181To Benjamin Franklin from George Whitefield, 26 November 1740 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from A Select Collection of Letters of the late George Whitefield, M.A .... (London, 1772), I , 226. I thank you for your letter. You may print my life, as you desire. God willing, I shall correct my two volumes of sermons, and send them the very first opportunity. Pray write to me by every ship, that goes shortly to Charles-Town. I shall embark for England, God...
182John Webbe: Defense Renewed, I, 27 November 1740 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The American Weekly Mercury , November 27, 1740. The principal End proposed by the Plan of a Magazine, lately published in this Paper, was to lay open the Nature of the Constitutions of the several Colonies, and to give a monthly Account of the Alterations made in each, with the Reasons inducing the Legislature for making such Alterations. The Materials, for executing the first...
183John Webbe: Defense Renewed, II, 4 December 1740 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The American Weekly Mercury , December 4, 1740. As it is the indispensible Duty of every Man to defend his Reputation from unjust Calumny, I was, therefore , obliged to step forth to vindicate mine, from the injurious Insinuations in the Gazette . But, notwithstanding the Attempt to destroy my Character, on which my Livelihood entirely depends, I was extremely careful , in my...
184The Postmaster and the Mercury, 11 December 1740 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The Pennsylvania Gazette , December 11, 1740. The Publick has been entertain’d for these three Weeks past, with angry Papers, written expressly against me, and publish’d in the Mercury . The two first I utterly neglected, as believing that both the Facts therein stated, and the extraordinary Reasonings upon them, might be safely enough left to themselves, without any Animadversion;...
185John Webbe: The Postmaster and the Mercury, 18 December 1740 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The American Weekly Mercury , December 18, 1740. A Particular must imagine himself to be of mighty Consequence, when he thinks his private Differences deserve to be decided at the public Tribunal. But when he is dragged there against his Inclination, every one must acknowledge that he has a Right to be heard in his Turn. This was my Case in Respect to the Scandalous Accusation,...
186Poor Richard, 1741 (Franklin Papers)
Poor Richard, 1741. An Almanack For the Year of Christ 1741 ,... By Richard Saunders, Philom. Philadelphia: Printed and sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing-Office near the Market. (Yale University Library) This Year there will be but two Eclipses, and those will be of the Sun, the first will happen June the Second Day: The other, November the 27th: Neither of which will be seen in these...
187Introduction to The New-Year’s Gift, 1741 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The New-Year’s Gift; or a Pocket Almanack, For the Year 1741 . Philadelphia Printed and Sold by B. Franklin. (Yale University Library) Franklin printed three almanacs for 1741 in addition to Poor Richard’s and John Jerman’s. One was a single sheet, another was A Pocket Almanack ... Fitted to the Use of Pennsylvania, and the neighbouring Provinces , and the third was The New-Year’s...
188Extracts from the Gazette, 1741 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The Pennsylvania Gazette , January 1 to December 29, 1741. Our River has been fast some time, And we hear from Lewes, that ’tis all Ice towards the Sea as far as Eye can reach. Tuesday and Wednesday last are thought to have been the coldest Days we have had these many Years. [January 8] Great Quantities of English Half-pence being Imported here, since the falling of our Exchange, to...
189Advertisement in the General Magazine, [16 February 1741] (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The General Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, for all the British Plantations in America , I (January 1741), inside cover. (Yale University Library) After the first announcements in November, Franklin and Bradford both hurried to get their magazines into print, each promising in his paper of February 5 that his would be published “next Week.” As it fell out, Bradford’s American...
190An Account of the Export of Provisions from Philadelphia, [16 February 1741] (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The General Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, for all the British Plantations in America , I (January 1741), 75. (Yale University Library) Eighteenth-century periodicals contained almost nothing original, and the General Magazine was no exception. The printer extracted news from American and English papers, essays from London journals, and laws, proclamations, treaties, debates,...