268 
The Progress of Legislation against 
itself afford a fair amount of security ; but when we add to this that no 
cattle find their way from there directly or indirectly to the English 
market, and also that in the event of the disease spreading from Galicia it 
would have to break through hundreds of military cordons one after 
another before it could possibly reach the western side of the German States, 
and, moreover, that for years past commerce has been unrestricted with 
regard to skins, hides, bones, &c., of cattle from Russia and elsewhere, all 
alarm, we believe, may cease with reference to its importation into the 
British Isles. 
The satisfactory nature of this report served to allay the feel- 
ing of alarm that had been created, coming, as the report did, . 
from one in whom the country placed implicit confidence, and 
whose characteristic care was so well known. But, unhappily, 
it was only for a short time. 
Professor Gamgee had foreseen the danger that threatened 
the nation by both sea and land, and he repeatedly sounded a 
warning, to which little attention was paid, for he was looked 
upon as an alarmist. The false feeling of security thus en- 
gendered continued until July 4, 1865, when Professor Simonds 
detected some decided cases of rinderpest in London cow-houses, 
near the Metropolitan Cattle Market. The valuable informa- 
tion he had obtained during his researches in 1857 was then 
brought to bear for the benefit of the country, but the false 
feeling of security was not easily dispelled, and he too was called 
an alarmist notwithstanding that the wolf was at the door. His 
counsel of the pole-axe, as the only remedy, brought upon him 
unmeasured insults in the columns of certain agricultural papers, 
and the whole of the veterinary profession were held up to ridi- 
cule for their ignorance in not being able to do more than 
prescribe the pole-axe and advocate the adoption of rigid pre- 
cautionary measures. 
It is not by any means clear from whence the rinderpest was 
introduced. That it came by sea all agree, and the generally 
accepted opinion is that it was brought into the Metropolitan 
Market with a cargo of cattle shipped at Revel. Some 2,000 
cows are reported to have died of the disease in the first month 
within the metropolitan area. In the same brief space of time 
it had spread over a large area of Great Britain, and crossed the 
sea from London to Holland, Belgium, and France. 
Although the Act 12 Viet., which expired on September 1, 
1850, was from time to time continued by divers subsequent 
Acts, empowering the Privy Council to prevent the spreading of 
contagious or infectious disorders among sheep, cattle, and other 
animals, and to inflict penalties not exceeding 201. for any breach 
of their order, no efficient staff was appointed, and when the 
outbreak of cattle plague occurred all was chaos. But in July 
