§ MR. BIRKBECKasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether it is a fact that, on the 10th October last, a large cargo of cattle, some of which were infected with foot and mouth disease, arrived at Deptford in the General Steam Navigation Company's vessel "Redstart," from Oporto, in Portugal, that the vessel was afterwards scraped and cleansed in accordance with the Act, and the refuse, amounting to three tons, was left between decks, notwithstanding that fresh cattle were transhipped from Gravesend to Deptford on board the same vessel; and, whether it is a fact that no Order in Council was passed prohibiting the importation of cattle from Oporto into the United Kingdom until that of the 28th January 1882, which takes effect on 13th February?
§ MR. MUNDELLAIt is true that diseased cattle were brought to Deptford from Oporto at the time named by the steamship Redstart, and that the same vessel was employed to bring cattle from Gravesend to Deptford for slaughter before the sweepings had been removed, although the vessel itself had been disinfected. For this offence the 234 owners were prosecuted at the instance of the Privy Council, and were fined £10 and costs. The Privy Council having reason to believe that the ports of Corunna and Oporto, and the vessels engaged in the cattle trade trading to those ports, had become impregnated with disease, passed an Order suspending the importation of animals from both ports for one month from February 14, in order to give time for the thorough cleansing and disinfecting of the ports and of the vessels engaged in the cattle trade.