February 4,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
G33 
receive every justice at the hands of the representatives 
of the people. 
Mr. J. F. Wilson asked if medical men who had shops 
would he allowed to sign the memorial, as he was sure 
that the medical gentlemen whom he believed he repre¬ 
sented would gladly do so. 
The President stated there could he no objection to 
him signing it as a druggist, as the memorial was ex¬ 
pected to come from druggists only. 
Mr. M‘Millan seconded the motion, which was unani¬ 
mously agreed to, and an influential committee afterwards 
appointed to carry it out. 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
Meeting of Executive Committee. - 
February 1st, 1871. 
Distribution of the Year-Book for 1870.—The Secretaries 
reported that early copies of the Year-Book had been sent 
for review to the Pharmaceutical Journal and Chemist 
and Druggist on the 12th of January, and that since that 
date books had been issued to members as fast as parcels 
had come in from the binders. The whole of the edition 
(2000) had not yet been received, the printers express¬ 
ing their “ regret that the volumes had not been com¬ 
pleted more rapidly sufficient, however, had come to 
hand to enablo the secretaries to post the last batch of 
orders for delivery to the publishers on January 31st. The 
local secretaries of the Conference had kindly under¬ 
taken to deliver members’ copies in the respective towns 
and districts, and the London wholesale houses had 
courteously accepted secretaries’ parcels for enclosure; 
still delay on the part of the binders, and the difficulty of 
getting in all the subscriptions, had caused much incon¬ 
venience. The Secretaries were instructed to make 
direct application for subscriptions in September this 
year and in future, and to take steps for obtaining an in¬ 
creased number of members, with the especial object of 
securing sufficient funds to admit of the next annual 
volume being sent post-free direct to every subscriber. 
A Year-Book for 1871.—The Secretaries stated that 
the financial position of the Conference was such as to 
warrant the executive in providing for the production of 
a Year-Book for 1871. A resolution was thereupon pro¬ 
posed by Mr. Carteigiie, seconded by Mr. Williams, 
and carried,— 
“ That the Committee of Publication be instructed to 
make arrangements for the issue of a Year-Book of 
Pharmacy for 1871.” 
Appointment of Editor.— Three applications for the 
Editorship having been read, and ballots taken, the 
Chairman announced that Mr. C. H. Wood was the suc¬ 
cessful candidate. The following resolution was passed:— 
‘‘That Mr. Charles H. Wood, F.C.S., be now elected 
Editor of the Year-Book of Pharmacy. That the manu¬ 
script of the Year-Book bo placed in the hands of the 
Committee on or before July 31st, 1871.” 
Presentation Copies of the Year-Book. —Daniel Hanbury, 
F.R.S., and Professor Attfield were appointed a Sub- 
Committee to revise the list of persons, presented with 
gratis copies of the publications of the Conference. 
Recognition of the labours of Mr. Joseph luce, Vice- 
President of the Conference. —Proposed by Mr. Hanbury, 
seconded by Mr. Matthews, and carried unanimously,— 
“ That the cordial thanks of the Executive Committee 
of the British Pharmaceutical Conference be conveyed 
to All'. Joseph Ince for his valuable services in editing, 
at a very brief notice and at much personal inconve¬ 
nience, the Year-Book of Pharmacy for 1870.” 
Election of Members. —Several new members were 
elected, a list of whom will bo given next week. 
Candidates for Membership .—Gentlemen sending in 
their names to the London Secretary, Professor Attfield, 
17, Bloomsbury Square, W.C., and enclosing the sub¬ 
scription, os., and 7 \d. for postage (in stamps, or Post- 
Office Order, payable to John Attfield at the Blooms¬ 
bury Office), will receive by return of post a copy of the 
Year-Book. 
ROYAL INSTITUTION. 
On Friday evening, January 20, Professor Tyndall 
delivered a lecture at the Royal Institution upon the 
“ Scattering of Light,” which was, in point of fact, a 
discourse upon domestic water supply. The Professor 
commenced by exhibiting the impurities of London air, 
the motes of a sunbeam, by the light of the electric 
lamp, and explained to his audience that what they saw 
was not air, but suspended particles, capable of being- 
dissipated or removed, and that, when so removed, the 
track of the beam through the air itself would be invi¬ 
sible. He next related that ho h?xl accompanied the 
eclipse expedition to Oran, and that on his return, 
having been disappointed as regards the special object 
of his journey, he had sought to turn his opportunities 
to account by investigating the causes of the varying 
tints presented by sea water. After paying a warm 
tribute to the zeal and kindliness with which his wishes 
had been furthered by the captain and officers of Her 
Majesty’s ship ‘ Urgent,’ he described the way in which 
a series of nineteen bottles had been filled between 
Gibraltar and Spithead, and the results of an examina¬ 
tion of them by the electric light. The bottles were 
themselves on the table, but were not placed in the 
beam before the audience, since the original differences 
among them had been diminished by subsidence. The 
general tendency of the examination was to show that 
the yellowish water of coasts and harbours held in sus¬ 
pension a large quantity of particles; that the particles 
in the green water were less abundant and in finer divi¬ 
sion ; and that the blue water of the deep ocean was 
comparatively free. Professor Tyndall explained, the 
blue or even blue-black of the depths, by displaying the 
prismatic spectrum on the screen, and by quenching it, 
at first partially and with regard to certain colours, and 
afterwards absolutely, by a succession of cells of in¬ 
creasing thickness, containing a solution of permanganate 
of potash, or of sulphate of copper. He said that when 
a beam of light entered the sea, the heat rays were ab¬ 
sorbed by the surface, the red rays by a very superficial 
layer of water, the green rays next, and ultimately the 
blue. If, however, the light encountered particles, these 
would reflect the green rays to an observer; while, in 
the absence of particles, the green rays would continue 
their course till they were wholly quenched. Water of 
great depth and absolute purity would thus appear 
entirely black, like a sea of ink, and would reflect no 
light beyond a glimmer from its surface. The Professor 
exhibited a white dinner-plate, to which a rope was 
attached, and which he was in the habit of having cast 
overboard and towed from the ‘ Urgent,’ and which 
always appeared green, and he also described the ap¬ 
pearances seen on looking down the screw-well of the 
ship, where the water was seen by turns green—with 
the screw-blades as a background—and then dark blue, 
with the ocean depths for a background. The white 
plate, which appeared as a green object when towed 
under water, would, he said, if ground to powder and 
scattered cause the portion in which this powder was 
suspended to return a general green reflection. Having 
in this way established that the visibility of the track of 
a beam through water depended upon particles by which 
the light was reflected, Professor Tyndall next placed 
before the electric lamp a succession of nine bottles, con¬ 
taining samples of the water supplied to their customers 
by the various London water companies. The turbidity 
revealed was in every case sufficient to make the audi- 
