286 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
land for grazing purposes, wrote to some of my Scotch friends, 
that contagious pleuro-pneumonia existed to an alarming extent in 
this part of America, and warning them to look out; I also wrote 
to the veterinary department of the Privy Council, London, to the 
same effect. Whether the gentlemen connected with the American 
Veterinary College did all they might, could and should have 
done, or all Professor McEachran expected them to do, to facili_ 
tate his investigations, of this he must be best able to judge. 
But seeing that they had eight days notice of his coming and of 
the purpose of his mission, they had ample time, if they had had 
the inclination, to further the object of his inquiry. 
At the close of one of the meetings of the New York State 
Veterinary Society, Dr. Liautard called me back and asked me 
if I could conveniently put my hands on a case of contagious 
pleuro-pneumonia, if a friend of his called who might wish to see 
one. I told him that I had only that day ordered a milch cow to 
be destroyed by orders from the Board of Health, which would 
have been a good typical case. Dr. Liautard then arranged that 
if said friend did call, he would telegraph to me. I attached 
little importance to this conversation, and gave the matter no 
further consideration until I received his telegram on Saturday 
morning, the 25th of January, asking if I had any cases of cattle 
affected with pleuro-pneumonia. I replied no P. P. on hand just 
now. Mr. Gadsden should not have inferred from this that I 
was skeptical as to the existence of the disease. 
On the same Saturday, at noon, I was agreeably surprised 
when Messrs. McEachran, Liautard, Gadsden and Lockhart 
drew up to my office, and Professor McEachran informed 
me of the object of his visit, which I then knew for the first 
time. I told him I knew of several isolated cases on the out¬ 
skirts of the city, but there being a heavy fall of snow, they were 
then difficult of access. I concluded to try Blissville, with its 900 
cows. I knew we would have difficulty in gaining admittance 
to the stables. We had some, but then that was amply compen¬ 
sated for by the facilities afforded our exit; which were neither 
graceful nor polite. However, we saw so many cattle affected 
with P. P. that even our Canadian friend exclaimed, “ Halt, 
