Present State of the Cattle Plague. 507 



must be " instant in season and out of season," must " reprove, rebuke, 

 and exhort with all long-suffering." Their orders must be plain and 

 clear. The records in the ' Gentleman's Magazine ' show that in 1745 

 and 1747 there were great complaints relative to the obscurity of the 

 orders that were issued at that period. The people could not imder- 

 stand them, and consequently they were not obeyed. In all these 

 measures we must carry the people with us. "We want a sensitive, 

 receptive, central government, and an active local administration, 

 working together rapidly, and hand-in-hand. The duty of the central 

 authority should be interference — partly dictatorial, partly suggestive 

 — the object being to benefit us by their superior information and 

 their command of skill and talent, to complement local exertion, to 

 give confidence and protection against undue competition, to intervene 

 so as to give effect to the general wishes — in short, to carry out the 

 maxim of law laid down by Lord Coke: "Persons" — I would say 

 counties and boroughs — " may not do with their own that which may 

 injure another's"' — that is, you must use your own so as not to hurt 

 your neighbour. I would wish the central Government to bear in 

 mind that energy and self-dependence may be impaired by the 

 absence of help ; that much must be left to local knowledge and 

 local interest, and to direct interest in the result ; that a little competi- 

 tion and emulation may be better than the strictest conformity ; and 

 that on the other hand, now, as dui-ing the great plague, Quarter- 

 Sessional Orders, when they are very diverse, create distress, and 

 local authorities cannot prevent a laxity in one county which is 

 dangerous to others. Now on this point we have the example of 

 Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire. In Aberdeenshire they kill out, 

 and have killed out, at a voluntary expense ; in Kincardineshire they 

 are nursing. The local authority cannot impose quarantine on imports, 

 and other general and necessary restrictions. The disease must be 

 fought in every district; and there is no safety Avhile it smoulders 

 or lurks in any corner of the island. In fact, one county acting 

 independently is just like Mrs. Partington sweeping out the Atlantic 

 Ocean with her mop. 



I should like to say a word or two on the subject of sympathy, and 

 speak " a word in season to them that are weary." I can say for myself, 

 as a landowner, acting as a justice and living in the country, that it is 

 absolutely depressing to one's feelings to live in the midst of such 

 misery. I myself have not suffered much ; but on coming out of 

 church on Sunday afternoon, I have heard guns going off" in various 

 directions, every shot representing the death of a miserable cow. 

 Well, then, as to the farmers, this visitation will entirely break down 

 many of them. They were words of true pathos which a farmer 

 addi-essed to me — and he was a fine manly fellow, who had done many 

 a kindly action — " This will take the kick out of my gallop for many 

 a long year." Then as to the labourers — I mean the flower of the 

 agricultm-al labourers, men who have saved a little money, and who, 

 having got a little property themselves, know how to appreciate their 

 masters' losses. These are the people who are suffering most; and 

 they are well entitled to our sympathy. The labourers to whom I 



