The Express.
London, England, 1866-03-23 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY. MARCH 23.

Tee last return issued by the Veterinary De-
partment of the Privy Council gives satisfactory
evidense that throughout the country generally
Binderpest is gradually attending. The Weeks
whisk in the week ending February 17th had
risen to a 'maximum of 13,000 oases, declined in
the following weeks to 10,000, 7,300, and 6,500
in the last week. This last return, it is true, is
hardly comparable with the others, as it is to some
extent disturbed by the slaughtering which is
carried out under the recent Act. But the pre-
vious weeks are unaffected thereby, for as the
disease always remains dormant during the incuba-
five stage, which may be nine or ten days or more,
it is quite clear that its natural progress would be
unchecked for about a fortnight after the Act
came into operation.
It is becoming daily more and more apparent
that the legislation which was invoked to put an
end to Rinderpest, now that its provisions
here been practically brought home to indivi-
duals, is exciting as much alarm as the spread
of • tbe disease itself. Like the frogs in the
fable, the stockowners loudly demanded of the
Goiernment "stringent measures," without, it is
to ite feared, troubling themselves much about
the consequences of setting such formidable ma-
chinery in motion. No sooner did Parliament
meet than Ministers were beset by an excited
body of agriculturists, and almost threatened with
ejection from power if they did not put
everything else aside until the Cattle
Plague was stopped by Aot of Parlia-
ment. Led on by the dangerous eloquence of
Mr. Lows and his party, the House of Commons
was deaf to the arguments of sound political eco-
nomy, and panio-inspired declamation forced a'
reluctant Treasury bench to yield to the popular
demands. It was then palpable to every impartial
observer that a period of reaction would supervene,
and already a storm is rapidly brewing against
the despotism of the Veterinary Inspector and his
poleaxe.
In point of fact, every owner of cattle now feels
himself entirely at the mercy of the Veterinary
Inspector : if his stook be valuable, as in the case
of Baron Rovuscmtu's herd, it is certain and
vexatious lOU to him ; whilst the owner of poor
ill-bred animals will probably not grudge their loss
in view of the compensation which he obtains.
The most annoying thing in the whole matter is
the reflection that when it was possible to have
" stamped out " the disease in its earliest infancy
nothing was done, but that when the maximum of
evil had been attained and the decline bad fairly
set is, this pernicious slaughtering system &mid
have been legalised. We have been told by the
advocates of wholesale butchery that in all foreign
countries where rinderpeat has existed no remedy
but slaughter has ever been effioacious in putting
down•the disease ; and the authority et LAMM
was quoted over and over again to support that
view. Moreover, we were warned that unless we
adopted their doctrine we should have the plague
naturalized amongst us, and that we might expect
such terrible losses as were suffered during the
epizootic of 1745-57, when it raged in England
for twelve years unchecked.
But what are the real facts f • Why that, as
was shown in the letter of Dr. Fags to this
journal of the 19th ult., the advice of Lamour
was entirely disregarded in Italy, and that
" apparently not a single head of cattle was
" slaughtered in the Papal dominions whilst the
" disease lasted, yet it subsided in nine months."
A.nd,with regard to England, it is on authoritative
record that, taking the amounts paid in compensa-
tion as a guide, the cattle disease of 1745-57 was
sporadic only in at least eight yeses out of the
twelve. Then, too, as now, "stringent measures
were insisted on, amongst them " prohibition of the
" movement of all cattle for a limited time;" but we
are told that " the opposition to it was so strong
" that it was revoked before it came into opera-
" lion." Compensation was paid for all animals
slaughtered compulsorily, and the amounts paid
in each year will show what an unfair use has
been made of the example which that period
affords. In the first year (1746), 13,0001.; in
1747, 70,0001.; in 1748, 62,0001.; in 1749,
7,4061.; in 1750, 13,3001.; in 1751, 23,900/4 in
1752, 6,6oo4—whence it dwindled down to 5001.

in the last two years. And in the seven years
l 750-57, out of a total of 44,0001., Middlesex,
Chester, and Shropshire absorbed 36,0001., so
that the disease could not have been a serious
matter in any other of the counties.
These facts entirely confirm Dr. Fun's theory
that all zymotio diseases follow a certain law, which
is, within given limits, capable of demonstration ;
and that such law indicates the tendency of the
poison to exhaust itself in like manner as a fire
unropienished dies gradually out.
If this view had been properly understood, we
should have bad none of the ill-advised measures
which are now creating so much consternation ; in
place of indiscriminate slaughter we should have
had quiet business-like arrangements for meeting
the disease by insurance ; and owners of valuable
cattle would have been left at least the option of
aiding scientific men in their endeavours by ex-
pertinent to subdue the disease.
The full fords of what has been done will, how-
ever, only be felt when the payment of the rate is
called for.

"An unfortunate accident," says the Sport, "has
just =Warred to Yr. Naokessie Grieves, wan knows la tk.
onotooratio airs' of Pub, sod s steward of tie Pima
Joan, Oslo. As ho was sot oldie& his hone saddestly
roared, sad tha girths of the .addle %raids& the saddle
tuned sad the rider was Oran to the grosad ead broke
his shoaldas bow."