NEW SOUTH WALES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 660, 5 March 1859, Page 5

NEW SOUTH WALES.

The following article on a most important ,topic, from the 'Sydney Morning/Herald.of February 10; gives information, which, though applicable particularly to that colony, will be found worth some attention by graziers in this.country., !' ; i .THE DISEASES OF CATTLE; • . In October last, Mr. R. Meston was commissioned bythe^Governinent to go on a.cruise to some of the western and north-western districts of the colony, to inqujre into the .nature of the cattle diseases which had' just previously been very prevalent and destructive, and which have frequently made their appearance,-to-the great injury.of stockholders, and occasionally with loss of human life by contamination. Mr.' Mestoivs services were partly voluntary, for we believe that the arrangement with him was that he. should merely receive, his travelling expenses. , His report is dated 7th of December last, but has only jus.t been.issued.. The subject is one well worthy of enquiry, for the loss of wealth at times to the colony by diseases among stock is very; great. Many a flourishing squatter has been brought to beggary in a few days; and though the pastoral gentlemen are, on the whole, in a very flourishing condition just now, they cannot afford to despise the consideration, of a subject which may at any time most materially affect their welfare. Cattle diseases are to the stockholders what, floods and droughts are to the. agriculturist, and what commercial crises are to the merchant —they swepp off in one season the gains of years. Considering howlarge a portion of the colony's wealth: exists in its live stock—ihow; the quality, and quantity of the staple export* as well as. the quality and quantity of the people's food, depends upon the good condition and the rapid multiplication of .sheep and cattle, any investigation which may. reveal the causes of •ijdisea.se., an.d disolaso, preyentive measures, has a very tangible money value, and must bo looked upon ,as somptljing mqre than ,a mere scientific: enquiry. " 'Mi Meston cpmmenceß his report by explaining, 'that i the- popular . phrase. of " the . Cumberland 'disease "is, like many other phrases in common ' use, rather aoloalc for ignorance than an. exposition of knowledge, and is used to doscribe ailments of very different characters, anf \ arising from vory

different causes, One lmilady that ho found had been very destructive is the "lioovo." This was generated by tho suddenspringing up of spongy ■ grasses'find weeds after a long drought and cxtcnsivo bush fires had been followed by rains. The cattle, previously reduced to the very verge of inanition, eat too ray( nonsly; the spongy herbage swells and ferments •in tho stomach, and the animal "bursts." -.As the vegetation is rankest in tha valleys, where the air is more moist find warm, tho keeping of the cattle on the higher and • dryer ground till they recover the tone of their stomachs, and till the heat has evaporated tho dews, is a good preventive measure, whenever it is possible to accomplish it. But where the disease is developed, the administration of chloride of lime, or a pint of milk well mixed with soot, is stated to be a good remedy. But the best cure is to pierce the paunch, and let off tho gas; and Mr. Meston says that, though every farmer in England1 possesses the necessary imstrumertts to do this, he.only met, in alt his peregrinations, in Australia with one squatter who had them. Generally speaking, lie says, he found that cattle were loft to their fate. Poor men a however, with only a team or two of bullocks, cannot afford to he so negligent, though others, -with vast herds and wide runs, maybe careless of tha fate of a, score or two of their beasts. It is important that the knowledge of simple and 'efficacious remedies should be widely diffused among that clasa whose little all is often invested in, a few cattle, and to whom the loss of only one animal may often be. for a time at least, the deprivation of the means of livelihood. The marsh-mallow, and what is calledi the Scotch burr, are stated .by Mr, Meston to ba the most dangerous weeds in producing.this disease, especially at the lime when theyare flowering. The sharp prickly beard of a kind of barley that grows near Bathurst, Mr. Meston found to he occasionally fatal. Animals do not willingly eat it, but will do so occasionally when pinched by hunger, or /when it gets mixed with other food. The prickles stick in their tongues and cheeks, and bring oa ulcerations.

In Wellington and Bligb, catarrh has at timea * proved very fatal. Mr. Meston ascribes it in the first, instance to the dirty mud holes in which the sheep are yarded, then to the process to which they are subjected at shearing time, when, after being washed, they are closely packed in the sweating pea, then shorn and turned adrift. If a sudden change of temperature and very.cold night should supervene, the animals suffer ; severely from cold, and the seeds of catarrh are sown. Mr. Meston intimates that shelter is the natural preventative for this. He also ,points out that, in too many cases, sufficient care is not taken to determine whether the soil of a run is best suited for cattle or sheep, or the quantity of stock.it can. fairly carry without detriment to the condition of . the animals. Vegetation and the health of animals depend, he says, more on the subsoils than on the superstratum.

A kind of apoplexy, that he found had been very fatal among, sheep near Molong, he thinks, may be prevented by removing the sheep from water as soon as their thirst is satisfied, and keeping them during the heat of, the clay in shady and breezy spots. ; On the Clarence, many cattle were found to have suffered from eating the Moreton Bay chesnut.

The Cumberland-disease has been observed by Mr. Busby, of Cassilis, to increase and decrease with corresponding changes of temperature. Mr. Meston intimates that the food cattle eat, in consequence of the overspreading of the pasturage by weeds, irritates the mucous membrane, and thereby predisposes the system to the inflammatory influences of hotweatber. The denudation of the primitive pastures, unaccompanied by any attempt to supply fresh grasses, has, he considers, injured the healthiness of the herbage on many of the older runs. Mr. Moore, who accompanied Mr. Meston.in his trip, gives a botanical appendix, in which he quite confirms the statement that a great change for the worse is visible in the pasturage of the settled districts, and that the evil is spreading with alarming rapidity.

'.: Mr. Meston also intimates that ignorance in the management of stockliasia great deal to do with the weakly, constitution of many, animals, and that the mystei'ies of breeding,are but. dimly understood by many of those who undertake to superintend stations. He has the audacity to sa}' that the management of cattle is an art only to be acquired by long practice, and that it is not altogether wonderful, if, in a country where capitalists in vest in'pastoral pursuits almost as readily as they buy bank shares, many fatal blunders should beniade: As a cure for such ignorance, he hints at the expediency bf a Professor•• ship of.Agricultm*al and Pastoral pursuits,

The sum and; substance of Mr, Meston's report, therefore,,,virtually is to the.=effect that there are three principal causes of disease in stock—overfeeding after continued .sta.rvatiQn.-r-b.acl diet—and unskilful superintendence.

, The following " Notes pf the.Week," under date Feb. 7, give some items of general interest:—

The weather during the past week has been for the most part very unseasonable. It began with, rain, and until Thursday the down pour was almost continuous. For the first three days these ranis were accompanied by southreastetly gales, more or less strong, which had soon, the effect of knocking up a tremendous sea at. the Heads. The mail packet Oneida, .which was to have started on Monday evening, was detained by the weather until Wednesday morning. But to make up, to a certain .extent,-.for- this detention, she had a quick passage to Melbourne, reaching that port oh Friday morning. Some of the coasting steamers, which had attempted to get out on Monday and Tuesday were driveu 'backifo port, and one bound for Wollongong was compelled, to run for shelter into Botany Bay, The weather, however, has moderated as rapidly as it roughened, yesterday and to day it has been peculiarly fine, but there are still a few suspicious signs in the horizon, and the mercury in such barometers as we have seen, has an unpleasant "downward tendency."

In the parliamentary business of the week, the interest has,-contrary to what is usual,-been chiefly centred in the Upper House. From the. recently published official correspondence, in reference to the steam postal arrangements made by the Imperial . Government, it is plain that but light consideration has been given to the strong feeling which prevails here infavour of the Panama route. Having made a contract for the transmission of mails via Suez, her Majesty's Government thinks that it has dona enough, and will take no further steps until it shall have ascertained from each colony what share towards the general outlay it will take upon itself. Now, it so happens, that the establishment of a line via Panama has been made by this colony .an absolute condition precedent to the contribution of its quota of the general outlay, and our politicians were naturally indignant! that the interests and claims of New South Wales should be considered so completely subordinate to those of Victoria, as that a mere branch steamershould be regarded as sufficient for the requirements of the former. There was some disposition, therefore., to insist upon tho condition _ precedent in all its strictness. In this spirit, Mr. Monteflora moved a resolution in the Upper House, pledging that'body not to take into consideration any contract which did not provide for the conveyance of mails by both -routes. This mot with favour by many, but there were many others who, while they thought the colony had not been fairly used, wero still opposed to the extreme course advocated by Mr, Monteflore, as tending to nftbrd some basis for tho insinuation that this colony had an idea ot repudia-. ling a liability which* might equitably, if not legally, attach to it. It was thought- better by this soction of the House that, while the Panama Him was still insisted upon, there should ho no absuhito "refusal to render interim support to the Suez Hue, The i' previous question" having hiien moved, upon -Mr. Monteflore's proposition, there was an equal division of the House upon that motion, and tbu casting vote of tho .President was given agaiist it, An amendment was then moved by Mr. .Huberts Johnson, in the nature of any protest against auy contract being concluded by UiclmperiiU Govern* ment without a previous refereuco tliereujio i to the colonial authorities. After some further dUcussion, the debate upon this amendment was n.ljourned.

,' The mother little ebullition in t'io Legislative Council, which gnVe'jfeculiar interest to .the procepdings, wsis of a more- personal chfiracter. Jt

possibly., however, prore inoro .-serious ju its stilts, as iiwolv-ing tl>o question whether or not Jsr. Lutwyohe -slitf-ll eontiivue tohold the office of AUorney-Geiierui. It arose thus. Somc'limo ago \k° '■.^■•''Rr/vLang.ittid.Mr. SPusscll were committed for trial-stlifl former as -the author, mid the latter nfevthtt cipulilisher of a 'libel iijwn Mr.! A'le-xniider ■ Berry „of Shoalhaven. ftlpon tliis case thont has he en -a good deal of oxeitom«nt. 'Meetings have 1 boon got up fordenouncing-the prosecutor, and for • expressing sympathy with the prosecuted. Holding that all discussions upon the merits of a ease wjiich 'lifts\yet to be submitted to a judge and jury of'the connfcry are highly improper, we purposely abstain, ns we have hitherto Hone, from any allusion to th'fi natureof itself. The prosecutor, Mr. Bony, wns desirous, it seems, of having his case -cbnauctea by his own professional advisers, -«ricl m:uln the necessary application to the Attorney- '• General for this purpose. But it was the opinion •of that functionary that it was his duty to prosecute in .person, and, consequently, to refuse to Mr. "Berry the indulgence ho asked for. Mr. Berry thereupon declined, so far as. it rested with himself, to have anything further to do with the case, and caused the whole of the correspondence to be published. It had been already announced -intho Assembly that the Attorney-General did intend to prosecute when the whole, of the correspondence in connexion with the matter was moved for in the Upper House. The AttorneyGeneral assented to the production of these papers^ but attempted to accompany his assent by a dissertation upon libels in general, and upon the libels said to have been promulgated against his distin•guished self in particular. In tins course he was stopped not only b}' the interference of other mem» but by the ruling of the President. He then, however, proceeded to explain ; whafe "had "been the views under which he had acted in "the matter al;3udcd to, and the president ruled that he could do ■this without breach of order. Nevertheless, he ' was again and again interrupted, until, losing temper, he told the House that " any person, directly or indirectly—in Parliament or out of Parliament —charging the Attorney-General with a political bias in the execution of his duty, was .liable to a prosecution for misdemeanour." This bold assertion was at once taken up as & threat—a direct attack upon the privileges of the House. After a smart debate it \vas held, on division, by a majority of twelve to ten, that the expressions used by Mr. :Lutwyche were for these reasons unparlia•mentary. On this conclusion being formally communicated to that gentleman, he asked for a week to consult with his colleagues and to determine ■ • whether or not he ought any longer to hold a - seat in the House. This was at once granted, but some of the members contended that uutil the Attor-ney-General had " purged himself of the contempt" ' of which he had thus been found guilty, 'he ought to take no part in the business -of : the Council. After some further skirmishing the House was counted out, and there the affair rests. ' What will follow is but a matter of speculation— •mere guess work. It is probable, however, that the Attorney-General may next week get together. i\ sufficient majority to rescind the decision so condemnatory of las own language. Or he may with- ■ draw^ the decision complained of, and. explain that •he did not mean them to apply to language used •by members of parliament intheir places, as.such, but to language thus used where i their -senatorial privileges could not be held to exist. It is quite, impossible, we take it, that the correctness of Mr. ■Lutwyche's'theory, as deducible from the words he has used, can be maintained. Its unsoundness has • already been shown by the article in the ' Herald' of this morning. Should Mr. Lutwyche standfast to • the position he has assumed, and fail at the same time to obtain a recision, of <the vote of Thursday evening, hewiUonly punish himself. His retirement from the Cabinet at the present juncture would not materially affect the Ministry. In con- - temptation of Mr.' Lutwyche's elevation io the Bench, a successor has been already provided for him, and if Mr. Lutwyche retired from the . Attorney-Generalship, Mr. Bayley would at once be put into his place. But if he went out of office under such circumstances, he would, in all probability, lose his jndgeship also, and sink into the position of plain.Mr. Lutwyche, Q.C., with only such •a practice as his own-talents, -weighed in comparison with those of other members of the bar, would - enable him to command.

The Assembly sat until nearly one o'clock this -morning, and its proceedings were, to use a mild term, very spirited. . The leaders of the Government and of the_opposition badgered each other to ; their heart's content! but without producing any practical results. The ostensible bone of contention • was the appropriation of funds for the maintenance of the Electric Telegraph without any Parliaxnen- ■ tary sanction for .-this appropriation being first obtained. All manner of charges and countercharges were, howeveiy lugged -in. The Government was taunted with, among other "things, its appointment of Mr. Bayley, a comparative stranger, to the Attorney-Generalship, and retorted by allusions'to the appointment of Mr. Wise, when eqnallya new-comer, to the Solicitor- ■-■ Generalship. But the cases are not parallel. The reins of the department \vere then in the hands of -Sir William Manning, a gentleman of large -ex- : porience as a Crown law officer. €n 'the present case it is the new man who is-to'hol&the reins, and his colleague (Mr. Dalley), however amiable as an Individual, or able as a parliamentary-orator, is a joung man and a very young barrister. Hie final ■ result of hist night's skirmishing was to condemn ■ the practice of appropriating sums notvoted,. as-one ■which had been pursued, not only by:the -present •Government, but.% its predecessors. The City Council sat on Monday afternoon and aiunnber of resolutions, chiefly relating to repairs and minor improvements, none of which call -for any special mention. It is only fair to say, that under the surveillance of the present Municipal authorities a great change for t.ho better has been-effected'' in many parts of thei-ojty, and *his course' of improvement, although rather alow, seems tolerably, pure-

Some workmen employed 3n .excavating on the iNewfiastie railway line came, a short -time'since; «jK>n ,a live tortoise, embedded in sandstone, at a distance of sixteen feet six inches below the surface. It soon shewed signs of life, and was transmitted rto SirjWilliam. Denison, in whose aquarium it is still living. Its month appeared to be quite closed np, but Mr. William JJndeay, who has inspected "it, declares that i: h of a species commonly met ■with in this country at the present time, &nd that it lias, all the appearance of being young. The fragments of the little cell in which the animal was found were carried away by various amateur geo:Ji>.ijists, who happened to he near the spot, but the •Governor-General has directed that they -shall bo .-fill m 0.4 carefully ooi'lected, and'put together.