THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[February 15,187 
CIS 
rest C. succirubra with a small number of other 
sorts. 
Mr. Howard adds that he has received twenty- 
three samples of the various kinds of bark under 
cultivation from Mr. Money. Most of them have an 
exact resemblance to bark grown in South America, 
and he considers that they promise well. A novel 
feature of this consignment, mentioned as presenting 
a very good appearance, is the bark of a new variety 
of C. officinalis which is said to make extraordinary 
rapid growth, while it is very hardy and is not in¬ 
jured by wind. 
The following remarks, which are taken from a 
recent number of Allens Indian Mail, are confirma¬ 
tory of the opinion that the experiment of growing 
Cinchona in India will prove a successful one finan¬ 
cially :— 
“ The question of growing cinchona at a profit in va¬ 
rious parts of India appears to have reached a very pro¬ 
mising stage, in spite of the drawbacks incidental to 
most experiments of the kind. Mr. Mtlvor, Superin¬ 
tendent of the State plantations in Southern India, lately 
informed his Government that large harvests of the 
bark might now be reckoned upon, and advised the 
sending home of not less than 25,000 lb. as a first con¬ 
signment, to be sold by public auction, with a view to 
test its quality and market value. It is still open, we 
believe, to question how often the same trees can be 
stripped of their bark without injuring the quality of 
the yield, and many persons predict some kind of dete¬ 
rioration in the trees- themselves. Canker also has for 
some time been at work in several plantations on the 
Nilgiris and tho Sikkim Hills; but its ravages seem to be 
confined mainly to plantations grown on unkindly soil 
or in climates more or less unsuitable. The Darjiling 
News , however, speaks with perfect confidence of the 
results already attained in the Sikkim Hills. It declares 
that the bark there grown u could be sold with a fair 
profit at prices which would be ruinous to the producers 
in any other country where it is cultivated.” In South 
America, where the mere cultivation of the plant costs 
nothing, the cost of carriage to the sea-coast tends to 
check the export trade whenever a fall in the market 
price occurs In India the extent to which Government 
once carried their experiments in growing Cinchona is 
said to have frightened a good deal of private enter¬ 
prise out of the field ; but the few speculators who hold 
on in spite of every hindrance may now expect to 
“ enjoy a golden harvest,” after some ten years of 
anxious waiting. While the private gardens on the 
Nilgiris show little chance as yet of winning back the 
sums laid out on them for years past, it is reckoned that 
the Darjiiling planters will soon be reaping a dividend 
of 30 per cent. As no return, however, can be expected 
from a Cinchona garden for the first eight years or so 
ot its existence, none but capitalists are likely to embark 
in a venture which demands a good deal of ready money 
combined with a very large stock of human patience.” 
SPONGE IN ORIGINAL PACKAGES. 
The danger of loss resulting from the purchase 
of sand in original packages of sponge has recently 
been the subject of a discussion in the correspon¬ 
dence columns of this Journal, and the statements 
that have been made would appear to lead to the 
conclusion that, although it might sometimes turn 
out to be a profitable speculation to buy sponge in 
that way, the safer plan, especially for small buyers, 
■would be to buy it cleaned from sand. A corre¬ 
spondent has just forwarded to us a further illustra¬ 
tion in an ex parte statement of his experience in 
buying sponge in original packages. He says that 
he was recently induced by a traveller, -who showed 
him a sample, to order a case and to sign a printed 
agreement to take the sponge in sand as imported 
at landing weights. A few days after he received 
an invoice describing the gross weight as 1 cwt. 
21 lb., subject to a deduction for tare, draft and 
sand of 1 qr. 19 lb., leaving a net weight of 3 qr. 
2 lb. The following day, the case of sponge arrived,, 
when the carrier’s note showed that it had been re¬ 
ceived in London as 2qr. 9 lb. gross, or 21 lb. below 
the net weight given in the invoice, and 2 qr. 12 lb. 
less than the gross weight given therein. Our cor¬ 
respondent states that he refused to receive the- 
package, and that it now lies at the railway station 
pending the decision of a London County Court. 
Without entering into the merits of this particular 
case, it is evident that a system under which such a 
proceeding is possible is open to a large amount of 
fraud, and that the dealings must, in many instances* 
partake of the nature of a lottery. 
THE SALE OF POISONS IN THE SIXTEENTH 
CENTURY. 
“ History repeats itself” is a well-worn observa¬ 
tion, although probably not entitled to quite so much 
reverence as is claimed for it by some who quote it. 
But the following curious letter from Queen Mary 
to the College of Physicians, requesting them to 
carry out more efficiently the Act 32 Henry VIIL 
c. 40, bears a remarkable resemblance to certain more 
recent documents, and might be fairly cited in sup¬ 
port of the theory. We are indebted for the quota¬ 
tion to ‘ Brabner’s Almanack for 1873,’ a local 
almanack published in the Iiingsland Road. In the 
letter the authorities of the College are directed to— 
u ‘ Call and convent ’ before them ‘ the Wardens the 
Grocers and all the Apothecaries,’ and ‘streightly to 
charge and commande by authoritie that from tyme to 
tyme hensforthe neither thei nor anye of them do entre- 
price to sell or retayle any such wares, drugge or druggs 
as hath in theim any spice of venome or suspicion of poy- 
son, or such other as by receivying of them at the handes 
of anie unlerned or of anie malitiouse or evyll disposed 
persons maie by anie means grievously hurte or put in 
perille or daunger of lief anie of our Subjectes of what 
estate or degre soever he or thei be, On lesse the seller 
of any of the said druggs be well assured of the honestie, 
true dealying, and good intent and skill of the byar; 
And first examyn the same for what intent or purpose 
he buyeth the same, and therewithal to note the name of 
the byar and time of the buying; Or else that the said 
grocer or apothecarie have with him remaining the 
handwritting of some discrete, lerned and authorised. 
Physician for his discharge. Willing and streightly 
commandying the said grocers and apothecaries and 
every one of them not to faile herof as thei tendre our 
pleasure, &c., &c. Given under our Signet at our Manor 
of St. James the xxiii daye of June in the fourthe and 
fifthe years of our reignes ’ ” (1557). 
In a letter recently received from Baron Liebig 
lie directs attention to tlie advertisement of a pre¬ 
paration bearing the title of ‘ Liebig’s Invigorative 
Nervine Essence and thinking the association of 
his name with it likely to impose upon the public,, 
he requests us to state that he is not in any way con¬ 
nected with that preparation. 
