50 IMPROVEMENTS IN THE REFINING OF SUGAR. 
Hungary, when civil troubles have given place to a bene- 
ficial peace, the government will seriously give its attention 
to the domestic interests of the country 7 and introduce into 
the organization of the pharmaceutical body those reforms 
which are so imperatively called for. — Journal de Phar~ 
macie d'Anvers and Pharmaceutical Journal for Oct. 
ART. X. — RECENT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE 
AND REFINING OF SUGAR. 
In a brief notice of the meetings of the British Association 
at Birmingham, in the last number of this Journal, we al- 
luded to a paper read before the Chemical Section by Dr. 
ScorTern, tf< On the combined Use of the Basic Acetate of 
Lead and Sulphurous Acid in the Colonial Manufacture 
and Refining of Sugar." This process has been made the 
subject of a patent ; and as it has attracted some attention in 
this country, while another process, not very dissimilar, has 
created a degree of sensation among manufacturers on the 
Continent, we have thought that a description of the pro- 
posed improvements may be interesting to some of our 
readers. 
DR. SCOFFERN'S AND MR. SIEVIER's PATENTS. 
Dr. Scoffern's patent is dated December 7th, 1847 ; and 
the specification was enrolled on the 7th of June following. 
The invention relates to the employment of sulphurous 
acid as an agent for the separation of lead from solutions of 
sugar which may have been purified thereby. 
In refining sugar, according to the patentee's process, the 
raw sugar is dissolved in a pan, and basic acetate of lead, 
in the proportion of about forty grains to every pound of 
sugar, being added, the mixture is kept at a temperature of 
180° Fahr. for five minutes ; it is then left to repose for about 
fifteen minutes, when, on examination, a curdy brown pre- 
cipitate will be seen gradually sinking to the bottom, and 
