SIR RICHARD JEBB. 



101 



see the emperor, my brother, who is 

 expected here soon." Dr. Jenner 

 bowed acquiescence and withdrew. 



The emperor arrived, and the 

 promised interview took place in 

 the most gracious form. The Doc- 

 tor was ushered into a room, which 

 soon after his imperial majesty en- 

 tered alone. He pronounced the 

 \vords "Dr. Jenner!" (which was 

 returned with a respectful bow), 

 and then advanced and touched his 

 right shoulder. Alexander shortly 

 commenced a discourse iipon the 

 astonishing effects of vaccination in 

 Russia; and Dr. Jenner had the 

 pleasure of hearing him declare, 

 that the vaccine had nearly sub- 

 dued small-pox throughout that 

 country. Dr. Jenner then told the 

 emperor that he had the highest 

 gratification at hearing such an 

 important fact from his majesty 

 himself. The Doctor next pre- 

 sented the monarch with a volume 

 of his own works upon the subject ; 

 and added, " that in whatever coun- 

 try vaccination was conducted in a 

 similar way to that which his ma- 

 jesty had commanded in the Rus- 

 sian empire, the small-pox must 

 necessarily become extinct." 



In a few days afterwards Count 

 Orloff, with whom he had been long 

 acquainted, from attendance on his 

 countess, waited on Dr. Jeimer, and 

 ;1 him if a Russian order would 

 be acceptable to him, should his ma- 

 j,vUy be graciously pleased to confer 

 it. Dr. Jenner replied, that he 

 thought this exclusively belonged 

 to men of perfect independence. 

 The count expressed his surprise at 

 his not possessing a pecuniary in- 

 dependence. Dr. Jenner answered, 

 that he possessed a village fortune, 

 though not what came under the 

 general acceptation of the term in- 

 dependence. 



By appointment Dr. Jenner waited 

 on the King of Prussia. The Dr. 

 came rather late, and the king was 

 iu haste to go to church. His ma- 



jesty, however, gave him a very 

 polite reception, and apologized for 

 being under the necessity of going 

 to church ; but made, as did the 

 other sovereigns, a general acknow- 

 ledgment of the obligations of the 

 world to Dr. Jenner. His Prussian 

 majesty was the first crowned head 

 who submitted his own offspring to 

 vaccination; and the Emperor of 

 Austria followed his example. After 

 the king was gone, the crown-prince, 

 and many others of the illustrious 

 foreigners, honoured Dr. Jenner 

 with particular notice, and gave him 

 a pressing invitation to Berlin. 



Dr. Jenner' s next presentation 

 was to Blucher. He was very polite, 

 and rather facetioiis. Before the 

 general entered the room, a Turkish 

 tobacco-pipe (a Turkey bowl with 

 an alder stick) was brought in by a 

 servant, upon a velvet cushion. 



The next interview was with 

 Platoff. To the astonishment of 

 Dr. Jenner, who was accompanied 

 by Dr. Haiael (a physician born on 

 the banks of the Don, and ac- 

 quainted with the Cossack lan- 

 guage), the count proved to be 

 quite a polished gentleman, had a 

 knowledge of vaccination and prac- 

 tised it. He said, " Sir, you have 

 extinguished the most pestilential 

 disorder that ever appeared on the 

 banks of the Don." 



sir, r.:cHARD JEBB. 

 This eminent physician used to 

 tell a story of himself, which made 

 even rapacity comical. He was at- 

 tending a nobleman, from whom he 

 had a right to expect a fee of five 

 guineas: he received only three. 

 Suspecting some trick on the part 

 of the steward, from whom he re- 

 ceived it, he, at the next visit, con- 

 trived to drop three guineas. They 

 wei-e picked up, and again deposi- 

 ted in his hand ; but he still con- 

 tinued to look on the carpet. His 

 lordship asked if all the guineas 

 were found. " There must be two 



