8 
PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTES  OF  TRAVEL. 
purchase  of  larger  quantities  at  a  time  and  increase  the  danger 
of  accidents. 
Some  differences  of  sentiment  were  manifest  in  regard  to  the 
course  of  the  Council  in  attempting  a  modification  of  the  bill, 
rather  than  aiming,  from  the  first,  at  its  total  defeat,  and  the 
idea  was  even  thrown  out  by  one,  that  members  of  the  medical 
profession  were  its  secret  originators,  and  that  these  had  too 
much  influence  upon  the  Council  of  the  Society. 
Considerable  merriment  was  produced  by  the  speech  of  a 
broad  spoken  Scotch  member,  ridiculing  the  fogyism  of  the  no- 
ble Lords,  who  having  originated  nothing  of  value  during  the 
session,  towards  its  close  set  themselves  about  interfering  in 
this  matter  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  a  little  credit  with  the 
country  ;  he  also  adverted  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been  partial 
in  limiting  the  provisions  of  the  bill  to  England.  They  had 
failed  to  grasp  the  thistle,  turned  aside  from  the  shamrock,  and 
contented  themselves  with  merely  smelling  the  rose. 
The  resolutions  condemnatory  of  the  act  were  unanimously 
adopted  by  a  show  of  hands,  the  English  mode  of  taking  the 
sense  of  an  assembly,  the  members  rising  and  holding  up  both 
hands,  with  the  cry,  all,  all,  all,  designed  to  encourage  any  who 
were  doubting,  to  join  in  the  vote. 
The  reader  may  imagine  with  what  interest  an  American  phar- 
maceutist, accustomed  to  mingle  with  the  pharmaceutists  of  his 
own  country  in  their  convocations,  and  to  hear  their  relations 
to  each  other,  to  the  medical  profession,  and  to  the  public,  dis- 
cussed, would  listen  to  a  debate  like  this,  showing  the  similarity 
of  trials,  of  hardships,  and  of  pleasures  which  attend  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  same  important  trusts  on  opposite  sides  of 
the  Atlantic ;  and  not  a  few  who  read  this  will  join  in  the  ex- 
ultation which  I  felt  in  common  with  the  members  of  the  Lon- 
don Pharmaceutical  Society,  when  it  was  announced  that  the 
obnoxious  "  Sale  of  Poisons,  &c.  bill"  was  withdrawn  without 
going  into  the  Commons,  in  consequence  of  the  outside  pres- 
sure of  the  fraternity. 
The  graduates  of  Apothecaries'  Hall  are  a  very  numerous 
class  in  London  ;  their  education,  though  less  comprehensive 
and  scientific  than  that  of  the  Medical  Colleges,  is  thorough  in 
the  practical  branches  ;  their  examinations  are  in  Latin ;  the 
