464 
PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE. 
AMERICAN PIGS. 
House or Commons, May 8 th . 
Mr. King-Harman asked the Vice-President of,the Council whether 
he was aware that the parasite known as Trichina spiralis was reported to 
be extremely prevalent among the American pigs, large numbers of 
which were now being imported into this country; whether he had 
heard that in a recent consignment delivered at Wolverhampton, 16 out 
of the 300 pigs were found to be dead in the trucks, while 4 more 
dropped dead immediately afterwards, and that the whole of these 20 
were found to be full oftrichinm; and whether he would take measures 
to prevent the horrible malady of trichinosis being disseminated by the 
free importation of such diseased animals. 
Lord G. Hamilton —The Government have not received any informa¬ 
tion of swine affected with trichinosis having been landed in this country 
from the United States, but a cargo of swine, among which the disease 
known as typhoid fever existed, was landed at Hull on April 25th, and 
were permitted by the inspector of the Privy Council to be removed 
from the landing-place. Some of the swine were seized by the sanitary 
authorities at Hull, and a large number were sent on to Birmingham, 
the authorities of which town had been informed by the Hull local 
authority of the destination of the animals. The inspector at Birming¬ 
ham reports that all the swine have been slaughtered. The inspector 
who examined the animals on landing has been dismissed. Owing to the 
prevalence of typhoid fever among swine in the United States, and the 
number of diseased cargoes arriving here, by an Order in Council 
American swine must be slaughtered at the port of debarkation. (Hear, 
hear.) 
TRANSPORT OF CATTLE. 
House of Lords, April 2 8 tk . 
Earl Delawarr , in calling attention to the report of the Veterinary 
Department of the Privy Council of the past year specially with refer¬ 
ence to the transport of cattle, and in moving for a copy of the orders 
issued by the Privy Council on the subject, observed that the question 
was one of great importance, and had been more than once before their 
lordships. He was quite aware that the Council had issued several 
orders on the subject of the transport of cattle, but it did not appear 
that their orders had been attended with the desired effect. There were 
last year sent over from Ireland alone no less than 115,771 head of cattle, 
and the inspector reported that the proper arrangements for the inspec¬ 
tion of cattle were very deficient. Captain Tennant, the Government 
inspector of the Westmoreland district, reported that at very few ports 
indeed was there any proper landing stage or lairs for the cattle, it being 
generally understood that they would be sent on by the first trains and 
when they were not the greatest inconvenience arose, and the cattle were 
much depreciated by overcrowding. He pointed out that there were 
landed from Canada last year 59,975 head and from the United States 
128,471, making a total of 188,447, of which no less than 10,667 
had to be thrown overboard, 540 were landed in a diseased condition 
