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of our civilisation to invite the causes of death and
disease, and it is only by the most strenuous efforts
and unceasing watchfulness that we can expect to
keep the enemies of our health and life at bay,
THE CATTLE PLAGUE.
One of the most disastrous occurrences of the
year, was the outbreak of a disease amongst our
cows and oxen. This disease, which had visited
this country 100 years since, and which is endemic
on the steppes of Russia, is like Small Pox, a
highly contagious disease, and is only propagated
by the poison from a diseased animal coming in
contact with one that has not had the disease. The
only way of arresting such a disease is to prevent
the contact of the healthy with the diseased. The
most effectual way of doing this is by killing
immediately every animal that exhibits any symptom
of the disease; the hesitation on this point exhibited
by the Government and their medical advisers led
to the introduction of the disease into this country.
It first broke out in the dairies of London, where
the cows were more than decimated by the Plague.
From thence it spread into the country, and was not
arrested till after measures had been taken by the
Government, at a great expense, to destroy all the
cattle affected by the disease. Fortunately, this
disease was no source of anxiety in your Parish as
far as apprehended attacks of animals kept in cow+