EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
289 
furnish. In fact, this country is, after all, mainly supplied 
by the produce of its own territory. It is therefore sound 
economy to take any steps which may tend to preserve our 
herds and flocks untainted. Temporary dearness of meat, 
of leather, or of tallow, is but a small evil compared with 
the introduction of a malady which may sweep off thousands 
of our cattle from Hampshire to the Highlands, and perhaps 
after ravaging the country for years together end by per- 
manently deteriorating the various breeds. In our damp 
climate, where a large supply of animal food is necessary for 
keeping up health and strength, the consequences of such a 
calamity as a general destruction of animals can hardly be 
contemplated without the deepest apprehension. No such 
event has happened in our own day, or even in the present 
age, but in former times such disasters were far from uncom- 
mon ; and; in the last century Europe was more than once 
swept by murrains which destroyed the animal food of en- 
tire nations. We think, therefore, that the Government has 
only done its duty in prohibiting all importations from the 
infected districts. 
es But there is probably more to be done than merely 
to search Baltic traders for cattle or hides. This disease, no 
doubt, has its causes and its cure, like those of human kind. 
The words f infectious 5 and ‘contagious’ are very loosely 
used. It is probable that this malady is propagated chiefly 
where the state of the animals is generally unhealthy, or 
where, through want of proper care, or through insufficient 
food or shelter, their physical condition is weak. We may 
further assume that a disease of this sort is epidemic, and 
likely to break out in more than one place, without any 
intercommunication. Both these considerations point to the 
necessity of increased care in the treatment of cattle at home 
It is not impossible that the disease arises from natural 
causes, and cannot be averted solely by quarantine regu- 
lations. No doubt, infection from abroad would cause it to 
assume a still more deadly form, but yet the seed may be 
already sown among us, and favorable circumstances may 
cause it to take the dimensions of a great national calamity. 
xxx. 39 
