History of Anhnal Plagues. 287 



powers of the previous Act was passed ; and this was followed, 

 up to 1757, by various continuing and enlarging statutes. In 

 addition to the measures before specified, these Statutes also 

 provided that sales of cattle should only take place when the 

 seller had had them in his possession for 40 days; calves were 

 not allowed to be sold, in order that they might be preserved for 

 breeding; purposes, and severe restrictions were put on the sale of 

 the hides of diseased animals. 



Various Orders were issued during the year 1747, stopping 

 local fairs, and empowering local authorities to do so when they 

 found it expedient. 



The plague, in consequence of these Orders, was extinguished 

 where the local authorities acted with vigour, but lingered in 

 other places when these were remiss or indifferent, which was 

 generallv the case; so that it spread after a time as rapidly as 

 ever. In consequence of this, in 1749, there is a new suspension 

 of all fairs and markets, and of all movements of cattle, except 

 for slaujrhter, throus;hout the kingdom for three months. This 

 was modified afterwards, sound lean cattle being allowed to be 

 changed to clean pastures, and cows being allowed to go to bulls 

 when both were sound. Tiie same result followed this new 

 Order as its predecessors. The disease was extinguished in 

 many counties, but lurked in others where the local authorities 

 had been lax in looking after the execution of the Order. Hence 

 in December, 1749, the Council admits its failure in suppress- 

 ino- the disease, and now again prohibits all movement of cat- 

 tle except for slaughter, and the place of slaughter must be within 

 two miles of the spot where the cattle are on the 14th December, 

 1750. The requirement that cattle should be slaughtered only 

 within two miles of their stalls was found very grievous by London 

 and Westminster, and the outcry raised against it by these influen- 

 tial places produced a revocation of it within a month of its issue. 

 . . For some time after the revocation of the Order of 1749, each 

 county proscribed neighl)()uring infected counties, and refused to 

 receive their cattle.^ The roads from one county to another were 



' The following is from a private nicmorandum on this disease, which was 

 puhlishcd in 1 866. 



' 1754.— In the Session of 1753-4 the (lueslion of llic Cattle Plague seems to 



