206 Report on Steppe Murrain or Rinderpest. 



Finland, or between the Gulf and the city of Liibeck," might 

 be found to require an immediate extension to other countries, or 

 possibly we might ascertain that a relaxation of it could be made 

 without the incurrence of a greater risk of the disease being intro- 

 duced. We therefore commenced our inquiries in 



Belgium. 



Our investigations here fully confirmed the statement made by 

 Lord Howard de Walden, her Majesty's Ambassador at Brussels, 

 in his despatch to Lord Clarendon, dated March 20th, 1857, that 

 this country was perfectly free from the Rinderpest. We found 

 that eczema epizootica prevailed to some extent, but not in a 

 serious form, and that pleuro-pneumonia also existed in several 

 parts of the kingdom. Rinderpest had not shown itself to an 

 extent to create much solicitude since the Seven Years' War, 

 during which time it destroyed vast numbers of cattle. From 

 1813 to 1815 some cases occurred in the district between 

 Namur and Luxemberg, which are said to have arisen from the 

 passage of the Austrian army into France. The route taken 

 by the army was south of the Belgian frontier, and near to the 

 places in question ; and it appears that along its whole course 

 the disease was manifested to a greater or less extent on either 

 side of the military road. It is also said that the cattle belonging 

 to the Prussian army being healtliy, no disease followed its course 

 through the country, and thus a great part of Belgium escaped the 

 pest ; the measures of sanitary police confining it chiefly to the 

 neighbourhood of Namur, and the districts in which it had mani- 

 fested itself. We refrain from commenting on these facts in 

 this place, as hereafter we shall have to call attention to the 

 freedom of Continental states in general from the disease, unless 

 infected cattle, or sucli as have been exposed to the contagious 

 influence of the malady, are introduced therein. 



At Ghent we visited a cattle fair which was held the day after 

 our arrival, and had thus an opportunity of observing the general 

 state and condition of animals brought from all parts of the 

 kingdom, which proved to be most satisfactory. From the 

 cattle-dealers we learned that no difficulties are put in the vv^ay 

 of the passage of cattle to or fro over \X\e frontier^ so long as they 

 are healthy, but that restrictions would be rigidly enforced on the 

 breaking out of a contagious disease. Lord Howard de Walden 

 writes that " no law exists under which diseased cattle can be 

 excluded at the frontier ; a project of law, with a view to such 

 sanitary precaution, was presented to the Chambers two years 

 ago, but was rejected ; and therefore the only resource lies in the 

 activity of the Burgomasters in frontier localities, by enforcing 

 the general regulations in regard to animals while within the 



