41521To Benjamin Franklin from William Thomson, 18 November 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I take this Opportunity to return you my sincere thanks not only for the pleasure your Company afforded me during your short stay in Worcester, but also for the Entertainment I am confident I owe to you after your Departure— The Interest of Great Britain with Respect to her Colonies gave me a more distinct view than I ever had before of our Connexions with...
41522From Benjamin Franklin to Isaac Norris, 19 November 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: American Philosophical Society This is just to acknowledge the Receipt of your Favours of August 24 and 27. with the Bill for £100 on Messrs. Thomlinson &c. No. 1876, and to acquaint you, that I have at length receiv’d the Money from the Exchequer and lodg’d it in the Bank as nearly agreeable to the Directions of the Act as I possibly could; for they would not, as I acquainted you...
41523From Benjamin Franklin to Isaac Norris, 22 November 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Extract: American Philosophical Society; copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Share allotted by the Lords of the Treasury to Pensylvania and the Lower Counties, of the Parliamentary Grant for 1758, was £29,993. The Rule their Lordships follow’d in the Division of the £200,000 was, to proportion the Sums for each Colony according to the Number of effective Men each had in the Field....
41524From Benjamin Franklin to John Canton, 24 November 1760 (Franklin Papers)
AL : The Royal Society Mr. Franklin’s Compliments to Mr. Canton, and is sorry to find that he cannot have the Pleasure of waiting on him this Evening, being oblig’d to attend a Committee at the Society of Arts; but as he expects to see Mr. Canton on Thursday at the Royal Society; some other Evening convenient to Mr. Canton may then be agreed on. The Minute Book of the Society of Arts shows...
41525From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [November 1760?] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library of Congress It is, as you observed in our late Conversation, a very general Opinion, that all Rivers run into the Sea , or deposite their Waters there. ’Tis a kind of Audacity to call such general Opinions in question, and may subject one to Censure: But we must hazard something in what we think the Cause of Truth: And if we propose our Objections modestly, we shall, tho’...
41526From Benjamin Franklin to Cadwallader Colden, 5 December 1760 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : New-York Historical Society I take this first Opportunity of congratulating you most sincerely on your Accession to the Government of your Province, which I am the more pleas’d with, as I learn that the Ministry are well satisfy’d the Administration has fallen into so good Hands, and therefore that you are not like to be soon superseded by the Appointment of a new Governor. The Abbé...
41527From Benjamin Franklin to Isaac Norris, [16] December 1760 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: American Philosophical Society Agreeable to what I wrote in mine of the 13th. I [have] ventur’d to agree by my Broker for the following [ torn ] Stocks, on Account of the Province, to be deliver’d [ torn ] Week from this Day, viz. £1000 of the 4 per Cent. Annuities 1760, at 92 per Cent. £[920: 0: 0] £1500 Do. at 91⅞ 137[8: 2:
41528To Benjamin Franklin from William Strahan, 27 December 1760 (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society Mr. Strahan’s respectful Compliments to Dr. Franklin—called to know how he does, and to reproach him (gently) for not calling in New Street to see his Wife, who he told him last Monday Sevenight was to be in Town the following Thursday—Is afraid he will, at least, do himself no good by feasting every Day, as he is informed he hath done for some time past,...
41529To Benjamin Franklin from Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital, 29 December 1760 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; abstract reprinted from Thomas G. Morton and Frank Woodbury, The History of the Pennsylvania Hospital 1751–1895 (Philadelphia, 1895), p. 43. “On December 29, 1760, a letter was written to Franklin for some necessary drugs and medicines, and he was also asked ‘to join with some others of our fellow citizens, now in London, in soliciting contributions on behalf of the Hospital from...
41530To 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...
41531From Benjamin Franklin to John Baskerville, [1760?] (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from The General Evening Post . ( London ), Aug. 9–11, 1763; The London Chronicle: or, Universal Evening Post , Aug. 11–13, 1763; The St. James’s Chronicle; or, The British Evening-Post , Aug. 13, 1763. In the spring of 1758 Franklin had subscribed through Dr. Fothergill for six copies of Baskerville’s new edition of Vergil and had ordered all six bound in vellum and...
41532From 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...
41533From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Stevenson, [1760–1762] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Among the surviving letters between Franklin and Mary Stevenson are two from him and two from her bearing incomplete dates or none at all, which cannot be even approximately placed by other evidence, although they seem to belong to the general period from May 1, 1760, when Franklin and Polly agreed to correspond on subjects of moral and natural philosophy,...
41534From 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,...
41535From Benjamin Franklin to ——, [1760?] (Franklin Papers)
Draft (fragment): Library of Congress This fragment in Franklin’s hand is written on what appears to be the top segment of a page of letter paper; a caret in the margin of the first line seems to indicate that it was intended, according to his usual method, as an insertion in the body of what he had drafted on the opposite page. Neither the addressee nor the date is known. The wording suggests...
41536To 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...
41537To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, [1760–1762] (Franklin Papers)
Draft (incomplete): American Philosophical Society Your last Letter gave me great pleasure though the thoughts of having laid you under a necessity of writing it fill me with Confusion, for it was so unreasonable to draw you in to write a third Letter after you had condescendingly written two, that you ought to have punish’d me for it; but you have us’d the most effectual method to make me...
41538To 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,...
41539To Benjamin Franklin from Thomas Taunton, [1760?–1775] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I hop you will pardin my fredom in writin to you, should be glad to have waited on you but never shall see you moer so bad with the stoan not abell to goe to the hall for my penshon but the treasourer is so Cind as to send it god reward him for it, I had a long winter never been out tell march with my breth nor abell to go to bed know mor then a child, and...
41540To 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...
41541To Benjamin Franklin from Mary Stevenson, 13 January 1761 (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society It is long since I troubled you with a Letter, which I am afraid you will impute to Indolence rather than Modesty. The Subject you are so condescending to enter upon with me would afford frequent matter of inquiry for me and give you too much trouble did I not suppress my inclination. The continual Engagements I am in prevent my spending as much time as I...
41542To Benjamin Franklin from William Heberden, 17 January 1761 (Franklin Papers)
AL : Historical Society of Pennsylvania Dr. Heberden sends his Compliments to Dr. and Mr. Franklin and hopes they are well, and that it was no accident of a bad nature, which hinder’d him from having the pleasure of their company at dinner yesterday. Addressed: To / Dr. Franklin Endorsed: Given me by Mr. Sparks in Oct [?] 37. R. G. For Dr. William Heberden, physician, see above, VIII , 281 n....
41543To Benjamin Franklin from Francis Eyre, 20 January 1761 (Franklin Papers)
AL : Library Company of Philadelphia Mr. Eyre’s Compliments to Mr. Franklin, and Mr. Moore’s Act was this Day referred by the Committee of the Privy Council to the Lords of Trade. Mr. Bunce brot it in only the 15th. as he had promised Mr. Eyre sometime before. Addressed: To / Benj. / Franklyn Esq For Francis Eyre, BF ’s attorney since the beginning of 1760, see above, p. 22 n. On Sept. 27,...
41544To Benjamin Franklin from the Earl of Morton, 23 January 1761 (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society Lord Morton’s Compliments to Dr: Franklin, and desires the favor of his Company to Dinner on Sunday next, between 3 and 4 o’Clock. James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton (1702–1768), F.R.S., 1733, physicist and writer on astronomy, was first president of the Edinburgh Society for Improving Arts and Sciences, 1739; lord clerk register of Scotland, 1760; and the...
41545To Benjamin Franklin from David Hall, 9 February 1761 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: American Philosophical Society I received a few Lines from you, dated September 6. by the Boreas Captain McDougall, acknowledging Payment of the Bills drawn by Scott and McMichael on the Portis’s. The Letters inclosed were delivered. The Brevier seems pretty perfect; only the Lower Case r’s run short; therefore wish you would send about a Couple of Pounds of them by the first...
41546From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph Morris, 20 February 1761 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library Company of Philadelphia I received your’s of Oct: 21 and Nov: 11 relating to the Library Affairs, which I have endeavoured to comply with by engaging a very honest and diligent Book-seller to provide and send the Books ordered by the Directors. Enclosed is the Invoice and Bill of Lading. I hope they will come safe to Hand and give Satisfaction. He has by my Direction added some...
41547From Benjamin Franklin to Samuel Preston Moore, 21 February 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library Company of Philadelphia I wrote to you per Capt. Calef, via New-York, that I had receiv’d yours with a Copy of the Act that I had put it into the Hands of our Solicitor Mr. Eyre, and would do what I could to forward it. But the Copy you sent me not being under Seal, we could not present it; and were oblig’d to wait Mr. Penn’s Leisure, who had the regular Copy in his Hands. By the...
41548To Benjamin Franklin from David Hall, 21 February 1761 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: American Philosophical Society This serves to confirm the above, and to inclose the second Copy of the above mentioned Bill for Two Hundred Pounds Sterling, from Yours, &c. Hall’s letter of Feb. 9, 1761; see above, pp. 273–4. The General Wall , Capt. Walter Lutwidge, sailed from N.Y. on March 3. N.-Y. Mercury , March 9, 1761.
41549To Benjamin Franklin from Francis Eyre, 24 February 1761 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Library Company of Philadelphia I wrote you an Account on the 20th. of January of Mr. Moore’s Act being that Day referred to the Board of Trade. Since which the Board of Trade have referred it with several other Pensilvania Acts to their Counsell Sir Mathew Lambe, And as this is a private Act he makes a seperate Report thereon, for which I have already payd him his Fee of five Guineas,...
41550From Benjamin Franklin to Hugh Roberts, 26 February 1761 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania I think I have before acknowledg’d the Receipt of your Favour of the 15th. of the 5th. Month 1760. (I use your own Notation because I cannot tell what Month it was, without Reckoning.) I thank you for it, however, once more; I receiv’d it by the hand of your Son, and had the Pleasure withal of seeing him grown up a solid sensible young Man. You will...