the Validity of the Doctrine of Contagion in the Plague. 431 



from the funerals a dozen times a day, to go into the winehouse 

 to get a glass of wine. Has seen him also very frequently assist 

 people staggering in the street from debility, from illness to walk 

 home to their houses during the height of the plague ; remon- 

 strated with him on the subject; when he said he did not trouble 

 himself about the plague : he was very much in the habit of getting 

 drunk, half drunk all day. Has seen him lie in the streets,and per- 

 sons passing the dead over him, kicking him out of the way like a 

 beast or a log. When the plague first broke out in 177S, the son 

 of an Armenian merchant opposite Mr. G.'s house was taken ill; 

 and a clerk in the counting-house of the Armenian was sent with 

 this young man that was ill, to a place called Ortaquey, a village 

 about four miles from Constantinople, on the borders of the Bos- 

 phorus, and there he remained for nine days. At the end of that 

 time the young man died, and it proved to have been the plague; 

 the clerk had attended him day and night, during the whole of 

 his illness, and slept in the same room, on the same sofa proba- 

 bly, (for the sofas go all round the room,) and he was not at all 

 affected by it, and did not take the plague. Considers there are, 

 often instances of the plague, without its spreading in the com- 

 munity. It has been a common observation, that if the plague 

 exists at Constantinople and not at Smyrna, if persons infected 

 with the plague go down from Constantinople to Smyrna, al- 

 though they die there, the plague does not spread at Smyrna, and 

 vice versa. It is generally considered, that if it is carried from 

 one place to another where there has not been the plague, it 

 does not spread. There was an English ship, last year, or the 

 year before, the Smyrna, Captain Farmer, carried down two 

 Turkish passengers from Constantinople to Smyrna; one died of 

 the plague, and the other was landed at the fort about seven or 

 eight miles off Smyrna. The ship was, on her arrival at Smyrna, 

 ordered by the Consul to perform 40 days quarantine, to be fu- 

 migated before they would permit her to take in any goods ; but 

 neither the captain nor any of the crew weie affected by the dis- 

 ease ; they did not take it. Believes there is no instance on re- 

 cord, of any English sailor dying of the plague on board the mer- 

 chantmen in Turkey. Thinks their escape from it may probably 

 arise, not only from the different habits, living freely and drinking 

 wine; but also from the English sailors in general sleeping on board 

 their ships, where there is a great difference in the atmosphere 

 from what it is on shore, perhaps eight or ten degrees. Another 

 circumstance is, all the European merchants in Turkey employ 

 brokers, who do all their business, buying and selling for them ; 

 these persons go about freely during the plague, buying and sell- 

 ing goods, and collecting monies. Does not recollect any of these 

 people taking the plague, except in two instances. Rather thinks 



they 



