and the Cattle Census. 405 



possessiny returns of the number of its cattle. Unfortunately it is 

 for the cliief division of the United Kingdom, England and 

 Wales, that there is an entire absence of information, upon which 

 reliance can be placed, as to the stock of cattle." The Board 

 remarks that the voluntary principle has been successful in 

 Ireland and Scotland, and it is only " in a similar way that the 

 same particulars could at present be collected for England and 

 Wales." The Board further expresses itself as most desirous to 

 promote the inquiry proposed by the Commission, "and will 

 take immediate steps to invite the co-operation of English agri- 

 culturists in a work of such manifest interest and importance ; " 

 and orders would forthwith be given for the preparation and 

 distribution of such schedules as were necessary for the inquiry. 

 It was expressly stated that " the number of live stock belonging 

 to individual persons will not be divulged," * 



A month elapsed from the date of the foregoing communication ; 

 and on the Gth of December, by which time 43,000 cattle had 

 been attacked by rinderpest, the Board of Trade wrote to the 

 Home Office " to move Secretary Sir George Grey to cause the 

 county magistrates of England and Wales, and the corresponding 

 authorities in Scotland, to be informed of the steps about to be 

 taken by the Board of Trade ; " and on the 8th of December Sir 

 George Grey addressed a circular letter to the Lords Lieutenant 

 of the several counties asking them to render such assistance as 

 might be necessary. 



The preliminary steps having been thus completed, we arrive 

 at the period when action was finally taken, and the experimentum 

 crucis fairly entered upon. 



It had been decided that the returns of stock should be 

 obtained through the medium of the officers of Inland Revenue, 

 and accordingly the necessary schedules were prepared and 

 distributed to the owners of stock, including cowkeepers and 

 dairymen, in towns. The surveyors of taxes were made the 

 medium of communication with the stock-owners, in whose 

 hands the requisite forms were placed in time for them to return 

 the different kinds of stock in their possession on the 5th of 

 March. The schedules, properly filled up, were directed to be 

 returned by post to the surveyor of taxes for the district ; the 

 surveyor had then to collate the returns for the whole of his 

 district and forward the results to the Board of Inland Revenue 

 at Somerset House as quickly as possible ; and the Inland 

 Revenue Department had then the duty of getting all the differ- 

 ent heads of information complete for counties, in which form 

 the return was prepared for the Board of Tiade to lay before 

 Parliament. 



* First Report of Cattle Plague Commissioners. Appendix E., p. 180. 



