The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-22 00:00:00

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE

Every precaution is being adopted at this port to
prevent any diseased cattle from being brought into
it. The steamers belonging to the Tyne Steam
Shipping Company, which bring foreign stock from
the continent to the Tyne, are put into a thoroughly
good condition before they are put on board of them.
Before the cattle are shipped, the holds of their
Hamburg steamers are floored off with 40 or 50 tons
of sand for the beasts to stand on, and are sent on
board under the inspection of medical officers, with
plenty of hay, &c., for their consumption during the
passage. The captains and crews look after the
animals, and if tie weather be at all favourable the
ports are opened in the ship's side, the hatches taken
off, and windsails are put down the holds for pur-
poses of efficient ventilation. The Rotterdam cattle
are sent across in charge of men employed by the
exporters. Sheep are carried on the half-deck, and
sometimes, if numerous, and the weather is fine, on
the deck. On lading the cattle are carefully ex-
amined by the Customs veterinary surgeon, Mr.
Wilkinson and his assistant. The cattle are landed
singly, and are examined as they come out. It is a
rare circumstance for any to be stopped. Up to the
present time none have been stopped for anything
resembling the new epidemic, only for the mouth-
and-foot disease. The North-Eastern Company have
taken special pains to thoroughly cleanse the trucks
that are used on their line for the transmission of
cattle to and from our market.

NORTH LANCASHIRE.
A meeting of the members of the Royal North
Lancashire Agricultural Society and other persons
interested in agriculture was held at Preston on
Saturday afternoon, " in order to take into conside-
ration -what precautionary measures should be
adopted in reference to the alarming progress of
the cattle murrain." The chair was occupied by the
Mayor of Preston.
Colonel WILSON PATTEN, M.P., remarked that at
two agricultural meetings in North Lancashire he
had stated that the subject of the cattle disease
should be discussed under two heads—first of all, as
to what power or means they had of avoiding the
disease altogether in that part of the country ; and,
in the next place, as to the mode of dealing with it,
if it should unhappily come among them. He was
very much afraid from what he had heard that day
that the disease had already got near them—too
near; for he had been told that one case of disease
had occurred at Hornby, about seven miles north of
Lancaster. Relative to the means to prevent the
spread of the disease, he did not think they could do
a great deal, but they should all do what they could
in the matter. Her Majesty's Government had
authorised the appointment of inspectors for each
petty sessional division, and he thought a request
should go from that meeting to the magistrates of
such divisions in North Lancashire, desiring them to
appoint inspectors without loss of time. The Go-
vernment had also authorised the payment of a
guinea per day and travelling expenses to inspec-
tors in any districts where the disease had appeared ;
but if inspectors were not appointed before the
disease actually broke out, a great deal of time might
be lost before they would be ready for duty. The
best course to adopt would be to be ready with
inspectors previously appointed the moment
the disease appeared in any district. In the next
place, he thought that that meeting, which was an
influential one, should send a sort of recom-
mendation to the farmers of each district, call-
ing their special attention to the disease,
and suggesting that they should take some active
measures in their own localities for protection against
disease. He did not believe they could force people
to take such steps ; but they might suggest them.
He thought that if they undertook to protect the
whole of the county they would fail. It would be
too large for them. He had read all the discussions
which had taken place in regard to the disease, and
the general feeling seemed to be that if a very large
district were taken in hand by one body they would
fail. Prior to reading those discussions he had held
an opinion just the reverse, and had thought that
the larger the district taken in hand the better it
would be. He, howqer, had altered his mind on
the subject. If they teuld% establish some society
for the whole of North Lancashire--if all the far-
mers within the division combined—the loss upon
each would be less than if the society were smaller,
but then the difficulty was in getting all to consi-
der the matter properly. Several parties did not
look upon the disease with sufficient alarm, while
others viewed it with too much. Combinations
established within the bounds of each union would,
he thought, be large enough.
On the motion of the hon. and gallant colonel, a
resolution recommending the organisation of a sys-
tem of mutual protection was subsequently adopted.

Similar meetings continue to be held throughout
the country, and applications are being made daily
to the magistrates to sanction the appointment of
local inspectors.