EARLY QUARANTINE ARRANGEMENTS OF SALEM. 5 



boards whereof they stand in need ;" two spots " by y^ 

 waters side" are assigned to master-builders for ship buihl- 

 ing; the Ship "Desire"^ of 120 tons, built here in 1636, 

 had made a voyage to New Providence & Tortuga ; be- 

 fore a twelvemonth ended a Fast was observed "on account 

 of prevailing fevers, small-pox & low state of religion;" 

 the tirst importation of indigo and sugar seems to have 

 been made in 1639, though cotton had arrived earlier ; on 

 " the 22"» of the 3**' m« called May" of that year the Gen- 

 eral Court voted " for further incuragement of men to set 

 vpon fishinge, * * that such ships & vessels & other 

 stock, as shall bee properly imployed & adventured in 

 takeing, makeing & transporting of fish, according to the 

 course of fishing voyages & the fish itselfe, shall bee ex- 

 empt for 7 years from hencefourth from all countrey 

 charges," * * Fishermen & Ship-carpenters were ex- 

 empt from " training" and so important to the colony had 

 the export of dried fish become that " it is forbidden to 

 all men, after the 20'^* of the next month, to imploy any 

 codd or basse fish for manuring of ground," upon pain of 

 losing " the privledg of exemption from publike charges ;" 

 "timber trees fitt for shippinge" are protected by vote of a 

 general town meeting in 1640, and "none shall cleave 

 such trees upp to clapl)o[ards] or pipestaves ;" in 1641, 

 ship-building is to proceed under the eye of a sworn 

 surveyor because " the countrey is no we in hand w^^' the 

 building of Ships, w^^' is a business of great importance 

 for the comon good " and at the urgency of Rev. Hugh 

 Peters of the First Church, a 300 ton ship is built here; 

 the next year, 1642, " tymber within the tow^ne lymitts" 

 is still further protected, by vote of town meeting, and, in 



iFour years later, she made the passage IVom Salem to Gravesencl in twenty- 

 three days, — famous sailing tor those times. 



