Granville to Charles R. Lowell, April 8, 1881
Lord Granville to Mr. Lowell.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note dated the 1st instant, containing representations on the part of the United States Government in regard to the reports which have reached Her Majesty Government, through the British consul at Philadelphia, respecting the alleged prevalence of disease in swine, the meat of which is, in various forms, largely exported from America to Europe, and especially, as it is understood, to this country. It is needless for me, sir, to assure you that Her Majesty’s Government will he happy to receive any trustworthy evidence of the non-existence of hog cholera or trichinosis in the pork exported from the United States, seeing that the stoppage of such an important article of consumption cannot fail to occasion much inconvenience in this country.
With respect, however, to the strictures which appear to be conveyed in your note regarding the trustworthy character of the information on this subject supplied to Her Majesty’s Government, I would beg to draw attention to the inclosed copy of a memorandum which has been furnished to Her Majesty’s minister at Washington by Mr. Warrack, the British vice-consul at Chicago, showing the official sources from which he derived the statistical information furnished by him to Mr. Acting Consul Crump, the accuracy of whose reports on swine disease is now called in question. I feel bound on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government to observe that they are not as yet in possession of any intelligence calculated to throw a doubt on the prevalence of these diseases in the United States. They moreover cannot but think that a reference to the official statistics above alluded to will tend to disabuse the mind of the United States Government of the idea that Mr. Crump has been imposed upon by designing speculators, and will place them in a position to withdraw the very serious insinuation contained in your note against the good faith of that gentleman; a charge, the grounds for which Her Majesty’s Government must confess they are at a loss to understand.
Her Majesty’s Government, however, can only wish to arrive at the true facts of the case, and to find that the public confidence in the wholesomeness of American pork may be safely re-established; and I accordingly beg to inform you that they will take an early opportunity of laying before Parliament the correspondence on the subject, in which they will be happy to include any authentic information with which the United States Government may favor them.
I have the honor to be, &c.,