The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-05 00:00:00

The Cattle Plague.

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issued by Mr. Nicholson, the clerk of the peace for
the county :
" The Chairman of the. Court having received from the
Home Office an important order with reference to the cattle
plague, made by the Lords of the Privy Council on the 16th
December, requests your attendance to consider the san-NJ
on Thursday, at twelve o'clock, the 4th January, 1866,
when the chairman of the Court trusts the chairman of each
petty sessions will make it convenient to attend."
Mr. Henry Pownall (the chairman of the Court)
presided, and there were present—Mr. Armstrong,
Mr. Kemshead, Mr. Loveland, Mr. Rankine, Capt.
D. O'Brien, Mr. Johnson, Mr. J. Fish Pownall,
Mr. Wyatt, Mr. P. N. Laurie, Mr. Pilcher, Mr.
Giles Pilcher, and a large body of the magistracy of
the county.
The CHAIRMAN said the large assemblage of
magistrates then assembled he took as indicative of
approval of the subject which he had called them
together to consider. The object was not one to be
explained in a few words, as the Government had
already issued four Orders in Council in reference
to the cattle plague. The first of these orders was
issued in July, the second in September, the third
in NoveMber, and the last on the 16th of December
last. The last was the one in which they, as magi-
strates of the county of Middlesex, were more im-
mediately concerned at the present time. The
order of November placed power in the hands of the
district magistrates to make certain regulations to
prevent the spread of this disease ; but that order
had been found to be quite ineffective, and therefore
more stringent measures are necessary to be carried
out. It was only yesterday that he had received a
letter from a chairman of one of the petty session
divisions of the county which bore out what he
had stated. (The chairman then read the letter, in
which it was stated that the whole of the district
was free from the disease except two parishes, where
it raged fearfully, but no precautionary measures
had been adopted.) Notwithstanding this, and
with the adrilission that the plague raged fearfully
in two parishes, no steps had been taken by the
magistrates because it did not affect the whole o

the county. Similar complaints had been made
through every county, and representations had been
made to the Government from the most influential
agriculturists throughout the country, and the agri-
culturists amongst the nobility had also urged upon
the Government the necessity of enforcing other
measures of greater stringency. Therefore some
orders should be issued which should give the public
confidence that effectual precautions would be ap-
plied, so that they might be able to stay the pest by
which they were at present afflicted. It theref ore
became necessary that they should have more strin-
gent regulations, but not more stringent than the
awful Visitation required. It was quite true that
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they had within it an enormous population to a
fed, and therefore it was a question that required
great consideration. It was a question more im-
portant than the feeding of that population, for it
was a question how they were to preserve the stock
of the whole country. The arrangements for the
prevention of the spread of the disease were not
brought to perfection, and although science had
developed certain measures, yet it was important
that they should take other steps to prevent the
contamination in every direction as much as possible.
In Essex yesterday a resolution was passed prohi-
biting altogether the traffic of cattle along the public
roads, &c. Similar resolutions had also been passed
in Surrey and Hertfordshire. It had been prohibited
to drive cattle from one farm to another if they had
to pass over a turnpike road. Now they had to
consider how that would affect the county of Mid-
dlesex ; for if they were to adopt such a resolution,
and prevent the passing of cattle along the turnpike
roads, that would virtually stop Islington market,
unless they could by some scientific process get
them there without crossing the turnpike roads.
Still he hoped that county would not fail to deal with
the subject by such strong measures as the necessity
required; and if it was required that the market
ought to he stopped, that should be done, and it
would be better that the supply of beef to the inha-
habitants of London should be suspended for a few
weeks rather than the supply to the whole country
should be stopped for many years to come. The
power of stopping Islington market rested with the
Lord Mayor, and if his lordship was not disposed to
take that step, it would then be for that Court to
interfere and stop the cattle from passing over their
turnpike roads. It appeared to him to be impera-
tive that their roads should be stopped as in the sur-
rounding counties was done, and thus to show them
that the magistraies of the county of Middlesex were
not less anxious for the public safety than their
fellow-magistrates of the neighbouring counties.
Four ways were open to them to meet the evil. The
first was to stop all communication along the roads
of the county ; the second was to allow the cattle
to be driven to the market ; the third was that they
should be there slaughtered ; and the fourth was,
that as far as they could direct all foreign cattle
should be slaughtered at the market to which they
were driven, within a limited circle from the place
where they were landed. It appeared to him that
they should appoint a committee to wait upon the
Lord Mayor to see if they could mutually agree on
the plan most likely and efficiently to carry into
effect the Order in Council. They would not be
able that day to pass any resolution definitively, as
the Court was adjourned from Saturday last to
Monday next ; but if a committee was appointed
that day they could confer with the Lord Mayor
and draw up resolutions, and the report of them
could be brought up on Monday, so that no time
would be lost. When those resolutions were pre-
sented to the Court on Monday, they could then be
made valid ; and as there would be a county day on
Jan. 18, the magistrates would have a fortnight to
see how they worked, and then, if necessary, they
could make any modification in them. He hoped
the magistrates would take up the subject in the
spirit which the urgency of the case required.
Mr. NORTIIALL LAURIE rose and said that the
Court required no apology from their chairman for
the manner in which he had brought the. matter
about. The gravity of the subject quite merited
his observations. He thought the best way would
be to appoint a committee at once. In a matter
affecting the whole of the county the time of the
Court could not be misapplied, and they could not
have the committee too large. For his own part
he entirely concurred with the chairman in his re-
marks. He, thought that nothing but a cattle
blockade would be an effectual remedy against the
disease. There was another point, namely, the
manure, which was taken into the country, and waS
liable to do great:damage. They had not that direct
control over the police that the Government had,
and they laboured under a disadvantage thereby.
He looked forward with great anxiety to the future,