216 
Report on the Trade in Animals. 
arrive between the market days. On the morning when the 
stock are driven to the market, any animal appearing to be 
lame, or otherwise showing symptoms of disease, would be 
left behind in the pasture ; but the others, though they had 
been in contact with the diseased animal, would be sent to 
market if the contagion had not developed itself sufficiently 
for detection by the inspector. The magistrates of Bristol 
are, I was informed, so strict in their administration of the 
law, that some of the salesmen are said to employ a veterinary 
surgeon to examine their beasts previous to sending them to 
market. In this way they escape the penalties imposed by the 
magistrates, according to the Act, on the owners of manifestly 
diseased animals sent to the market ; and at the same time they 
sustain the evil reputation of Bristol by sending there animals 
that have been impregnated with disease, but have not developed 
it sufficiently to be detected by the veterinary inspector. 
This practice is not confined to Bristol,* for it exists at most 
of the ports of shipment in Ireland, and at those of landing on this 
side of St. George's Channel. But, owing to the prevailing absence 
of inspection at the Irish ports, fairs, and markets, there is natu- 
rally less care exercised in the examination of the animals pre- 
vious to removing them than there is in England. It may be 
urged that here we have conclusive evidence of the uselessness of 
inspection ; and, as the law now stands, the statement would be 
perfectly accurate. But if all fields, farms, and other premises 
used by salesmen for the temporary reception of live stock were 
certificated and registered ; if the veterinary inspector had the 
power of entry into such places, and were required to exercise 
it, for the purpose of ascertaining whether diseased animals were 
kept there, much might be done to prevent the spread of in- 
fection from these nests of disease. With such an alteration of 
the law, the inspector should, on discovering the existence of 
disease in such premises, declare them to be infected in refer- 
ence to the particular disease that he found to prevail ; and the 
local authority should then prohibit the ingress of any other 
stock into them, and the egress of any stock from them, until a 
sufficient time had elapsed after the date of the inspector's certi- 
ficate of freedom from infection. If such regulations were 
made, and properly carried out, it would not surprise me to 
learn that the Somersetshire magistrates had discovered several 
"fountains of disease'' in the parishes of Knowle and Long 
Ashton, and that the prohibition of egress of stock from such 
premises until ten days after they had been certified to be free 
* The same thing occurs in Yorkshire. I know one field that was used for 
Bome time during the autumn in this manner, and wliich was never free from 
infection. — J. D. D. 
