222 Report on Steppe Murrain or Rinderpest. 



anxiety as to whether the malady might not soon extend to our 

 own country. The alarm, however, seems to have arisen out of 

 the circumstance that pleuro-pneumonia, which had occasionally 

 of late years affected the cattle in Mecklenburg, in common with 

 other Continental states, showed itself somewhat suddenly in 

 March, 1856, at the village of Great Goruon, near to Sternberg. 

 Its outbreak is attributed to the introduction of some cattle from 

 Bavaria ; and it appears that the " court cattle which were in 

 the same stable " were subsequently attacked. After the death 

 of several, the remainder of the animals were killed, and buried 

 entire. 



This summary proceeding appears to have arrested the disease 

 in that particular village, but cases are said to have occurred 

 in other parts of the Duchies. The interdict which was laid 

 on the estate of Great Goruon concerning the "export, import, 

 and transit of cattle immediately on the outbreak of the disease," 

 was not, however, removed until Oct. 1st of the same year, after 

 which time free intercourse was allowed. On this fact being 

 officially communicated to the authorities at Liibeck, and also 

 that the whole of Mecklenburg was free from the disease, the 

 Senate removed the restrictions which had been placed in the 

 way of cattle entering their territory ; but, as has been observed 

 in that part of this Report which specially refers to Liibeck, 

 they were again enforced in February of the present year, in con- 

 sequence of the reappearance of the disease in the duchies of 

 Mecklenburg. 



On the 24th of December, 1856, the Commissioners of our 

 Customs published an order with regard to a more rigid exami- 

 nation by the Inspectors of Foreign Cattle, " with special refe- 

 rence to a contagious disease called ' murrain,' which has recently 

 broken out amongst the homed cattle of Mecklenburg." Count 

 Biilow, Minister to the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 

 complained of this order to Lord Blomfield, her Majesty's ambas- 

 sador to the court of Prussia, and requested that the attention 

 of the Home Government might be directed to it, and Lord 

 Blomfield thereupon sent a despatch to the Earl of Clarendon, 

 to the following effect : — 



" My Lord, " Berlin, January 23, 1857. 



" I have the honor to inclose to your Lordship herewith a copy of a com- 

 mnnication which I have received from Count Bulow, Minister of his Eoyal 

 Highness the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, requesting me to draw the 

 attention of her Majesty's Government to the injurious efi'ects wliich the 

 pubhcation of the Custom-house Order, puhhshed in London the 24tli De- 

 cember, 1856, respecting the importation of cattle, alleged to be diseased, 

 from the Mecklenburg States, is likely to have on the commerce of the 

 country. Count Biilow states that ' the cattle murrain,' alluded to in this 

 order as now existing in Mecklenburg, has only manifested itself twice, for a 



