DISRAELI AND AGRICULTURE. 67 



many cooks spoil the broth." I took with me the late 

 Mr. Odams of Bishops Stortford, who had done more to 

 bring public opinion to bear on the question than any- 

 other man, and who had built a wharf on the banks of 

 the Thames and fitted it up for "the slaughter of all 

 foreign cattle on their debarkation," the principle for 

 which we as a society had always contended. Mr. 

 George Lepper, the eminent veterinary surgeon, was 

 another ; and I think Mr. John Treadwell was the fourth. 

 The late Sir Philip Rose was with Mr. Disraeli, and after 

 luncheon we adjourned to the library and went into the 

 whole subject. Disraeli said he felt entirely with us as 

 to our view that the only way to get rid of thes2 diseases 

 v>'as to stamp them out by slaughter at the port of 

 debarkation, but Ministers had to consider the opinions 

 of the dwellers in the big towns of the North, who 

 believed it would stop our foreign supply and tend to 

 make meat dearer. We combated this opinion, and 

 expressed our belief that it would have the contrary 

 effect. Mr. Odams pointed out that the whole foreign 

 supply of imported live meat only averaged 7^ per cent., 

 and asked if it were fair to jeopardize the 92^ per cent, 

 of our home cattle to keep up the importation of so 

 insignificant an amount. This statement made a great 

 impression upon Mr. Disraeli, and he immediately referred 

 to the Board of Trade returns, and finding it was perfectly 

 correct, promised to give us every support. I think he 

 was at that time Chancellor of the Exchequer. 



We all remarked on the perfectly business-like manner 

 and the complete mastery of every detail he evinced 

 whilst Ave were discussing the matter with him ; and this 



