The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-25 00:00:00

first bird, so had to retire ; but Captain De Winton, and
Messrs. P. Vivian and S. Bateson having killed one each,
had to shoot off again for second, third, and fourth prizes.
Captain De Winton taking second money (£GO), by bring-
ing down three in succession ; Mr. P. Vivian took third
(.£4O), and Mr. S. Bateson fourth (£5).
The betting was very heavy, Lord Holmesdale being the
favourite, but was out of it at the fifth shot, having killed
four out of that number.
Many sweepstakes took place for various sums. The
first was divided between Count P. de Gendre and Colonel
Duncan, and the next was won by Count P. de Gendre.
HOUSE OF COMMONS MATCH.
GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION.
The following are set down to contend in the annual
match which is expected to come off in the ensuing week,
at Hendon, between the Government and the Opposition
six a-side :

Government.—Mr. Millbank, Mr. H. Vivian, Major An-
son, Mr. Beaumont, Mr. A. Seymour, and Mr. H. Heath-
cote.

Opposition.—Lord Holmesdale, Hon. H. Wyndham, Sir
T. Hesketh, Sir J. Walsh, Colonel Annesley, and the Hon.
T. De Grey.

THE CATTLE PLAGUE.

A petition from the cow-keepers of London on
disinfectants has been presented to Parliament by
Mr. Ayrton from the cow-keepers of the metropolis
and others, praying for a scientific inquiry on dis-
infectants in connection with the cattle plague.
The allegations-made in the petition reveal a state
of things in respect to the way in which the sub-
ject has hitherto been treated by the Royal Com-
mission which appears to be anything but satisfac-
tory. It seems remarkable that with so great an
array to choose from of eminent chemists, many of
whom are possessed of medical qualifications and
practical knowledge of epidemics, the Cattle Plague
Commission should have employed to report on disin-
fectants—a medico-chemical question—a non-medi-
cal gentleman, and that they should have made choice
of one who is the inventor and co-patentee of a dis-
infecting compound. If the commission had from
the first made up their minds to recommend carbolic 7
acid and sulphur fumes as the best. disinfectants, I/
they could hardly have taken a more effectual
way of securing such a consummation than by
handing over the inquiry to one who holds a patent
for a disinfecting powder, the only active ingre-
dients of which are carbolic and sulphurous acids.
Any one in the chemical world on learning that
Dr. R. Angus Smith had been charged with the
duty of reporting on disinfectants must have
perceived that those two substances would be
recommended. It is true that the last report in
their favour was drawn up by Mr. W. Crookes, but
that gentleman was named at the suggestion of Dr.
R. Angus Smith.
An admirable opportunity of elucidating by ex-:

tensive experiments the nature of infection and
the practical operation of disinfectants, we fear,
has been lost. To judge from the reports on dis-
infection which have, been issued, we should say
that few or no experiments, except laboratory ones,
have been made, either by Dr. Smith or Mr.
Crookes. In the last report an ingenious theory of
the nature of the rinderpest virus has been set up
by the latter gentleman—namely, that it consists
of " vital organised septic cells or germs" (of which
vaccine lymph is the tpye), " which feed on some
of the elements of the blood, and at the same time
secrete a poison to which the symptoms of the
disease may be due." But not a single fact is given
as the bases of this somewhat complex theory. Yet

it is in virtue of these speculations that Mr. Crookes
apparently distrusts the efficacy of oxidizing disin-
fectants, and relies instead on the antiseptics of the
ancients, sulphur fumes and the tar acids.—Medical
Press and Circular.