2311To Benjamin Franklin from James Parker, 7 September 1747 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Mr. Whiting came and [paid the] whole last Saturday Evening in Jersey Money, except 5 s. in York, of the Pay[ment] for the Postage. I don’t know any Body has any of the Spanish Paper to sell cheap. I believe 5 or 6 s. will be the lowest. I know several ask 8 s. I can yet gladly spare you 4 or 5 Bales of that I have, having got about 10 Bales yet entire. If...
2312To 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...
2313To Benjamin Franklin from John Alleyne, M[arch?] 17, 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania I am oblig’d to enquire in what Manner the People of Georgia usually transfer their Property in Lands, whether by the old mode of Conveyancing by Feoffment or by the modern Refinements of Lease and Release, Bargain and Sale &c. As I cannot obtain this Peace of Information from any of my young Friends at the Temple, I trouble You with this Epistle, and...
2314To Benjamin Franklin from John Sargent, 19 June 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I shall be heartily glad to see You at Mayplace on Sunday—or Saturday—and at all Times. Alas Quebeck! I little thought that We should have to mingle our Sighs for that, when We met. What a Barbarism in a General threatned with a Siege, to go out to fight Those who found[?] themselves strong enough to undertake forceing Him in his Fastness! There never was...
2315To Benjamin Franklin from Ezra Stiles, 26 November 1765 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania; draft and letterbook copy: Yale University Library On the 22d Instant I received your Favor of the 5th. of July last, and the Diploma from the University of Edinburgh, with the several Letters relating to it. It is owing to you, Sir, that the University has done me this unmerited Honor, and therefore my Gratitude is due to both. To be enrolled in the...
2316Nathaniel Evans: Verses Addressed to Benjamin Franklin, 1763 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The London Chronicle , August 31–September 3, 1765; also printed (with modifications) in Nathaniel Evans, Poems on Several Occasions, with Some Other Compositions (Philadelphia, 1772), pp. 108–9. Precisely when Evans composed these verses cannot be established, but there seems to be no reason to disregard the statement in the subheading of the London Chronicle printing in 1765 that...
2317To 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...
2318To Benjamin Franklin from Peter Timothy, 20 October 1771 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I wrote you on the 28th past, but the Pilot having neglected to put my Letter on board the last Packet-Boat, it accompanies this. The Assembly have continued sitting longer than I thought they would have done. Last Week all the Patriots and principal Speakers , made themselves sure of carrying the £1500 into the Estimate, under the Expedient of including...
2319To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, 11 June 1762 (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society Whether the Invitation you give me to write to you proceeds from the Pleasure you receive or desire to bestow I shall not enquire; the first would gratify my Vanity most, but I am not less pleas’d with thinking you love to indulge me. When I say I have not Leisure for my favourite Amusements I am as much surpriz’d as you can be, and I wonder how my Time...
2320To Benjamin Franklin from Ezra Stiles, 30 November 1765 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: Yale University Library The inclosed is the Copy of a Letter I delivered on the 16th. Inst. to be conveyed by a Vessel bound to Falmouth, which is not yet sailed, but continues at Providence. On the 22d. Inst. I received your Letter of 5th July with the Diploma from the University of Edinburgh. I have prepared the Letters in Acknowledgment of this unexpected Honor, and shall...
2321To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Hewson, 2 November 1771 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society My Mother orders me to set down to answer all your Hows . The Hewsons young and old are well and thank you for your kind Enquiry. Your Dolly is well. I had a Letter from her to day from Bromley. Lady Barwell is well. Josiah when we heard of him, and Sally, and Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, I met them last Week at Barwell’s. All well. My Mother herself is grown...
2322To Benjamin Franklin from Peter Collinson, [1759?–1762] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania Lett not my Dear Friend Forgett that I expect Him and his Son to Morrow being Wednesday to drink Tea and afterwards to spend the Evening which will oblige his sincere friend Certainly written during BF ’s first mission to England because of the mention of WF . If the “Doctor Frankland” is contemporary, the note was written after BF ’s honorary degree...
2323To Benjamin Franklin from William Shippen, Junior, 14 May 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I take the Liberty to send to the Royal Society a small Box containing A very extraordinary Lusus Naturae, two female children joind firmly together from the breast bone as low as the navel, having therefore but one body; in every other respect, as well internal as external, two compleat children. I enclose an exact account of the appearance on dissection...
2324To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, 15 May 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received a letter from Kensington to day by which I learn that my aunt will not come to Bromley to fetch me, therefore I must go home by way of Craven Street next monday. Now if it will be convenient to you to come hither on sunday or monday you will give a great deal of pleasure to several persons by doing it and I shall have a more agreeable journey to...
2325To Benjamin Franklin from James Parker: Bond, 1 August 1765 (Franklin Papers)
Printed form with MS insertions in blanks: American Philosophical Society Know all Men by these Presents, That I, James Parker of the Township of Woodbridge, in East New Jersey Printer am held and firmly bound unto Benjamin Franklin, Esq. of the City of Philadelphia in the Sum of One Hundred and Thirty One Pounds four Shillings lawful Money of Great Britain to be paid to the said...
2326To Benjamin Franklin from [Jean-Baptiste] LeRoy, 22 April 1770 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Il y a des Siecles que je n’ai eu de vos nouvelles Monsieur cependant vous savez combien elles m’intéressent. J’attends avec impatience le moment de nos fêtes pour le mariage de M. Le Dauphin parceque jespere bien qu’elles nous ameneront des Anglois et qu’il y en aura quelques uns qui m’apporteront quelques lettres de vous. Vous ne doutez pas du plaisir que...
2327To Benjamin Franklin from Anthony Todd, 3 August 1768: résumé (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society [August 3, 1768. An invitation to dine at 3:45 at the King’s Arms, on a buck provided by the Postmaster General (Lord Le Despencer or Lord Sandwich).] For Anthony Todd, a prominent official in the Post Office and later BF ’s associate in the Grand Ohio or Walpole Company, see above, X , 217 n.
2328To Benjamin Franklin from Thomas Wharton, 14 January 1767 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Thou’l find by the date of this Letter, that, We have entr’d into another Year, thy Friends here, sincerely wish, it may be repleate with Health and Happiness to thee, and that, within it, We may have to Congratulate each Other, on the Important Change made in our Goverment from Proprietary to Royal. Our Assembly are now sitting but as yet, nothing Material...
2329To Benjamin Franklin from Thomas Cushing, [30 December 1774?] (Franklin Papers)
AL (fragment): American Philosophical Society [ First page or pages missing ] their Proceedings are Contained in the public Papers [?]. I have lately been favoured with a Copy of Lord Dartmouth’s circular Letter to the Governors of the respective Colonies upon this Continent, wherein he Informs them, that His Majesty has thought fit, by his order in Council of the 19th October 1774, to...
2330To Benjamin Franklin from William Strahan, 22 November 1769 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I shewed the inclosed last night, after I saw you, to Mr. B. who highly approves of the Way in which I have stated the Matter, which he says is precisely as it ought to be. I hope you will therefore let me have your Answer as soon as you conveniently can. I am Ever Your most obedient Addressed: To / Dr. Benjamin Franklin / at Mrs Stevenson’s / Craven Street...
2331To Benjamin Franklin from John Walsh, 21 June 1772 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and copy: American Philosophical Society After some enquiry I procured the two Copies of Gennete’s Book and shall deliver them to Sir John Lambert to forward to you by some one of our returning Countrymen. Your friend M. Le Roy, who presents you his Compliments, has shewn us many Civilities; as has M. Trudaine, the Abbé Morillet’s friend for which I must beseech you to make my...
2332To Benjamin Franklin from Jan Ingenhousz, [24 February 1774]: abstract (Franklin Papers)
Abstract: Ingenhousz letterbook, Gemeente-Archief, Breda I am in the utmost consternation about his allarming circonstances and begg to be informed of them. The date at the head of a page that contains five abstracts of letters written on the same day, in Dutch, French, and English, of which this is the fourth. BF ’s reply is below, March 18. The news of the scene at the Cockpit and of BF ’s...
2333To Benjamin Franklin from George Croghan, 27 January 1767 (Franklin Papers)
LS : William L. Clements Library; extract: Public Record Office By the last packet from hence, I did myself the Honour of writing to you and of inclosing you, a Copy of my Report to his Excellency General Gage, in respect to the Trade, Situation &c. of the Illinois Country. Since which, I have strong Reasons to suspect, That he has imbibed unfavourable and very unjust Sentiments, relative to...
2334Board of Trade to the Privy Council Committee, 1 June 1759 (Franklin Papers)
Copies (two): Historical Society of Pennsylvania On Feb. 2, 1759, the Privy Council referred Franklin’s petition on behalf of Teedyuscung to its Committee on Plantation Affairs, which referred it in turn to the Board of Trade on April 12. The Board conducted a hearing, May 15, attended by Franklin and his solicitor, Joshua Sharpe, and by the Proprietors with Paris. The next day the Board...
2335To Benjamin Franklin from William Strahan, [27 November? 1769] (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society Mr. Strahan’s best Respects to Dr. Franklin and begs, if the Letter is now ready, that he will send it by the Bearer. Addressed: To / Dr. Franklin / Craven Street This note could of course have been written at any time during BF ’s years in England. But the queries that Strahan sent him on Nov. 22 had a hint of urgency in them, and BF was out of town and did...
2336To Benjamin Franklin from Andre Morellet, [30 June? 1772] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Je vous remercie très humblement de votre attention pour moy je me servirai des lettres que vous aves eu la bonté de m’envoyer pour birmingham. J’espere encore que j’aurai le plaisir de vous y trouver. Je pars demain de Whycomb pour oxford ou je passerai 2 ou 4 jours c’est à dire jusques à samedi ou lundi prochain je compte etre à birmingham le dimanche ou...
2337To Benjamin Franklin from Samuel Cooper, 14[–15] June 1773 (Franklin Papers)
AL (incomplete): American Philosophical Society; ALS (draft): British Museum I wrote you on the 15th. March and 23d of April last, and mention’d in these Letters, which I hope you have receiv’d, the most important Political Occurrences among us, particularly the grand Discussion, in the last Session of Assembly between the Governor and both Houses, and the great Effect it had upon the Minds of...
2338To Benjamin Franklin from James Parker, 14 June 1765 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Inclosed you will have as far a general State of the Accounts, as I could hitherto get done: by the Dates’ thereof, you will see part of them were done the latter End of February last, and some part just now: I have been at them this Spell but three Days, and my Business will not permit me to stay longer this Time: but as soon as ever it will permit, I will...
2339To Benjamin Franklin from Thomas Walker, 20 June 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I this day Carried these Letters to the Post and was so happy as to receive a letter from good Mr. Williams that gave us So good a Charicter of Henry that it is great Satisfaction and Comfort to Us, he says that he is hapily Situated with a good Master and to a good Trade and that he is very ingenious and that his Master likes him Very well. From Your Most...
2340To Benjamin Franklin from John Whitehurst, 18 March 1763 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society This letter from one of Franklin’s English scientific friends, which touches briefly on a variety of matters, is perhaps less important in the history of science than the enclosure which follows it. In the postscript Whitehurst mentions that he is sending “a short sketch of a General Theory of the Earth.” On June 27, 1763, Franklin acknowledged receiving...