288 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[October 8, 1870, 
fftetinjf of % ||anwratM 
The Inaugural Meeting of the session 1870-71 was 
held on Wednesday evening, Mr. Sandford in the 
chair, when there was a more than usually large 
attendance of members, probably owing to the in¬ 
terest felt in the presentation of the Sandford testi¬ 
monial portrait, which had been announced to take 
place on this occasion. Several ladies graced the 
proceedings by their presence. 
The Secretary read the list of donations to the 
Library and Museum as follows :— 
University College Calendar, 1870-71 : from the Col¬ 
lege,—Edinburgh University Calendar, 1870-71 : from 
the University,—Smithsonian Report, 1868; The Indians 
of Cape Flattery, by Mr. J. G. Swan : from the Smith¬ 
sonian Institution,—Proceedings of the Newcastle-on- 
Tyne Chemical Society : from the Society,—Pisciculture 
dans les Neilgherries ; Belanger’s Essai de Culture du 
Quinquina : from M. le Dr. J. L. Soubeiran,—Report on 
the Specimens of Chinchona in the Herbaria at Madrid, 
by C. R. Markham ; Planchon on Peruvian Barks; Bo¬ 
tanical Exchange Club—Report of the Curator and List 
of Desiderata for 1870: from Mr. James Collins,—Re¬ 
marks on the Generic name Cascarilla; Notes sur les 
Quinquinas : from Dr. H. A. Weddell,—On Medical Re¬ 
form : from Dr. Edwards Crisp,—Address Delivered at 
the opening of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 
Session 1869-70 : from Dr. Cleghorn,—Science et Nature, 
2 vols.; De la Biere: from Professor Attfield,—On a 
Species of Ipomcea, affording Tampico Jalap : from Mr. 
Daniel Hanbury,—Old Manuscript Receipt Book: from 
Mr. James Baynes,—The Practice of Perfumery : from 
Mr. R. J. Owen, —43 Specimens of the Educts and Pro¬ 
ducts obtained in working Seaweeds by the Process of 
R. C. C. Stanford, Esq., of Glasgow: presented by Mr. 
Stanford,—Specimen of Cape Saffron : presented by Mr. 
J. R. Reeler, of Cape Town, — Tail of the Musk-rat 
(Mygale Muscovitica), bought at Damascus in April, 1870, 
by Professor Schwarzenbach, of Berne: presented by 
Professor Dr. Fliickiger,—Bark of Cinchona Calisaya , 
grown in Cordova, Mexico, by M. Nieto : presented by 
Professor Soubeiran, of Paris,—Specimen of true African 
Elemi, collected from a tree of Canarium edule , Hook, f., 
growing in the Angola district, Pungo Andongo, by 
Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch: presented by James Collins 
Curator). 
Dr. Redwood, being called upon by the Chairman 
o present his report with regard to the Chemical 
Class, said that at the close of the twenty-seventh 
session of the School of Pharmacy he had but little 
to say, but that little was highly satisfactory. The 
school had passed through various phases in the 
course of its history, commencing with a certain de¬ 
gree of prosperity, then suffering under some depres¬ 
sion, and again rising to considerable importance. 
He was happy, however, to state that at no time had 
it manifested a greater amount of healthful vitality 
than at present. During the last session the school 
had been well supported, the students unexception¬ 
able in their general conduct, regular and assiduous 
in their attendance, industrious in their studies, and 
some at least, he hoped many, most successful in 
attaining a great degree of proficiency. In his own 
class three competitors had eminently distinguished 
themselves, two very much so indeed. Of the twelve 
questions submitted to these two gentlemen, every 
one was answered, and well answered, and estimating 
the value of complete and perfect answers to these 
questions at one hundred, the value of the answers 
given was ninety-four. To both these gentlemen, 
Charles Fryer and Frederick Hamilton Peck, who 
were so equal in their attainments, the Council had 
awarded a bronze medal, and to the third competitor, 
Mr. Henry Forster, was given an honorary certifi¬ 
cate. 
The questions for examination were as follows:— 
Chemistry and Pharmacy. 
1. What is the length, in inches, of a pendulum that 
vibrates in seconds of time, at the latitude of London, 
and at the level of the sea ? 
2. What relation does th metre bear to the length of 
an arc of the earth’s meridian ? 
3. What is the length of the metre in inches of our 
measure, and what is the difference between a decigram 
and a decagram ? 
4. In what way does the presence of air affect the ac¬ 
curacy of the determination, as usually made, of the 
weight or true gravitating force of a body ? 
5. What is the specific gravity of a liquid a pint of 
which weighs 9625 grains ? 
6. Describe the process of clarification, and explain 
the way in which heat alone, both at and below the boil¬ 
ing temperature, may effect the clarification of a liquid; 
also explain how liquids are clarified by the use of white 
of egg and isinglass ? 
7. At which end of the spectrum are the vibrations 
most frequent, and where are the waves the longest, in 
accordance with the undulatory theory of light P 
8. Describe some of the principal phenomena on which 
spectrum analysis is based. 
9. Describe Antimony , and the preparations of it in 
the Pharmacopoeia. 
10. Explain the doctrine of equivalence, of modern 
chemists, as applied to the chemical elements. 
11. Describe the production of acetic acid by the va¬ 
rious methods by which it is practically obtained, giving 
the composition of the different preparations of acetic 
acid (that is, of the acid in various degrees of dilution) 
of the Pharmacopoeia. 
12. State the composition, respectively, of alcohol, 
aldehyd, chloral, and chloroform, and show how the 
three last-named compounds are obtained from the one 
first-named. 
Tlie Chairman having handed the medals and 
certificate to the successful competitors, 
Professor Bentley presented his report with re¬ 
gard to the class of Botany and Materia Medica. 
Alluding to the presence of the fair sex amongst his 
audience, he said he hoped the time would soon 
come when there would be a ladies’ class under his 
superintendence in connection with the School of 
Pharmacy. For twenty-two years he had had a 
pleasurable duty to perform on such occasions, and 
what he liad previously said he could now most 
conscientiously repeat—for he was quite sure that 
in no institution, collegiate or otherwise, was there 
to be found a better class of students, more regular 
in attendance, more attentive, or more industrious 
than was to be found in the Pharmaceutical Society. 
During the last session 112 students had passed 
through the class which he had the honour to con¬ 
duct, six of whom had so liiglily distinguished them¬ 
selves as to have had honours awarded to them. 
There was both a viva voce and written examination; 
in the former, the two gentlemen who had gamed 
the liighest distinction had obtained thirty-four out 
of thirty-five possible marks, and in the latter, though 
the standard could not be expected to be quite so 
high, it was very good indeed. Mr. E. A. Webb, 
who received the Council Medal, and Mr. F. H. 
Peck, to whom was awarded a Certificate of Honour, 
were both worthy of very high commendation, indeed 
