MR. READ RESIGNS OFFICE. 21 



assure him political prominence. His action was entirely due 

 to his knowledge of the subject, to his strong convictions, and 

 to his honourable refusal to retain connection with a Govern- 

 ment which persisted in a policy of which he could not approve. 

 Mr. Disraeli's Government was formed early in 1874, and Mr. 

 Read resigned early in 1876, so that his tenure of office was 

 short. It was long enough, however, for him to have earned the 

 confidence of the Prime Minister, and it brought him the life- 

 long respect and admiration of all the leading agriculturists 

 throughout England. He was the first and only tenant 

 farmer (using the word in its strict sense) who ever held 

 Government office in this country. " At its earliest meeting 

 in the year the Council hastened to offer to Mr. Read its hearty 

 approval of his honest and consistent conduct in sacrificing 

 office as a protest against the policy of the Privy Council 

 with respect to the prevention of Cattle Disease, and for the 

 sake of upholding the trust reposed in him by the agricultural 

 interest " (Annual Report, 1876). 



At the March meeting the Council petitioned the House of 

 Commons to support Mr. Read's motion for uniform restric- 

 tions throughout the kingdom for the suppression of disease. 

 The Government gave an assurance of their agreement in 

 the principle of uniformity, and instanced the more extensive 

 and stricter supervision of the transit of animals by sea and 

 land. On 14th March a joint deputation from the Chamber 

 and the Farmers' Club was received by the Duke of Richmond 

 (Lord President of the Council) to urge the necessity of uniform 

 and compulsory regulations, and the deputation was requested 

 to supply in detail the nature of the measures demanded. 

 The members of the deputation, after conferring with the 

 Farmers' Club, submitted to the Council in April a statement 

 embodying their proposals. These were referred to the Cattle 

 Diseases Committee, who reported in May, and their Report 

 having been adopted by the Chamber and the Farmers' Club, 

 was handed to the Lord President. This statement was as 

 follows : 



"1. That all foreign animals intended to be slaughtered for 

 meat should be landed at specified ports and sent to markets 



