Report on the 'Trade in Animals. 
193 
first put into operation, and still more that the West Riding 
fairs arc the great fairs for Irish cattle " (p. 180). 
Additional information, and more particularly numerous com- 
plaints respecting the influence of stock bought in Bristol market 
in disseminating the disease, still further strengthened the opinion 
that the importation of cattle from Ireland is a much more active 
means of spreading foot-and-mouth disease than the importations 
from foreign countries. The Council of the Society therefore 
deemed it their duty to make a strong representation on the 
subject to the Vice-President of the Privy Council, and accord- 
ingly passed the following resolutions, which were laid before 
Mr. Forster by a deputation last July : — 
1. That the foot-and-mouth disease, in an unusually virulent form, is at 
the present time extensively prevalent and rapidly increasing'. 
2. That in the case of both cattle and sheep it causes great loss of condition 
and a certain percentage of deaths, especially amongst the young stocl\. 
3. That the supplies of meat available for market are iu consequence 
materially dimiDislicd aud the price proportionately enhanced. 
4. That both at the shipping aud lauding ports in the Irish Channel the 
precautions requisite to prevent the transit of diseased animals between the 
two countries are grossly neglected, and iu many of the great towns in 
the interior of the country -a great want of vigilance is also observable. 
5. That under these circumstances the Royal Agricultural Society feel it 
their duty to represent strongly to the Government the serious mischief 
hereby arising, and to urge them to call upon the magistrates and municipal 
authorities in their respective districts to adopt such restrictive measures as 
shall seem to them best calculated to abate the evil, and also to insist on the 
regulations recommended by the Inspectors of the Veterinary Department 
being promptly and efficiently carried into effect. 
(Signed) W. W. Wynn, President. 
Subsequently the same resolutions were submitted to Earl 
Spencer and the Marquis of Hartington (as Lord Lieutenant and 
Chief Secretary for Ireland). 
The substantial result arrived at was that the Vice-President of 
the Privy Council invited the Council of the Society to state speci- 
fically, in writing, what regulations they would recommend. The 
deputation accepted the invitation on behalf of the Council, but 
stated that before making their suggestions, they would institute 
an inquiry into the subject, so as to enable them to base their re- 
commendations on facts collected with that object in view. The 
Council having entrusted me with this investigation, I devoted 
about two months of the past autumn to as thorough an inquiry 
into the cattle-trade generally as time would permit. With this 
view I attended several markets and fairs (including Ballinasloe) 
in Ireland, England, and Holland, and at Hamburg ; inspected the 
arrangements for receiving and shipping cattle at the ports of 
Dublin, Drogheda, Waterford, Cork, Hamburg, Rotterdam, and 
Harlingen ; and those for landing and receiving them at the ports 
