July 2, 1870.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
5 
metallic bell of equal diameter. The hardest kinds of 
wood seem to produce the purest and most harmonious 
tones. On account of its capacity of conducting heat 
and electricity, Sidot recommends the coal prepared in 
this manner for use in Bunsen’s galvanic batteries, and 
for pencils for the electric light. Such pencils give a much 
intenser light than those made from the graphite of gas- 
retorts; they become gradually white-hot throughout 
their whole mass, without burning at a single point, and 
cool down immediately as soon as the fire is removed. 
Linen, hemp, cotton, paper, and silk behave similarly to 
wood, and the action of methylated spirits (wood naphtha), 
hydrocarbons, etc., resembles that of bisulphide of carbon. 
The coal from wood has superficial metallic lustre, is 
denser than common charcoal, and has a greater absorb¬ 
ing power for gases.— Journal of Society of Arts. 
CULTIVATION OP IPECACUANHA IN INDIA. 
The Supplement to the ‘ Gazette of India) of 23rd 
January, 1869, contained a strong representation to Go¬ 
vernment from the Inspector-General of Hospitals, dated 
5th October, on the advisability of introducing the culti¬ 
vation of the ipecacuanha plant in an analogous manner 
to that of cinchona. 
The suggestion was forwarded to Dr. Anderson, the 
Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta, who 
stated that he had, for some years past, thought of the 
.subject, but had been unable to procure any plants on 
trial until April, 1866, when one plant was sent out 
-overland by the Director of the Royal Gardens at Hew. 
This original plant died soon after arrival, but, at the 
-date of his writing, December, 1868, nine plants were in 
existence, artificially propagated from the original one, 
besides five growing at the cinchona plantations at Dar¬ 
jeeling, to which place a cutting had been sent in 1867. 
The ‘ Indian Medical Gazette,’ on the authority of Mr. 
Clarke, now acting for Dr. Anderson, quotes the remarks 
of that gentleman:—“When I took charge of the Gar¬ 
dens, in 1869, there were seven plants, all under glass, 
.and in a very low state of vegetation. The plant had 
been found to grow very slowly, and, moreover, to be 
very shy of propagation by cuttings. 
“ It is very possible that when the plant once gets up, 
it may not prove slow-growing, and that when we once 
have plants that seed, it may not prove slow of propaga- 
tien; but I fear many days will elapse before any pro¬ 
duce is likely to be obtained .”—The Medical Tress. 
PRODUCTION OF SOLID MANURE FROM SEWAGE. 
The ABC Frocess. 
One of the most important economic and sanitary 
questions of the day is that of the best means of uti¬ 
lizing the sewage of towns. It has occupied the 
attention of many eminent men among chemists, 
agriculturists, and engineers, and numerous processes 
have been suggested with a view to its solution, 
some of which are now undergoing extensive practi¬ 
cal trial. Among these is the process commonly 
designated the ABC process, by which sewage 
water is deprived of most of its impurity, which is 
separated in the solid state, and rendered fit for use 
as manure, while the residual water is said to be so 
far purified as to be incapable of polluting the rivers 
it may be allowed to run into. Although it cannot 
be said that the purifying effect of this method of treat¬ 
ing sewage water has been proved to be sufficient, 
there are many who believe in it, and still more. who 
are interested in the trial, and wish to be acquainted 
with the details of the process. The following de¬ 
scription, which has been published in the ‘ Engineer, 
relates to the works recently erected at Hastings. 
It has evidently been written in the interest of the 
Company by whom the process is carried out, and 
some of the statements should therefore be received 
with a little reservation ; but it serves, nevertheless, 
to explain the general nature of the operations 
“ The beauties of Hastings are too well-known to sea¬ 
side visitors to require description here, and we will 
therefore at once take our readers to the beach, where 
the works of the Hastings Sewage Manure Company are 
situated, and where they are carrying on the ‘ A B C ’ 
process of utilizing sewage. We may premise that this 
name has been given to the process from the initial letters 
of the principal ingredients used in deodorizing and pre¬ 
cipitating the sewage, viz. alum, blood, charcoal, and 
clay; other less important chemical materials are used, 
but the effect produced by the mixture with the sewage 
causes its instant deodorization and precipitates a manure 
which has been appropriately called native guano, and 
by which all the well-known valuable manurial qualities 
of sewage are retained, and the whole is converted into 
a dry portable manure, something similar in appearance 
to, and with many of the valuable properties of, Peru¬ 
vian guano. Leaving the railway station and proceed¬ 
ing along the beach road, and passing in front of the old 
esplanade to the extreme eastern limit of the town, we 
come upon the works of the sewage company. These 
are situated close under the overhanging cliffs, which are 
220 feet high, under which they seem to nestle, and from 
the neatness of the elevation of the buildings, form no 
unappropriate and unsightly termination to the seabeach. 
“The elevation consists of a two-storied building of 
red, relieved by bands of black and yellow bricks, with 
simple windows with Gothic heads. The roof is of cor¬ 
rugated iron, and from the side nearest to the cliff 
springs up a chimney 65 feet in height, of good propor¬ 
tions, and giving a very effective finish to the whole. 
“ Entering by the western door, the visitor is first struck 
by the line of iron pillars supporting the drying floor, 
between which the eight centrifugals used for drying 
the manure, each with its accompanying engine, may be 
seen. Passing between these, we will take the visitor to 
the spot where the sewage first enters the works, and 
will do our best to describe the process which so quickly 
converts this offensive substance into clear water and 
into valuable manure. 
“ The sewer is egg-shaped, 6 feet by 4 feet, and con¬ 
veys the whole sewage of Hastings. This, is received 
into a square chamber, 13 feet by 10 feet, in which an 
agitator revolves at great speed, not only to thoroughly 
mix the ‘ABC’ with the sewage, but to. tear up all ex¬ 
traneous and heterogeneous matters.which are brought 
down the sewers. On one side of this agitating pit are 
two smaller pits to contain the ‘ A B C ’ mixture ; these 
are used alternately, and in them the various chemicals 
above mentioned are mixed with water, and also stirred 
up by an agitator. 
“A chain of endless buckets delivers this mixture into 
the agitating chamber, where it is thoroughly stirred 
with the sewage. In less than a minute the chemical 
part of the ‘ABC’ process is over, deodorization has 
taken place, the solid part of the sewage has curdled 
into flakes, and the remainder of the process is entirely 
mechanical. The sewage thus treated then flows into 
the settling tanks, originally built by the local board 
of Hastings some years previous to the sewage com¬ 
pany commencing their operations. The size of the 
original tank was 214 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 
divided by seven lines of piers, which carry arches in 
the direction of its length, the crown of these arches 
being a few feet below the level of the beach. The 
reason for the tank being covered in this instance is 
owing to the tank being below the level of the sea, and 
as the sewage can be pent up during the hours of high 
tide. Under other circumstances the . company would 
have preferred to put up tanks of their own constiuc- 
tion, open to the air, so as to admit of the oxidization of 
the effluent water, the process being entirely free from 
