To Benjamin Franklin from David Barclay, Junior, 27 March 1767
From David Barclay, Junior6
AL: Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Cheapside 27 March [1767?]
D: Barclay Jun. presents his Respects to Dr. Franklin, with the inclosed Copy of his Remarks on Paper Currency:7 The Committee have several Times mett thereon, but have not yet fixed on their Answer to the Report of the Board of Trade, and as it has been intimated to them, that protracting the Affair a Week or two will be advantageous to the Cause, they have been less anxious to come to an immediate determination; than otherwise they should have been.8
6. On David Barclay, Jr. (1729–1809), member of a wealthy Quaker mercantile family, see above, IX, 190–1; XI, 543 n.
7. BF’s paper “Remarks and Facts Relative to the American Paper Money,” March 11, 1767, in reply to the Board of Trade representation of Feb. 9, 1764; above, pp. 76–87. BF had composed this paper for the use of the merchants’ committee working with him and other agents for the repeal of the Currency Act of 1764; above, p. 88, and below, pp. 107–8. Charles Garth, agent for South Carolina, reported March 12, 1767, that the Committee of Merchants had asked four agents to submit observations on this Board’s representation. All but BF had joined in one response, presented on March 10, the day before BF submitted his own paper. So. Car. Hist. and Gent. Mag., XXIX (1928), 220.
8. On May 20 BF sent Joseph Galloway a copy of the report of the merchants on paper currency, “obtained after many Meetings and delivered to the Ministry.” For the text of the report, see below, pp. 164–5.