September 17, 1870.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
231 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
Meeting at Liverpool. 
The British Pharmaceutical Conference commenced 
its seventh Annual Meeting on Tuesday morning last, 
in the Lecture Theatre of the Royal Institution, Colquitt 
Street, Liverpool, under the Presidency of Mr. W. W. 
Stoddart, F.C.S., F.Gr.S. The Conference assembled 
shortly after 10 o’clock, when the business was com¬ 
menced by the reading of a very long list of candidates 
for membership by one of the Honorary General Secre¬ 
taries. The candidates reside in all parts of the United 
Kingdom, and one of them in Kentucky, United States; 
they numbered about 920, and were duly elected by 
ballot. 
The President acknowledged the presence of Mr. 
Sandford, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society, 
an announcement which was received with applause. 
Professor Attfield then read the 
Report of the Executive Committee. 
Daring the past year your Committee has been actively 
engaged in three important matters:—First, the organiza¬ 
tion of means whereby to produce such a Year-book of 
Pharmacy for 1870 as the meeting at Exeter decided 
should be issued. Secondly, the conduct and completion 
of a system of canvassing for members amongst the 
Pharmacists of England, with the double object of ad¬ 
vancing the general aims of the Conference and securing 
a sum of money which would admit of the production of 
such a Year-book without interruption. Thirdly, the 
appropriate disposal of the Bell and Hills’ Library Fund 
—a sum of fifty guineas, generously given to the Con¬ 
ference by Mr. Thomas Hyde Hills, with the suggestion 
that it should be employed in further stimulating phar¬ 
maceutical education. 
The Year-Book. —In accordance with your instructions 
at the last Annual Meeting, your Committee proceeded 
to obtain the services of an editor, and to arrange for the 
publication of the yearly volume. 
The salary of the editor was fixed at £100, this sum 
to cover the expenses incidental to the literary part of 
the work. In answer to the advertisement, four appli¬ 
cations for the office of editor were received. After due 
consideration of the claims of the respective candidates, 
your Committee elected Mr. John Cargill Brough. A 
sub-committee of publication was then formed, consisting 
of Daniel Hanbury, F.R.S., W. W. Stoddart, F.G.S., 
Joseph Ince, F.L.S., Michael Carteighe, F.C.S., and 
T. B. Groves, F.C.S., with Prof. Attfield as Secretary. 
These gentlemen have reported as follows :—First, that 
they have accepted the estimate of Messrs. Butler and 
Tanner, of Frome, to supply the Year-book on good 
paper, bound,"and otherwise complete, on terms within 
the means at the disposal of the Conference for the pur¬ 
pose. Secondly, that they have accepted the offer of 
Messrs. Churchill and Sons, of London, to undertake all 
matters connected with the advertisements on eligible 
conditions; to prepare the Year-book for delivery to 
members, and to place on the title-page the name and 
address of their firm as publishers. 
Your Committee has instructed the sub-committee to 
make such arrangements as shall ensure the issue of the 
Year-book not later than December 1st. They can, 
however, hardly dismiss this subject without an expres¬ 
sion of deep sympathy with the editor under the trying 
circumstances which have contributed to cause some 
delay in the fulfilment of his arduous and responsible 
duties, and an expression of their earnest hope for his 
speedy restoration to health and strength. 
New Members .—In July of the present year, the secre¬ 
taries drew up a circular of invitation to membership, 
and sent a copy, with specimen pages of the Year-book, 
to every pharmacist in England not already a member of 
the Conference. This course, supplemented by the 
active exertions of the local treasurers and other working 
members, has produced the gratifying result of swelling' 
our numbers from about 600 to about 1500, and even 
this high number may, in the opinion of your Committee, 
be even further increased when the Year-book has been 
distributed, and opportunity been afforded for the recog¬ 
nition of its value. 
The Bell ancl Hills' Fund. —Very soon after the last 
Annual Meeting of the Conference, the following letter 
was received from Mr. Hills by the Treasurer:— 
“ Herewith I have much pleasure in redeeming my 
promise made at Exeter, and enclose a cheque for fifty 
guineas. Twenty-five guineas I give in memory of my 
good friend Jacob Bell, who, I feel, would have been 
pleased with what the British Pharmaceutical Conference 
has done and is doing, and twenty-five guineas in my 
own name. I give the money to the Council of the 
Conference to do what they in their wisdom think will 
best promote a good feeling amongst pharmaceutists and 
assist the education and well-being of assistants and ap¬ 
prentices. I give it without conditions. You will re¬ 
member I suggested that ten guineas’ worth of books 
should be presented to the pharmaceutical chemists and 
chemists and druggists of the cities and towns in which 
the Members of the Conference may meet, as an addition 
to, or nucleus for, the formation of a library, where the 
assistants or apprentices may assemble for the purposes of 
study and mutual improvement. I think the Conference 
is a great success, and will do much good. The generous 
exhibition of good feeling of the chemists of Exeter and 
Torquay is worthy of imitation everywhere, London not 
excepted. The 19th and 20th of August will be red- 
letter days in my pharmaceutical calendar and green 
spots in my pharmaceutical life. The meetings bring* 
forth kind sentiments and friendly feelings between men 
interested in the same business and obliterate imaginary 
jealousies. With best wishes for the success of the 
British Pharmaceutical Conference, believe me, 
“ Always yours faithfully, 
“Thomas Hyde Hills. 
“P.S.—The five artists’ proofs of my good friend 
Jacob Bell which I promised to your Committee, I will 
have framed, to save the Conference trouble and ex¬ 
pense.” 
The Committee accepted in trust this handsome dona¬ 
tion of Mr. Hills, and returned him the warmest thanks 
of the Conference. A separate statement concerning 
this fund will be presented annually by the Treasurer. 
To the Library of the Exeter Branch Pharmaceutical 
Society, after appropriate inquiries and arrangements, 
your Committee granted ten guineas’ worth of such 
scientific books as were most required by the local com¬ 
mittee. 
Railway Arrangements in connection with the Meetings of 
the Conference. —The privilege accorded by the railway 
companies to the British Association, namely, that of 
extending the time during which a return ticket is avail¬ 
able, so as to include the whole period of the meetings, 
has often been,desired by the members of the Conference. 
The number of those travelling to the Annual Meeting 
hitherto has not been, however, sufficiently great to take 
the trouble this arrangement would involve. But it was 
thought that perhaps the companies might allow the time 
covered by the return ticket to include the first Monday 
instead of, as usual, the first Tuesday of the Association 
week, and at Exeter last year, the President of the Con¬ 
ference addressed the President of the British Associa¬ 
tion on the matter. The answer was that the officers 
of the British Association had repeatedly attempted, but 
in vain, to obtain from the railway companies the exten¬ 
sion mentioned. 
In conclusion, your Committee desires to testify to the 
untii’ing efforts the Liverpool local committee has made 
