pleasure of instructing 
during the past session. He could thus allude to them not, like the previous 
speakers, from experience gained during lecture, or in that valuable half-hour 
after lecture in which pupils and professor held intercommunication, but from 
constant association with them during the whole of each day of their term of 
study. He had held a practical prize examination at the close of the session, 
and the result had been most satisfactory; but, in addition, he had at the first 
part of the session conducted oral examinations of the whole class, and after¬ 
wards several times examined each pupil separately before going up for the 
Minor or Major examination. Indeed, the only means he had of ascertaining 
students’ deficiencies of knowledge was by daily, nay hourly, questioning the 
men, for manipulative skill and amount of work got through in a given time 
were not always measures of the quality of the knowledge possessed by pupils 
working in a laboratory ; examination as well as superintendence was there¬ 
fore necessary, and w T as constantly practised. Moreover, as the manufac¬ 
turing or analytical operations performed by students were in a large degree 
only means to an end, namely, the correct and rapid acquirement of chemical 
principles, frequent examination with the view of testing the character of each 
pupil’s knowledge became indispensable. From constant association with, and 
examination of, the students, therefore, he (Professor Attfield) could speak with 
the utmost confidence of their character and attainments as a class and indivi¬ 
dually. He had never had a set of men possessing more intelligence or prac¬ 
tising more perseverance; in short, the characteristic of the class, as a whole, 
throughout the last session was continuous energy. He might add that his 
talented assistant, Mr. Tilden, had remarked to him that he had been able to go 
through his duties much more easily than in any previous session. In conclu¬ 
sion, he need only add that the gentlemen to whom prizes had been awarded,— 
Mr. Arkinstall, Mr. Franklin, and Mr. Palmer,—were highly deserving of 
the honours bestowed upon them. 
