11 



Mr. Gamgee has written a book which he enti- 

 tles, " The Cattle Plague." The first part I shall 

 mention presently. The second part is devoted to 

 an account of the proceeding's of a Grand Inter- 

 national Veterinary Congress, that seems to have 

 been held at Hamburg- and Vienna. It is exceed- 

 ingly entertaining-. Such a charming- farrago of 

 antiquated ideas about contagion, infection, Govern- 

 ment interference, official inspections, police regu- 

 lations, veterinary supervision, restrictions of traffic, 

 quarantine, inoculation, &c. &c., I could not have 

 believed possible to find extant in any civilized 

 country in this the nineteenth century. I laug-hed 

 a little at the report of our own Commissioners on 

 the Cattle Plague, in consequence of its inconclu- 

 siveness, want of unanimity and strong- veterinary 

 flavour, but it was the wisdom of Solomon in com- 

 parison with these German enunciations. And yet 

 I would not for the world say a word against the 

 Congress. It seems to have been a very pleasant 

 festive gathering, if it was nothing else, and the 

 members of it seem to have displayed throughout 

 much heavy German g-ood humour and geniality. 

 I can fancy I see them hazy figures looming 

 through the tobacco smoke, with their long yellow 

 hair, long* yellow pipes and heavy rings on forefingers, 

 neatly finished off with artistically-executed Indian 

 ink sort of mouldings towards the extremities. The 

 difference of opinion upon every subject seems to 

 have been unbounded. But every now and then 



