580 
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. 
4. That both at the shipping and landing ports in the Irish 
Channel the precautions requisite to prevent the transit of dis¬ 
eased animals between the two countries are grossly neglected, 
and in many of the great towns in the interior of the country 
a great want of vigilance is also observable. 
5. That under these circumstances the Royal Agricultural 
Society feel it their duty to represent strongly to the Government 
the serious mischief hereby arising, and to urge them to call upon 
the magistrates and municipal authorities in their respective dis¬ 
tricts to adopt such restrictive measures as shall seem to them best 
calculated to abate the evil, and also to insist on the regulations 
recommended by the Inspectors of the Veterinary Department 
being promptly and efficiently carried into effect. 
(Signed) W. W. Wynn, President, 
Mr. Forster having asked whether the first resolution had 
been arrived at by the Council, in consequence of definite in¬ 
formation in their possession 
Colonel Kingscote , C.B ., M.P ., stated that many members of 
the Council were in a position to prove the fact, each one for his 
own district. He could himself, for instance, prove that the 
Bristol market was the great centre of infection in his part of the 
country (Gloucestershire), and from that market the diseased 
animals went to Gloucester, Chippenham, Devizes, and other 
places, and spread the disease through the counties of Gloucester, 
Somerset, Wilts, Dorset, Hereford, &c. In the dairy districts 
the disease had lately become exceedingly virulent, and, in one 
respect, that could not be shown by statistics, namely, in the 
large number of cows that had cast their calves. 
Mr. Forster said that before going further it might be desirable 
that he should acquaint the deputation with wffiat the Govern¬ 
ment had actually done; but, first, he would state, entirely apart 
from the assurance which a Minister felt it his duty to make on 
such occasions, that he was especially glad to see a deputation on 
such a subject from the most important and influential agricul¬ 
tural society in the kingdom. The Government were very glad, 
also, to receive suggestions from so important a body, particularly 
as foot-and-mouth disease had given them more trouble than 
anything else. It was one of those maladies that was bad enough 
to do serious mischief, and yet not bad enough to allow of strong 
precautionary measures such as the cattle plague would justify. 
When the Cattle Act was passed, great doubt was expressed as to 
whether foot-and-mouth disease should be included in its pro¬ 
visions, and even influential representatives of agricultural 
districts had doubted whether it w 7 as right to include it. This 
Act prohibited the exposure of diseased animals for sale in the 
