700 PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE. 
•i * 
break of cattle plague in the East. Indeed every vessel with 
cattle coming from Russia seemed to have the disease on board. 
The import of cattle from that Country would be entirely stopped in 
a day or two. 
Sir J. Hay wished to know whether there were any precautions 
taken for disinfecting the ships which had carried diseased cattle. 
Mr. Forster said that the greatest possible care was always taken 
to disinfect such ships, and for three months after they had carried 
a diseased cargo they were prohibited from carrying cattle from 
free countries, and he had every reason to believe that they 
would not be again used even so soon as that. 
In reply to a question from Mr. Newdegate, 
Mr. Forster said that he did not know the exact details in con¬ 
nection with the way in which the ships and animals were treated at 
Leith, but he supposed that they were treated in a similar manner to 
those at Hull, namely, that the animals, after having been slaughtered, 
were all put on board a lighter and towed out into the sea and sunk ; 
therefore, there was no occasion to disinfect that ship. (Laughter.) 
July 31sL 
Mr. C. S. Read asked the Vice-President of the Council if there 
had been a further outbreak of cattle plague at Hartlepool; whether 
the cattle affected came from Hamburg via Lubeck ; and whether, 
considering the close proximity of those towns to Holstein, he would 
revoke the recent order which permits cattle from Holstein to be 
taken to any part of the kingdom. 
Mr. Forster said it would give a false impression to say 
that there had been an outbreak of cattle plague at Hartlepool. 
That would produce an impression that there had been an outbreak 
amongst English cattle, whereas as yet they had prevented that, 
and he trusted they would be able to do so in future. It was true 
that there had been importations of cattle from Hamburg, in which 
some of the animals had cattle plague ; and he was sorry to say 
that that had been the case also with respect to cattle imported at 
Newcastle within a day or two. With regard to the disposal of 
animals affected, or of the whole cargo, the greatest possible pre¬ 
cautions had been taken, and Hartlepool as well as Leith presented 
very great obstacles to the burying of animals within a defined place ; 
but Professor Simonds was there at that moment, and he, no doubt, 
was giving the authorities the best advice that he could. Upon the 
question “ whether the cattle affected came from Hamburg via 
Lubeck,” he could not give any positive information. As the 
gentleman was aware, it was very difficult to ascertain from persons 
abroad any fact which they did not like to communicate. The 
Government had reason to suspect that cattle had been imported 
from Cronstadt to Lubeck, then sent a short journey by railway, 
and afterwards shipped at Hamburg. He had communicated 
instantly with the North German Embassy on that matter, and just 
before coming down to the House he received a letter from the 
