661An Expostulation, 3 November 1770 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The Public Advertiser , Nov. 3, 1770 For the Public Advertiser An American , to those Englishmen who virulently write and talk against his Countrymen , sends this Expostulation: If it be true, as some of you say it is, that our Non-Importation Agreements are not observed, but that we clandestinely import and consume as much British Goods as ever, why are you so angry with us, and...
662Power of Attorney to James Parker, 5 November 1764 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Bureau of Land Records, Department of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg Know ALL Men by these presents That I Benjamin Franklin of the City of Philadelphia Printer being now about to depart for England and the Time of my Return uncertain and there being long Accounts of Partnership unsettled between David Hall of the same place Printer and myself which partnership is now near expiring and the...
663Poor Richard, 1734 (Franklin Papers)
Poor Richard, 1734. An Almanack For the Year of Christ 1734 … By Richard Saunders, Philom. Philadelphia: Printed and sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing-Office near the Market (Yale University Library). Your kind and charitable Assistance last Year, in purchasing so large an Impression of my Almanacks, has made my Circumstances much more easy in the World, and requires my grateful...
664From Benjamin Franklin to Charles Thomson, 9 March 1784 (Franklin Papers)
Transcript: National Archives I received a few Days since a Letter from Annapolis dated June 5th. in your handwriting, but not signed, acquainting the Commissioners with the Causes of Delay in sending the Ratification of the Definitive Treaty. The Term was expired before that Letter came to hand, but I hope no Difficulty will arise from a Failure in a Point not essential, and which was...
665From Benjamin Franklin to Landais, 11 March 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received your favour of the 3 inst. The Order of M. de Sartine was sent from Versailles on Monday last for taking your Mutineers off your Hands, so that I hope you are free of them before this Time & employ’d in fitting your Ship for the sea; in which you will make all the Dispatch possible & follow the Directions of the Agent as to the Place of Rendezvous in Order...
666From Benjamin Franklin to François Bowens, 2 March 1782 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress This is to request, that in Addition to the Paper you already have the Kindness to forward me, you would procure & send me Likewise, The Whitehall Evening Post, & the General Advertiser . Your Disbursements on this Account shall be thankfully repaid you by Sir, your &c
667From Benjamin Franklin to Anthony Todd, 29 October 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Press copy of ALS : American Philosophical Society I have been in hopes of being able to answer sooner yours of the 17th. but am at last inform’d that tho’ M. D’Ogny is come to Town, he can enter into no Agreement till he has receiv’d his Instructions, which he cannot have till after the Return of the Court from Fontainbleau to Versailles. So I can only say at present, that the Reasonings in...
668From Benjamin Franklin to William Strahan, 29 July 1747 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from The Atlantic Monthly , LXI (1888), 26. Your Favours of March 18 and April 1 are come to Hand with all the Books, &c. mentioned in the invoice, in good Order, and am much obliged to you for your ready Compliance with all my Requests. I believe I could have got Subscriptions for 20 Sets of the Universal History, and perhaps more, but unluckily a Ship from Ireland...
669From Benjamin Franklin to the Massachusetts Delegates to Congress, 17 October 1779 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Yale University Library; copy: Library of Congress I have lately received the Letter you did me the honour of writing to me the 7th of May last, relating to the Loss of the Brigantine, Fair Play . I had before made the Application desired, and obtained an Order to the Governor of Guadaloupe for making the Compensation. I hope therefore that the Business is effected; but if any...
670From Benjamin Franklin to the Duchesse de Deux-Ponts, [after 26 June 1779] (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): University of Pennsylvania Library I received my dear Friend’s kind Present of the Scissors, which are exactly what I wanted, & besides their Usefulness to me have a great additional Value by the Hand from which they came. It is true that I can now neither walk abroad nor write at home without having something that may remind me of your Goodness towards me; you might have added,...
671Committee Report on Lightning Rods for St. Paul’s Cathedral, 7 June 1769 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The Royal Society, Philosophical Transactions , LIX (1769), 162–9. As, in consequence of a letter addressed to the Royal Society from the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul’s, the Society did us the honour to appoint us a Committee to examine that magnificent structure, and, as far as our experience would enable us, to prevent mischief thereto from lightning, by a properly disposed...
672Rules and Statutes of the College, Academy, and Charity School; Laws and Statutes of the Trustees, 11 July 1755 (Franklin Papers)
MS Minutes: Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania The trustees of the College of Philadelphia on June 10 (see above, p. 29) appointed Franklin and five others to examine and report on a draft of rules and statutes, probably prepared by Franklin himself, which had been submitted to the board for adoption. On July 11 Franklin reported as president that the committee had considered the draft...
673From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph Galloway, 18 June 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Princeton University Library With this you will receive a Power of Attorney from Messrs. Brown and Sons, Bankers, to recover a Debt of one Mitchel, which I recommend to your Care. The Case is this, When I was in Philadelphia, this Mitchel came to England on a Scheme for Purchasing some Lands in Partnership with Mr. Hughes, who desired me to give him a Letter of Credit for any Sum he...
674From Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Williams, Jr., 1 November 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress Enclosed is a Letter from M. Lavosier, one of the Fermers General, by which you will see that the necessary papers for the Saltpetre are dispatched. I want much the Invoice you promised me of the Cloths bought of M. De Chaumont, and to know precisely the Terms of that Purchase & the Amount. M. Austin tells me he will leave some Money in your Hands for me, in 270...
675From Benjamin Franklin to Ferdinand Grand, 12 March 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress Enclos’d is the propos’d Letter to the House in Holland, which you will send if you approve of it. If I have not exprest rightly the Affair of Interest, please to keep it back, and I will correct it for next Post: what is mention’d of another House relates to the final Offer made me by M. Neufville. I own I have not an Expectation of much farther Assistance from...
676Power of Attorney to Deborah Franklin and Richard Bache, 17 February 1772: résumé (Franklin Papers)
DS : American Philosophical Society <February 17, 1772. Franklin empowers Deborah Franklin and Richard Bache to request and receive payment of all debts due him in America, except those owed him by William Franklin, and to take all legal actions and whatever other lawful steps may be necessary for collecting from the debtors or their executors or administrators. Sealed, stamped, and delivered...
677From Benjamin Franklin to [Peter Franklin], 7 May 1760 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Benjamin Franklin, Experiments and Observations on Electricity (London, 1769), pp. 379–80. ******It had, indeed, as you observe, been the opinion of some very great naturalists, that the sea is salt only from the dissolution of mineral or rock salt, which its waters happened to meet with. But this opinion takes it for granted that all water was originally fresh, of...
678From Benjamin Franklin to John Paul Jones, 19 July 1779 (Franklin Papers)
LS : National Archives; copy: Library of Congress I have before me your Letters of the 5th. 9th. & 12th of this Month. I received all the Papers relating to Capt. Landais Prize. That Matter is now under Consideration. I am sorry for the Communication of Plans that you mention, but hope no ill Consequences will attend it. I think the Instruction of Congress which you mention should be observed;...
679From Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 3 March 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress I had no Line from you per last Packet. But I had the Satisfaction of hearing you were well by Mr. Beache’s Letter. I wrote to you per Capt. All, and sent you some little Things. I continue well, and am ever, Your affectionate Husband Bache’s letter was that of Jan. 4 above, and BF ’s by Capt. All was, we assume, that of Feb. 14.
680From Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 9 November 1765 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received yours and Sally’s kind Letters of Sept. 22. and Brother Read’s. Also one from our good Neighbour Thomson, and one from Brother Peter; one from Mr. Hall and one from Mr. Parker: All which I pray you to acknowledge for me, with Thanks, as I find I can not have time to write to them by this Packet. I honour much the Spirit and Courage you show’d,...
681Marginalia in a Pamphlet by Josiah Tucker, [on or after 22 December 1776] (Franklin Papers)
MS notations in the margins of a copy in the Library of Congress of [Josiah Tucker,] A Series of Answers to Certain Popular Objections, against Separating from the Rebellious Colonies, and Discarding Them Entirely; Being the Concluding Tract of the Dean of Gloucester, on the Subject of American Affairs (Gloucester, 1776). These are the first marginalia by Franklin that deserve extensive...
682From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Percival, 15 October 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft): American Philosophical Society; copy: National Library of Scotland I have received here your Favour of September 18th. enclosing your very valuable Paper of the Numeration of Manchester. Such Enquiries may be as useful as they are curious, and if once made general would greatly assist in the prudent Government of a State. In China, I have somewhere read, an Account is yearly taken...
683From Benjamin Franklin to Peter Collinson, 19 December 1763 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library I am but lately return’d from my Tour of these Northern Colonies, having been from the Southernmost Part of Virginia to the easternmost Part of New England. I think I wrote you from Boston that I had by a Fall dislocated my right Arm at the Shoulder Joint; it is now pretty well recovered, tho’ not quite so strong as before. Your obliging Favours of June 8, and 28;...
684The State of the Trade with the West Indies, 3–6 December 1768 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The London Chronicle , December 3–6, 1768 In a Letter of mine, which you inserted in your Paper of Nov. 3, was contained a view of the state of our commerce with the American continent colonies. I now send you a view of our commerce with the West India or Sugar Islands, taken, as the former was, from the Custom House accounts. When your Readers have compared and considered these...
685From Benjamin Franklin to Edmund Burke, Matthew Ridley, and Vergennes: Three Unsent Letters, [before 26 December 1781] (Franklin Papers)
(I), (II), and (III) AL (draft): Library of Congress On December 13, Franklin learned that Matthew Ridley was planning a trip to England to visit his wife. He proposed furnishing Ridley with powers to exchange Henry Laurens for John Burgoyne, and giving him instructions for the relief of American prisoners. Eight days later he promised Ridley a commission and instructions. Ridley was...
686From Benjamin Franklin to William Cooper, 9 March 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and copy: New York Public Library; ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress I received duly your Favour of Dec. 8. with a Copy for myself of the Proceedings of your Town Meeting, for which please to present my respectful Thanks to the Committee. I received also a Number more for different Persons, here, which I immediately deliver’d as directed. I have also reprinted the Pamphlet to...
687From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 10 May 1762 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received this Morning my dear Polley’s kind Present of two Tickets for the Latin Play at Hackney, enclos’d in her agreable little Letter of the 8th. for both which she will please to accept my Thanks. I am oblig’d also to Mrs. Tickell and to her for the kind Invitation of Dining on the Day of the Play. But I think we are engag’d for that Day to Dine at...
688Presentment of the Philadelphia Grand Jury, 3 January 1745 (Franklin Papers)
AD : Historical Society of Pennsylvania To the Worshipful the Mayor, the Recorder and the rest of the Justices of the City of Philadelphia. The Grand Jury of the said City, met at the present Sessions, do, in Compliance with the Direction of the Court, [make] the following particular Presentments of unlawful Bakehouses, Coopers Shops, Disorderly Houses, &c. but believing from the Reprimand...
689From Benjamin Franklin to Richard Jackson, 24 December 1763 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Since my last of the 19th Inst. which went per Budden, our Assembly have voted a Compliance with General Amherst’s Requisition of 1000 Men from this Province, to act offensively in the Spring against the Indians. This is the more remarkable, as this Province us’d to be reckon’d backward in such Measures, and New York and the Jersies, have just set us but an...
690Scheme of the Second Academy Lottery, 11 March 1755 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The Pennsylvania Gazette , March 11, 1755. Before their lottery for 3000 pieces of eight (see above, p. 435) was drawn, the trustees of the Academy of Philadelphia, encouraged by the approval of a charter making their institution a college (issued on May 14), announced a second lottery, to raise 9375 pieces of eight for maintenance, scientific apparatus, and endowment of salaries....