472 REPORT ON THE TRANSIT OF STOCK. 



others, but the bell-shaped mouth would be curved in the reverse 

 direction, so that the action of the external air on them would 

 be to quicken the discharge of air from them. Movable con- 

 necting tubes might be used to carry the foul air from the lower 

 holds through the upper ones, without any risk of increasing the 

 •contamination of the air in the latter. The effect of this arrange- 

 ment would be, that a current of pure air would enter at the 

 sides, and as the temperature of the air in the hold would nearly 

 •always be higher than that of the external air, this current would 

 naturally sink to the lowest parts, and would pass from the sides 

 towards the centre, from which it would be discharged by the foul- 

 air pipes. Thus circulation would be established, and all that 

 w T ould remain to be ascertained would be the capacity of the 

 tubes required for a given number of cattle or sheep, to effect 

 thorough ventilation. This latter question would soon be settled 

 ~by practical experience ; but, in the meantime, we suggest one 

 •down- pipe of 12 inches in diameter, and one up-pipe of similar 

 capacity, for every 5 cattle or 15 sheep ; and we further suggest 

 that the mouths of both sets of pipes be made movable, so that 

 they can be faced to, or from, the direction in which the current 

 of external air is moving most strongly. By this means, and 

 with ample capacity of tubes, the ventilation of the holds could 

 at all times be completely regulated. 



The next evils to be noticed affect both the stock on deck and 

 in the hold — viz., the want of food and water. For stock that 

 ■are only to be on board the steamer for not more than eight or 

 ten hours, the want of food is not of very much consequence, 

 unless accompanied with severe exposure to cold or wet, and 

 therefore the following remarks are intended to apply rather to 

 stock which are to be a longer time on shipboard : — water, 

 however, we are inclined to insist on for all stock on board 

 a steamer at least once in every six hours. The considera- 

 tion of how these are best to be supplied brings up again what 

 lias been already alluded to — the usual method of securing the 

 animals, cattle and horses, by tying their heads as closely as 

 j)ossible to a ring in the side of the vessel, and by placing them 

 so closely together that access to their heads is almost impossible. 

 If such is to continue to be the arrangement of these animals on 

 board a steamer, the supply of the necessaries of life to them will 

 continue, as it hitherto has done, practically impossible ; but we 

 believe the absolute necessity of supplying these will compel a 

 ■change of arrangement, and therefore, as a preliminary to the 

 main question, we suggest a method of effecting this. For the 

 cattle on deck, let the standards and planks now placed along 

 the buttocks of the animals be made a little stronger and more 

 seciirely fixed than they are at present, and the animal's position 

 may be reversed, and its head tied to a ring in the plank, instead 



