121Board of Trade: Report on Pennsylvania Laws, 24 June 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Public Record Office, Colonial Office Papers, 5/1295, pp. 296–413 Franklin’s efforts to settle the Assembly’s differences with the Proprietors by direct negotiations had ended in November 1758 with their reply to his Heads of Complaint and their refusal to deal further with him personally (above, VIII , 178–83, 193–4). Thereafter it became necessary to transfer the debate to more public...
122From Benjamin Franklin to Henry Potts, 23 April 1761 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Public Record Office, London Thomas Boone, governor of New Jersey, wrote John Pownall, secretary of the Board of Trade, Jan. 12, 1761, complaining of the route by which the postriders traveled through New Jersey between Philadelphia and New York. On April 1, 1761, the Board of Trade ordered an extract of this letter sent to Henry Potts of the Post Office. Boone apparently wrote in similar...
123To Benjamin Franklin from John Rice, 4 May 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania Agreable to your Orders I have bought for to morrow £5000. 3 per Cents Consolidated at 87½ per Cent, which I hope you’l Approve off, the 4 per Cents are at a 100½ but in my Opinion they will come down to your price, being oblige to attend Sir Thomas Robinson on particular Business to morrow hope you will accept of my friend Mr. Trigg, if not back in...
124To Benjamin Franklin from Thomas Taunton, 29 December 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Few documents could be more exasperating to editors trying conscientiously to do their duty by future readers. Nothing has been found to identify the writer beyond what he himself says here or in the three other letters printed below, pp. 267–9. This letter gives a month and day of writing but no year and the other three bear no dates at all. The sheet on...
125To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, 14 January 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Permit me to address you with the Compliment of the Season; not merely as a Compliment, but with a fervent sincerity. May this Year give you a happy sight of your Native Country, and of those dear Relations you left in it; and if there is anything else wanting to compleat your Felicity, May that be added! May you enjoy a long succession of Years, fraught...
126From Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 21 February 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society; transcript: Harvard College Library (Sparks) Since I wrote you last, I have receiv’d yours of Nov. 7. and 29, Dec. 17. and Jan. 4. the last yesterday by Capt. Monck. I rejoice to hear you and Sally and Mother are well. I have lately been much indispos’d with an Epidemical Cold, that has lain greatly in my Head; but being just now cupp’d by Dr. Fothergill’s...
127To Benjamin Franklin from Isaac Norris, 19 October 1761 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania I find my Last of the 30th of September mist the Packet by which it was intended so that having since that Date received yours of 7th August and and Letter from the Executors of R. Partridge by which they Order and direct the Settlement of their Accounts here I retract my former Order to pay them the Ballance of R P. Account as it will suit...
128From Benjamin Franklin to David Hall, 27 June 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Edward Laurence Doheny Memorial Library, St. John’s Seminary By the last Pacquet I sent you the Protests of two of your Bills, one for £200 the other for £100 drawn by Scot and McMichael on Messrs. Portis. My Banker informs me, that they now offer to pay the Money; and tho’ the Protests intitle us to 20 per Cent. from the Drawers, yet as I conceive from some Circumstances I have heard,...
129To Benjamin Franklin from Isaac Norris, 24 August 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania It is some Time since I wrote last, which I perceive by Your last, was come to hand, being Dated on the 15th April past, Your Several Dates of 9th January, 19th, 21st 29th february and 11th March With Several Copies, got to me in Due Time, and a few Days Ago the 14th June by the Packet, it will be Needless to Say, That all the Letters by...
130To Benjamin Franklin from Mr. Chambers, [c. April 1761] (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society Mr. Chambers’s Compliments to Mr. Franklin and being disapointed of the pleasure of meeting him at the Philadelphia Coffee House to day desires the favour of him to send to send [ sic ] his Letters by the Bearer; as being to set out for Portsmouth early tomorrow morning he fears it will be out of his power to wait upon before that time. Addressed: To / Dr....
131To Benjamin Franklin from Henry Wilmot, 8 May 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I am informed by Mr. Penn, that the £100,000 Act passed by Mr. Hamilton, has been transmitted to you under Seal. This I presume is with an Intention to be presented to the Councill. If You have any thoughts of presenting it, I should be very glad, if before you do it, you wou’d allow me a Quarter of an hours Conversation with you on this head, and I will...
132From Benjamin Franklin to [Ann Penn?], [1760] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : University of Chicago Library If the proposed identification of the addressee is correct, this letter is the first of several among Franklin’s papers relating to a complicated situation in the Penn family. William Penn 3d (1703–1747) had become by 1731 the sole surviving grandson of the founder of Pennsylvania in the senior line, that is, through William Penn’s first marriage, to...
133To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, [1760–1762] (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society You find I endeavoured to maintain an opinion which I imperfectly understood but I hope I shall be pardon’d when it is consider’d that the desire of obtaining intelligence and conviction was my motive. I believe I told you before that nothing had fallen under my observation to justify the opinion that men are carried to excellence in the exertion of their...
134From Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 27 February 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Mr. Lemar doing me the Favour to call on me, and acquaint me with his going to Philadelphia, I write this Line to acquaint you that I am now quite well of my late Indisposition, which I mention’d in former Letters. By Capt. Bolitho I send you two Saucepans, plated inside with Silver instead of tinning. I bought them at Sheffield, because I thought they...
135From Benjamin Franklin to William Cullen, 21 October 1761 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from John Thomson, An Account of the Life, Lectures, and Writings of William Cullen, M.D. (Edinburgh and London, 1859), I , 140. I hear, that since I had the pleasure of seeing and conversing with you on the subject, you have wrote some of your sentiments of Fire, and communicated them to the Philosophical Society. If so, as it may be some time before their publication,...
136To Benjamin Franklin from David Hall, 4 November 1761 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: American Philosophical Society I received yours, (Via New-York) relating to the order of Forty Pounds Sterling, in Favour of Mr. Palomba, which is paid, at the Rate of Seventy per Cent. Exchange, that being the Exchange the Trustees of the Loan-office drew for. Remember me kindly to your Son, and tell him, I received his by Palomba, but never heard any thing of the Letter he...
137To Benjamin Franklin from Isaac Norris, 28 July 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania It is some time since I wrote—my last being of the 15th April since which I have recd yours 9th January 19. 21. 29 Feb and 11 March with several Copies. The Proprietors endeavouring to repeal our late Laws is what we might expect from their Conduct towards us for some Years past. But the Confusion the dissallowance of our Mony Act, and...
138William Franklin to Joseph Galloway, 26 August 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library The Mail was made up and sent for Falmouth on Saturday last, so that whether this may reach you by that Conveyance is uncertain. But as I imagine you must all be extremely anxious about the Fate of your very important Acts, and glad to know of every Thing relative to them from time to time, I have scribbled over as fast as possibly I could, two Papers which have...
139From Benjamin Franklin to Henry Wilmot, 9 May 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I have received the Act you mention, and if tis convenient to you to call at my House on Monday morning any Hour before One, I shall be glad to see you and converse with you on the Subject; being with great Esteem, Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant. As in the case of Wilmot’s letter of May 8 (above, p. 314), to which this is a reply, I. Minis Hays...
140From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [1760–1762] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Here is a Coach from your House, and no Line to me from you. I will never forgive you, if you do not immediately write me a long Letter in the room of that you stole from me yesterday. You know the Penalty of the old Law was four fold. See that you punish yourself fully, and thereby disarm the Resentment of Your injured Friend “If a man shall steal an ox,...
141To Benjamin Franklin from Thomas Taunton, [1760?–1775] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I [hope you] will not be angrey at my writing b [ missing ] me, I know you ar Intament with mr. St[rahan] [ missing ] god will kepe me in my troubell but k [ missing ] e to help myself the least thing Cant dres now [ missing ] [ with ] out help, If mr. troauen will be so Cind as to [ missing ] for to Ogment my salery I am told it is great [ly?] in his pour,...
142To Benjamin Franklin from Isaac Norris, 1 March 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania I wrote on the 27th of February last by a Gentleman to N York. This will inform you that the Assembly have resolved to grant £100,000 for the raising paying and cloathing 2,700 Men to Act in Conjunction with his Majestys Forces during the ensuing Campaign and have got their Bill into the Hands of a Committee for those Purposes. As we shall...
143From Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 18 March 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosphical Society Being just told by Mr. Wickoff, that he goes tomorrow for Philadelphia, I write this Line here to let you know I am pretty well recover’d of a slight Illness I lately had, the same that affected me when I came down first from Gnadenhut, if you remember it, a Pain and Giddiness in my Head, I have been cupp’d, blooded, physick’d and at last blister’d for it;...
144From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 29 October 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society My dear Polly’s good Mama bids me write two or three Lines by way of Apology for her so long omitting to write. She acknowledges the Receiving two agreable Letters lately from her beloved Daughter, enclosing one for Sally Franklin which was much approv’d (excepting one Word only) and sent as directed. The Reasons of her not Writing are; That her Time all...
145To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, 9 November 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I had rather you should find me deficient in any Point than that of Gratitude; therefore I will not delay acknowledging your Favour of the 29th. tho I am not prepar’d to write to you, having made very little Improvement lately in any kind of Study. I cannot recollect what word in my Letter to Miss Franklin was so unfortunate to meet your Disapprobation. I...
146To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, [August 1760 ?] (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society Since you are pleas’d to say you shall be glad of a Line from me I will find Leisure. In my Letter to my Mother, I mention’d I had a Question to ask you. It is this, What is the reason the Water at this place becomes warm by pumping tho it is not so at the spring? Pardon my Impertinence. Goodnatur’d persons have always more impos’d on them than others; yet...
147To Benjamin Franklin from David Hall, 1 June 1761 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: American Philosophical Society Your Favour, by Captain Hammit, came safe to hand last Week, for which I am obliged to you. Inclosed you have the first Copy of a Bill of Exchange for One Hundred Pounds Sterling, drawn by Lieutenant Thomas Vaughan on John Calcroft Esq; Westminster, for which, as usual, please give me Credit, and Advise of its coming to Hand. Should be mighty...
148From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, 7 July 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society This is just to acquaint my dear Polly, that her good Mama, Mr. and Mrs. Strahan, and her Friend Franklin, purpose to be at Bromley on Tuesday Morning next, to have the Pleasure of seeing Dr. and Mrs. Hawkesworth and the agreable Miss Blunt’s, dining there and returning in the Evening. They carry down with them Miss Peggy Strahan, and leave her there...
149To Benjamin Franklin from Thomas Taunton, [1760?–1775] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I hop you will pardon the fredom I have takeen, I have been to the bishop’s palies at lamboth to see for the old Cook that did Lieve with the late bishop, but to my mortifycasion am Desieved she is gon, I went to see If I Could have got my daughter to been under for som tiem to had som Experence in the Chiken bisnes it would have been of great servies to...
150To Benjamin Franklin from David Hall, 5 March 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Duplicate: American Philosophical Society By the Captains Friend and Lowther to London and Captain Rankin to Bristol, I sent you the first, second and third Copies of a Bill of Exchange for £200 Sterling; some of which, if not all, must have got to your Hands long before this reaches you. I am not sure whether I wrote you the Exchange of that Bill; but in case I did not, it was Fifty-two....