88 
EXPLOSION OF NITROGLYCERINE. 
the cases had, no doubt, been caused by prussic acid, which, in his opinion, was admi¬ 
nistered in its pure state, and not mixed with ale, as was at first supposed. 
Elizabeth Smith, mother of the man Duggan, identified the body of her son, and pro¬ 
duced a letter addressed to his brother in Bristol; it was written in a very desponding 
tone, complaining bitterly of the unkind treatment of his employers in discharging him. 
Mr. W. Adams, of the firm of Chawner and Co., silversmiths, referred to in the letter 
of the man Duggan, stated, that the man had given him notice that he should leave, 
on account of ill health. He could not understand his writing such a letter, which was 
a most distressing return for his kindness to Duggan. 
The coroner having remarked on the distressing nature of the case, the jury returned 
the following verdict:—“That Walter James Duggan and Emma Duggan murdered 
their children, and afterwards destroyed themselves while in an unsound state of mind.” 
TEST FOE PRUSSIC ACID. 
We learn from the ‘Journal des Connaissances Medicales’ that at the last sitting of 
the French Academy of Medicine, Dr. Scouttetenn communicated the substance of an 
essay which created quite a sensation. It was a posthumous disquisition on hydro¬ 
cyanic acid, found among the papers of the late celebrated Professor Schonbein, of 
Baden. The question discussed was, whether there was a test for the above-mentioned 
liquid besides those of M. Liebig and M. Buignet, which, within certain limits, may re¬ 
veal the presence of prussic acid, but are insufficient to fix its quantity and detect a 
crime with certainty. Professor Schonbein then proceeds to describe a reagent disco¬ 
vered by himself, and delicate enough to bring out to view even the millionth part of a 
drop, whether diluted with water, or vaporized in the air, a circumstance affording a new 
proof of the incalculable divisibility of matter. Dr. Scouttetenn, who lives at Metz, 
announced in his communication that he had repeated the late Professor Schdnbein’s 
experiments with the aid of two chemists, MM. Guebin and Pont, and that he begged 
to submit some of the test-paper prepared by himself to the Academy for further trial. 
The specimen forwarded was of the kind called filtering-paper, and had been soaked in 
a solution of 3 grammes of guaiacum resin in 100 grammes of alcohol. To use it, a solu¬ 
tion of 10 decigrammes of sulphate of copper in 50 grammes of distilled water should 
be made, and the paper, which is white, cut into narrow slips. One of the latter being 
wetted with the solution, it is then exposed to the action of the minute quantity of 
hydrocyanic acid dissolved in water and suspended in the air: the paper will then in¬ 
stantly turn blue. Dr. Scouttetenn remarks that these slips of paper will be useful in 
examining the quality of the medicinal waters or syrups containing a very small quan¬ 
tity of the acid. The paper need only be placed on the unstoppered neck of the phial 
containing the medicine, and the blue colour will at -once become visible. Various 
other experiments are described, all tending to the same result .—Medical Press and 
Circular. 
EXPLOSION OF NITROGLYCERINE. 
Another terrible explosion of nitro-glycerine has occurred in the neighbourhood of 
Carnarvon. It appears that four tons of this explosive agent formed part of a cargo from 
Hamburg (Messrs. Noble and Co.) to Carnarvon, consigned to Messrs. De Winto and 
Co., for Messrs. Webb and Cragg, agents for that district; for the purpose of blasting 
rocks. The vehicles for removing the oil from the quay at Carnarvon to the Penrhyn 
slate quarries not having arrived at the time appointed, two carters undertook to remove 
a portion of it. These two carts, when about 5^ miles from Carnarvon, were in company 
and were observed within a few yards of each other just before the explosion occurred. 
The effects of the explosion were most terrific,—clouds of dust and stones, and portions 
of the carts were thrown to a great height,—part of a wheel was found 300 yards from 
the spot, many of the buildings in the neighbourhood were much injured, and the shock 
was felt for many miles. Besides the death of five men, several were severely injured 
