830 TRANSACTIONS OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 
upon it as a grave offence, and one which neither morally nor legally could be 
separated from the offence of obtaining money under false pretences. I he 
law was inadequate, he admitted, and the cause was probably to be found 
in the permissive nature of the present legislation. Such appeared to have been 
the persuasion of the member for Birmingham (Mr. Muntz), for it was part of 
his plan that every county and borough in the country should be compelled to 
employ an analyst, and he did pot know how the evil was to be effectually met 
except by provision of some person whose duty it would be to detect offences or 
to examine into any complaint that might be made. If that measure had been 
pressed it would have received careful consideration, and he did not think the 
Government was open to the charge of casting impediments in the way of legis¬ 
lation by private members. A very large proportion of the time of the House 
was in the hands of private members, and these questions could be well dealt 
with by them. He admitted the evil, and was not prepared, like the noble lord, 
to state what remedy should be applied. With regard to false weights and 
measures, he would undertake that the Government should deal with next 
session, and he would give the other part of the subject his consideration. 
Mr. Bruce’s remarks, although not offered in reply, for they were made be¬ 
fore Mr. Muntz spoke, present a marked contrast to those of other speakers, 
and afford satisfactory assurance that while Ministers are sensible of the exist¬ 
ence of a great evil, and of the necessity for some further legislation in reference 
to it, they are not prepared to base such legislation on the highly-coloured and 
exaggerated representations which have been made on this subject, both in and 
out of Parliament. 
APPOINTMENT OP LOCAL SECRETARIES. 
In one of our recent numbers we remarked on the importance of the appoint¬ 
ment of Local Secretaries, and endeavoured to draw the attention of members 
of the Society to the duty they were asked to perform in their respective dis¬ 
tricts, of recommending to the Council fit and proper persons to fill these offices. 
If such recommendations w^ere sent by the members from every district m which 
there is a Local Secretary, it would greatly assist the Council in making a judi¬ 
cious selection ; but we are sorry to find that, notwithstanding our reminder, 
no return whatever was made with the voting-papers last month, from about 
one-third of the whole number of districts entitled to the appointment of 
Local Secretaries. 
TRANSACTIONS 
OF 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 
MEETING OF THE COUNCIL, June ls£, 1870, 
Present—Messrs. Abraham, Atherton, Bottle, Bourdas, Brady, Brown, Deane, Dy- 
mond, Edwards, Evans, Groves, Haselden, Hills, Reynolds, Sandford, Savage, Stoddart, 
Sutton, and Woolley. 
Mr. Henry Sugden Evans was called to the chair, and took the same accordingly. 
