TI1E LATE ACCIDENT AT LIVERPOOL. 
137 
one who was connected with the beans. It appeared by the account of the carter, that 
2s. was to be given to him for taking them to the north shore; but that, as this was 
too far, considering the price lie was to receive, he had deposited the bean3 in the 
piece of waste land in Greenland Street, this being nearer, and lie thought there was 
no harm in doing so. He also said he was not aware that there were any of the beans 
amongst the rubbish. Care should be taken in discharging ships whose cargoes con¬ 
tained articles of a poisonous character, because children would play about rubbish to 
wdiich they could have access, and serious results might follow. In this instance 46 
children ate of the beans and were carried to the Southern Hospital, though only one 
had died. It w r as a singular fact that the one who died was not sick ; he must there¬ 
fore have retained a portion of the poisonous bean in his stomach. The Coroner then 
read an extract from the ‘ Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh,’ contain¬ 
ing a description of the plant that produces the ordeal bean of Calabar. The extract 
was from a paper read before the Society by Professor Balfour, of the University of 
Edinburgh. It was as follows :—“ It lias long been known that in various parts of 
Africa the natives are in the habit of subjecting to the ordeal of poison parties who are 
suspected of crimes. On the east coast we meet witli Tanghinia venenata , yielding the 
Tanghin poison-nut of Madagascar, and on the west coast seeds and barks of different 
kinds have been employed as ordeals, the sources of wdiich, however, have not been 
hitherto fully ascertained. Dr. Kirk, naturalist to the Livingstone expedition, states 
that the Manganja tribe, in the south-east of Africa, believe in a god and in medicine, 
or the ordeal which he directs as the means of discovering crime. If the ordeal 
causes vomiting, it shows innocence ; if it acts by the bowels, crime ; and the person 
is put to death. But the doctors have a good knowledge of which to give, for there 
are different plants used. In the district of Old Calabar a bean is used for an ordeal 
poison, to which the name of Esere is given. It possesses extraordinary energy, and 
the attention of the missionaries of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 
that quarter was directed to this poison several years ago. The Rev. H. M. Waddell, 
one of these missionaries (now in Edinburgh), brought some of the beans to this coun¬ 
try ; and of late numerous specimens of them have been sent or brought to Edinburgh 
by other missionaries.” There w r as no doubt, the Coroner observed, that the beans 
w r ere brought as part of the cargo of a ship, and extreme caution should have been 
used in disposing of the rubbish, amongst which a part of the cargo might have es¬ 
caped. There was no law that he knew of affecting any of the parties in this case, as 
the poor boy had injured himself by eating the beans. He thought, however, that 
more caution should have been used. 
The jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict to the effect that the de¬ 
ceased had “ died from the effects of incautiously eating a poisonous bean, called the 
* Calabar Bean,’ which had been incautiously delivered from a ship in some rubbish.” 
The jury accompanied with their verdict an expression of opinion that the captains of 
ships bringing cargoes w r hich contained articles of a dangerous character should exer¬ 
cise caution with regard to the place in which the rubbish was deposited. The 
Coroner told Mr. Costain, the overlooker, that it would be well, when Calabar beans 
and articles of that nature were brought as part of the cargoes of ships, to give the 
captains strict instructions with regard to the discharge of the vessels, in order that 
due precaution might be exercised. He hoped that a case of this kind would never 
occur again. He highly commended Inspector Moore and police-constable Storey for 
the prompt measures which they took in connection with the occurrence. He thought 
their conduct was deserving of great praise. 
THE LATE ACCIDENT AT LIVERPOOL. 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
Sir,—The astounding fine which, with the heavy costs, Messrs. Clay and 
Abraham have to pay for the carelessness of an assistant, may well alarm the 
whole trade at their terrible responsibility. 
If the error had been committed by one of the “ Principals ,” so heavy a 
fine might, with some reason, have been deserved ; but when it occurred through 
