18 EARLY QUARANTINE ARRANGEMENTS OF SALEM. 



And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, 

 [Sect. 4.] That if any person or persons, seamen or 

 passengers, belonging to or transported in any ship or ves- 

 sel arriving to any port or harbour within this pro- 

 vince, happen to be visited with the plague, small 

 pox, pestilential or malignant fever, during the voy- 

 age, or to come from any place where such sickness pre- 

 vails and is common, any justice or justices of the peace 

 within the county, to whom the notice or information 

 thereof shall be given, shall forthwith take care to 

 prevent and restrain all persons belonging to or trans- 

 ported in such ship or other vessel from coming on 

 shore, and if any be before on shore to send them on board 

 again, as also to restrain persons from going on board such 

 ship or vessel ; and to that end may make out a warrant, 

 directed to the sherifie of the county or his deputy, or con- 

 stables of the same town, who are accordingly impowred 

 and required to execute the same. And such justice or 

 justices are forthwith to transmit the intelligence thereof 

 to the governour or commander-in-chief for the time being, 

 who is hereby impowred, with the advice and consent of 

 the council, to take such further order therein as they 

 shall think fit for preventing the spreading of the in- 

 fection. 



[Passed June 25; published June 28, 1701. ,] 

 From this time on, the tendency of provincial legislation 

 was to throw more and more of the burthen of caring for 

 the health of the growing populations upon local authorities 

 by enlarging their powers. I shall not encumber this ac- 

 count with a recital of the modifications suggested by a cen- 

 tury of progress before the final supersedure of this fun- 

 damental act, June 22, 1797. The action of the selectmen 

 of Salem, which I shall detail, found its warrant in this fun- 

 damental law of 1701 and its several amendments. 



