Present State of the Cattle Plague. 501 



the offspring was not as fortunate as its parent was energetic. We 

 must further bear in mind that, henceforth, there will be almost daily 

 and hoiu-ly necessities for interference of one kind and anotlier by 

 legislation and other means. To come to the Act, however ; the first 

 point is that which relates to the local authority. All through the 

 great plague of 1747-57 there were complaints of apathy and laxity. 

 The next subject is that of joint committees : committees were formed 

 during the great plague. In Poland we find, from parliamentary 

 record, that farming gentlemen were associated there with the depart- 

 mental authorities with very great advantage. 



We come now to inspectors. The inspectors have been too much 

 decried here, although they are the hinge upon which the Act turns ; 

 they are ui^held in Belgium, and ought to be encoiu'aged and educated 

 to their work here. The police too should be utilized. Then with 

 regard to certificates and licences, there appears to be an unwholesome 

 belief in them, and they tend to be about as valuable as American 

 greenbacks. In a great jurisdiction, within a thousand miles of where 

 I live, a cii'ciilar has been issued upon this subject, which shows that 

 the disease has actually been spread in consequence of the laxity v/ith 

 which licences and certificates have been granted. In 1749 the 

 evidence in the ' Gentleman's Magazine' shows that certificates com- 

 pletely broke down ; and in May of the year 1750 it became necessary 

 to impose a fine of 20Z. upon justices, clergymen, and others who 

 issued wi-ongful certificates. My own opinion is, and I have the 

 conciu-rence of some of the most experienced and able justices — that 

 licences ought to be issued in Petty Sessions by two justices ; it is the 

 most disagreeable of duties that one can be exposed to in his own 

 house, when friends and neighbour's come for certificates ; and I 

 believe that the best and most able justices in the country would 

 prefer that these licences and certificates should, if possible, be granted 

 in Petty Sessions. 



We come now to consider the next point, which is slaughter ; and 

 here again I must be permitted to refer to the evidence contained in 

 the 'Gentleman's Magazine.' In October, 1745, they said that the 

 disease was incm-able. Again it was said, " Kill diseased beasts im- 

 mediately : it is the only means of preservation." In November they 

 say, " Killing out is generally approved of ;" and I observe that the 

 same arguments were used then as now about knocking human patients 

 on the head, and there were even better arguments than are now used 

 to show that the disease is not infectious or contagious. The com- 

 mission for Middlesex say : " If any person refuses to have his sick 

 cows killed and buried, in hopes they may recover or other pretence, 

 they are not to have the allowance." In 1747, the third year of the 

 gi'eat plague, experience shows that nothing can contribute so effect- 

 ually to prevent the sj)reading of the disease as killing the cattle when 

 the disease first appears upon them, before it begins to be infectious 

 and communicates itself to the rest of the herd — so it is an absolute 

 necessity. In 1750, the sixth year of the great plague, it is observed 

 that cattle were not killed soon enough to be useful, which means, for 

 the killing to be useful. Then Vii'gil and Columella are quoted upon 



