The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-08 00:00:00

4P
rELE 'S.I_IN, LONDON, MONDAJ EVENING,

carelesgpesa of- a chemist's assistant in making up
a doctor's prescription. Interrupted in the pre-
paratiori Of this prescription by the entrance of
another customer into his employer's shop, the as-
sistant, it appears, on returning to complete the
very simple task he had already commenced, in-
stead of mingling sugar with the medicine, mixed
morphia with its ingredients, by a fatal inadver-
tence—the result being the poor child's death
upon the following morning. Now, this is just
precisely a case in point, as evidencing the neces-
sity of the humane measure now rapidly passing
through its last stages in the Imperial Parliament.
It was a case that occurred, not last month or last
year, but only the other day. It was no further
back than on Friday that the lamentable casualty
was under an investigation before the Coroner's
Jury at Liverpool—the case being adjourned for
analysis—so that it can scarcely be said even now
to have actually terminated. That we regard it as
anything but an exceptional case, may be seen at
once upon reference to our remarks upon Satur-
day on the need of the Sale of Poison; Bill now
being rapidly transformed into a legislative enact-
ment. We then spoke of the accidental admi-
nistration of poison, as of an evil the frequency of
which it has long been absolutely appalling to
contemplate. We observed of the fatal conse-
quences resulting from this evil that they might
only too readily be counted up, so to speak, by
wholesale.' And now, scarcely have we so re-
marked, when another melancholy- testimony of
the fact comes to our knowledge !
According to the regulations to be hereafter
enforced under the new enactment regulating the
sale of poisons throughout the United Kingdom
—no poison whatever will be sold except to an
adult, and that, moreover, in the presence of wit-
nesses. Had any one been looking over the
shoulder of this chemist's assistant dowit at
Liverpool at the time he was making up the
fatally bungled prescription, it would have been
impossible for him to have mixed up morphia,
instead of sugar, with the medicine. Another
security will be ensured to the public through
the Bill new hastening to its completion ; it being
enacted thereby that no poison shall in future be
procurable except upon the certificate of a cler-
gyman, of a justice of the peace, of two house-
holders, or of a medical practitioner. An ex-
emption, of course, being always made in the case
of a medical prescription—that of itself consti-
tuting in a manner the formally authen-
ticated certificate of a physician. Moreover—.
beyond all these precautionary arrangements prior
to all future sales of poisons after the new statute
shall have come into actual operation—the ven-
dors of all deadly drugs' of this description will be
required by law to keep a precise and minutely
accurate account of the date, of the person, and of
the quantity, in regard to each separate sale of
these poisonous commodities—the date of the sale,
the person who was the purchaser, and the quan-
tity sold to him across the counter. An admirably
judicious provision—orie that will render'Secresy
henceforth almost impossible to all would-be
Poisoners ! Besides the preventive arrangements
already here enumerated—there are others, how-
ever, the necessity for which may be presumed at
once to be still more glaringly apparent. It must
be perfectly plain to every one that access to poi-
sonous drugs ought, in reason, to be rendered in
the chemist's shop itself a matter of some -little
difficulty. It might even be advisable to require
that no poisons should in any instance be corn
prised among the stores in the outer room of an
apothecary—that they ought invariably to be kept
as a matter of form in the - inner room, in the
room behind the shop 1 And that, wherever kept,
they should always be kept under lock and key.
A few simple regulations like these might be the
means of saving many lives in the course of a
single twelvemonth. How many those may con-
jecture for themselves, who will muse for a few
passing moments over the frightful statistics men-
tioned by Lord GRANVILLE, and to which we
referred in our remarks on this subject in our,
impression of Saturday [evening. It must be
satisfactory to everyone to note the emphatic
commendation pronounced upon this new mea-
sure for the regulation of the sale of Poisons by
Lord Cum:mu, who observes that he is strongly
inclined to think that the Bill will do much to
prevent the sale of poisons for improper purposes,
and that, indeed, as far as he can see, it accom-
plishes all that legislation can do in the matter.
That, however, we do not pin our faith to. But
we accept the measure for such as it is, and we
accept it gratefully.

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—Her Majesty will this even-
ing honour the performances at this fashionable theatre
with her presence.
THE DOVER MAIL PACKET COMPANY.—The vessels
at present employed in the mail contract service from
Dover are the Queen, the Online, the Vivid, the Al-
liance, the Imperatrice, and the Garland. Their power
varies from 80 to 120 horses, and their tonnage ranges
from 250 to 308. They are only partly manned by
British seamen, except the Vivid.
DEALH or JOHN HAMPDEN NoRTHHOUSE.—On Sa-
turday we had the melancholy task of recording the death
of Mr. J. H. Stevens, the architect. The same day ex-
pired the chief associate of Mr. Stevens in framing tt.e
details of the grand plan, attributed to Mr. B. B. Cab-
bell, for enabling the working classes to sustain them-
selves when temporarily out of employment, without
undergoing separation from their wives and little ones,
through the " tender mercies "of the New Poor Law.
Young Mr..Northhouse possessed rare qualities of head
and heart. Ills intellectual grandeur as a writer and
speaker had flew equals. His success is attributed to
his adoption of the maxim ofVicesimus Knox—" Never
even in jest support that which you believe to be wrong."
Hence his firm earnestness went right home to the con-
viction of those he addressed, and he never was de-
feated. Called John Hampden from his birth, on the
night of the illumination for the passing of the Reform
Bill, after his father had rescued the borough of Stam-
ford from lordly domination; he felt the significancy of
the name, and his mind being stored with the lore of an-
cient_ Greece and Rome, he luxuriated over the charac-
ters of Leonidas and Miltiades of the one, and of Cato
and Regulus of the other. With a burning hatred of
despotism and oppression he united the gentlest sympa-
thies. All who admired him, and they were all who
knew him, loved him. His last words, after having
heard the 14th chapter of John read to him, and awaking
from a transient delirium, were, " What beautiful things
I have been reading. I shall read more in the morning
when it is light." The morning broke—it was light,
and he did read, in another world, his " title to the
skies.—Correskindent of the Morning Advertiser.
THE GREAT EASTERN.—During the banquet given by
the Institution of Civil Engineers on the occasion of
presenting a very handsome testimonial, valued at
2,0001., to Charles Manby, Esq., their retiring
secretary, Mr. Glynn, having proposed "Success
to the Great Eastern steam-ship," coupling with the
toast the name of Mr. Scott Russell, Mr. Scott Rue-
sal said he was undoubtedly proud of being the builder
of the great ship, and should feel still prouder if she
achieved the success he ventured to anticipate.
_The
moat remarkable feature connected with it was that a
boeiy of men should be found who would subscribe
700,000/ , for an undertaking the success of which was
eclared to be very problematical ; that feeling would,
however, be diminished when' it was known that three-
fourths of the shares in the undertaking were held
by members and associates of the Institution of Civil
Engineers. That fact alone epokd volumes for the
safety of the structure. Mr. Brunel, who must
be called the father of the project, had desired
to have the smallest ship capable of carrying its own
fuel to Australia and back, and conveying such a cargo
of goods and passengers as should be remunerative.
Calculation showed the actual dimensions to be neces-
sary, and the system of cellular construction adopted
at the Britannia-bridge afforded the strength for these
vastly increased proportions which had at first surprised
even English engineers, with their habit of regarding
everything as possible. The size did not now, however,
astonish even the merchants, who contemplated finding
cargoes for her without trouble. It would be a proud
day, both for Mr. Brunel (whose absence he regretted)
and for him, when the Great Eastern was committed to
her proper element. The ship was a specimen of what
the combined qualities of men could produce, and it im-
pressed upon all beholders the advantages of such union
as the institution afforded the means -of encouraging.
United, they could almost anything, and their efforts
must benefit their country, and be conducive to their
owe good,