The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-08 00:00:00

DEVONSHIRE.

An adjourned meeting of the Quarter Sessions for
the county was held at the Shire-hall, on Friday
afternoon, to receive a report from a special com-
mittee appointed to consider what orders should be
made by the Court, under the powers granted by
the Order of Council of the 16th December. The
Earl of Devon presided. The report of the com-
mittee, which, on the motion of Earl Fortescue,
seconded by Sir Stafford Northcote, was unani-
mously adopted, recommended the Court to order
that a notice be issued under Clause 18 of the Order
in Council of November, 1865, declaring that it is
expedient that from the Bth day of January inst.
until the Ist of February next, no animals, as de-
fined by that order, shall be brought or sent from
any other part of Great Britain into any part of
the county of Devon, subject to the jurisdiction of
such sessions. It was further ordered that in certain
districts where the plague is raging no cattle shall
be removed thence to any other part of the county.
A notice was directed to be issued prohibiting the
movement of any cow, heifer, &c., from any part of
their jurisdiction to any other part of their jurisdic-
tion, except between the hours of seven in the morn-
ing and five in the evening ; but such prohibition
shall not prevent the movement of any cow, &c.
(not otherwise prohibited), except along highways
or over or along any unenclosed road. The com-
mittee, having been informed that much danger is
to be apprehended from the regulations under which
cattle are supplied to the Government Victualling-
office in Devonport, and under which certain animals
tendered to the Government by contrrctors, and re-
jected by the Government inspector, are taken back
by the contractor, for the purpose of being fed in
the neighbourhood of the dockyard, apprehend that
this practice may conduce to the extension of the
cattle plague in that neighbourhood, and they recom-
mended the Court to request the Secretary of State to
call the attention of the Lords of the Admiralty to
the subject, with a view to the adoption of a proper
remedy. The committee further reported that
they had resolved that a copy of this report be
forwarded to the clerks of the petty sessional divi-
sions, and they be requested to obtain the opinions
of the magistrates on the following questions :-1.
Whether it is desirable to issue a general order for
the whole county, whereby all movement of meat
cattle from place to place may be stopped. 2.
Whether it is desirable to retain the present orders,
prohibiting the movement of any animals from any
part of the county into any magisterial division. 3.
Whether it is desirable to establish a system of
certificates, permitting the removal of cattle under
certain conditions-1, for breeding purposes ;2,
from breeding farms to feeding farms ; or from any
farm on the occasion of a change of tenancy. 4.
Whether they are satisfied with the present system
of inspection, or desire to suggest any improvement
therein. During a discussion which took place a
denial was given to a report made at the Sessions
on Thursday that cattle had been improperly buried
at Ideford, one of the infected districts.

MONMOUTHSHIRE.
The adjourned Quarter .Sessions of this county
were held on Thursday, in compliance with a resolu-
tion proposed by Lord Lianover, the Lord-Lieute-
nant, to consider the advisability of issuing orders
with respect to the cattle plague. On the first day
of the sitting of the Court, which was a large one,
Sir Thomas Phillips pointed out the desirability of
having a uniformity of action throughout the
county, which could not be the case unless some of
the petty sessional orders were revoked ; as, for
instance, in some districts pigs and sheep were pro-
hibited from markets and fairs. As yet the county
had been free from the disease, and in order to secure
a continuance of this providential state of things
they must stop cattle coming into the county alto-
gether, and the sooner that was done the better.
Mr. RELPH thought they would suffer less from
dying than by prohibiting their being transported
from one:part of the county to another. He would
support a motion for the prevention of the introduc-
tion of cattle from districts without the county.
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. R. S. Bosanquet) thought
the stopping
of fairs would be a good protection.
Mr. RELPH argued that it would be of serious con-
sequence if the sale of sheep and pigs were prohi-
bited.'

COl. CLIFEORD said, if the disease was not in the
county, it was spreading in some parts of Hereford-
shire, adjoining, and cattle near the border might be
easily driven over. In order to be safe they must
prohibit the passing from one district to another.
Mr. WILLIAMS was of opinion that they should
exclude all horned stock, but not sheep and pigs,
from entering the county, and prevent horned stock
from traversing from place to place within the
county.

Mr. RELPH said that in the mountains sheep were
together, and had free access to adjoining counties.
He should be glad to see them excluded, but how
could they do it ?

The Hon. CLIFFORD BUTLER thought it would
meet the wishes of the majority of the farmers if
they prohibited all cattle, sheep, and pigs coming
into the county, and allowed sheep and pigs to be
sold at fairs and markets.
Sir T. PHILLIPS suggested that no cattle, sheep,
or pigs should be conveyed from place to place
within the county by rail, and in this suggestion the
Court agreed.

It was eventually agreed that orders should be
issued revoking all petty sessional orders and prohi-
biting the introduction of horned stock, sheep, and

pigs into the county from any other county, the
exhibiting of any horned stock at any fair or mar-
ket (this prohibition not to extend to sheep and
pigs), and the conveyance by railway from place to
place in the county of any cattle, sheep, or pigs.

BRECONSHIRE.
At the Epiphany Quarter Sessions for this county
there was a very full attendance of magistrates—
Mr. Henry Williams, chairman, to take into con-
sideration the last Order in Council having refe-
rence to the cattle plague. The greatest unanimity
pervaded the sentiments enunciated by the gen-
tlemen who took part in the discussion, and the fol-
lowing resolutions were passed—" In pursuance of
the order of the Lords of her Majesty's Most Hon.
Privy Council, dated the 16th of Dec., 1865, with
reference to the contagious or infectious disorder
now prevailing among cattle, it is deemed expe-
dient by the magistrates assembled at the general
Epiphany Quarter Sessions of the county of Brecon
to prevent the removal of every cow, heifer, bull,
bullock, ox, or calf to any market or fair, or to any
place whatever, within the county of Brecon, for
exhibition, until the Ist day of March next." " That
it shall not be lawful for any person from the date
of this notice until the Ist of March next to bring
or send any such animal as aforesaid from any other
place in Great Britain into any place within the
county of Brecon. Any person offending herein will
for every offence forfeit a sum not exceediag £20."
The following resolutions were also adopted :
" Provided always that nothing contained in these
orders shall be held to prohibit any person from
bringing or sending to any butcher within the juris-
diction any fat stock bona fide purchased by such
butcher, such fat be slaughtered within 48 hours of
such bringing or sending." " That the Court do
memorialise the Secretary of State to invest the ma-
gistrates with power to prevent the introduction of
hides and skins into this jurisdiction, as well as
the exportation of the same from the county until
the Ist day of March, 1866." In addressing the
grand jury, the chairman stated that, although the
county of Brecon had hitherto been free from the
plague, the Court had deemed it necessary to pass
the above resolutions as a preventive to its intro-
duction. The Court had full power to prevent the
importation of swine, goats, 'and sheep, but it was
to be hoped there would be no necessity for it. It
had been said that dogs could convey the infection
from one farm to another. He therefore thought
the farmers would do well to prevent strange dogs
coming on their farms. In fact, one gentleman had
said that so mysterious was the infection of the dis-
ease that a stick dipped into infected water in the
north of England and brought down to Cornwall
would be sufficient to generate the cattle plague.