American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-05-02
From the NeW York Evening Post.
The Murrain OH the Baltic Sea.

"o pastures III tnOSo countries WnlCn
lie around tho Baltic are devastated.
aud the herds that Craze in .hem CARR.
cd OH by q disease. which is said To be
ptopagated from one TO ano,her, and
which after alarming the neighboring
governments. has at length attracted the
attention of the Government of Great
Britain. An order in Council was is.
sued on the I'd of April. which directs
that hereafter no cattle aud no horses
hoots, raw or old hides or skins Of cat.
tie. shall he brought into tho United
Kingdom from any place within the ter.
ritories of Russia, Prussia ar Mecklen.
burg. Schwciin. which border on the
Gulf of Finland. or from any other
part of the Baltic provinces lying or-
tween that gulf aud the territories of
Lubbock, or from tho territories of Lu.
beck itself.
The disease has prevailed, it seems
Tor wv" or three years past, and the very
same importatiohs which are now pro.
hibited Ivy the British government have
been prohibited by Prussia. France, and
some Of the German States. 1t will,
we think, occur to any one who reflects
upon tho subject that, il the impor,a,
ton of cattle. or oftheir hides or horns
from the Baltic provisces, could have
introduced the disease into Great Brit.
IAN is very strange that il should not
have made its appearance there before
thistimc, when we consider that the com
merce between the British Islands and
the Baltic, in these articles, is so great
that the Order in Council just issued is
expected to be followed 10y an increase
in the price of those arliclee. 1t is i'm
possible that the skins Of animals who
persisted with this disease should not
have been brought in considerable guam
titles IL the British ports. Every COW
or OK tina, dies is skinned, of course, and
the English tanneries have depended
upon them to make them into leath-
er.
The tanueries of our own country ro-
ceive hides from the Pacific ports, and
now that their admittance into the Bit
ish ports is denied, they will be sent to
Us in larger numbers. If the ravages
OF the distemper which prevails in the
Baltic provinces should sweep off whole
herds, as is said To be the case, the o wn.
ers will attempt to save what they can.
The animals will be stripped Of their
hides, and these will be sent immediate.
" to such markets as are open. 1.-THE
British Order in Council was wisely
and prudentIy issued--as we must sup
pose 1t TO be-atler an intelligent exam.
nation and survey of the whole case,
here is danger to which our country
is exposed. The Infection if it can be
thus communited, will be introduced bv
cargoes of hides from the noilhetnGer
man ports. 1t will be prudent on our
part To enquire into the nature Of this
peslIience among the herds of north
western Europe, and tho conditions I'M
der which the contagion dilluses itself,
and satisfy ourselves where any such
precautions as may be in our power to
take are necessary.
The disease called murrain has be.
come so nnfrequenl in these latter times
compared with former ages that but for
the preservation Of the term in Sciiptu, @
history, we suspect il would have drop
ped out of use. it appears to have
been in the herd what tho plague or
smallpox is in the human family
Whether the diStemper prevailing a..
mong the cattle OF the Baltic provinces
be the same which it was in former
times called murrain, is a point for the
cattle dealers to settle. A question of
much greater importance is, how far
proper treatment, and proper care.
wholesome food, clearly stables, and
sufficient ventilation may be depended
on 10 prevent the attack Of the mala.
dy or to check its progress. There is
as yet no certainty that it is not like the
cholera, kind Of travelling epidemic,
which after having exhaustedits violence
in the place where it had its birth, will
invade and gradually overrun other
Countries.
We have in this county disease a.
mong swine, prevailing a, the West,
where it sweeps these animals off by
thousands. 1t is called the "hog chol-
era," and its devastalions among the
swihish tribe are absolutely frighlfuI.-
At one distlery in Pittsburg, between
the first Of August last aud the goth Of
October, 2.57o died of this disease. Dr.
George Sutton in communication pub
lished in the Cincinnati Gazette, gives
an account of series Of obsel vations
made by him in regard to this distem-
per, from which he concludes that it is
contagious. He put the diseased and
the well together, and the we'll became
infected he innocula,ed the we'll with
the blood Of the deceased, andtbey sick.
ened apparently in consequence. The
rearing of swine which has at length be-
camo SO profitable at the West, is now
attended with uncertainty, and those
who have been engaged in it feel much
| anxiety ne I'm The fate or thei, busipoes