CASE  OF  POISONING  BY  STRYCHNINE,  ETC. 
511 
His  Lordship  Well,  I  thought  that  he  had  sustained  some 
injury. 
The  Attorney-General  Well,  say  a  shilling  to  the  other ; 
then  the  verdict  will  be  for  c£1500.  Is. 
Mr.  Temple. — Now,  my  Lord,  this  was  an  action  brought  by 
the  administratrix  of  a  person  who  met  with  his  death  in  con- 
sequence of  a  person  in  the  employ  of  the  defendants,  who  are 
eminent  chemists  in  this  town,  having  unfortunately  mixed 
strychnine,  instead  of  James's  Powder,  with  the  medicine  that 
had  to  be  administered.    Now,  I  was  prepared  with  a  large 
body  of  evidence,  comprising  nearly  all  the  most  eminent 
physicians  and  surgeons  in  this  town,  and  also  a  great  number 
of  chemists  from  different  parts  of  the  country — amongst  the 
rest,  from  the  chemists  of  Her  Majesty,  who  have  dispensed 
the  medicine  of  the  Royal  Family  for  the  last  thirty  years — 
for  the  purpose  of  making  out  that,  although  this  sad  mischance 
had  taken  place,  the  defendants  had  always  conducted  their 
business  with  great  care,  and  had  so  arranged  the  various  med- 
icine bottles,  including  poisons,  as  in  their  best  judgment  would 
be  most  likely  to  guard  against  accident.    1  have  this  vast 
body  of  evidence  to  express  approval  of  the  mode  adopted  by 
the  defendants,  and  also  to  show  that  it  was  very  commonly 
adopted  and  most  approved  of  by  the  profession.    I  think  it 
but  justice,  with  the  consent  of  the  Attorney-General,  to  make 
that  statement ;  but,  as  your  Lordship  knows,  it  would  have 
amounted  to  no  defence.    We  still  should  have  been  liable  at 
law.    And  I  may  say  that  Messrs.  Clay  and  Abraham  have 
said  to  me  that,  even  supposing  they  could  have  hoped  for  a  ver- 
dict on  any  strictly  legal  ground,  they  should  feel  it  their 
bounden  duty,  under  the  circumstances,  to  pay  to  the  widow 
such  a  sum  as  might  be  considered  reasonable  and  proper.  For 
these  reasons  the  defendants  have  consented,  as  has  been  stated, 
to  a  verdict  for  <£1500. 
His  Lordship  said — Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  I  think  we  may  all 
say  we  approve  of  the  course  the  defendants  have  taken.  For 
my  own  part,  I  must  say,  we  all  know  accidents  will  happen, 
as  the  common  saying  is,  in  the  best-regulated  establishments ; 
but  I  would  make  this  one  further  observation,  that  in  these 
matters  of  dealing  with  poisons  I  think  it  would  be  an  excellent 
