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29
is that the disease came from Holland, where it
existed in the month of May last, although it broke
out with greater violence at a later period, when a
number of Dutch beasts were returned from our
market.
But, let it have come to us whence it may, it
evidently found the cattle of this country in a fit
state to receive it, and no doubt it gained strength
in the unnatural condition of the cows in the
London dairies; for there it has been remarkably
fatal. Out of a total of about 16.000 cows in the
1,300 sheds of London, there have been about
7,300 attacked, and of these about 3,300 have died,
and 3,100 have been killed. According to the
return of the East London Cowkeeper's Association
in November last, there had been 1,185 cows
destroyed out of a total of 4,873, and 2,749 had
been sold at a large sacrifice. These numbers show
that about 20 per cent, of all the cows kept in
London have actually died from the disease, and
nearly the same proportion have been killed.
There has, thei-efore, been a total destruction of
about 40 per cent, of all the cows in London; and
perhaps not less than 50 per cent, have been sold
for slaughter, either to avoid the disease, or with
the first symptoms of it in them. In all England
the returns from the veterinary department of the
Privy Council Office to the end of December were
as follows:—