Mr. Lincoln to Mr.
Foster.
Legation of the United States.
London, August 23,
1892.
No. 751.]
Sir: With reference to your instruction No.
787, of June 16, ultimo, in regard to the landing here without slaughter
of sheep from the United States, and the continuance, of the
discrimination against our cattle, I have the honor to acquaint you that
I arrived at a time of such political engrossment of all members of the
Government that it was not till the 30th of July that I was able to have
an interview with Mr. Chaplin, then the president of the board of
agriculture, to make some inquiries before addressing a formal
communication to the Marquis of Salisbury.
At my interview I opened a discussion of the propriety of the conclusions
as to the contagious character of the disease found in the five cattle
which have been condemned in the past two years, and found that neither
Mr. Chaplin nor his advisors would admit the possibility of any error in
the diagnosis of these cases. They said they had been examined by
experts whom they named, I think six or seven in number, and that in the
face of their reports it was useless to contend that the disease was not
of the contagious type. Upon my referring to the fact that all these
animals had been traced to healthy origins, and that I supposed it was
admitted that the disease could only spring from infection, the answer
was made that they had no confidence that the tag used in tracing was in
any case the tag belonging to the animal in question; that they knew
that the butchers were utterly careless in the distribution of the tags
to the lungs after slaughter, and that the system of tagging was
rendered worthless at that point, and that it was a difficulty that
could only be got over by an amount of supervision which was practically
impossible. I may say here that I had, a day or two later, a conference
with Dr. Wray, our chief inspector, and he assured me there was no such
trouble in fact.
I said to Mr. Chaplin that we could not help feeling that there is a
discrimination against our cattle, and that common colds were called
contagious diseases, while Canadian cattle were not even examined, and
that we would like to see an end put to it. He said that most positively
he was against letting United States cattle in free until at least
eighteen months had passed without a case of infectious diseases being
discovered.
On the 3d instant I addressed to the Marquis of Salisbury the note of
which a copy is inclosed, and am to-day in receipt of the note from the
Earl of Rosebery, dated the 22d instant, of which a copy is also
inclosed herewith, in which I am informed that on and after the 1st
proximo our sheep will be admitted without being subject to slaughter
under certain conditions which are set forth in the inclosures of this
note.
It will be observed that no reference is made to the subject of the
admission of cattle.
I have to-day addressed to you a telegram of which a copy is contained
herein.
I have, etc.,
[Page 332]
[Inclosure 1 to No.
751.]
Mr. Lincoln to
the Marquis of Salisbury.
Legation of the United States,
London, August 3, 1892.
My Lord: With further reference to your
lordship’s note of May 14, ultimo, in which it was stated that the
hoard of agriculture would be willing, if desired by my Government,
to admit into the United Kingdom sheep coming from the United States
without subjecting them to slaughter at the place of landing, upon
certain conditions as to their separate debarkation, I have now the
honor to acquaint you that I am now instructed to express to your
lordship the wish of my Government for such admission of sheep, and
to request that the necessary steps may be taken to carry out the
proposition of the board of agriculture.
I should be gratified if I were at an early day enabled to notify my
Government of the removal of the existing regulations requiring the
slaughter of such sheep upon their arrival, and as to the places
where they should be landed.
With regard to the continuance of the restrictions upon the landing
of cattle from the United States, my Government feels assured that
the disease of contagious pleuro-pneumonia has been completely
eradicated in the United States by the destruction of all diseased
and exposed animals, and that the few animals stated to have been
affected in the last eighteen months were suffering only from
ordinary pneumonia caused by exposure to inclement weather on their
voyage. They believe it impossible to guard against the occurrence
of occasional cases of pneumonia from exposure in severe weather;
and I am authorized to express to your lordship the feeling of my
Government that, under these circumstances, the maintenance of the
existing restrictions upon the entry of American cattle is a
regrettable discrimination against them.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 2 to No.
751.]
The Earl of Rosebery
to Mr. Lincoln.
Foreign Office, August 22, 1892.
Sir: With reference to your note of the 3d
instant, addressed to the Marquis of Salisbury, I have the honor to
transmit to you a copy of an order passed on the 16th instant by the
board of agriculture, which allows from the 31st instant sheep from
the United States to be landed in Great Britain without being
subject to slaughter. I also inclose a copy of a memorandum prepared
for your information, setting out the conditions under which foreign
animals are admitted to Great Britain when allowed to be landed
without being subject to slaughter, as will now be the case with
sheep from the United States.
I have, etc.,
E. Grey.
(For the Earl of
Rosebery)
.
[Inclosure 3 to No.
751—Telegram.]
Mr. Lincoln to
Mr. Foster.
United States sheep will be admitted without slaughter on and after
the 1st next September at fifteen ports of Great Britain under
conditions guarding against infectious and requiring bond on each
cargo. I think conditions could be communicated by telegraph
substantially within 200 ciphers. Shall I do so?
[Inclosure 4 to No.
751.]
Memorandum as to landing foreign animals without
being subject to slaughter.
Animals which are admitted without being subject to slaughter must be
landed at a landing place for foreign animals approved by the board
of agriculture.
Such landing places have been approved at the following places:
Aberdeen, Bristol, Dundee, Glasgow, Granton, Hartleford, Harwich,
Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London (Thames Haven), Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
Plymouth, Southampton, Weymouth.
The landing of the animals is subject to the conditions specified in
article 3 of the
[Page 333]
animals
(amendment) order of 1892, No. 7 (of which copy is annexed), as to
the animals imported not having been in contact with animals from
suspected countries, and as to the vessel not having entered any
ports in any such country; and the owner, charterer, or agent has to
enter into a bond conditioned for the observance of those
conditions.
After being landed they are subject to supervision of the
commissioners of customs and remain so subject until the arrival of
an inspector of the board of agriculture. They must be detained for
at least twelve hours, and must be kept separate and not moved until
examined by the inspector.
If on examination they are found free from disease they can be moved.
If disease is found, all the animals are detained and
slaughtered.
T. H. E.
August 17,
1892.
[Inclosure 5 to No.
751.]
The animals (amendment) order of 1892, No. 7.—By the
board of agriculture.
The board of agriculture, by virtue and in exercise of the powers in
them vested under the board of agriculture act, 1889, and the
contagious diseases (animals) acts, 1878 to 1892, and of every other
power enabling them in this behalf, do order, and it is hereby
ordered, as follows:
revocation.
1. The order described in the schedule to this order, to the extent
described in that schedule, is hereby, from and after the
commencement of this order, revoked; provided that such revocation
shall not invalidate or make unlawful anything done under the part
of the said order hereby revoked before the commencement of this
order, or interfere with the institution or prosecution of any
proceeding in respect of any offence committed against, or any
penalty incurred under, the part of the said order hereby revoked
before the commencement of this order.
the united states of america
declared a free country as regards sheep.
2. From and after the commencement of this order, unless and until
the board of agriculture otherwise order, sheep brought from the
United States of America are allowed to be landed without being
subject under the fifth schedule to the act of 1878, or under the
animals order of 1886, to slaughter or to quarantine, and subject to
the provisions of this order, chapter 32 and Part I of the fifth
schedule of that order shall be read and have effect as if the
United States of America were as regards sheep included in the list
of free countries named in that part of the schedule.
amendment of article 151 of the
animals order of 1886.
3. The following provisions of this article shall be read in the
place of article 151 of the animals order of 1886, and shall be
deemed to be article 151 of that order, namely:
conditions of landing.
151. (1) The landing of foreign animals at a landing place for
foreign animals under the provisions of this chapter is subject to
the following conditions:
- First. That the vessel in which they are imported has not,
within twenty-eight days before taking them on board, had on
board any animal exported or carried coastwise from a port
or place in any country other than Her Majesty’s possessions
in North America, or Iceland, or New Zealand, or the Channel
Islands, or the United States of America (provision as to
which country is made by the second condition of this
article), or the Isle of Man.
- Second. That the vessel in which they are imported has
not, within twenty-one days before taking them on board, had
on board any animal (other than a sheep) exported or carried
coastwise from a port or place in the United States of
America.
- Third. That the vessel in which they are imported has not,
within twenty-one days before taking them on board or at any
time since taking on board the animals imported, entered any
port or place in any country other than Her Majesty’s
possessions in North America, or Iceland, or New Zealand, or
the Channel Islands, or the United States of America, or the
Isle of Man.
- Fourth. That the animals imported have not while on board
the vessel been in contact with any animal exported or
carried coastwise from any port or place in any country
other than Her Majesty’s possessions in North America, or
Iceland, or New
[Page 334]
Zealand, or the Channel Islands, or the United States of
America (provision as to which country is made by the fifth
condition of this article), or the Isle of Man.
- Fifth. That the animals imported have not while on board
the vessel been in contact with any animal (other than a
sheep) exported or carried coastwise from any port or place
in the United States of America.
(2) And the animals imported shall not be landed at a landing place
for foreign animals unless and until—
- (a)
- The owner or charterer of the vessel in which they are
imported, or his agent in England, or Wales, or Scotland,
has entered into a bond to Her Majesty, the Queen, in a sum
not exceeding one thousand pounds, with or without a surety
or sureties, to the satisfaction of the commissioners of
customs, conditioned for the observance of the foregoing
conditions; and
- (b)
- The master of the vessel has on each occasion of
importation of foreign animals therein satisfied the
commissioners of customs, or their proper officer, by
declaration made and signed or otherwise, that all the
animals then imported therein are properly imported
according to the provisions of this article.
interpretation.
4. In this order terms have the same meaning as in the animals order
of 1886.
short title.
5. The order may be cited as the animals (amendment) order of 1892,
No. 7.
commencement.
6. This order shall commence and take effect from and immediately
after the thirty-first day of August, one thousand eight hundred and
ninety-two.
In witness whereof the board of
agriculture have hereunto set their official seal this sixteenth day of
August, one thousand eight hundred and
ninety-two.
[
l. s.]
T. H. Elliott, Secretary.
schedule.
(Part of order revoked.)
| No. |
Date. |
Short title. |
Extent of revocation. |
| 4947 |
6th May, 1892. |
The animals (amendment) order of 1892, No. 5. |
The whole of article 4. |
