214 
The Outbreak of Cattle-Plague. 
digesters, and subjected to steam at a temperature of 400° 
and there was every reason to believe that the disease would 
not extend beyond the confines of the place in which these 
cattle had been received. However, on January 29th, a disease 
of a suspicious nature was discovered in a dairy at Limehouse, 
and when he inspected the animals on Wednesday, 31st, at 
noon, he had no doubt that this was an outbreak of cattle-plague. 
In less than four hours from the fact being established, an Order 
was issued by the Government, prohibiting the movement of 
cattle and sheep out of the metropolis. Since then, up to last 
night (February 6th), cattle-plague had manifested itself in. 
seven other dairies all within a limited district, bounded by the 
Limehouse canal, the river Thames, and the river Lea ; and 
therefore, in fact, forming a kind of island. Since the order 
just mentioned was issued others have been enacted, with a view 
of stopping sales in the various lairs and markets of the metro- 
polis, except by special licence. The metropolitan market at; 
Islington, and the Deptford foreign market have been licensed, 
for the purpose of such sales, and it is not contemplated at 
present to license any other places for the sale of sheep or cattle 
within the metropolitan area. All animals sold at the 
metropolitan market will be marked for immediate slaughter,, 
and all animals landed at Deptford are slaughtered within the 
limits of the market. The Government had received the usual 
complaints from persons interested in the trade ; but they had 
firmly determined not to allow of any relaxation of the regula- 
tions which they had found it necessary to impose, with a view 
of preventing the spread of cattle-plague into the country. 
With reference to the remark in the circular which had lately 
been issued by the Privy Council — that there was reason to fear 
that some infected animals had gone from London into the 
country — the suspicion which he had when the circular was 
drawn up had not been confirmed. The principle on which he 
acted was, that the slightest rumour required to be considered, 
judging from the facts relating to the last outbreak, when the 
plague had been six weeks in the East Riding of Yorkshire before 
its existence became known. As regards this outbreak, he, on 
learning the existence of cattle-plague in Germany, immediately 
telegraphed to every inspector on the coast, and that action con- 
tributed to the immediate detection of the disease at Deptford 
market. Soon afterwards he ascertained that some animals had 
been removed from a shed in the metropolitan area, whereupon 
he sent to every inspector in the country. However, the man 
from whose shed these cattle had gone had no trace of disease 
on his premises ; and it appeared that they were fat cattle sent r , 
lond fide, in the ordinary course of trade. 
