218 
Report on the Trade in Animals. 
may be in principle to our ideas of individual liberty. That 
cattle-dealers should be known, it seems necessary that they 
should be required to take out a licence ; and that the premises 
used by them for the temporary reception of stock should be 
registered, it is necessary that they should be certificated. By 
these means, and with the aid of the veterinary inspector of a 
local authority reporting any salesman, who should exhibit dis- 
eased beasts, to the local authority of the district in which he 
holds or occupies fields, lairs, &c., in order that such premises 
may be properly examined, with a view to ascertain whether the 
stock in them are also affected, much might be done to prevent 
fairs and markets continuing to be the great^ocz of contagion. 
The arrangements at Liverpool for the landing of foreign 
animals are the most unsuitable that I have yet seen at any large 
port. There is no permanent provision even for the reception of 
animals, but certain of the dock sheds are certificated for the 
purpose. The consignees of a cargo of foreign animals arrange to 
.Lire one or more of these, or a part of one. The cattle are fed 
with hay, which is strewn on the floor, and are watered in move- 
able troughs supplied by a hose from the fire-plug. The sheds 
are afterwards cleansed by the hirers, and the next day they may 
be used for storing grain, sugar, or any other commodity. Con- 
sidering that 16,071 foreign animals were imported into Liver- 
pool in 1871, it seems incredible that there should be no better 
provision for their reception and detention until after inspection. 
About one-half of these animals were German sheep, and the 
remainder were cattle from Spain and Portugal — the two un- 
scheduled countries from which we import by far the most 
considerable number of animals affected with foot-and-mouth 
disease. It would be interesting to learn how such diseased 
animals are dealt with at Liverpool, and I regret very much that 
I have not been fortunate enough to see a cargo landed and 
inspected, and am therefore unable to describe the proceedings 
from personal knowledge. 
Oilier Western Ports. — Holyhead and New Milford are 
merely resting-places for Irish stock after landing, and before 
commencing their railway journey. The companies do every- 
thing that can be expected of them under existing circumstances ; 
but it should, in my opinion, be compulsory on them to supply 
the animals with food at such places at the cost of either the 
sender or the consignee. 
Cardiff, on the other hand, is what may be termed a port of 
ultimate destination, as the stock sent there are either fat 
cattle, &c., which are slaughtered in the town, or stores, which 
are fed off by the South Welsh farmers. The principal trade 
between Cardiff and Ireland is with Cork ; and it so happens that 
