To Benjamin Franklin from William Strahan, [19 November? 1769]
From William Strahan
AL: American Philosophical Society
Sunday Noon [November 19, 1769?]6
Mr. Strahan presents his Compliments to Dr. Franklin, and begs to know if he is to be at home and at Leisure this Afternoon, as he wants much to have a Conference with him; If the Dr. is not engaged (which Mr. S. is afraid he is by this time) would be very glad of the favour of his Company to eat a Bit of Beef with him at ½ after two.
P.S. Intended to have waited on the Dr. this forenoon but was preventd.
Addressed: To / Dr. Franklin / at Mrs Stevenson’s / Craven Street
6. This note could of course have been written at any time when BF was in London. Our guess, based largely on Strahan’s tone, is that he was writing to initiate the collaboration between the two that produced his queries on the American question and BF’s reply, for which see below, Nov. [21–]22, 29. If our guess is correct, the most likely Sunday would have been Nov. 19.