362 
THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  LIQUOR  AMMONIA. 
the  anomaly  of  fertilization  in  the  absence  of  the  male  plant,  is 
in  a  great  measure  removed.  This  remark  rests,  however,  on 
the  assumption  that  Cannabis  Indica,  sativa,  Ganja  and  Bhang, 
are  all  identical,  a  point  I  think  yet  extremely  doubtful ;  though 
I  can  scarcely  make  up  my  mind  to  believe  that  Roxburgh, 
Ainslie,  Wight,  Griffith,  and  Royle,  could  have  failed  to  ascertain 
this,  if  there  had  been  any  specific  difference. 
The  female  flowers  greatly  predominate  in  the  specimens  under 
my  observation.  The  anthers  in  the  male  flower  are  often  less 
than  five,  but  are  fully  charged  with  pollen. 
Believe  me,  &c,  &c,  C.  J.  Muller. 
Pharmaceutical  Journal,  October,  1854. 
THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  LIQUOR  AMMONIA. 
By  "W.  Lawson. 
The  economical  preparation  of  liquor  ammonise  has  engaged 
the  attention  of  manufacturing  chemists  for  a  considerable  time, 
and  seems  to  have  attained  its  present  state  in  consequence  of 
the  rapid  spread  of  gas-lighting,  considerable  quantities  of  ammo- 
nia being  obtained,  as  one  of  the  bye-products  in  its  manufacture  ; 
hence,  in  almost  every  town  and  village  where  gas  is  consumed, 
we  find  factories  for  the  preparation  of  liquor  ammonige.  The 
principle  on  which  ammonia  is  generated  on  the  large  scale  does 
not  differ  materially  from  the  process  employed  in  laboratory 
experiments ;  viz.  by  introducing  into  a  retort  a  mixture  of  an 
ammoniacal  salt  with  hydrate  of  lime,  and  applying  a  gentle 
heat;  in  large  factories,  however,  the  salt  is  prepared  in  the 
same  premises  with  the  solution.  The  following  process  will 
be  found  to  answer  as  well  as  any  with  which  I  am  acquainted  : — 
Process. — Common  gas  liquor  is  introduced  into  a  series  of 
large  stills,  and  gradually  heated  up  to  the  boiling-point,  when 
the  ammonia  is  given  off  with  steam,  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  &c; 
this  impure  mixture  is  conducted  through  a  leaden  worm  sur- 
rounded by  water,  into  a  large  leaden  cistern  or  box,  until  a  suf- 
ficient quantity  has  been  collected  for  saturation  with  S03,  which 
combining  with  the  NH40,  forms  sulphate  of  ammonia,  and  libe- 
rates large  quantities  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen ;  the  mixture  is 
ext  pumped  into  leaden  vats  placed  over  the  stills,  and  through 
