1From Benjamin Franklin to John Pringle, 21 December 1757 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : The Royal Society The following is what I can at present recollect, relating to the Effects of Electricity in Paralytic Cases, which have fallen under my Observation. Some Years since, when the News papers made Mention of great Cures perform’d in Italy or Germany by means of Electricity, a Number of Paralytics were brought to me from different Parts of Pensilvania and the neighbouring...
2From Benjamin Franklin to John Pringle, 6 January 1758 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Benjamin Franklin, Experiments and Observations on Electricity (London, 1769), p. 362. I return Mr. Mitchell’s paper on the strata of the earth with thanks. The reading of it, and perusal of the draft that accompanies it, have reconciled me to those convulsions which all naturalists agree this globe has suffered. Had the different strata of clay, gravel, marble,...
3From Benjamin Franklin to John Pringle, 27 May 1762 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Princeton University Library For nearly twenty years Franklin had been interested in the possibility that a navigable waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans might be found somewhere north of Canada. He had read the pamphlets on the controversy between Arthur Dobbs and Christopher Middleton which followed Middleton’s unsuccessful voyage of 1741–42, and he had included in Poor...
4From Benjamin Franklin to John Pringle, 1 December 1762 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Benjamin Franklin, Experiments and Observations on Electricity (London, 1769), pp. 438–40. During our passage to Madeira, the weather being warm, and the cabbin windows constantly open for the benefit of the air, the candles at night flared and run very much, which was an inconvenience. At Madeira we got oil to burn, and with a common glass tumbler or beaker, slung...
5To Benjamin Franklin from John Pringle, [May? 1763] (Franklin Papers)
AL (incomplete and mutilated): American Philosophical Society [ Torn ] would take the liberty of recommending [ torn ], who had been put in by Lord Bute, and [ torn: we]ll qualified for his office. His Lordship then [ torn ] heard the young gentleman had ene[ torn ]ying that, I took an opportunity of telling [ torn: ima]gined it came about. Lord Shelburne made no promises, but [ torn ] hear me...
6From Benjamin Franklin to Sir John Pringle, [1767?] (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society I have attentively perused the Remarks of Capt. Coats, relative to Voyages into Hudson’s Bay, the Geography of the Country, and his Reasons for believing a Western Sea to be not far distant, put into my Hands by Dr. Hamilton and I cannot but think the Work of too great Importance to be kept longer in Obscurity, as the Information it contains would be...
7To Benjamin Franklin from Sir John Pringle, [March 1767] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I take the liberty to beg that You would come as soon as You can to the Duke of Ancaster’s in Berkeley Square, as His Grace and the Duchess are in the greatest distress about their daughter, who has been long in a most Miserable condition with spasms and convulsions. After all that we have done the distemper remains obstinate, and therefore the Parents have...
8To Benjamin Franklin from Sir John Pringle, [1768?]: résumé (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society [Wednesday evening (1768?): an invitation to dine next Friday at 3:30 to meet Dr. Hoare. ] Perhaps Joseph Hoare, the newly appointed principal of Jesus College, Oxford. Hoare had served as proxy for the King at the marriage in Germany of the future Queen Charlotte in 1761, and might well have come to know Pringle as the Queen’s physician. If so the earliest...
9From Benjamin Franklin to Sir John Pringle, 10 May 1768 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Benjamin Franklin, Experiments and Observations on Electricity … London, 1769), pp. 492–6. You may remember that when we were travelling together in Holland, you remarked that the trackschuyt in one of the stages went slower than usual, and enquired of the boatman, what might be the reason; who answered, that it had been a dry season, and the water in the canal was low. On being...
10To Benjamin Franklin from Sir John Pringle, [June? 1769] (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society Sir John Pringle’s Compliments to Dr. Franklin, and begs to introduce to his acquaintance the bearer Dr. Starck who has lately made the curious experiments on living on bread and water, and who wanting to make a pair of nice scales for weighing himself in this prosecution of those experiments Sir J.P. has taken this liberty to address him to Dr. F. for his...