The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-12 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, JAN. 12, 1866.

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Contrary to expectation the cattle plague has
not abated since the cold weather set in, but, on
the contrary, increased in violence of late, and all
that relates to its consideration becomes of great
interest in consequence. Last evening the members
and friends of the College of Veterinary Surgeons
held a conversazione, when Professor SIMONDS de-
livered a lecture on the cattle plague, which was
both instructive and interesting. He first of all
alluded to the history of cattle plagues, and cited
the first instance of their occurrence, which is
mentioned in Holy Writ, when a " grievous
murrain fell among the cattle of the Egyp-
tians." HOMER, VIRGIL, and LIVID allude to
the ravages of the cattle plague, and in 1810 great
loss accrued from its visitation in the dominions of
the Emperor CHARLEMAGNE, in Germany. After
the lapse of the dark ages mention of the disease
again appears in the chronicles of history. In 1514
the Council of Venice forbade beef and veal to be
eaten.

In the year 1912 the present cattle dis-
ease prevailed on the Continent and spread into
England. It is curious to notice that Mr. BATES,
surgeon to the household of GEORGE 1., gave
great attention to this subject, and produced a
paper on the disease. The disease was " stamped
out" by the most rigorous measures, but its
ravages lasted from July to Christmas.
Later on there was another outbreak in this coun-
try, which GEORGE 111. mentioned in his Speech
from the Throne. The Privy Council applied to
Dr. LAYARD for advice and assistance, and in con-
sequence of decisive steps being taken by Orders in
Council and Acts of Parliament the spread of the
contagion was stopped in less than six months.
This is an example which it would have been well
if we could have followed ; but the Government
lost so much time, and were so unwilling to take
any responsibility upon themselves, that much pre-
cious time was lost, and the disease assumed a form
and magnitude with which it seems impossible to
cope. Dr. LAYARD considered that the disease in
cattle was similar to the small-pox in the human
body, and should be managed the same as it was
communicated in a similar manner. The surest
means he considered of doing away with the infec-
tion was to kiil the animals without effusion of
blood, strangling them, and
burying them deeply
with their whole skins, and avoiding communication
of persons and beasts. These, as he thought, were the
roost effectual means of extirpation, and the result
certainlyseemed to bear out his theories. Another wise
observation was that which declared the danger
that arose from the admission of infected cattle,
hides, hay, straw, &c., from Exeign countries, and
the care which should be taken to guard against it,
lest the disease become naturalised and fixed in
these kingdoms, as in Holland, during many years.

Referring to the present time, the lecturer dis-
played a map of Europe which contained a map of
of the plague stricken countries from the Baltic to
the Adriatic, and he traced the origin of
the cxLtence of the " peat" to Hungary. This
asiertioh, was carried out )3y the fact that i

At no time could Mr. PEABODY'S munificent
donation have been more valuable to the poor of

London, and the report which the trustees of the

fund have just issued gives satisfactory evidence
that it has hitherto been applied with economy and
discretion. The wants of such a city as London
are always great and pressing, and no one would
pretend to say that he would have any difficulty in
finding suitable objects for charitable assistance
to three times the amount of Mr. PEABODY'S
magnificent gift. Sickness and sorrow often
press heavily on the close of a long industrious
life, while accident, disease, or other disaster

frequently rob children of their natural protectors,
and leave them dependent upon strangers for sup-
port and training. Yet, although the hardships of
old age and childhood may have an especial right to
our kindness, and the thousand terrible ailments
which afflict humanity, many of them arising from
the industrious pursuit of unhealthy trades and
callings, have powerful claims on our sympathies,
yet we cannot but think that the trustees of the
PEABODY Fund have done wisely and kindly in
devoting their first efforts to the erection of im-
proved dwellings for the poor at a low rent. The
want of clean and wholesome dwellings, at a reason-
able rate, has always been one of the great wants
of London, and it is now increased. Besides the
natural increase in the population, and the con-
tinued tendency to flock to London from all parts
of the country, which would in any case have made
the demand more urgent now than it was ten or
fifteen years ago, the rapid and almost_ universal
extension of railways have destroyed whole streets
and rows of houses tenanted by the industrious
poor, as well as those miserable rookeries, courts,
lanes, and alleys, which are thronged by the
lowest classes of all. The increase of fever and
sickness in the metropolis has kept rapid pace
with the diminution of house-room, and
consequently over-crowding, while both expe-
rimental and theoretical science insist upon the im-
possibility of adequate sanitary reform where per-
sons are so closely packed. The grievance to the
poor is very great and real, for not only
do the railways destroy the streets, but they at the
same time draw labourers and their families
into the neighbourhood, so that rents go up and
rooms become scarce. The various Metropolitan
Improvements, the Courts of Law, the new streets,
and other undertakings, while no doubt highly bene-
ficial in the long run, are at the present moment aggra-
vations of distress. It should be one of the first objects
of our Legislature to try to ameliorate this state of
things, but as official and regular ways are usually
very tardy, it is well for the great body of the
suffering poor that large-hearted individuals like
Mr. PEABODY should come forward to their
assistance.

The report of the trustees commences by rehears-
ing the conditions of the gift. These were threefold,
and such as no enlightened and charitable man
could do otherwise than cordially approve. First,
he wished to limit the use of the money absolutely
to the assistance of the poor of London ; second, he