To Benjamin Franklin from Francis Childs, 13 November 1784
From Francis Childs
ALS: American Philosophical Society
New York, Nov. 13. 1784—
Honored Sir,
I importuned you some time since with a Letter which I am fearful may have miscarried,4 & shall therefore trouble you with a recapitulation.— Therein I mentioned the safe arrival of Mr. Jay, & the satisfaction his presence afforded not only to me, but to his Countrymen in General. I Likewise mentioned to you the joyful information I received from him, that from you thro his means, I was to be furnished with a sett of Types to the amount of £100. Sterling.— A Sum sufficient to Establish any Industrious Man.— The Demand I have for them is great, as with the Press I had the honor to receive,5 I could not obtain any Types.— Delaying an affair of so much Consequence to me, as that of setting up in business, may greatly injure me, loosing perhaps, a Chance of being Established in this City to advantage.— Mr. Jay who is now at Congress, as a Member from this State, & Secretary of Foreign Affairs.6 before he left this City, told me to make use of his name in writing to you,—that he was much dissappointed in not receiving a Line from you since he had Left you7 & was at a loss what to conjecture respecting the Types not being arrived.
Perhaps it may be necessary to inform you that Types sent to America require a Greater proportion of Roman Capital (S’s) (C’s) & (A’s), than what has heretofore been customary;— Also the Italic Capital, (J).— I think that a Quantity of Types sent out for Sale would command a tolerable profit, & should you be inclined to send them to this City I shall be ambitious to promote your interest.— Long Primer. & English, & Burgeoice & Pica, are the principal Founts,—in use excepting those which require to be Larger for ornamenting work.
Printing Presses are made here to answer every expectation & generally Cost about £40. Currency.—tho’ they are deficient in Point of Beauty.— I shall Submit to your Superior Judgement, Whether, Burgeoice, Pica Great & Small. or Small Pica & English. in preference, Great Primer, Paragon or Double Pica, Double English, Lean & full faced Cannon, 4. 5 & 6 Line Pica Capitals & Lower Case;—including two Line Letters to each Fount.— Flowers. Space Rules, And Almanack Signs added, would not make an elegible Office, within the Limit of the £100.—
Wishing you Health & Happiness, It gives me great pleasure that I have the honor to subscribe myself with Gratitude, Honored Sir Your Most obliged, And Obedient Servant,
Francis Child.—
His Excellency Benjamin Franklin. Esqr.
Addressed: His Excellency / Benjamin Franklin Esqr. / At. Passey / Near— Paris—
4. BF did receive it (and acknowledged it in his answer of Feb. 8, below), but the letter has subsequently been lost.
5. A press belonging to BF that had been confiscated by the British during their occupation of Philadelphia and then taken to New York. BF had agreed to lend the press to Childs if it could be recovered: XLI, 127n.
6. Though Congress convened in Trenton, N.J., at the beginning of November, it did not obtain a quorum until the end of the month. Jay attended as a delegate for New York from Dec. 6 to 24 and was sworn in as the new secretary for foreign affairs on Dec. 21: Smith, Letters, XXII, xii, xxiii, 52n, 82n.
7. Evidently BF’s note of Sept. 15, above, had not yet arrived.