of the Royal Veterinary College. 
449 
Belgian frontier. Subsequently the disease obtained a footing in 
Belgium, despite the precautionary measures adopted by the 
Customs' authorities, assisted by the military. 
The English Government lost no time in issuing an Order of 
Council requiring that all cattle, sheep, or goats imported from 
France, or any port of the North German Confederation, should 
be killed at the place of import. This Order was also followed 
by another to the same effect, as applicable to Belgium, on the 
extension of the disease to that kingdom. At the close of the year 
cattle plague was increasing in all the countries referred to, 
leaving but little hope of its being early exterminated under the 
circumstances in which Europe is placed. 
Another infectious continental disease may be here alluded to, 
viz. sheep-pox. 
The information which reached England from time to time 
was to the effect that this disease was prevalent in Mecklenburg 
and other States of North Germany. 
During the autumn it was ascertained that the malady was 
increasing, which led to apprehensions of its importation here 
again taking place. The fear was well grounded, for in the month 
of October the Veterinary Inspector detected the disease in a cargo 
of sheep which arrived in London from Hamburg. It fortunately 
happened that the Order of Council, requiring the slaughter of 
sheep as well as cattle imported from Germany, was at the 
time in full force, so that no ill-consequences followed the im- 
portation. With this exception no other known case of 
importation of sheep suffering from variola has occurred during 
the past year. 
With reference to other diseases of a contagious type which 
may be said to be naturalized, but nevertheless likely to be 
added to by cattle importations, viz. pleuro-pneumonia and 
mouth-and-foot disease (eczema epizootica), it is not known that 
more than one cargo of cattle visibly affected with the first-named 
disease has arrived at any of the ports. There have, however, 
been very many importations of animals the subjects of mouth- 
and-foot disease. In each of these cases the animals have been 
killed at the place of debarkation. Mouth-and-foot disease seems 
to be one of the most widely spread cattle affections of which the 
profession has any knowledge. We have information of its 
existence throughout the whole of Europe, in Asia Minor, India, 
North and South Africa (being particularly rife at Port Natal 
and the Cape) ; in several of the West India Islands ; North and 
South America, including Brazil, Uruguay, Buenos Ay res, &c. 
Facts of this kind incontestibly prove that the infecting material 
on which the spread of the disease mainly, if not entirely, 
depends, is uninfluenced by the climate of the country which the 
