51To Benjamin Franklin from Benjamin Vaughan, 20 October 1781 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I now fulfil a part of the promise I lately made you, of a communication upon the subject of natural history & philosophy. Arthur’s seat you know to be a considerable hill in the neighborhood of Edinburgh. While I was in that city, my excellent friend Professor Dugald Stewart informed me, that Dr. Hutton (one of the philosophical society of that place) had...
52To Benjamin Franklin from Benjamin Vaughan, 17 June 1779 (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society In about 3 weeks time I hope to send you every thing complete, relative to a certain collection. There will be an engraving of the head of the party, taken from the larger medallion, of which you sent a miniature-size to Miss G: S.— The motto, given by her father at my request, is “His country’s friend, but more of humankind.” I wanted something that should...
53To Benjamin Franklin from [Benjamin Vaughan], 3 July 1778 (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society You will be a little out of humor with a set of your friends here, though secretly but little so, as you must understand the history of their pompous language. For my own part, I think it right to keep up the characters of the men into whose hands the country is likely to fall; for the sake of the people here and in America, and of our enemies; for their...
54To Benjamin Franklin from Benjamin Vaughan and Samuel Vaughan, Jr., 29 January 1783 (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society Messrs: Vaughan have the honor to present their respects to Dr: Franklin. A prior engagement obliges them with the most extreme regret to decline the pleasure of waiting upon him on sunday, agreeable to his kind invitation. Mr: Vaughan has the honor to inclose a list of some books sold by the same bookseller who furnished Mr V with the copy of the Politique...
55To Benjamin Franklin from Benjamin Vaughan, 31 December 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I inclose you an extract of a letter from Dr. Priestley to my brother William, on the subject of his late supposed discovery. At the same time I inform you that I have procured a small glass jar, for the purpose of observing the cause of the phœnomenon of the small bits of tea-leaves, which you find whirled to the centre of the bottom of your breakfast cup,...
56To Benjamin Franklin from Benjamin Vaughan, 8 August 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress I beg to introduce to your kind regards one of my best respected friends, Mr Dugald Stewart, who though as yet little known out of Scotland, is one of the best known men in it. He stands in the very first class of their mathematicians & literary men. He has twice at a day’s warning taken up Dr. Adam Ferguson’s lectures in Moral Philosophy, & twice completely excelled...