440 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
pence-halfpenny,—* under a penalty not ex¬ 
ceeding twenty pounds.’ 
“ It is now become a necessity that the 
law should be clearly defined upon this sub¬ 
ject, as I cannot think the Legislature, at 
the time of the passing of the Act alluded 
to, contemplated either such a hardship to 
that industrious and respectable class, the 
small shopkeepers, or such a piece of gross 
injustice to the public and the members of 
the drug trade generally. Hoping that my 
brother members of this department of our 
national commerce will at once take up and 
thoroughly ventilate the subject, 
“ I remain, Sir, yours respectfully, 
“ E. H. Butlee. 
“ Leicester , December 1, 1869.” 
In reply to Valetudinarian’s queries, I beg 
to inform him that English Pharmaceutical 
Chemists are not at liberty to open chemists’ 
shops on the Continent on the strength of 
their diplomas; in fact, there is not a single 
English chemist in France. Those English¬ 
men who have Pharmacies in Paris, etc. 
have passed the requisite examinations, and, 
of course, are French Pharmaciens, and if 
of the first class, are at liberty to commence 
business anywhere. As Mentone is now an¬ 
nexed to France, the same rule holds good 
there also. M. Gras has two pharmacies 
at Mentone, and monopolizes all the En¬ 
glish trade there. Although it is a case 
upon which I should hesitate to give a de¬ 
cided opinion, yet I cannot see, in face of 
the above stringent restrictions, any possi¬ 
bility of much business being done, espe¬ 
cially by an invalid. 
I am' not aware of any Continental hos¬ 
pital requiring the services of an English 
dispenser; the only purely English hospital 
on the Continent, that I know of, is the 
Hospital for English and American Seamen 
at Naples, and there exists, I believe, a simi¬ 
lar one at Genoa. The salaries given to 
. English assistants in Continental Phar¬ 
macies, owned by Euglishmen, are about 
the same as at any good West-end establish¬ 
ment, say from £35 to £60, in-doors; but 
the salary is generally progressive, com¬ 
mencing at £35 or £40, with an annual ad¬ 
vance of £5 to £10; in French Pharmacies 
doing English trade the salaries are smaller. 
If Valetudinarian is advised to winter in 
the South, the best plan would be to en¬ 
deavour to obtain a situation as senior assis¬ 
tant in an English Pharmacy, or as English 
manager in a French Pharmacy, but at this 
time of the year he would find it very diffi¬ 
cult indeed, all the vacancies being filled up 
in autumn, preparatory to the season. 
In Pau, Nice, Biarritz, etc., the assistants 
are generally engaged for six months only. 
Hoping this information may be of some 
use, I remain, etc. 
Phabmacien. 
Coating eoe Piles. 
Can you tell me how to coat pills with a 
tasteless white enamel ? I have seen some 
which were like comfits in appearance, and 
have tried all the forms given in the Journal 
to imitate them, without success. I shall 
be glad if you, or any correspondent, can 
give me information on the subject. 
Inquibeb. 
“ Inquirer ” asks how it is that in Roscoe’s 
‘ Chemistry,’ and also in Williamson’s, the 
decimal equivalent of is written -003665 
instead of -003663, as it ought to be. We 
presume the figure 5 has been substituted 
for 3 in printing, and the error having 
escaped detection has been copied from one 
book to another. Errors are not unfre- 
quently carried on in this way. 
T. W. P. (Leeds).—‘The Pharmaceutical 
Latin Grammar.’ 
“ G-lycerinum Amyli.” —See Vol. XVII. 
p. 400, also British Pharmacopoeia. 
“Pharmacy ” (Helensburgh).—The work 
in question is out of print. 
“ Napoli ” infor ms M. Kernot that he 
has found the following succeed best in 
cleaning zinc name-plates:—hub the plate 
until perfectly clean and bright with Bath 
brick, moistened with a little olive oil, and 
then polish with Paris white and chamois 
leather. 
A correspondent inquires what the custom 
of the trade is, in preparing veterinary medi¬ 
cines, to use when “cinnabar of antimony” 
and “spirit of sal ammoniac” are ordered. 
A. P. S. —(1.) We have no recipe for 
“Jockey Club Bouquet.” (2.) Boyle’s ‘ Ma¬ 
teria Medica.’ 
“Viator” suggests that the Modified exami¬ 
nation should be held in the provinces as well 
as in London, as at present the expense of 
travelling to London prevents many from 
availing themselves of it. 
Mr. J. T. Brown , of Dover, referring to 
Mr. Schweitzer’s letter, in last month’s 
Journal, on saccharated carbonate of iron, 
the process for which, in the Pharmacopoeia, 
indicates 57 instead of 37 per cent, ot car¬ 
bonate of iron, says, that on testing a re¬ 
cently made sample he found 37 - 93 per cent, 
of ferrous salt. 
Communications received, but too late for 
this month—G. B.; Chemicus; J. Houlton ; 
Dispenser; A. C. Wootton. 
Eebatum. —Page 356, in the second for¬ 
mula for creasote pills, for cerae llav. 5i read 
cerae flav. 9i. 
