436 Report from the Select Committee appointed to covsiJer 



every year. In Dr. M.'s miiKl it is fully established, that we have 

 nothing to fear from the importation of the plague from the Le- 

 vant to London ; and he grounds this opinion upon the simple 

 fact of long and great intercourse, without the disease having 

 once made its appearance hy a ship. We have tried the experi- 

 ment sufficiently long to be satisfied that we have nothing to fear 

 from the importation of goods. Considers the cause of the plague 

 to be the same as that of any other malignant fever, foul effluvia, 

 dirtiness, want of ventilation, and poor living ; you may generate 

 in this way, a fever like our gaol fever. 



John Green, Esq. again called and examined. — Has known of 

 instances of persons having slept with others, and not having 

 taken the plague. Mr. Slaars, a Dutch merchant at Smyrna, 

 had two daughters who slept together ; the one was taken ill, 

 and the sister continued to sleep with her ; at last she died, and 

 i;pon examination it appeared that she had had the plague; the 

 sister did not take it, nor did any of the family. 



Mr. Perkins, an English merchant at Smyrna, had also two 

 daughters who slept together ; one of them was taken ill ; it 

 appeared that it was with the plague ; she got well of it, and the 

 .lister did not take it, nor did any of the family. Previous to 

 ISOC, English ships were not permitted to come direct to Eng- 

 land from Smyrna without a clean bill of health. When they 

 h^d not a clean bill of health, they went to Malta or Leghorn to 

 perform quarantine, and afterwards shipped the same cargoes on 

 board them to England. In the year 1800 an Act was passed, 

 permitting English sliips to come directly to this country without 

 a clean bill of health. There was a general revision of the qua- 

 rantine laws in 1800; a committee was appointed for the pur- 

 pose of making a report upon certain questions specifically put 

 to them by the Privy Council ; the Privy Council afterwards 

 formed regulations respecting quarantine geneially, including 

 iships coming without clean bills of health. 



Being asked, If under the form of regulations which prevailed 

 before 1800, it is not probalile that the plague was seldom if ever 

 shipped for England from the Levant? — answers: " I cannot speak 

 as to the shijmient of the plague ; I can speak specifically, that 

 the same species of goods had been for a century brought to this 

 country from Smyrna, during the plague, by ships bound to Hol- 

 land, and from thence the goods were brought here ; they have 

 no quarantine establishments in Holland, consequently it was 

 tantamount to their having come direct." 



Sir Arthur Brooke Faulkner. — The only opportunity he has 

 had of seeing the phigue, was in the Island of Malta in the year 

 1813. Was ))hysician to the forces, and the only staff physician 

 employed during the greater part of that service. Believes the- 



plague 



