57 



same feat in the very same place. Or, perhaps, we 

 shall be told how some drover was seen near this 

 newly infected spot in Ireland immediately previous 

 to the breaking out of the disease, and how this very 

 man was known to have been only six months pre- 

 viously at a farm in Cheshire where the rinderpest 

 was rag-ing 1 , he having- during- all the time never 

 once chang-ed his clothes, partly from the pressure 

 of his professional duties, partly from the known 

 disinclination of the class to all processes of the sort, 

 and partly from having- none to chang-e ; or, if none 

 of these will do, they will say it is not rinderpest at 

 all, like Professor Symonds about Baron Rothschild's 

 cattle ; and I do not wish to hint a word ag-ainst his 

 absolute honesty or theirs. I only mean to say that 

 " the wish is father to the thought," as we all know 

 or ought to know, it always is. However, these are 

 mere idle g-uesses. Most likely we shall be told 

 something- far more absurd than any of them, for 

 the imagination of man is never powerful enough to 

 approach the wonders of reality. 



I have no doubt that veterinary surg-eons are 

 doing- their duty to the best of their power and 

 knowledg-e ; but their opinions they take (and it is 

 quite right they should do so) from the heads of 

 their profession. In Oliver Twist, the butler, Mr. 

 Giles, is examined on the subject of a burglary. 

 Then comes the " boy Brittles," turn ; the " boy 

 Brittles," as we are told, not being- actually a boy, 

 but only called so from long- habit. 



