C 67 ] 
FROM 
S|)t Waccifif fluent* 
TO THE 
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 
FEBRUARY 7, 1822. 
Read, and referred to a Select Committee. 
WASHINGTON: 
jPBIKTSB BT GAMES & SEATON. 
1822. The Hon. Speaker 
of the House of Representatives. 
Baltimore, 4th February, 1822. 
Sir: From letters which-1 have received from Dr. Hunter, 
of Tarboro’, in North Carolina, I am fully persuaded I have disco- 
vered the true cause of the deplorable events which have happened 
there: And I am now satisfied that they have originated from an 
accident, such as never occurred before, and there is no danger that 
the like will ever occur again. 
I had a paper which contained some small-pox scabs, taken by 
myself, from a person named Whitfield, about the 4th of October, 
1821; and, on this paper I had written carefully, to avoid accidents, 
that it contained the variolous or small-pox matter. But, this paper 
was afterwards mislaid; and, after searching for it in vain, I had 
concluded it was lost, and supposed it might have been swept out of 
my office with other waste papers. 
From the information, howeVer, which I have received from Dr. 
Hunter, quoting the words I had written on it, I have no doubt but 
that the same identical paper I had lost, containing the small-pox 
scabs, and marked as such, was put up in Dr. Ward’s letter, by some 
mistake or inadvertence, instead of the glasses of vaccine matter 
which I intended to send to him; and which, from his letter to me, 
I supposed lie had received and used. 
We may now therefore safely conclude, that the injury done is 
of more limited extent than I feared. And every citizen of North 
Carolina has it in his power to be secured from it, if they will use 
the vaccine matter I have sent to them. 
Dr. Hunter assures me, that the vaccine matter obtained by him 
from this Institution, and which he was using “in a general and 
extensive vaccination,” when he wrote me, 19th ult. “was such as he 
knew to be genuine.” 
I hope you will be so good as to make the contents of this letter- 
known in the House of Representatives; and, I will be happy to fur- 
nish you, or any committee of Congress who may be appointed to 
make inquiry on this subject, with every fact relating to it, which 
has, or may hereafter come to my knowledge. 
I have the honor to be, 
With great respect. 
Your most obedient servant. 
JAMES SMITH.