VOL. LV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 229 



port it, or the whirling arch is broken so as to let in the air ; falling in the sea, 

 it is harmless, unless ships happen under it. But if in the progressive motion 

 of the whirl it has moved from the sea over the land, and there breaks, sudden, 

 violent, and mischievous torrents are the consequence. 



XXIF. Historical Memoirs, relating to the Practice of Inoculation for the Small 

 Pox, in the British American Provinces, particularly in New England. By 

 Benjamin Gale, A.M. p. IQS. 



The small-pox, by the vigilant execution of the laws subsisting in the several 

 New England colonies, had never generally prevailed among the inhabitants, ex- 

 cepting in Boston, the capital town, in the province of the Massachusett's Bay, 

 where it had been epidemical, a. d. 1649, 1666, 1678, 1689, 1702, 1721, 

 1730, 1732, and at the above date, 1764, and where the success attending 

 inoculation, after much opposition, and endeavours used to bring the same into 

 disrepute, became incontestably evident. In the provinces of New York, New 

 Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the like precautions had not been taken; and the 

 small-pox had prevailed in those provinces, but more especially in the capital 

 towns, and places adjacent, once in about 6 or 7 years, where inoculation had 

 been practisal with surprizing success, to the preservation of many lives. 



A. D. 1702, the inhabitants of the town of Boston were 67 50 souls, at this 

 time there died of the whites 300. a. d. 1721, the number of the inhabitants 

 were 10,567, besides those moval out to avoid the disease; the discumbents 

 were 5,989, of which 844 died, i. e. near 1 in 7- At this time, in and about 

 Boston, 286 were inoculated, of which 6 died, i. e. about 1 in 48. This was 

 the beginning of inoculation in New England, soon after it was first practised 

 in London.* a. d. 1730, the discumbents were estimated at 4000, of which 

 about 500 died; of about 400 inoculated, 12 died, i. e. 1 of 33. 



a. d. 1752, there was an exact account taken, by order of the magistrates of 

 the town of Boston, and rendered upon oath, in order to remove the prejudices 

 and objections made against inoculation, of all who had the small-pox, either in 

 the natural way or by inoculation, and of the precise number of those who died 

 of the small-pox in either way; by which account it appears that the number of 

 those who had the distemper in the natural way, including blacks, amounted to 

 5,544, of which number died, including blacks, 514; the whole number inocu- 

 lated, including blacks, was 2,113, of which died, including blacks, 30. At 

 this time, all present had the small-pox, except about 174; the total of 

 residenters, including 1544 negroes, being 15,734; those who fled from the 

 small-pox estimated at 1,800. Hitherto mercury had not been made use of 

 in inoculation in Boston. 



• Dr. Douglas's Summary Hist. Vol. 2, p. 395. — Orig. 



