146 



year, and Elbridge Gerry, thirty. In that year Marble- 

 head was second in importance only to Boston among the 

 leading towns of Massachusetts, probably of New Eng- 

 land, while Salem, fourth on the list by the census of 

 1765, the earliest census of which we have authentic data, 

 was behind her neighbor in gross population, as well as 

 in the number of houses and of families, in taxable prop- 

 erty and perhaps in tonnage. 17 A drive to Marblehead 

 was then an indispensable requisite of Salem's hospitality 

 to strangers. 



In that year, systematic general inoculation first came 

 into favor here. Inoculation had been in use in America 

 since 1720, and in common use since 1760. 



The nature of the disease, from which inoculation was 

 proposed as an escape, is not such as to invite discussion. 

 Vaccination, introduced at the end of the last century, 18 

 enables us to escape the sickening contemplation of it as 

 a matter of general concern ; but our ancestors were not 



"Nov. 27, 1714, the Churchmen of St. Michael's, at Marblehead, petitioned the 

 Bishop of London for an English Clergyman, and described their town as "next 

 Boston, the greatest place of Trade and Commerce within this Province." By the 

 census of 1705, Salem and Marblehead compared as follows : 



Population. Houses. Families. 



Salem 4427 509 923 



Marblehead 4951 519 935 



Dartmouth, now New Bedford, was also then ahead of Salem. In the sermon on 

 the ordination of Kev'd Ebenezer Hubbard over the First Church at Marblehead 

 preached by Rev'd Elias Stone. Jan'y 1. 1783, the town is described as ' before the 

 American Revolution, swarming with inhabitants, a pattern of industry, flourishing 

 in trade, abounding with wealth. From its numbers and opulence, as from a 

 fountain, streams of wealth flowed out, which greatly enriched the vicinity and 

 penetrated far into the country. About 1770, Marblehead was supposed next to 

 Boston in population, bearing a proportion in the Province Tax next to Boston, 

 and thought at that time to have imported more hard money than any other 

 town in the province." 



18 Dr. Jenner vaccinated his first patient May 14, 1796, and on July 1st following 

 and several subsequent dates, inoculated him without effect, thus demonstrating 

 the success of his system. The same year, the system was introduced into 

 America by Dr. James Jackson and Dr. Waterhouse. Dr. Thomas Pickman 

 performed the lirst vaccination in Salem, Oct. 5, 1800. 



