1From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 2 April 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Antiquarian Society; copy: Public Record Office My last was of the 22d past, since which I have received none of your Favours. I mentioned that the Bill brought into Parliament for Punishing Boston, met with no Opposition. It did however meet with a little before it got through, some few of the Members speaking against it in the House of Commons, and more in the House of Lords....
2From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 2 June 1773 (Franklin Papers)
AL (copy ): Public Record Office; ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress Since my last, which was of the 6th past, I have been honour’d with yours of March 6. and 24. inclosing a Petition to the King, and a Letter to Lord Dartmouth. On considering the whole, I concluded that a longer Delay of presenting the first Petition and Remonstrance was not likely to answer any good Purpose, and...
3From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 2 December 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and incomplete copy: Public Record Office; letterbook draft: Library of Congress The interview described in the first part of this letter involved Franklin further in the developing crisis in Massachusetts, and the enclosure he described in the second part inflamed that crisis and deeply affected the remainder of his English mission. The importance of the letter is obvious, and so are the...
4From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 1 June 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and copy: Public Record Office; draft: American Philosophical Society I received your respected Favour of March 31. with another of the same Date from the Committee. The latest of my Letters which had then come to your Hands was of Jany. 7. since which I have written several, viz. of Feb. 2 to yourself, and one of the same Date to the Committee. Of Feb. 15. containing a full Account of the...
5From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 3 September 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society; duplicate: New York Public Library It is a long time since I have been favoured by a Line from you. I suppose you thought me on my Return to America, and that your Letters would probably not reach me here. But I have been advised by our Friends to stay till the Result of your Congress should arrive. The Coolness, Temper, and Firmness of the American...
6From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 16 April 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office The above are Copies of my two last. The Torrent is still violent against America. A Bill is brought in to alter the Charter, appointing the Council by the Crown, giving Power to the Governors to nominate and commission Magistrates without Consent of Council, and forbidding any Town Meeting to be held in the Province (except the annual one for chusing Town Officers)...
7From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 1 November 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office I duly received your Favour of the 26th of Augt. with the Letter enclos’d for Lord Dartmouth, which I immediately sent to him. As soon as he comes to Town I shall wait upon his Lordship, and discourse with him upon the Subject of it; and I shall immediately write to you what I can collect from the Conversation. In my Opinion the Letter of the two Houses of the 29th...
8From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 25 July 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office; letterbook draft: Library of Congress I am favour’d with yours of June 14 and 16. the latter containing some Copies of the spirited Resolves of the Committee upon the Letters. I see from your Account of the Transaction, that you could not well prevent what was done. As to the Rumour that other Copies were come from England, I know that could not be. It was an...
9From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 15 September 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office I received, last week only, your Favour of June 27. and I have received no other from you since that of April 30. You complain of hearing seldom from me, and yet I have written oftener this Year than ever before. I apprehend our Letters are intercepted. I hope you have received mine of June 1. for in that you will find the Dates of many of the Letters I had written...
10From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 4 November 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress; AL (copy): Public Record Office Lord Dartmouth our new American Minister came to Town last Week, and held his first Levee on Wednesday, when I paid my Respects, acquainting him at the same time that I should in a few Days wait upon him on Business from Boston, which I have accordingly since done and have put your Petition to the King into his Hands,...
11From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 12 September 1773 (Franklin Papers)
Reprinted from William Duane, ed., The Works of Benjamin Franklin … (6 vols., Philadelphia, 1808–18), VI , 331–2. The above is a copy of my last, per packet. Inclosed is the original letter therein mentioned. His lordship continues in the country, but is expected (secretary Pownall tells me) the beginning of next month. To avoid repealing the American tea duty, and yet find a vent for tea, a...
12From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 6 October 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : New York Public Library Since my last to you, which went per Capt. Foulger, the Parliament, by a sudden and unexpected Resolution in the Cabinet, has been dissolved. Various are the Conjectures as to the Motives; among which one is, that some Advices from Boston, importing the Impossibility of carrying on Government there under the late Acts of Parliament, have made it appear necessary...
13From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 7 July 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office; ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress I am favoured with yours of April 20, and May 6. The Letters communicated to you were not merely to “satisfy the Curiosity” of any, but it was thought there might be a Use in showing them to some Friends of the Province, and even to some of the Governor’s Party, for their more certain Information concerning his Conduct and...
14From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 23 September 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office Nothing of Importance has occurr’d here since my last. This serves chiefly to cover a Newspaper, in which I have stated a few of the American Grievances that were omitted in my Receipt for diminishing a great Empire. These odd ways of presenting Matters to the publick View, sometimes occasion them to be more read, more talk’d of, and more attended to. With great...
15From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 6 May 1773 (Franklin Papers)
LS (duplicate): Public Record Office; letterbook draft: Library of Congress Franklin’s account in this letter of his interview with Lord Dartmouth indicates how little scope was left to either of them, two years before Lexington, to further reconciliation between Massachusetts and the mother country. Both the Englishman and the American wanted an end to the quarrel, yet neither could find a...
16From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 13 April 1772 (Franklin Papers)
Reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., The Works of Benjamin Franklin … (10 vols., Boston, 1836–40), VIII , 7–8. I wrote to you in January last a long letter, by Meyrick, and at the same time wrote to the Committee, since which I have received no line from any one in Boston, nor has Mr. Bollan yet received the answer we wait for, respecting the eastern settlements on the crown land. The Parliament...
17From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 22 March 1774 (Franklin Papers)
AL (copy): Public Record Office I received your Favour of Jan. 23. I suppose we never had since we were a People, so few Friends in Britain. The violent Destruction of the Tea seems to have united all Parties here against our Province, so that the Bill now brought into Parliament for shutting up Boston as a Port till Satisfaction is made, meets with no Opposition. An Alteration in our Charter...
18From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 15[–19]? February 1774 (Franklin Papers)
Reprinted from Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society , first series, III (1794), 109–16. I Wrote a line to you by the last packet, just to acquaint you there had been a hearing on our petition. I shall now give you the history of it as succinctly as I can. We had long imagined that the king would have considered that petition as he had done the preceding one in his cabinet, and...
19From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 13 January 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office; incomplete draft: American Philosophical Society I am now return’d again to London from a Journey of some Months in Ireland and Scotland. Though my Constitution, and too great Confinement to Business during the Winter, seem to require the Air and Exercise of a long Journey once a Year, which I have now practiced for more than 20 Years past, yet I should not have...
20From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 28 January 1775 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): American Philosophical Society I have been favour’d with yours of Sept. 24. and Oct. 26. from Philada. Nov. 14. and Dec. 5. from Boston, and thank you for the Information communicated. It gives my Mind some Ease to learn that such good Care is taken both by the General and the Town to prevent Mischief. I hope that Care will continue and be effectual. And that People will be...
21From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 24 August 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress I received duly your several Favours of June 25, 26, and 30. with the Papers enclosed. My Lord Dartmouth being at his Country Seat, in Staffordshire, I transmitted to him the Address for the Removal of the Govr. and Lieut. Govr. and Mr. Bollan and I jointly transmitted the Letter to his Lordship from both Houses. I delivered to Mr. Bollan one Set of...
22From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 5 January 1774 (Franklin Papers)
Extract reprinted from William Temple Franklin, ed., Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin … (3 vols., 4to, London, 1817–18), II , 209–10. I received the honour of yours dated October 28 with the Journals of the house and Mr. Turner’s Election Sermon. I waited on Lord Dartmouth on his return to town, and learnt that he had presented to his majesty our petition for the removal...
23From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 9 March 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress I did myself the Honour of Writing to you the 2d of December, and the 5th of January past. Since which I have received your Favour of Nov 28. inclosing the Votes and Proceedings of the Town of Boston, which I have reprinted here with a Preface. Herewith I send you a few Copies. Governor Hutchinson’s Speech at the Opening of your Jany. Session, has...
24From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 4 June 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office; letterbook draft: Library of Congress In the paragraph of this letter that deals with the Tea Act, Franklin implies that the purpose of the statute was “to keep up the Exercise of the Right” to tax the colonies. This idea was sure to be a red rag to the Bostonian bull. All that is known about the passage of the act, however, indicates that the ministry avoided the...
25From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 30 June 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office; draft: American Philosophical Society I receiv’d your Favour of April 30. By the next Boston Ship I shall send you all the perfected Acts lately pass’d relating to our Province, of which I sent you Copies while in the State of Bills: ’Till then I defer any Remarks on them. At present I only send Copies of two more Letters of Mr. Hutchinson’s. The Chancery Suit goes...
26From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 1 September 1773 (Franklin Papers)
Extract reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., The Works of Benjamin Franklin … (10 vols., Boston, 1836–40), VIII , 83 n. In my last I informed you, that the address to the King, and the letter from the General Court to Lord Dartmouth, are both transmitted to his Lordship. Enclosed are copies of his answers to Mr. Bollan and myself. There are some expressions in the close of his Lordship’s letter...
27From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 28 April 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office I have written several Letters to you lately by different Conveyances, and sent you the Bills pass’d and about to be pass’d relating to our Province. I now send the Report of the Committee of the Lords, which seems hard upon us, as every thing written by any Officer of Government is taken for undoubted Truth. I can now only add, that I am, as ever, with great...
28From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 10 June 1771 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office During Franklin’s correspondence with leading Bostonians over the past year, the gap between his views and theirs had been gradually narrowing; but this letter shows that it had not yet closed. He deplored the exercise of the King’s prerogative through instructions to governors, he denied that Parliament might bind the colonies without their consent, he believed that...
29From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 24 December 1770 (Franklin Papers)
Reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., The Works of Benjamin Franklin … (10 vols., Boston, 1836–40) VII , 492–4. In his letter to Samuel Cooper six months before, Franklin had put more emphasis on loyalty to the King than was perhaps welcome to leaders of the Massachusetts House. During the debate over the agency he had been criticized for being, as a postal official and the father of a colonial...
30From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Cushing, 27 September 1774 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office I wrote to you lately by the Boston Packet, Capt. Shepherd, and by several preceding Conveyances. I should be glad to hear from you what Letters of mine came to your hands, as I suspect they are often intercepted. The Ministers have for some time been out of town, as well as those of both Houses who are Friends of America. But the latter have frequent Communications,...