Present State of the Cattle Plague. 509 



the licences under wliicli the movement of cattle took place should be 

 simplified. He agreed that licences should generally be granted not 

 privately, but publicly by two justices, or by those who now formed 

 the local committees in counties. Although he had not very great 

 faith in certificates, yet he would have certificates granted only through 

 the agency either of the officers or of the committees themselves sitting 

 in the local district ; and, in all cases in which it was necessary to 

 remove cattle, he Avould have three days' notice given of a licence 

 having been granted. On the other hand, while he would make it 

 somewhat more difficult to obtain the licences, and have a uniform plan 

 throughout the coimtry, he should like to see the system simplified, to 

 meet the actual state of matters. Supposing railway transit to be for 

 a certain time discontinued, and fairs and markets shut up for a 

 lengthened period, instead of each divisional licence extending over 

 the division and no further, (so that a person moving cattle twenty 

 miles might be obliged to have no less than three diiferent justices' 

 certificates,) the Privy Council might every week send to the Quarter 

 Sessions, as the local central authority, a list of all the places in their 

 county which have been for one month free from infection. The 

 justices might then issue licences to those districts which were free 

 from infection, enabling farmers and others to move their stock through 

 the several districts which were declared by the Privy Council not to 

 be infected, and that without the necessity of referring to another 

 justice for a fresh licence. Although this would add to the difficulties 

 of the farmer in his present position, some such stringent order should 

 be issued ; for it was perfectly well known to those who had watched 

 the effects of the cattle plague, that after the disease had disappeared 

 from a district it had re-appeared from one market or fair, owing to 

 the congregation of animals at the spot. 



Allusion had been made to the supply of the Metropolitan Market 

 almost entirely by foreign stock. No doubt that was vastly for the 

 benefit of the consumer ; but it was no less a fm-ther burden as it were 

 upon the agricultiu'al interest, who were tmable to transmit their cattle 

 because they were not near a seaport, whilst the foreigner could come 

 in and compete with them. But as the agricultural interest had borne 

 their bm-den with a patience and endui'ance beyond all praise, so he 

 felt satisfied that they would support even further restrictive measures, 

 if likely to stay the cattle plague. With regard to the question of the 

 Dead-meat Market, he trusted that the graphic account which Lord 

 Cathcart had given them of the state of things in Newgate Market 

 Avould have the eflect of stirring up those who ought long ago to have 

 provided a proper place. He trusted that not two or three gentlemen, 

 but some one dej)artment of the Government would take iip this matter, 

 and that such orders would be issued as would apply to all England — 

 that they would be enabled to go to one department of the Govern- 

 ment and receive from them such orders as might faiidy guide them. 



Sir W. Stirling wished to join in thanking Lord Cathcart for his 

 very useful and interesting remarks. He was inclined to ask the 

 question how it was that so much apathy existed on the subject in the 

 Eoyal Agricultural Society — a society to which the whole world was 



