721From Benjamin Franklin to Fizeaux, Grand & Cie., 7 June 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received the honour of yours of the 31 past and thank you for the News it contained, tho’ not yet confirmed. I know nothing of that Mr. Miller But if he appears to you to be an honest Man, I consent to your supplying him to the value of ten Guineas which I will repay. Please to take three Notes for the sum, that I may send them over by different Conveyances. It is...
722From Benjamin Franklin to Gabriel Johonnot, 18 October 1781 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress Enclosed is a Letter I have just receiv’d for you under my Cover from Sweden. There is another for your Son which I shall forward. I suppose you have heard of his safe arrival at Geneva, & of his Welfare, of which he has acquainted me. I would advise you not to depend in the least on obtaining a Passage in a Ship of War. The Permitting them to take Passengers is found...
723From Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 14 July 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I am just return’d from a Journey of near a Month, which has given a new Spring to my Health and Spirits. I did not get home in time to write by Osborne, but shall fully to my Friends in general by Capt. All, who sails about the End of the Week. I was charg’d with Abundance of Love to you and Sally and Ben from our Sister Bache and her amiable Daughters. I...
724From Benjamin Franklin to Cradock Taylor, 12 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress If you were engaged in the English service, and taken fighting against the United states or their Allies, I cannot obtain your Liberty. The king of france will justly claim the Return of a french Prisoner in exchange for you, and you must therefore wait the Establishment of a Cartel. You have not sent me any of the Proofs you say you can produce in your favour, and as...
725From Benjamin Franklin to Anisson fils, 10 November 1784 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Bibliothèque nationale I send you enclos’d the Characters you desire to see, cast in the new manner lately invented in England. They are first cast separately, and after being compos’d into Words or Parts of Words, those are united by a second Casting of additional Metal. This Operation doubles the Price of the Fount. I have directed my Grandson who is now in London, to visit the...
726From Benjamin Franklin to Georgiana Shipley, 8 October 1780 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Library of Congress It is long, very long, my dear Friend, since I had the great Pleasure of hearing from you, and receiving any of your very pleasing Letters. But it is my fault. I have long omitted my Part of the Correspondence. Those who love to receive Letters should write Letters. I wish I could safely promise an Amendment of that Fault. But besides the Indolence attending...
727From Benjamin Franklin to Charles Thomson, 31 March 1784 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress I write this Line by the English Packet, just to inform you that Col. Harmar arriv’d here last Monday Evening with the Ratification, &c. and that Mr Jay & myself, (Messrs Adams & Laurens being absent) have written to Mr Hartley at London, that we are ready to exchange with him. I have not heard that the Delay is likely to occasion any Difficulty. I had before...
728From Benjamin Franklin to J.F. Frin & Co., 13 March 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I beg pardon for detaining your Bills so long. It was occasioned by the greatest number we happened then to have upon hand, and the time necessary to examine them all. Yours are now sent to Mr. Grands, accepted as of the Day on which they were presented; excepting the Two drawn in favour of Nath. Terry for 18. Dollars, and nath Brown for 36. Those Gentlemen, cannot...
729From Benjamin Franklin to Frecon, 3 July 1784 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Wyndham Robertson Library, Hollins University, Virginia; AL (draft): Library of Congress The following is the best Answer I can give to your Letter of the 29th. past. I am, Sir, your humble Servant. The real Money us’d in the United States is French, Spanish, Portuguese and English Coins, Gold & Silver. The most common is Spanish mill’d Dollars, worth 5 Livres 5 Sols tournois. The nominal...
730From Benjamin Franklin to the Baron de Thun, 17 July 1781 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft) and copy: Library of Congress I am really ashamed to have been so long without answering the Letter your Excellency did me the honour of writing to me the 6th Instant. I had receiv’d one at the same time from the same Mr Auer, and it being in the German Writing which I cannot read, I sent it to a Friend requesting a Translation of it. I have waited for that, in order to be able to...
731Benjamin Franklin to John Adams, 15 November 1784 (Adams Papers)
M r Franklin presents his respectful Compliments to M r Adams, and enclosos a Paper left with him by the Secretary of the Portuguese Ambassador last Night, being an Extract of a Letter from the First Minister of that Court. No Notice is taken in it of the preceding Plan of a Treaty, and M r. F. mentions for Consideration, whether it would not be right to send a Copy of the new Plan immediately...
732From Benjamin Franklin to Jean-Baptiste LeRoy, 5 December 1774: résumé (Franklin Papers)
Extracts and paraphrase: Sothebys & Co. sale catalogue, April 8–9, 1974, p. 93 <London, December 5, 1774: Introduces Mr. Bennet, “one of your Confreres of the Royal Society, a Gentleman of the most amiable Character, and my particular Friend,” who wishes to see the Académie royale des sciences. Adds that the Royal Society “met on Wednesday last, and rechose our Friend Sir John Pringle to be...
733From Benjamin Franklin to Peter Collinson, [October 1752] (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Benjamin Franklin, Supplemental Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Part II . … (London, 1753), pp. 108–[9]. (Yale University Library) As you tell me our friend Cave is about to add some later experiments to my pamphlet, with the Errata , I send a coppy of a letter from Dr. Colden which may help to fill a few pages; also my kite experiment in the Pennsylvania Gazette: to...
734From Benjamin Franklin to John Adams, 11 May 1781 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Massachusetts Historical Society; copy: Library of Congress I am honoured with your Excellency’s Letter of the 27th. past, acquainting me with your Appointment as Minister Plenipotentiary to the States General, on which please to accept my Compliments and best Wishes for Success in your Negociations. We have just received Advice here, that M. la Motte Piquet, met with the English Convoy...
735From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Digges, 26 February 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I comply’d readily with your late Recommendations, placing faith in the Declaration of the Parties, that the Transaction was bonafide intended, for the Purpose mentioned, getting home their Property. If this should be extended to cover an illicit Trade, it will when discovered effectually put a Stop to such Operations. I see by some thing in a late paper from that...
736From Benjamin Franklin to the Baron de La Courtette, 24 March 1781 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): American Philosophical Society Mr Franklin is at home every Morning except on Tuesdays, and will be ready to receive the Baron de la Courtelle when ever he shall do him the honour of calling on him. Direct to the Baron de la Courtelle / Hotel St Martin / Rue froid Manteau / à Paris He was the representative of the Commandeurs du Temple, the Carcassonne lodge with which BF had been...
737From Benjamin Franklin to Deacon M. Auer, 18 July 1781 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft) and copy: Library of Congress I received the Letter you did me the Honour of Writing to me the 23d past, containing a Request that I would advance to the Widow Hockterin of Ebingen, the Sum of 1450 fl. which is said to be due to her from a Mr. Christian Schneider at Germantown in Pennsylvania. As I have no Knowledge of M. Schneider, nor of Mrs Hockterin, nor of the Justice of the...
738From Benjamin Franklin to Joshua Johnson, 22 June 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I duly received the Honour of your Letter acquainting me with your Acceptance of the Trust you were appointed to by Congress, and your Readiness to enter upon the Execution of it. I have delayed hitherto requesting your coming to Paris for that Purpose, because Mr. Deane, who had the Chief Management of all the Mercantile affairs, and whose Presence as well as Papers...
739From Benjamin Franklin to Edward and Jane Mecom, 30 November 1752 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., A Collection of Familiar Letters and Miscellaneous Papers of Benjamin Franklin (Boston, 1833), p. 27. I congratulate you on the news of Benny’s arrival, for whom I had been some time in pain. That you may know the whole state of his mind and his affairs, and by that means be better able to advise him, I send you all the letters I have received...
740From Benjamin Franklin to John Fothergill, 8 December 1762 (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society On Nov. 8, 1762, William Shippen (above, IX , 219 n), who had recently arrived in Philadelphia from London, informed the treasurer and managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital that Dr. John Fothergill had sent by the Carolina (the ship which had brought Franklin home) a present of seven cases of materials for the study of anatomy. Three contained drawings by...
741To John Jay from Benjamin Franklin, 14 February 1782 (Jay Papers)
If you are anxious to see a Series of new electrical experiments directed to establish many a principle hitherto unknown, I Shall do myself the pleasure of Summitting them to your judgment. Your Comparison of the Keystone of an Arch is very pretty, tending to make me almost content with my Situation. ^ But ^ I suspect you have heard our Story of the Harrow. If not, here it is. A Farmer in our...
742From Benjamin Franklin to [the Duc de La Rochefoucauld], [after 7 June 1777] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library Excuse if you can my detaining these Papers so long. My Time every day is devoured by Applications of Officers and People who would go to America. We have no certain Account of the Arrival of the Amphitrite. We fear she has been destroyed by the English with all on board; as they give us in the Papers an Account of their having blown up a French Ship of 24 Guns...
743From Benjamin Franklin to Daniel Roberdeau, 28 October 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received the Copy of your Letter dated Jany. 5. inclosing a Letter for your Name sake at Haguenace, which I have forwarded. With this I send you a Letter I received from a Gentleman at Bordeaux, who has married a Lady of your Name. I am ever with Sincere Esteem Dear sir Your most obedient and most humble servant XXVIII , 354–5. Since writing that letter Roberdeau...
744From Benjamin Franklin to Richard Price, 6 February 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft) and two copies: Library of Congress I received but very lately your kind Favour of Oct. 14 Dr Ingenhausz who brought it having staid long in Holland, I sent the enclos’d directly to Mr L. It gave me great Pleasure to understand that you continue well. Take care of yourself. Your Life is a valuable one. Your Writings, after all the Abuse you & they have met with, begin to make...
745From Benjamin Franklin to William Parsons, 28 June 1756 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received here your Favour of the 19th Instant, with a Copy of your Remarks in Reviewing the Forts, for which I am much obliged to you; and I hope the Governor and Commissioners will immediately take the necessary Measures to remedy every thing that you found amiss. I think you hazarded your self with too small Escorts, and am glad you got safe through. It...
746From Benjamin Franklin to William Strahan, 29 July 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Mrs. Arthur Loeb, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1955) Whom I shall probably never have the Pleasure of seeing again: You some time since recommended Miss Beckwith to me; I in consequence recommended her to my Children in Philadelphia: the enclos’d will give you some Information of her present Situation. I hope you & yours continue well, as does Your affectionate Friend & humble Servant...
747From Benjamin Franklin to Gourlade & Moylan, 7 September 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress There have been presented to me for Acceptance, within these few Days. The following Drafts of yours on me: viz: For 1246. l.t. 10. in favr. of M. Boy } Datet 23d Augt. 1780. For 1186. l.t. 19 in favr. of M. Quartresages & For 900 l.t. — in favor of M. Termier lainé, dated 25. Augt. 80. They are all drawn at two Usances, and said to be on Acct. of the frigate...
748From Benjamin Franklin to Edward Shippen, 29 May 1755 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Princeton University Library The Committee have just ordered 100 Dollars into the Hands of the Governor to be sent to you for Advance Money to such Labourers as need it, going to Work on the Road. My Compliments (not now to your Fire Side, but) to your cool Parlour. With much Respect, I am, Sir, Your most obedient Servant We purpose to send 60 Waggon Load of Forage next Week to the Camp....
749From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph Galloway, 26 February 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library The above is a Copy of mine per Capt. House Since which I have receiv’d your Favour of Jan. 8. but one you mention to have wrote of Dec. 2. is not come to hand. Nothing material has pass’d in our Affairs since my last, the Proprietor not having yet presented the Laws. They are at present under Consideration of our Council on both sides. You desire some Information...
750From Benjamin Franklin to Don Gabriel Antonio de Bourbon, 12 December 1775 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress; letterpress copy: Yale University Library I have just received through the Hands of the Ambassador of Spain, the much esteemed present your most serene Highness hath so kindly sent me, of your excellent Version of Sallust. I am extreamly sensible of the honor done me, and beg you would accept my thankful acknowledgements. I wish I could send from hence any American...