726 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
the Sultan, the dominions of the King of the Hellenes, 
the dominions of the King of Italy, and also Belgium, 
can only be landed at parts of ports specially defined by 
Order of Council, and must be slaughtered within ten days 
of landing. Store cattle can, therefore, only come to us 
from Spain, Portugal, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and 
Norway. Practically, Holland and Denmark are the only 
countries from which any number of store cattle are re- 
ceived ; the cattle imported from Portugal and Spain being 
fat animals, and those coming from Sweden and Norway so 
few as to be of little account. Further, the risk of intro- 
ducing foot-and-mouth disease from any unscheduled country 
is reduced to a minimum, for should it be found that any 
one animal is the subject of the malady, the entire cargo 
has to be slaughtered at the place of landing, the skins 
disinfected, and the diseased parts destroyed. None but 
healthy foreign cattle can, therefore, pass inland ; and it 
singularly happens, as has been already intimated, that we 
lack proof of any case of the disease being due directly to 
imported foreign cattle. Ireland, undoubtedly, has sent us 
many cargoes of diseased animals during the last two 
months, and little doubt can be entertained that the pre- 
sent augmentation of cases is in part due to this circum- 
stance. We may remark, however, that stringent measures 
of suppression are being adopted in that country the bene- 
ficial effects of which are making themselves apparent. 
With regard to precautionary measures on this side the 
Irish channel, they are not such as can be approved. It is 
true that mere convictions for not giving notice of the ex- 
istence of the disease and for moving animals suffering 
from it have recently taken place ; but what is really wanted 
is a better system of inspection throughout the entire 
country, and a uniformity of action by the several local 
authorities. 
That portion of the press which does not harp on the 
single string of infection by foreign cattle is not slow to 
perceive the true state of the case. 
A few weeks ago the Mark Lane Express , referring to 
several outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease which had 
been traced to home-bred stock, or to animals brought over 
from Ireland, remarked pertinently enough, “ had as many 
