FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE, 
581 
markets, and their conveyance along the highways, but it left 
most other matters optional with the local authorities, who, how¬ 
ever, had the power to issue further regulations. Towards the 
end of 1869 there was a bad outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, 
and the Privy Council issued a permissive order to the local 
authorities, authorising them to take further measures. Sub¬ 
sequently, the Council received applications from several coun¬ 
ties asking the Council to make these measures compulsory. 
Accordingly they issued the necessary regulations, but found it 
impossible to work them, and the remedy was considered worse 
than the disease even by the agricultural public. The nature of 
the disease also varied, and while it was exceedingly bad in some 
parts of the country, in others farmers rather preferred that their 
stock should have it, as mothers preferred their children to get 
whooping-cough, while they were young. In fact, the Veterinary 
Department of the Privy Council was not supported in this 
matter by public opinion, and the continuance of compulsory 
measures would therefore have endangered the efficacy of their 
action with regard to pleuro-pneumonia, in which he believed 
that much good had been done. With regard to optional 
measures, some counties had insisted upon their being carried 
out, but others had not, and it had been found exceedingly 
difficult to obtain statistics showing the result in each case. He 
wished, however, that the Council of the Eoyal Agricultural 
Society would do two things :—1st, That they would inform him 
specifically, in writing, what regulations they would recommend; 
and 2ndly, That they would use their influence with the local 
authorities to enforce whatever measures were in force. With 
regard to the foreign import trade, he considered that the agri¬ 
cultural interests had no right to complain against the Govern¬ 
ment, as if the existence of foot-and-mouth disease were dis¬ 
covered in a cargo of foreign cattle, not only the diseased 
animals, but the whole cargo were immediately slaughtered. This 
he considered an exceedingly strong measure, and only justified 
by the infectious nature of the disease. But it appears that no 
regulations will keep it out, as it has become an indigenous 
disease, and the reason why these restrictions are kept in force is 
that there is no other check upon the foreign trade, while there 
is over the home trade; and unless it were made the interest of 
the producer to send healthy animals, it would distinctly be his 
interest to send unhealthy ones. This view he had maintained 
against very strong deputations, but he had yielded so far as to 
allow the movement inland of healthy beasts from an infected 
cargo, provided that the railway could be isolated from other 
stock traffic; but no town had yet been able to comply with this 
condition. It was only necessary for two things to be said, viz., 
