THE LUNG PLAGUE OF CATTLE. 17 



healthy; to its propagation by contagion only and to its exclusion from 

 all herds from which strange cuttle are debarred. This last point is one 

 which should be especially dwelt upon. In that torrid country where 

 the lung plague has so far shown the greatest power of speedy diffu- 

 sion, and where the mortality has risen higher than in any other laud, 

 where, in other words, the climatic conditions appear to be the most 

 favorable to its existence, it had foiled to appear spontaneously among 

 the native cattle during the ages preceding its colonization by the Dutch, 

 and for two centuries after this settlement ; and even after the contagion 

 had boon introduced and had spread generally over the land, it needed 

 only the resolute will of a native chieftain, in the exclusion of strange 

 stock, to shut out the contagion and preserve any given district sound. 

 A striking instance of the same kind is narrated by the missionary, 

 Mr. E. Moffatt, father-in-law of the lamented Livingston, in a letter to 

 Sir George Gray, governor of the Cape of Good Hope, dated Kuruman, 

 October 2, 1859. He states: 



That he was not allowed by Moselekatse, the chief of the Matabele country, South 

 Africa, to approm-h nearer than his most southerly cattle outpost, about s'ix days' 

 journey from headquarters, for fear of introducing the lung sickness among his cattle. 

 Men were therefore sent to bring Moifatt's wagons to where the chief lived, which 

 was a laborious task, while to every available part about the wagons the spears and 

 shields of the warriors, now performing the labor of oxen, were fastened. Every man 

 in Matabele is a warrior, and is never seen removing, even to the shortest distance, 

 without lii.s weapons. Moselekatse possesses enormous herds of cattle, these and 

 ivory constituting his wealth. (See also letter of Mr. Corbet under the head of Mor- 

 tality.) 



Thus the uncivilized African teaches this great and enlightened na 

 tiou a lesson in sanitation which she can only neglect at an unspeaka 

 ble sacrifice. 



The growing importance of the wool-growing interest in South Africa 

 may be inferred from the facts that in 1875 Cape Colony had 11,500,000 

 sheep and 3,300,000 goats, as against 1,300,000 cattle, and that of the 

 $25,000,000 of exports nearly $15,000,000 was in wool. Cattle are evi- 

 dently no longer the u chief wealth of the people." 



INFECTION OF AUSTRALIA. 



This took place in October, 1858, through an English cow imported 

 by Mr. Boadle, of Melbourne. The malady ravaged his herd for nearly 

 a year before it drew the earnest attention of the colonists. From the 

 Melbourne Argus of September 17, 1859, we learn that a meeting of 

 stockowners had just received the report of a committee, and decided 

 to slaughter the infected herd, and reimburse the owner by public sub- 

 scription. Mr. Boadle said : 



The first case occurred in an imported cow, landed in good condition and giving milk. 

 She was attacked and died in November last, six weeks after arrival. Two others died 

 in the latter end of December and beginning of January, and from that to the present 

 time, with only one slight intermission of a month, the ravages of. the disease have 

 been incessant. 



The committee report : 



That of five animals imported by Mr. Boadle two have died, a third is at present 

 recovering from the attack, a fourth has seemingly recovered, and the fifth has hitherto 

 escaped the distemper. The total number of deaths have been twenty-three; five 

 beasts have recovered, but are evidently unsound, and on the occasion of our inspec- 

 tion ten were ill, of which four were slaughtered, at our request, for dissection. 



As showing the animus of the meeting it applauded the proposal to 

 destroy every herd in which the infection should appear j to interdict 

 S. Ex. 106 2 



