2o6 ECHOES OF OLD COUNTY LIFE. 



foreign origin. As, and until Mr. Chaplin became 

 Minister for Agriculture, the Government of the day 

 were loth to grapple with this dreadful scourge, some of 

 the leading farmers formed a society called "The Home 

 Cattle Defence Association," and that well-known 

 leader of the agriculturists, Jno. Clayden of Littlebury 

 was appointed chairman, and myself vice-chairman. 

 The principle which we supported was, that "all im- 

 ported cattle should be slaughtered at the port of 

 debarkation"; and this being persistently insisted on, 

 was at length made the foundation of all our cattle- 

 disease legislation. Of course we were denounced as in 

 reality only advocating protection in disguise ; but when 

 we proved that the loss to Great Britain during these 

 outbreaks had been more than ten millions sterling, 

 people began to see it was a national question. 



Amongst the projects w^ith which I have been con- 

 nected, none has interested me so much as that of the 

 Palestine Canal. ]\Ir. Henley, an old Indian engineer, 

 asked me to act on the Board of Directors, and assist in 

 trying to accomplish this gigantic undertaking. After 

 full consultation with Hobart Pacha, Sir Henry Layard, 

 Admiral Inglefield, and others whose opinions were of 

 value, wc managed to form a syndicate, with the Duke 

 of Sutherland at its head, with a small capital of 

 ;^ 10,000, to provide funds for a survey and report. 

 I believe Lord Dufferin w^as then in Cairo, and under- 

 took to superintend the management of the surveyors 

 and engineers ; but a first blow to the proposal was the 

 foul murder of Palmer and his companion on or near 

 the district to be surveyed ; then came the news that 

 the Arabs would massacre any one who appeared on the 



