A VOICE FROM THE PRELIMINARY. 
668 
lias also been decided to bold the Conversazione on the evening of the day 
on which the Anniversary Meeting of the Society will be held. 
We feel assured that this new arrangement will give general satisfaction. 
The splendid museums of South Kensington will afford ample space for such 
a gathering as may be expected on this occasion ; and as the presence oi 
ladies will bring with it the further attraction of music, while the various 
works of art so profusely displayed in the courts and galleries of the Museum, 
including the collection of paintings presented to the nation by the late 
Jacob Bell, will be objects of interest to those who have not already become 
familiar with them, we think we may safely promise to our friends, both ot 
town and country, an opportunity of spending an agreeable social evening, 
of associating with men whose pursuits are kindred to their own, and ot 
entertaining as visitors many eminent scientific men, who will honour the 
meeting with their presence. It should be understood that the circumstances 
under which this conversazione is to be held will render it necessary that all 
those present should be in evening dress, and that Members and Associates, 
as well as visitors, should be provided with cards of admission. The arrange- 
ments for the issue of cards are described elsewhere; and it is hoped that 
early application will be made for them, so that the Committee may know 
what numbers they are to provide for. . 
The active co-operation of our members is looked for on this occasion, with 
the view of giving to the meeting such a character as shall conduce to the 
credit of the Society, and thus tend to ensure the success of an undertaking 
which is adopted as an experiment, and which, if it succeeds, will no doubt 
be followed by similar entertainments in subsequent years. As the important 
feature in the new arrangement is the introduction of ladies,, some ot our 
.country members may, we hope, be induced to further this object, and thus 
contribute to a successful result. 
A VOICE EKOM THE PRELIMINARY. 
Three of the First or Preliminary Examinations have been held since the 
establishment of the revised regulation, and before this is in print another will 
have been gone through. ... , 
It is almost impossible for an attentive observer to note the result without 
being struck with the number of those who did not pass, and the large propor¬ 
tion of the second and third when compared with the first day’s examination ; 
and the questions naturally arise, How is this? Is the examination made pro¬ 
gressively difficult, or are the candidates not so well informed? That the 
examination, taken as a whole, was not more difficult in the second or third 
than in the first seems pretty clear from questions published in the ‘ rharma- 
ceutical Journal,’ though possibly one or two of the questions may have been. 
To put the case fairly before the reader, a little explanation may be desir¬ 
able. The examination comprises three subjects, Latin, arithmetic, and n- 
glish ; to each subject a standard number of marks is allotted, the pass-number 
being one-half. Any candidate obtaining half the standard number of 
passes, provided he does not obtain less than one-fourth in any subject; should 
lie do so, but make up the pass-number by excellence in the other subjects, he 
is then only required to come up again in the particular subject in which he 
failed to obtain one-fourth,—so that a candidate rather backward in Latin, but 
efficient in arithmetic or English, may easily make up the numbm- of marks re¬ 
quired ; and thus deficiency in one subject may be made up by efficiency m an- 
