(Sbitorial  department. 
The  London  Pharmacopoeia  antd  the  Pharmaceutical  Society. — Previ- 
ous to  the  last  revision  of  the  London  Pharmacopoeia,  the  Royal  College  of 
Physicians,  as  had  been  previously  their  habit,  employed  Mr.  Richard 
Phillips  to  perform  .such  chemical  investigations  as  were  needed  during  the 
revision,  and  they  also  addressed  circulars  to  several  individual  pharmaceu- 
tists eliciting  special  practical  information.  The  council  of  the  Pharmaceu- 
tical Society  being  of  the  opinion  that  the  Royal  College  would  be  best 
served  by  addressing  the  Society  in  its  official  capacity,  this  opinion  was 
communicated  to  the  College,  who  at  the  time  did  not  avail  themselves  of 
the  Society's  aid,  although  they  entertained  the  suggestion,  and  have  recently 
opened  the  subject,  which  has  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  "  Committee 
of  Revision"  by  the  Council  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society,  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Dean,  Davenport,  Squire,  Mason,  Hooper,  Garden,  and  Bell,  who 
will  report  to  the  Council.  We  regard  this  movement  as  indicative  of  a 
great  improvement  in  the  standing  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Chemists  of  Lon- 
don, and  of  the  good  feeling  of  physicians  toward  them,  as  the  Royal  College 
is  perhaps  the  most  aristocratical  medical  body  in  the  world. 
Cavendish  Society. — There  are  now  twelve  volumes  of  the  publications  of 
this  Society  to  be  had  on  subscribing,  viz.,  8  volumes  of  Gmelin's  Handbook, 
2  volumes  of  Lehmann's  Physiological  Chemistry,  the  Atlas  of  Microscopic 
Drawings,  by  Otto  Funke,  to  accompany  it,  and  the  Life  of  Cavendish. 
There  is  yet  due  to  the  Subscribers  for  1853,  the  1st  volume  of  BischofFs 
Elements  of  Chemical  and  Physical  Geology;  and  the  Life  of  Dalton,  by 
Dr.  Henry,  of  Manchester,  is  published  in  England  but  has  not  reached 
the  Secretaries  here.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  much  delay  attends  the 
issue  of  the  books.  Bischoff's  work  has  been  kept  back  by  the  author's  de- 
lay in  furnishing  the  revised  sheets ;  why  the  third  volume  of  Lehmann  has 
not  appeared  we  are  not  informed.  The  six  volumes  of  the  Handbook  of 
Gmelin,  comprising  the  whole  of  the  inorganic  chemistry,  can  now  be  had 
separately  of  the  Secretary  at  Philadelphia,  as  per  advertisement. 
Handbook  of  Chemistry,  Theoretical,  Practical,  and  Technical.  By  F.  A. 
Abel,  Professor  of  Chemistry  at  Woolwich,  &c,  and  L.  Bloxam,  of  the 
Royal  College  of  Chemistry.  With  a  Preface  by  Dr.  Hoffman,  and  nu- 
merous Illustrations  on  Wood.  Philadelphia;  Blanchard  &  Lea.  8vo. 
pp.681.  1854. 
Many  years  have  not  elapsed  since  the  chemical  student,  who  sought  in- 
formation on  any  of  the  practical  points  relating  to  analytical  investigation, 
had  to  search  in  the  treatises  of  Continental  Europe.  The  few  works  of 
English  and  American  origin  were  confined  chiefly  to  descriptive  chemistry, 
