POr-ICK EXKHTIOXS. 55 



" Guildhall. — Sergeant Frederick White, the superintendent of 

 the Smithfield police, reminded Mr. Alderman Musgrove of the 

 detention of twenty sheep which were brought to Smithfield market 

 on Monday last before they were free from the small-pox with which 

 they had been recently attacked. The officer stated that he had 

 since made further inquiry to ascertain whether the disease was likely 

 to spread more over the country by permitting infected sheep to be 

 brought into Smithfield. He found that it had already been a sub- 

 ject of inquiry at the Veterinary College. 



" Mr. Alderman Musgrovc asked if either of the twenty sheep had 

 been the subject of examination ? 



" Sergeant White said. No. The experiments were made pre- 

 viously. One sheep was placed with an infected sheep for twelve 

 hours, and then separated, and kept strictly apart from all other 

 animals. It was not until nine days had elapsed that the sound sheep 

 exhibited sj-mptoms of the disease ; two other sound sheep were 

 inoculated, and the disease broke out in a much shorter time. The 

 result of the investigation left no doubt ou the minds of the veteri- 

 nary surgeons that the disease was the true small-pox ; that it was 

 communicable by inoculation, and that it was highly contagious. 

 The details were published in the Veterinary Record. Under these 

 circumstances he wished to know if he should seize all the infected 

 sheep brought to market ? 



" Mr. Alderman ]\Iusgrove said, it would be the officer's duty to 

 report the fact to the magistrate who might be sitting, and take his 

 directions respecting the sheep and the parties by whom they were 

 sent." 



The activity of the officers appears to have sup- 

 pressed the sale of infected sheep, and also to have 

 changed the tactics of those persons who endeavoured 

 to clear their flocks of the pest, without regard to the 

 way in which this was to be accomplished ; for the 

 animals were now slaughtered in the country, and then 

 sent to the meat-markets of London. A circum- 

 stance of the kind was brought to our notice, in some- 

 what a singular manner. A gentleman wrote to say, 

 that he had forwarded a sheep affected with variola to 



