The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-07 00:00:00

PROFESSOR SIMONDS ON THE OU2-

BREA% OF SMALL-PDX IN SHER P.

Yesterday afternoon an introductory add resat to
the forthcoming session of the Royal Vete rinavy
College, Camden Town, was delivered by Prc *sun'
Simonds.
The PROFESSOR observed that although anal Ipox

in sheep was a disease unknown during the .Pr

sent generation in this country previous to 184 i it
was not uncommon in many of the great sheep a is-

tricts on the continent.' In the case of tii.e hums, n

smallpox we possessed a simple, efficacious, and an
almost altogether harmless means of prevei ition. in
vaccination ; but vaccination afforded no pr otection
to sheep. Where the separation of the affected
animals from the healthy ones proved insuffic'i'ent to

stay the disease, there remained only inoculation,
which he recommended as the most efficacious sa. fe-
guard. The disease had been introduced by foreig
sheep sold in Emithfield Market ; it had spreatl
rapidly, and committed frightful ravages in several
counties during the year 1847, '4B, and 'SO. Since

1850 the malady had not been heard of amcng our

flocks until July last, when it broke out in Arling ton
near Devizes. Neither the shepherds or the pro-
prietors were satisfied as to its real nature until his

(the Professor's) aid had been sought, and at that
time many animals had been lost. How it wa►s
communicated to Mr. Parry's flock was still a
mystery, but it quickly spread to neighbouring
flocks, and subsequently extended to neighbour-
ing counties. There was good hope—thanks.
to the preventive measures adopted—that
the malady bad been stayed in the vicinity
where it had first showed itself, but as yet it would
be premature to express any decided opinion
on the probable further course of the outbreak. The
nature of the disease and the period of the year
alike forbade a hasty conclusion. He could not
conceal from himself the probability--a probabi-
lity taught by bitter experience—that the disease
might still spread more widely, and that the visi-
tation might ultimately prove as calamitous as in
1847 to 1859. The Professor then at some length
discussed the economical and social aspects of the
question. Premising that the value of the flocks of
this country amounted to many millions sterling,

he said the loss by death ranged from one fifth to
one half, or even more, of an infected flock. This,
however, was but part of the loss. The farmer had
to bear the effects of the disease on the breeding and
rearing of lambs, and the fattening of stock. Then
grave as was the sacrifice to individuals, it was not
the less so to the whole community, who suffered
from a diminished supply of mutton and its conse-

quent increase in price. The rising of butcher's
meat to the extent of a penny or a halfpenny in
the pound would as surely tell a fatal story in the
Registrar-General's return of mortality. A large
portion of our population at the best lived but a
shade or two above the point of starvation—a still
larger portion were insufficiently fed, and the out-

break of a malady in sheep might often make the
differential element in the outbreak or not of epi-

demic disease among the people. It was from this
point of view that they could obtain the mast just
ideas of the true dignity of veterinary science. It

was from this point of view, also, that they obtained
the most accurate views of the veterinary practi-
tioner's duties, for it was upon the progress of vete-
rinary science, and the skilful exercise of the vete-
rinary art, that a community had to depend for its

chief safety from the evils arising from diseases like
that which appeared amongst the flocks of Wilt-

shire.

RE-ASSEMBLING OF 111E7.ROPOLI1AN
VOLUNTEERS.

Saturday was, generally speaking, the day appointed
for the re-assembling of Metropolitan Volunteers after the
holidays, but in most instances the musters were meagre,
and the example set by the officers was anything but calcu-
lated to have a good impression upon the men. In one or
two instances there was not a single captain of company on
the commanding officer's parade, although the colonels were
present, and the occasion for assembling was that which
volunteers usually so much appreciate—a march out with
their bands. This is a state of things much to be deplored,
and it is quite obvious that the men cannot be expected to
attend, or be found fault with if they do not attend, in the
face of such examples from the officers. There is only one
remedy, and that is, that where the commanding officers
are themselves attentive to the duties devolving upon them,
they should insist upon attendance on the part of their
captains and subalterns, and where it is not complied with
at once, call upon the absentees to resign their commissions.
Unless this is done, and officers are compelled to pay some
little attention to the duties they promised to perform in
the papers they filled up and signed before they were en-
trusted with a commission, the men will become daily more
and more careless, until, in the end, the movement will
melt away, and become gradually a thing of the past.
Whilst the musters on Saturday in some of the corps, for a
march out, were ridiculously small, in one instance, and it
is not the first one, in the case of a well known and popular
_
vol-

itunteer corps, the muster was of that limited character
that the commanding officer was ashamed to march out,
with them, and after waiting more than an hour beyond
the appointed time for the parade, the men who had assem-
bled together with their bands were dismissed. In some
cases the excuse was that the hour appointed for the parade
was too early, and, no doubt, in several instances that does
act materially on the musters. Many of our metropolitan
volunteer regiments are composed in the main of the work-
ing class, and where that is the case it is impossible that
men can be expected to leave their employ on a Saturday
afternoon at two or three o'clock, which they must do
to be on parade, possibly a mile or two distant, at half-
past four. Hence the absurdity of a corps recruiting at
great distances, as some of the metropolitan corps are doing,
from the district in which it is established, and where
the mass of its members do or ought to reside. All
these matters weigh greatly in relation to the question of
getting good musters for battalion drills and marches out,
and it would not be a bad thing if the suggestion could be
carried out, that there should be (of course with the con
sent of the volunteers themselves) a sort of exchange into
regiments established in the respective localities where men
I reside, and where they could attend drill on all occasions
with much more convenience to themselves than they pos-
sess at present. The result would be far better musters than
are at present obtained. The following are amongst the
principal movements during the week
NORTH MIDDLESEX RIFLES.—This corps assembled on
Saturday afternoon for its first commanding officer's parade,
at Albany-street Barracks, from which, after having been
put through a variety of movements by the adjutant, the
regiment, under command of Lieut.-Col. Whitehead, to the
number of between 200 and 300 of all ranks, headed by its
two bands, marched out through Camden and Kentish-
towns, to Highgate, where, after a halt of about half an
hour, they returned by way of Hampstead and Haverstoek-
hill to headquarters, and were dismissed. The North Alid-
dlesex come into possession of their new rifle rang° at
Child's-hill, Hampstead, this day (Monday), and will n?are
recommence their target practice, preliminary to their fdraizto
shooting, which is expected to take place about the ni
of the month.
WEST MIDDLESEX HIFLES.---The Neat Alicla,l"Crlickree;
sumo their military duties to-morrow at Lord.ts r
Ground. Lieut. Mariner, of the IVest faoprpeeoatt:,
has won the £lOO county prize for wilts, put
meeting,
and a
petition by all corners, at the late SalishucrYi
*ddn his favour,
dispute having been raised, the umpire
but strange to say the prize is still witwaeld, and has been
the subject of a correspondence. Companies competition
CIVIL SERVICE,—The Post-otri:e
Wimbledon ranges, the
took on Saturday, b stmt..
Edward Page (inspector-
principal prim.' being by
taking the second, and Mr
general of mails), ' West, who had never used a
West the third prize. 4,y, made four centres and a
rifle till the previous T
eir:araci.::elock Rifles assem-
bull's-eye in his five sh o tilEs
at 400
THE HAVELOCR RI!: -day night, in tie quadranglefo rba
bled at a late hour on Saturday
ttaof-
permission of the authorito)
Somerset-heusey
gpt. and Adjutant Le Strange, a,:ld there
lion drill, under
was a fair raustel

Patrick % A
r,i in 9 who has confessed that he vas the
110 threw the poker at the late Mr. K. Rawcaffe,
K was yesterday committed for trial on a charge
opef
Kirkham,
of manslaughter.
THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT MONKWEARMOUTTI
COLLIERY.—On Saturday, Mr. Favell, coroner, opened an
inquest on the body of Robert Dryden, at the Wheatsheaf
Inn, Monkwearmouth. Mr. Dunn, the Government in-
spector of mines, was present, as well as the colliery owners
and officials. When the jury had been sworn, the coroner
remarked that there were five men killed, but up to this
time only one body had been found. He had no doubt it
would be shown that all the men had been killed by the same
cause, and therefore one inquiry would answer for all.
After the jury had viewed the',body, they proceeded to the
yard below the inn, to view the iron chains by which the
cradle was hung. It will be remembered that the cause of
the accident was the breaking of the chain to which the
cradle for conveying the men up and down the pit was at-
tached, and the consequent precipitation of the cradle and
all in it down the shaft. Ono chain was pointed out which,
it was said, had stretched 14 inches. A juror remarked
that the chain might be good in quality and workmanship,
but it seemed too small. The master-smith remarked that
it had been made smaller by being stretched out, and said it
would not have stretched that way if the quality or work-
manship had Itin iniericr,After a lengthened inquiry the
jury retu
),,:loi )t I i :"Accidental death." 1