Page:The New-England Courant - Nos 001.djvu/2

 Burlesque, or Ridicule on the Inoculator, &c. in treating a Character of low Life with a sort of strain'd Sublime, in a Pt manner; but were surprized to find two Gentleman, not in the Question, having given no Shadow of Offence, called Illiterate, Ignorant, &c. This (as they prophesied) the Town takes very much amiss. Bn was represented in a soft Manner, as illiterate, ignorant, rash, &c. only with respect to the Small Pox, and the dubious, dangerous Practice of Inoculation; these Gentleman are called so in gross. Why should Gentleman otherwise well qualified be called illiterate, Ignorant, &c. because they did not idle away four Years at Colledge, as some of our learned Men have done?

The Operation itself is not much greater than Bleeding, Blistering, &c. to the Eye; and here they rest, and form a prejudge in Favour of it; not proceeding farther to consider seriously the Evidences of its dismal Consequences, and Instances amongst ourselves of the violent high Fevers it hath prodcuedproduced [sic]. Old Mr. Wb in a few Hours underwent the hot Service of bleeding Vomiting, Blistering, Poultices, &c. and narrowly escaped with his Life. Is this no more than Bleeding or Blistering? Infatuation I think is like to be as Epidemick a Distemper of the Mind, as at present the small Pox is of the natural Body.

Mr. Daniel Bagg from Albany reports that there has lately been a great Fire at Quebeck, by which 150 Houses are laid in Ashes.

At a Town's Meeting of the Freeholders and other Inhabitants of the town of Boston (legally Warn'd) for electing four Gentlemen to serve them in the great and general Court or Assembly to be held in Boston, on the 23d instant, John Clark, Elisha Cook, William Hutchinson Esqrs; and Mr. William Clark Merchant, were by a great Majority chosen their Representatives.

On last Thursday Morning sixty odd soldiers went on Board the Transport from Castle William, being part of those Troops which were raised by the Government, to check the daring Insults and intended Hostilities of the eastern Indians, and by eleven at Noon they sailed from Nantucket. It is not doubted, but that they reached Arrrowsick by the next Day in the Evening, the Wind blowing fresh at South-west and West South-west during that interval.

The whole Quota design'd for the Expedition will (in all likelyhood) be there in a few Days, and there is no question, but that (by the Blessing of God) such a Numbers of Troops, so well equipt and led by such Officers, will be more than sufficient to put a stop to the threatning Danger, and bring the Indians to our own Terms.

Nothing can be more grateful to those poor, affrighted Strangers in those Parts than this well-timed Expedition, for it cannot be imagin'd with what Horrour and confusion those poor People were siezed, when they received the cruel (but unexpected) Menaces of those treacherous Barbarians.

His Excellency the Governour having issued out a Proclamation to make Vessels perform Quarentine that come from France, &c. The following Letter from a physician at Aix (giving an Account of the Plague) may not be amiss.

The Contagious Distemper, which has became the Reproach of our Faculty here for above a Month past, is more violent than that at Marseilles; it breaks out in Carbuncles, Buboes, livid Blisters, and purple Spots; the first Symptoms are grievous Pains in the Head, Consternation, wild Looks, a trembling Voice, a cadaverous Face, a coldness in all the extreme Parts, a low unequal Pulse, great Pains in the Stomach, Reachings to Vomit, and these are follow'd by Sleepiness, Deliriums, convulsions, or Fluxes of Blood, the Forerunners of Sudden Death. In the Bodies that are open'd, we find Gangrenous Inflammations in all the lower Parts of the belly, Breast and Neck. Above fifty Persons have died every Day for three weeks past in the Town and Hospitals. Most of them fall into a dreadful Phrenzy, so that we are forc'd to tie them.

Samuel Northey Sloop Sarah and Mary, Edward Limington Richard and Elizabeth, John Snoad, Scconer Ann, & John Rows Sloop Speedwell from North Carolina, Rich Foster Briganteen Adventure and Richard Thomas Briganteen Hauk from Surranam, Francis Fowles Snow George from Bristol, Joshua Pickman Pink Lark, and William Scot Ship Eagle from London, and Robert Butler Ship Margaret from the Isle of May.

John French Ship Barbadoes Merchant, and John Stevens for New Hampshire, John Sampson, Charles Whitfield, and James Cahoon for Newport, Peter Murdoch, and Jer Attwater for Connecticut, John La Goss Sloop Tryal, & Francis Bignals Sloop Gray bound for Leward Islands, Jeremiah went for St. Christophers, William Mason Sloop Pelican for Maryland, Roger Dench and Peleg Durfie for Newfoundland, and Samuel Dolly for North Carolina.

Thomas Elison Sloop Joseph for New York, Joseph Farrington Ship John and Mary for Leward Islands, John Dauvergne Ship Durel for the Bay of Biscay, William Brocks Ship Sarah for West Indies, Nehem. Done Sloop Mary Ann for Barbados, Joseph Bissel Sloop Dove for Annapolis Royal Mal. Salter Sloop Fisher for North Carolina, Robert Butler Ship Margaret for London.