MISCELLANEA. 
89 
there almost unendurable; in Sahara the dryness of the air is sometimes such, that 
though during the day “ the soil is fire and the wind is flame,” the chill at night is 
painful to bear. In Australia, also, the tliermometric range is enormous, on account 
of the absence of this qualifying agent. A clear day, and a dry air, moreover, are 
very different things. The atmosphere may possess great visual clearness, while it is 
charged with aqueous vapour, and on such occasions great chilling cannot occur by 
terrestrial radiation. Sir John Leslie and others have been perplexed by the varying 
indications of their instruments on days equally bright,—but all these anomalies are 
completely accounted for by reference to this newly-discovered property of transparent 
aqueous vapour. Its presence would check the earth’s loss ; its absence, without sen¬ 
sibly altering the transparency of the air, would open wide a door for the escape of 
the earth’s heat into infinitude. 
MISCELLANEA. 
Poisoning by Essential Oil of Almonds. —At the Leeds Town Hall, May 26th, 
before Mr. Blackburn, Coroner, an inquest was held on the body of a boy nine years of 
age, named Josiah Anderson, who lived with his parents in St. Peter’s Square. The boy’s 
father was a shoemaker by trade, but about four months ago he opened a shop in Kirk- 
gate for the sale of confectionery. Mrs. Anderson applied to Mr. Topham, druggist, 
94, Kirkgate, for some “ flavour ” for the confectionery, and she states that he recom¬ 
mended her to have “ almond flavour.” She purchased half an ounce, and not being in¬ 
formed by Mr. Topham that it was poison, or that she was to use it with great caution, 
she applied it as she thought fit. The business did not pay, and in a few weeks was 
given up. At that time there was a portion of the “ almond flavour ” in the bottle, and 
she put it, with other bottles, in a hole in the wall. On Saturday evening, May 23rd, 
about seven o’clock, Mrs. Anderson smelt the liquid, and on questioning the deceased, as¬ 
certained that he had taken “ just a taste.” She had never heard of “ almond flavour ” 
before it was recommended to her by the druggist, and not being aware that it was 
poison, she took but little notice of the affair. The boy afterwards went to play, and 
subsequently had his tea ; but about nine o’clock he was taken seriously ill. Mr. John 
Walter Hopkins, surgeon, was sent for, and he discovered that the boy had been poisoned 
with essential oil of almonds. He administered an emetic and the usual remedies, but 
the boy became insensible, and died about one o’clock on the following morning. Mr. 
Hopkins stated that if he had been called in earlier he might have saved the boy’s life, 
but his parents were not aware that the liquid he had taken was poison, and as soon as 
the illness manifested itself medical aid was obtained. Mr. Topham said he did not re¬ 
commend the “ almond flavour ” to the deceased’s mother, though he believed he had 
sold it to her. He did not tell her it was poison, or label the bottle with the word 
“ poison nor did he give her any instructions as to its use. They sold it indiscrimi¬ 
nately to any one, confectioners or others, and it was not usual to label it. The jury 
strongly censured Mr. Topham for so carelessly disposing of poison, and condemned the 
practice of selling poison without distinctly labelling the bottle, and Mr. Tophain pro¬ 
mised that for the future he would label the bottles with the word “ poison.” A verdict 
of “Accidental death” was returned .—Leeds Mercury , May 27th. 
Accidental Poisoning by Arsenic. —A number of persons have been taken se¬ 
riously ill at Bradford, in consequence of taking arsenic mixed in cream of tartar, which 
was sold at a druggist’s shop in that town. On Monday, May 18th, two young women, 
named Mary Ann and Elizabeth Johnson, of the respective ages of eighteen and twenty, 
residing with their father, William Johnson, woolcomber, 123, Waddington’s Yard, 
Wakefield Road, were taken seriously ill. Several other members of the family were 
also affected. Dr. Lodge was called in, and he found the young women suffering from 
having taken poison, and was informed that they had taken a mixture of cream of tartar 
and magnesia, the former of which had been purchased at the shop of Mr. Potter, a 
druggist, in Bridge Street, Bradford. Dr. Lodge and his assistant Dr. Lee applied the 
stomach-pump to the sufferers, and subsequently discovered, on an analysis of the 
mixture, as well as of the fluid ejected from the stomachs, that both were largely im¬ 
pregnated with arsenic. An analysis was also made by Dr. Brown of the mixture and 
some of the contents of the stomach, with the same result. The circumstance was re¬ 
ported to Mr. Grauhan, the chief constable, on Tuesday, May 19th, and he immediately 
