many, had real German valerian, which I frequently had an opportunity to see, and always found it to be of very superior quality.

Prof. MAISCH. There is no difficulty in getting good articles in Germany if you will pay good prices; just as there has been no difficulty in getting good scammony since Dr. Squibb sent out and got it without limitation. I have since had scammony that contained ninety-five per cent. resin. This improvement in quality we owe to Dr. Squibb. Ten years ago we could not get it.

Dr. SQUIBB. Mr. Dix said then you might as well try to buy a gold dollar for eighty cents as to get scamiony above sixty-five per cent.

Prof. PARRISH. In confirmation of what Dr. Squibb has said, I will state that I can always obtain in Philadelphia from a German house prime roots of valerian, aconite and taraxacum, and nearly all the roots that grow in Germany. This house always has a quantity. I am told by them that a very large proportion of the drugs sent out to this country as English are really German-exported from Germany into England. I was also told by one of them that, when a resident in Germany, he was in the habit of assorting crude drugs with special reference to the English market, to which large quantities are sent.

Mr. STEARNS. The difficulty in obtaining good drugs lies in the fact that the importers are anxious to undersell each other. That very fact alone leads to sending of orders under a limitation, or for drugs of an inferior quality. Importers generally rely upon the fact that the majority of those that sell it are not sufficiently posted to judge of them, but take whatever is offered them.

Dr. SQUIBB. There has been for some time past a difficulty in obtaining a first quality of rhubarb. The source of supply of Russian rhubarb has been exhausted, by the Government having done away with their inspection, and the Russian rhubarb is no longer accessible. The price advanced so much that it was necessary to get a good class of rhubarb to supply the market. None was in the market, and the sole cause was limitation where orders were sent. An importer in New York brought with him from the other side seven cases, and it was the finest rhubarb that had been in the New York market for some time. He sold it for seven dollars a pound, and he told me that he bought it just as he left, and that the net profits on that rhubarb paid his expenses and sojourn there for six months.

When QUERY 36th, "on the means to avoid fermentation, &c., in pharmaceutical preparations," was called up, Prof. Procter stated that G. J. Scattergood had continued his experiments on the subject, but that his business prevented him from devoting much time to it; he would suggest to drop the Query and let Mr. Scattergood report whenever his experiments have been pushed sufficiently ahead to warrant a written report. The sug

gestion was adopted, when Mr. Jenkins stated that he had prevented the growth of cryptogams and arrested fermentation by the use of a little sulphite of soda.

The Secretary read a description and exhibited a model and drawing of the pharmaceutical pressure-steam still of Mr. A. F. Neynaber, of Philadelphia. Considerable discussion took place on the propriety of publishing, by the Association, patented apparatus, whether of little or great value to the pharmaceutist. Attention was drawn to the figuring and describing in former volumes of patented gas burners, scales, &c; but it was argued that the present case was different, inasmuch as the patentee himself exhibits the model and furnishes the description, while Mr. Maisch again stated that he had urged Mr. Neynaber to prepare a model, drawing and description for the benefit of this Association.

Dr. S. S. Garrigues moved that the paper and drawing be referred to the Executive Committee with discretionary power; the motion was put and declared lost by the Chair. A division being called for, the Secretary announced that of the members present, six voted for, and eight against the motion, which was, therefore, lost.

Dr. E. R. Squibb introduced the following:

Resolved, That the thanks of the Association are due and hereby tendered to Mr. Neynaber, for the exhibition of his steam distilling apparatus and drawings, and that the Association apologize to Mr. Neynaber for failing to publish his paper and drawings in the Proceedings, this failure being due to an unwillingness to establish a precedent for publishing notices of patented articles which may be offered by the patentee.

The vote being taken, a division was called for, when 12 votes were cast for, and 8 against the resolution; it was, therefore, declared carried.

The Chairman of the Business Committee gave notice of a proposition for amending the Constitution, regarding the acceptance of resignations by the Permanent Secretary or Treasurer, which, under the rules, lies over to a future session.

On motion, the Association adjourned to meet to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock.

Fourth Session.-Friday Morning.

The meeting was called to order by President Stearns, at 9 o'clock. The minutes of the previous session were read, corrected, and then adopted.

The proposed amendments to the constitution being called up, the discussion was opened on the one offered at the first session, (see page 24,) to have the certificates of membership signed by one of the Vice-Presidents and by the Treasurer. After some discussion, the arguments pro and contra being similar to those advanced at the first session, Prof. Parrish moved to amend by inserting the words "at least" before the words "one of the Vice-Presidents;" when Mr. Maisch moved to indefinitely postpone the subject; which motion was carried, it being understood from the discussion that the Treasurer's signature was requisite because the certificates were distributed by him.

The following amendment, of which notice had been given at the third session, was now introduced.

Resolved, That Article II. of the Constitution be amended by the introduction of a new Section, to be called Section V., as follows:

Resignation of membership shall be made in writing to the Permanent Secretary or Treasurer. But no resignation shall be accepted from members who are in arrears to the Treasurer. All resignations shall be acknowledged in writing by the officer who receives them, and shall be reported at the next annual meeting.

Resolved, That the present Section V. shall be called Section VI. On motion, this resolution was adopted, none of the members present voting against it.

The Business Committee, in accordance with the recommendation contained in President Lincoln's annual address, brought forward the following:

Resolved, That Art. III, Sect. 1, be amended so as to read as follows: The Officers shall be a President, two or more Vice-Presidents, a Permanent Secretary, a Local Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall, with the exception of the Permanent Secretary and Treasurer, be elected annually, and shall hold office until an election of successors.

Sect. 2. The Permanent Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected to hold office permanently during the pleasure of the Association, and shall each receive an annual salary and the amount of their travelling expenses.

All members taking part in the discussion on this resolution

agreed in the propriety of continuing the Treasurer in office as long as possible; but the resolution was opposed on the ground that an incumbent might be re-elected annually without stipulating in the constitution that the office should be a permanent

one.

Prof. PARRISH moved an amendment to strike out all after the word "resolved" and insert in place thereof,

That the words "Permanent Secretary" be substituted for “ Recording Secretary" wherever the latter occurs in the Constitution.

During the debate on the amendment, it was argued that this was a mere clerical correction, since the officer in question was now a permanent one, and that the correction could be made. without the formal vote of the Association. The question on the amendment was put, and a majority voting against it, it was declared lost.

The original resolution was now voted on and was lost, less than three-fourths of the members voting for it.

Mr. E. A. LAMBERT exhibited specimens of wines, and made the following remarks:

We have imported these wines (at the request of several physicians of New York) since five or six years before the war. They are sent to us by my uncle, who lives in the Province of Var, in the southern part of France. As these wines were very favorably received on their first importation, we concluded to import them on a large scale, but the breaking out of the war and the high cost of exchange compelled us to discontinue. We resumed the importation of them, however, about May of this year.

We have only two brands of wine-"Hygienic Wine" and "Muscat Perle." The "Muscat Perle" is one of the varieties of Muscat wine made in France, and grows near the Mediterranean, in the Province of Var. It is three years old. It is put into casks and shipped to us. The casks are double, so as to warrant its purity. We bottle it in New York and offer it to the trade.

Mr. Lambert then read from the label on the bottle the composition of the so-called hygienic wine which is manufactured in Paris.

Mr. TINKHAM, Agent for Messrs. Perkins, Stern & Co., of New York, exhibited specimens of California wines, and made the following remarks:

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention:

I do not propose to occupy your time in preliminary remarks, for I

know how valuable your time is, as well as my own. I appreciate your kindness in admitting me to the Convention, and will endeavor, as briefly as possible, to state the advantages which we claim for our wines, and also give some testimony as to their excellence. The firm I represent deals exclusively in California wines. They established the first house on this side for the sale of these wines, and from that time to the present have dealt only in them. We have presented these wines to various scientific bodies throughout the United States, and for their virtues and usefulness I propose to present to you, and rely upon, their testimony, rather than submit any remarks of my own. Perhaps the better way will be to read directly from analyses and letters received from various sources.

[We give only the following, which contain the results of partial analyses of these liquors.-EDITOR.]

SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE, WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 25, 1864.

Sir, The analysis of California wines and brandy submitted by you gives the following results:

Brandy, 43 per cent. alcohol, pure, with the exception of coloring matter. Port Wine, 16.5 per cent. alcohol, 4.4 per cent. grape sugar.

Muscatel, 15.5

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, (Signed)

J. K. BARNES, Act'g Surg. Gen.

Dr. C. T. JACKSON, of Boston, states that "California Port Wine yields 16 per cent. of absolute alcohol, with the proper vinous odor, and a fluid ounce of the wine leaves 54 grains of solid matter, consisting wholly of the fixed principles of grapes, namely: tartaric acid, tartrate of potassa, grape sugar, mucilage and coloring matter from grape skins."

While I appreciate the fact that these testimonials furnish no guarantee of the purity of these wines in the future, I will say that the character of a firm endorsed by such names is in itself a strong, if not an entirely sufficient guarantee. I am aware that in no point perhaps is more difficulty found than in procuring pure wines and liquors. To meet this want, so generally felt, is the aim of the firm I represent.

Prof. MAISCH. I think it would be very interesting to the Associa tion to know what kind of grape is used, and the general mode of preparing the wine.

Mr. TINKHAM. I shall be glad to give any information that I can. The kind of grape used in the manufacture of these wines, with the exception of the Muscatelle Wine, is a particular variety of the species Vitis vinifera, or blue Andalusian, of the upper Truro District. They were first introduced by the Jesuit Monks in their lines of missions along the coast a hundred years ago. They commenced the manufacture of wines, and continued it for nearly one hundred years. It was known during that time