276 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [September 30, 1871. 
advantages of using- these pale oils, or otherwise there 
would not he so much oil boiled of such a dark colour. 
There was a sample on the table darker even than that 
which ho had shown on the screen, and that was boiled 
especially to the order of a large consumer, who would 
have oil of that colour and character, and who used 
about a ton and a half per week at this time of the 
year. If there was not a demand for these dark-coloured 
oils they would not be produced. Mr. Nicholson’s other 
remarks were in accordance with -what he had already 
stated, that there were a great many processes in use 
which were not commonly known. He himself could 
only describe what passed under his own observation, 
the varnish and oil trade being, as he had remarked, 
a secret one. Mr. Nicholson had not stated the par¬ 
ticulars of the process he had mentioned for removing 
the vapours arising from the gum and oil-boiling appa¬ 
ratus, and even the one he had himself described had 
only become known to him within the last few weeks, 
and he had had a good deal of experience. It was 
simply because of these processes being kept secret that 
people who would be very ready to adopt improvements, 
and so avoid being troublesome to their neighbours, 
and at the same time be able to produce a better article, 
were not able to do so; and every one had to discover 
for himself what other persons perhaps had long been 
practising. The Society of Arts had been instrumeptal 
in throwing light upon some of these dark doings many 
years ago; and if his paper, imperfect as it was, had the 
effect of drawing attention to the subject, and inducing 
those who had more knowledge and experience in the 
matter to come forward and make known the results of 
their experiments, all the purposes he had in view would 
be answered. 
Mr. N icholson said he should have much pleasure in 
showing Mr. Vincent over his manufactory if he had any 
disposition to see it. 
The Chairman then proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. 
incent, which was carried unanimously, and the meet¬ 
ing separated. 
The Serious Charge against a Chemist at 
Rotherham. 
On Monday last, Mr. William Collinson, chemist and 
druggist, Masboro’ Bridge, was brought up on remand 
at the Rotherham Police Court, charged with having 
caused the death of Eliza Utley. The evidence given 
on this occasion was principally a recapitulation of that 
given before the coroner, and printed last week in this 
Journal. 
Mr. Whitfield, who represented the prisoner, argued 
that although under all the circumstances of this case, 
supposing that all that had been stated by the witnesses 
and the dying girl herself was believed implicitly, techni¬ 
cally and legally it might amount to the crime of murder, 
he would venture to say that there was not a jury to be 
found in this country which would, under the circum¬ 
stances of the case, find the accused guilty of murder. 
The coroner paid very great attention to the evidence 
adduced in the case, and there was no more evidence 
adduced before the bench than there was adduced before 
the coroner, and he (the coroner) found it his duty to 
tell the jury that, according to his judgment and experi¬ 
ence, it would be competent for them to find a verdict 
of murder, but he would not recommend them to do so. 
Mr. V hitfield contended that the medical evidence made 
out nothing whatever against the prisoner, and that it 
was against the rules of evidence that a declaration 
made by a person in the absence of the accused 
should be admitted as evidence. He said that the 
statement was made at the eleventh hour under the- 
extreme pressure of circumstances, the deceased having; 
to account to her parents for the state she was in r 
and was not to be depended on. Deceased stated that 
she had been to Mr. Collinson, and Mr. Collinson said 
that was perfectly true, not for the purpose she had 
alleged, but for the ordinary one of relieving her from 
a pressure of water. The charge of murder was totally 
out of the question both as a matter of fact and as a 
matter of practice. The coroner knew that, and said 
that the charge against him was that of manslaughter, 
and he (Mr. Whitfield) thought that the Bench would 
come to the same decision. 
The charge and the usual caution were then formally 
read over to the prisoner, who in answer said, “I only 
wish to say that I am entirely innocent of the charge.” 
The Chairman said, after a few minutes’ consultation,, 
that the Bench considered they had nothing to do with, 
what the jury at the assizes would do. It was their duty 
to commit him on a charge of murder to the assizes. 
There was much sensation in court at the close of the 
Chairman’s remarks. 
Mr. Whitfield then applied for bail. 
The Chairman said the Bench had already consulted 
on that point, and had come to the conclusion that on 
such a serious charge bail could not bo granted. 
Censure or a Chemist ey a Coroner. 
An inquest was held on Thursday, September 21, at the 
Wheatshcaf Inn, West Orchard, Coventry, before T. 
Dewcs, Esq., coroner, on the body of a woman, apparently 
about sixty-four years of age, whose name was not known. 
From the evidence it appeared that the deceased had 
been staying at a lodging-house kept by James Doogan. 
She had not complained of ill-health, but looked rather 
delicate, and had a cancer in her cheek. On Wednes¬ 
day night she went to bed as usual, and on Thursday 
morning was found dead in bed with her clothes on. A 
half-ounce bottle of laudanum was found in the pocket 
of the dress worn by the deceased. The bottle was quite 
full, and bore the label* of Mr. Field, chemist and drug¬ 
gist, Coventry. 
Mr. Edgar Overton and Mr. Shorter, surgeons, having- 
made a post-mortem examination, gave evidence to the- 
effec-t that the deceased died from serous apoplexy, pro¬ 
duced by disease of the liver and left lung and the- 
cancer, and the jury returned a verdict accordingly. 
The coroner sent for Mr. Field, who appeared and ad¬ 
mitted that the laudanum had been supplied from one 
of his shops. In answer to the coroner, Mr. Field said 
he did not think the bottle held more than enough 
laudanum to poison two persons. He also admitted that 
he had not registered the sale of the laudanum. 
The coroner severely censured Mr. Field, and told him 
that it was a fortunate thing for him that the evidence 
went to prove that the deceased had not died from 
taking laudanum, otherwise the verdict would have been 
a very unpleasant one as far as Mr. Field was con¬ 
cerned. The coroner said that it was contrary to law for 
any chemist to sell poison without registering it.— 
Coventry Newspaper. 
Female Apothecaries. 
We have been favoured with the following paragraph 
from a local newspaper: “ On Tuesday, an elderly woman, 
named Barker, residing at Norfolk Villa, Milton, went 
to the shop of a Mrs. Lashmar, and asked for three¬ 
pence’ worth of tincture of rhubarb, which she partook of 
* We learn upon inquiry that the bottle was also labelled 
with the word poison, according to the requirements of the 
Pharmacy Act, and that the woman was cautioned in re¬ 
ference to taking it. 
a 
