THE POISON OF THE TUTU PLANT.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 547, 26 August 1869, Page 3

THE POISON OF THE TUTU PLANT.

At the last meeting of the Philosophical Society at Wellington, Dr. Hector referred to some interesting results obtained by Mr Skey in the detection of the poisonous substance in the Tutu plant. Many experiments had been made for this purpose during the last six years, both in the Laboratory of the Geological Survey and by chemists in Great Britain, but had always failed. A short time ago Mr Henry Travers collected for the Museum a large quantity of ripe seeds of the Tutu (coriaria ruscifolia), and on these Mr Skey has recently experimented. By a process which was described he has discovered the poison to be a greenish oil unaffected by, and insoluble in water and mineral acids, but soluble in acetic acid, ether, alcohol, and chloroform. This oil is combined with a red colored resin, which is insoluble in ether, by removing which the poisonous oil was obtained in a pure state. Four minims of the oil administered to a cat produced, in the coui-se of kalf-an-hour, a succession of violent convulsions, following at intervals of twenty minutes, accompanied by twitchings and contraction of the extremities, and dilation of the pupils. A large proportion of the dose was vomited within a few minutes after it was administered, so that the poison must be extremely powerful. The quantity of poison contained in the seed is 12 per cent of the weight. A similar oil has been detected by Mr Skey to be the active poisonous element in the Karaka seed (carynocarpus Iceirgata), which will account for its having hitherto escaped detection, and he suggested that the discovery might lead to the detection of the active principle of many poisonous European plants that have hitherto eluded research. Specimens of the poisonous oil in different stages of its production were exhibited, and also the oil of the karaka seed.

It has been reported that Dr Gumming has written to the Pope, asking whether he may consider himself at liberty to attend the approaching Council, and if so, whether he will be allowed liberty of speech. He is reported to have said that there is already unity in the Christian Church—inasmuch as all creeds hold the fundamental and essential truths of Christianity. Two waggish residents of Daylesford, who labored under a marked impediment of speech, met by chance in the bar of an hotel. A dispute having arisen between them as to which had the greater difficulty in pronouncing his words, the taller of the two clinched his argument as follows: " I'll t-t-tell you w-w-what; I'll st-st-stutter you for a pound." A sporting journal announces among its list of sports to come, that "J. Dark, of Kingsland, will throw bricks against any man in the world. A match can be made for from £25 to £IOO a side." _ A girl recently advertised for a situation as barmaid or waitress in a refreshment saloon. Among her qualifications for such a position, she says she can cut 225 pieces of bread, of satisfactory appearance, out of one pound of bread, and butter them with two ounces of butter. In a sermon preached at the Brompton Oratory, Archbishop Manning stated that there are more Catholics in London than there are inhabitants in Rome. It is reported that the Methodist Church in America has substituted the word " fidelity " for " obedience " in the woman's part of their form of marriage. Affecting Sentiment.—The maiden wept, and I said, 'Why weepest thou maiden?' She answered not, neither did she speak, but sobbed exceedingly ; and I again said, ' Maiden why weepest thou ?' And she answered and said, ' What's that to you ? Mind your own business.' Shooting fob Finsr.—A man who was shooting ' for fun' in Colorado recently shot an individual who, he says, unfortunately popped his head around the corner and struck the bullet. We suppose the individual who intercepted the bullet had a shooting pain head.