Attempts have been made to modify the quarantine laws without 'MCCOYS.
The reason why it is necessary for a nation to adapt its quarantine regulations to the received opinions upon the subject, is explained in p the following extract from a paper respecting quarantine regulations in the Mediterranean, which was printed in the Malta ' Government Gazette" of the 19th December, 183S :--" The quarantine regulation's of the English colonies in the Mediterranean cannot be changed by the simple will of the English government without reducing incon veniences far greater than those arising from the existing system. If the English government should change the quarantine regulations of Malta and its other colonies in the Mediterranean without previously obtaining the approbation of the sanitary authorities of the neighbour ing countries, the pratique granted In those colonies would not be received elsewhere ; and all vessels coining from any of those colonies would be subjected to a quarantine of observation (from eight to fifteen days). The latter liability would attach to ship; of the royal navy as well as to merchant vessels; • so that no ship of war sailing from Malta could communicate with any part of France, Italy, or Austria, without being previously subjected to a quarantine of obser vation. Malta, in particular, would suffer most severely by being unable to give an effectual pratique to ships performing quarantine in the harbour of Valletta, and by subjecting all ships clearing out of that harbour to a quarantine of observation. Not only would its transit trade be almost completely destroyed, but it would lose its importtince as a quarantine station. its importance as a quarantine station is now daily growing, on account of the establishment of the French steamers to time Levant, and the use of the overland journey to India. It would, however, cease to be a quarantine station if its pratiquo was not received by the Board of Health at Marseille, and by the other sanitary authorities of the Mediterranean. In older, therefore, that the quarantine regulations of the English colonies in the Mediterranean might be safely altered, it would be necessary that the alterations should be made in concert with the governments of the neighbouring European countries."
The small states of Italy have been suspected (and, we fear, with justice) of abusing quarantine regulations for the purpose of preventing commercial intercourse, and also for the sake of the profit to be made by fanning out the quarantine dues.
The heads of the English law respecting quarantine are contained in the 6 Geo. IV. c. 78. This Act also confers upon the king in council extensive powers for making quarantine regulations. A full official abstract of the regulations established by this statute, and of the orders in council made under it, may be seen in 31`Culloch's ' Commercial Dictionary,' article In 1850, upon the invitation of the French Republican Government, it was agreed among the different states which had coast possessions in, ' or close to, the Mediterranean, that an international conference on the subject of quarantine should be held in feria. Delegates attended this meeting from France, Great Britain, Austria, Russia,Sardinia, Tuscany, the Papal States, Naples, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. 31. David, of France, was appointed president, and the congress eat from the 23rd of July, 1851, to the 19th of January, 1852. Although the resolutions come to by this body are important, they have only been very partially acted on up to this moment by the nations represented. At one of the earliest sittings of the congress it was decided that only two kinds or degrees of quarantine be henceforth recognised ; namely, "'quarantine of observation," and "quarautiue of rigor or strictness," and that the third, or intermediate kind, "suspected quarantine" I should be discontinued. Quarantine of observation involves only the enforced detention and isolation of a vessel with al! persons and things on board for a specified time, due attention to ventilation and cleanli ness being required to be observed. In strict quarantine, besides a longer detention, and a more rigorous isolation, other special pre cautionary measures, including the disembarkation of persons and the cargo in a lazaretto, and their presumed disinfection by fumigation, dc., are imposed.