proportion toward the relief of some of our Poor, (viz. Robert Webber and Richard a negro, and his wife,) be referred to the Committee formerly appointed, (viz. Capt. Oliver, Mr. Remington, and Andrew Bordman,) to debate further upon, who are fully empowered in behalf of the town, either to insist upon the said article or to consent to their being dismissed from the town. upon the articles aforementioned which they have complied with." In accordance with this agreement, the Farmers were incorporated March 20, 1712-13, by an act of the General Court, which provided that the "tract of land known by the name of the northern precinct in Cambridge be henceforth made a separate and distinct town, by the name of Lexington, upon the articles and terms already agreed on with the town of Cambridge." 1

During this period and half a century afterwards, very few public events occurred, materially affecting the welfare of Cambridge. Some facts, however, though of a more private or personal character, should not be entirely overlooked, as they throw light on the state of society and the condition of the people.

By the Town Records it appears that Cullers of Bricks were first elected, Nov. 10, 1684: Town Clerk, as an officer distinct from the Selectmen, March 13, 1692-3: Town Treasurer, March 30, 1694: Assessors, July 16, 1694.

In

The County Records indicate that Thomas Danforth was Treasurer of Middlesex, before 1657, when he was succeeded by Edward Goffe, who died in 1658, and John Stedman was appointed, who held the office until 1683; Samuel Andrew was his successor and remained in office until 1700, except during the administration of Andros. All these were Cambridge men. the settlement of the Treasurer's accounts, charges were allowed in 1690, to wit: "52 wolves killed by the English, 203. per wolf, and one killed by an Indian, 10, is £52. 103 . . . Paid one half the charge of Cambridge Great Bridge, £26. 7. 6d.." And in 1696, the Treasurer was allowed twelve pence in the pound of all collections and disbursements; Grand Jurors were paid two shillings per day for attendance; no allowance was made for travel, but the county paid for their dinners at one shilling each. Seventy-six wolves had been killed, and 138. 4d. per head was allowed in compensation.

May 22, 1691. "Upon the death of John Green, late Marshal General, in the beginning of the last Court of Assistants, Mr. Samuel Gookin being appointed by said Court to supply that

1 Mass. Prov. Rec., ix. 258, 259.

vacancy, and sworn to the faithful discharge of his duty in that place, the said Samuel Gookin is hereby confirmed in the said office of Marshal General of this Colony." 1

June 17, 1700. The General Court granted five pounds, to aid in repairing the road to Connecticut, "especially betwixt Wooster and Brookfield," which was described as "much incumbered with trees fallen, and many rocky swamps, and other obstructions to travellers, drovers, and others, to the hazarding life or limb of both men and horses."2 Six years earlier, Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth, afterwards President of Harvard College, accompanied the commissioners appointed to treat with the Maquas or Mohawks, at Albany, and travelled over this road to Brookfield, then generally called Quaboag: "Capt. Sewal and Major Townsend, being commissioned to treat with the Mockways, set out from Boston about half an hour past twelve, Monday, August 6, 1694. Several gentlemen did accompany them to Watertown, and then returned. At Watertown we met with Lieutenant Hammond and thirty troopers, who were appointed for a guard to Springfield. We came to our first stage at Malberough, about half an hour past eight in the evening. We lodged at Abraham How's,3 and thence set forward the next morning about half an hour past seven of the clock. There was nothing remarkable this day, but only Mr. Dwite, of Hatford, did accidentally fall into our company, and after the same manner, scil. accidentally, he and his horse both together fell into a brook; but both rose again without damage. This day we dined in the woods. Pleasant descants were made upon the dining room: it was said that it was large, high, curiously hung with green; our dining place was also accommodated with the pleasancy of a murmuring rivulet. This day, some of our company saw a bear; but being near a thick swamp, he escaped our pursuit. Towards night we heard (I think) three guns; but we knew not who shot them. Our whole company come this day to Quaboag, about sundown, not long before nor after." 4 The easterly section of this road is mentioned by Pemberton, under date of Sept. 30, 1783, in his manuscript "Chronology," preserved in the library of the Mass. Hist. Society: "A gentleman of this State remarks, that soon after the settlement of our Fathers at Boston, the persons appointed to explore the country, and lay out public roads did it as far as the

bank by Mrs. Biglow in Weston, and reported that they had done it as far as they believed would ever be necessary, it being about seven miles from the College in Cambridge."" It is proper to add, that I have never seen any contemporary authority for this extraordinary statement.

Col. Shute, the newly appointed Governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, arrived in Boston, Oct. 4, 1716, and on the 15th day of the same month commenced a journey to New Hampshire. Instead of crossing the ferry to Charlestown, he passed out of Boston over the neck, through Roxbury and Brookline, to Cambridge Great Bridge. The commencement of his journey, and the manner of his reception in Cambridge, are described in the" Boston News Letter," October 22, 1716: "On Monday last, the 15th current, his Excellency, our Governor, about eight o'clock in the morning, set out from hence by land for his other government of New Hampshire, attended by the honorable the Lieut.-Governor and several of the chief gentlemen of this and that Province, and on this side of the river was met by Spencer Phips Esq., with his Troop of Horse, the Sheriff of Middlesex, and other gentlemen of that County, and by them conducted to Harvard College in Cambridge, where he was received by the President, Fellows, and Students, and entertained in the Hall with a congratulatory Latin Oration, by Mr. Thomas Foxcroft: after which his Excellency was pleased to take a view of the Library, and then proceeded on his journey to Lynn," etc.

Col. Edmund Goffe was elected Representative, June 6, 1721. "Samuel Smith was charged with putting in two votes in the first voting for Representative, made oath that he put in but one vote for Representative. Also Daniel Gookin being charged with putting in two votes at the second voting for a Representative, made oath that he put in but one vote for a Representative: said oaths were administered in the public meeting per Mr. Justice Leverett." 1

In 1721, the small-pox prevailed more extensively and fatally than ever before in Boston and its vicinity. A statement of results was made officially in the "Boston News Letter": "Boston, Feb. 24, 1721-2. By the Selectmen. The number of persons visited with the small-pox since its coming into town, in April last past, having been inquired into by direction from the Selectmen, amounts to 5,889: 844 of whom died and were buried in the preceding months, as follows:- May, 1; June, 8; July, 11; Aug.,

1 Town Records.

26; Sept., 101; Oct., 411; Nov., 249; Dec., 31; Jan., 6." The extent of the destruction of life in Cambridge, by this scourge, is not known with exactness; but references to it are found in the "New England Courant:" "Cambridge, Thursday, Nov. 30, 1721. This morning died here William Hutchinson, of Boston, Esq., of the small-pox, in the 38th year of his age." (Dec. 4, 1721.) "Last week died one of the Indian hostages (mentioned in our last) of the small-pox at Cambridge." (Jan. 22, 1721-2.) "On Friday last, the General Assembly of this Province met at Cambridge, there not being a sufficient number of members to make a House on Wednesday, to which day they were before prorogued. They are adjourned till Tuesday next, when they are to meet a few miles out of town, the small-pox being now in the heart of that place." (March 5, 1721-2.) The Town Records show that a Committee was appointed, Jan. 29, 1721-2, to provide for the relief of such persons and families as may stand in need thereof, in case the small-pox spread amongst us." Inocula tion for the small-pox was first introduced in Boston at this time by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, who encountered the most violent opposition. "Out of 286 persons who were inoculated for the smallpox, but six died." 1

In 1730, the small-pox again prevailed in Cambridge with alarming violence. Nine town meetings were held between March 20 and April 3, to devise means for its extermination. A vote passed at the first of these meetings indicates that inoculation had been injudiciously or carelessly practiced: "Whereas Samuel Danforth, Esq's late practice of inoculation of small-pox amongst us has greatly endangered the town, and distressed sundry families amongst us, which is very disagreeable to us; wherefore, voted, that said Samuel Danforth, Esq. be desired forthwith to remove such inoculated persons into some convenient place, whereby our town may n't be exposed by them." The College studies were broken up for a time; but the students were recalled by an advertisement, dated May 2, 1730, and published in the "Weekly Journal:" "The small-pox having been lately at Cambridge, which occasioned the dispersion of the scholars to escape danger; but now, through the Divine goodness, that distemper having utterly ceased here; it is agreed and ordered by the President and Tutors, that the undergraduates forthwith repair to the College, to follow their studies and stated exercises. Benjamin Wadsworth, Pres." The distemper returned again

1 Drake's Hist. Boston, pp. 562, 563.

before the end of the year, as appears by a paragraph in the "News Letter," dated Oct. 8, 1730: "We hear from Cambridge, that Mr. William Patten, Representative for the town of Billerica, being taken sick of the small-pox, while the General Assembly was sitting there, is since dead, and was interred on Monday last, the 5th instant." On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Court was adjourned to meet at Roxbury on the next Wednesday.

Again, in 1752, the small-pox caused the cessation of study in College from April 22 until Sept. 2; and the corporation voted, May 4, "that there be no public Commencement this year," and in October voted to have no winter vacation. The town ap

pointed a committee, May 18, to devise measures to prevent the spreading of the disease, and on the 3d of October, "voted that a public contribution be in the three parts of this town, next Lord's-day come seven night, for the speedy raising of money to defray the charges the town have been at in the support, &c., of sundry persons lately visited with the small-pox, belonging to this town. Also voted that the thanks of this town be given to the Selectmen of the town of Charlestown for their great friendship, assistance and civility to us, when visited with the small-pox." I find no record of the number of lives destroyed in Cambridge by this visitation of the small-pox. But its ravages were frightful in Boston during the previous year. Professor Winthrop recorded the fact, in his interleaved Almanac, that while only five persons in Cambridge had the disease in 1751, of whom three died, in Boston, with a total population of 15,734, 5,060 whites had it the natural way, of whom 470 died; also, 485 blacks, of whom 69 died; and by inoculation 1,985 whites and 139 blacks were sick, of whom 24 whites and 6 blacks died.

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The town continued, as aforetime, to be watchful against the admission of undesirable associates. "At a meeting of the freeholders and inhabitants of the town of Cambridge, orderly convened 9th Dec. 1723. Whereas, of late years, sundry persons and families have been received and entertained amongst us, to the great trouble of the Selectmen and damage of the town: for preventing such inconveniences for the future, Voted, that henceforth no freeholder nor inhabitant in said town shall receive or admit any family into our town to reside amongst us for the space of a month, without first having obtained the allowance and approbation of the freeholders and inhabitants of said town, or of the Selectmen for the time being, on penalty of paying to the Treasurer of said town, for the use of the poor, the sum of twenty