128 THE CONTAGIOUS TYPHUS 



said of her revolutions, those great moral 

 epidemics. 



An orator, a writer, went so far as to say, 

 in one of his numerous letters, the one dated 

 the 24th of August : " I regret to say some of 

 our neighbours laugh at our expense."* 



No, your neighbours will not laugh at your 

 misfortunes. They sympathize at present 

 both in your joys and sorrows, and if I have 

 taken up my pen on this occasion, it has 

 only been because I could not look with in- 

 difference on your too just anxieties, when I 

 nattered myself that I might write some useful 

 pages to mitigate and relieve them. 



As most newspaper readers are a ware, f and 

 as everybody may easily ascertain, the diseased 

 cattle, in spite of reiterated orders to destroy 

 them immediately, were, nevertheless, driven 

 to the markets to be sold for what could be 

 got for them ; or when their tainted condition 

 was too glaring they were at once sent off to 

 the private shambles, the owners of which, in 

 order to disguise the accusatory proof of the 

 misdemeanor, hastened to sell the body of the 

 animal. It would be quite impossible to men- 

 * See Note V. t See Note Y. 



