92 
EDITORIAL. 
researches.  All  I  can  as  yet  say  to  you  is,  that  of  the  sixty-three  species 
found  at  Para  not  less  than  forty-nine  are  inedited,  which  will  require 
the  establishment  of  eighteeu  new  genera  to  give  them  place  in  the  system 
of  fishes.  Besides  this,  I  perceive  the.  necessity  of  distinguishing  five 
families  that  have  been  confounded  with  others  to  the  present  time." 
Under  date  of  September  8th,  Prof.  Agassiz  writes  that  he  had  then 
obtained  more  than  three  hundred  species  of  fish,  although  he  had,  to 
that  time,  only  examined  one-third  of  the  Amazon,  without  trenching  on 
its  affluents.  He  had  only  counted  on,  at  most,  two  hundred  and  fifty  or 
three  hundred  species,  and  he  says  that  not  a  third  of  those  he  collected 
belong  to  known  on^es.  . 
The  latest  report  is  that  Agassiz  was  to  leave  Manaos,  in  Amazonas,  on 
the  10th  of  September,  for  Tabatinga,  in  Peru. 
Pharaoh's  Serpents — No  more  remarkable  instance  of  the  influence  of 
public  curiosity  on  the  production  of  chemicals  can  probably  be  adduced 
than  in  the  case  of  the  so-called  Serpent's  Eggs,  where  sulphocyanide  of 
mercury,  an  almost  unknown  salt,  is  suddenly  produced  in  large  quantities 
to  gratify  a  curiosity,  partly  real  and  partly  the  effect'of  a  name;  for,  had 
not  an  acute  suggestion  connected  the  idea  of  burning  this  salt  in  a  par- 
ticular way,  so  as  to  give  its  voluminous  ash  a  serpentine  or  vermicular 
form,  with  the  magic  art  of  Pharaoh's  wise  men,  it  is  not  probable  that 
so  remarkable  a  demand  would  have  been  made  on  the  chemical  caterers. 
In  another  column,  page  61,  we  give  Mr.  Wood's  paper,  which  gave 
the  first  notice  to  the  English  and  American  journals.  The  sulpho- 
cyanide of  mercury,  like  calomel,  is  insoluble  in  water,  and  needs  some 
glutinous  excipient  to  form  it  into  pastilles,  but,  as  this  addition  detracts 
from  the  combustibility  of  the  salt,  the  art  of  making  them  consists  in 
giving  them  the  right  degree  of  firmness  without  invading  this  property. 
Several  accidents  have  occurred  from  the  ignition  of  quantities  of  the 
salt,  and  one  factory,  at  least,  has  been  destroyed.  We  have  not  yet 
heard  of  any  destruction  of  life  by  the  pastilles,  but,  as  they  are  made 
from  a  mercuric  salt,  it  is  not  impossible  that,  like  white  precipitate,  sub- 
sulphate,  and  other  insoluble  persalts  of  mercury,  they  are  poisonous.  The 
products  of  combustion,  however,  appear  to  be  harmless — a  fortunate 
circumstance. 
To  Our  Subscribers. — An  apology  is  due  for  the  delay  in  issuing  this 
number,  which  has  arisen  from  causes  partly  editorial,  but  chiefly  charge- 
abje  to  the  printer. 
The  Internal  Revenue  Laws  in  Relation  to  Pharmacy. — The  special 
commissioners  appointed  to  investigate  the  working  of  the  Internal 
Revenue  laws  in  general,  and  more  especially  in  relation  to  alcohol 
and  alcoholic  liquors,  coffee,  tobacco,  etc.,  etc.,  have  been  indus- 
triously engaged  in  gathering  testimony  and  other  evidence.  $  The  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  at  the 
last  meeting,  of  which  Dr.  E.  R.  Squibb  is  chairman,  have  obtained  a 
hearing,  and  have  earnestly  represented  the  views  of  the  Association  m 
