44581From Benjamin Franklin to Philibert Cramer, 19 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): University of Pennsylvania Library I have deferred too long acknowledging the Receipt of your obliging Letter relating to my Grandson. Your favourable Account of him gave me a great deal of Pleasure. I hope he will not fall much short of your kind Expectations.— Please to accept my Thanks for your friendly & fatherly care of him, and for the Permission you are so good as to grant...
44582From Benjamin Franklin to George Morgan, 14 July 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress I received yours of May 4. inclosing one for Mr. Wharton. I sent it to him, requesting that he would let me know what I should write to you upon it. He call’d upon me soon after, and assur’d me, that tho’ there had been some Misunderstanding with Regard to the Partners, [the] Aff[ection be]tween him and Mr. Baynton, [ torn ] thinking they could much...
44583From Benjamin Franklin to Richard Bennett Lloyd, 4 May 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received the letter you did me the Honour to write me of the 10th. past. As you Seem to have some Reliance on my Advice in the Affair you mention, I ought to give it candidly & Sincerely. And it must therefore be, not to accept of the offer made you. If you carry your family to America, it is, I suppose, with the intention of Spending the Remainder of your Days in...
44584From Benjamin Franklin to William Franklin, 5 January 1774 (Franklin Papers)
Reprinted from William Temple Franklin, ed., Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin … (3 vols., 4to, London, 1817–18), II , 210–11. I received yours of October 29, and November 2. Your December packet is not yet arrived. No insinuations of the kind you mention, concerning Mr. G—y have reached me, and if they had, it would have been without the least effect; as I have always had...
44585From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Hewson, 26[–27] January 1777 (Franklin Papers)
AL : Yale University Library I wrote a few Lines to you by Dr. B. and have since seen your Letter to Jona. by which I have the great Pleasure of learning that you and yours were well on the 17th. What is become of my and your dear Dolly? Have you parted? for you mention nothing of her. I know your Friendship continues; but perhaps she is with one of her Brothers. How do they all do? I have not...
44586From Benjamin Franklin to James Logan, 27 January 1748 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Sparks, Works , VII , 31–3. I have not yet found the book, but suppose I shall to-morrow. The post goes out to-day, which allows me no time to look for it. We have a particular account from Boston of the guns there. They are in all thirty-nine, Spanish make and new; fifteen of them are twenty-eight pounders, and twenty-four are fourteen pounders. We offer by this...
44587From Benjamin Franklin to Ralph Izard, 27 March 1778 (Franklin Papers)
Copy and two transcripts: National Archives; transcript: South Carolina Historical Society The Bearer says he is a native of Charles town South Carolina, and he wants a Pass to go into Italy. I do not well understand the account he gives of himself. He seems to me to be lost, and to want advice. I beg leave to refer him to you, who will soon be able to discover whether his account is true. I...
44588From Benjamin Franklin to Montaudoüin, 17 March 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received your favour of the 4th inst. by M. David with much Pleasure; as it informed me of the well fare of Friends I love, and who are indeed beloved by every Body. I thank you for your kind Congratulations, & for the Prayer you use in my Behalf. Tho’ the Form is heathen, there is a good Christian Spirit in it: and I feel myself very well disposed to be content...
44589From Benjamin Franklin to Genet, 28 April 1778 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Upon Enquiry I am informed that the Accounts of Public Money for the Year you mentioned are not yet published in England, but will be soon, when I am promised a Copy that shall be at your Service. I return you the Newspaper with many Thanks. I am, Sir, with much Esteem, Your most obedient humble Servant Genet presumably wanted the material for the Affaires...
44590From Benjamin Franklin to Jane Mecom, 28 July 1743 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I took your Admonition very kindly, and was far from being offended at you for it. If I say any thing about it to you, ’tis only to rectify some wrong Opinions you seem to have entertain’d of me, and that I do only because they give you some Uneasiness, which I am unwilling to be the Occasion of. You express yourself as if you thought I was against...
44591From Benjamin Franklin to Deborah Franklin, 15 July 1773 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society; letterbook draft: Library of Congress I sent you per Capt. All the last Voyage some Netting Lace of our poor Cousin’s Making in Buckinghamshire: You have not mention’d how you liked it; but I now send the Remainder. The Silk Committee were so good as to make me a Present of 4 pound of Raw Silk. I have had it work’d up with some Addition of the same Silk...
44592From Benjamin Franklin to William Strahan, 10 June 1763 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library I am here in my Way to New England, where I expect to be till towards the End of Summer. I have writ to you lately and have nothing to add. ’Tis against my Conscience to put you to the Charge of a Shilling for a Letter that has nothing in it to any Purpose, but as I have wrote to some of your Acquaintance by this Opportunity, I was afraid you would not forgive me...
44593From Benjamin Franklin to William Carmichael, 11[–15] October 1784 (Franklin Papers)
Press copy of ALS and copy: American Philosophical Society I have just received the honour of yours of the 25th past, and shall communicate it as you desire to my Colleagues, tomorrow. I think you did right in mentioning to the Minister the Nature of our Commission, &c. In my last I sent you a Copy of our Letter to the Count d’Aranda. Herein I inclose his Answer, in order to keep you fully...
44594From Benjamin Franklin to Graf von Brühl, 22 August 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Scottish Record Office M. de Kempel, the ingenious Author of the Automaton that plays Chess, will have the Honour of putting this Line into the Hands of your Excellency; and I beg leave to recommend him to your Protection, not merely on Account of that wonderful Machine, but as a Genius capable of being serviceable to Mankind by more useful Inventions which he has not yet communicated....
44595From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph Priestley, 27 January 1777 (Franklin Papers)
AL (incomplete) and copy: Library of Congress I received your very kind Letter of Feby. last, sometime in September. Major Carleton, who was so kind as to forward it to me had not an Opportunity of doing it sooner. I rejoice to hear of your continual Progress in those useful Discoveries. I find that you have set all the Philosophers of Europe at Work upon Fix’d Air; and it is with great...
44596From Benjamin Franklin to Jean-Baptiste LeRoy, 17 May 1771 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society It is long since I have had the Pleasure of hearing from you. I hope your Health continues, and that your valuable Life will be long preserved. This will be presented to you by Mr. Smith, a young American Gentleman, of liberal Education and excellent Character, who is desirous of seeing your fine Country, the first in Europe, before he returns to his own....
44597From Benjamin Franklin to James Lovell, 16 March 1780 (Franklin Papers)
LS and transcript: National Archives; ALS (draft) and copy: Library of Congress The Marquis de la Fayette, our firm & constant Friend, returning to America, I have written a long Letter by him to the President, of which a Copy goes by this Ship.— M. Gerard is since arrived, and I have received the Dispatches you mentioned to me but no Letter in answer to mine, a very long one, by the Chevr de...
44598From Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Shipley, 7 July 1775 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library I received with great Pleasure my dear Friends very kind Letter of April 19, as it informed me of his Welfare, and that of the amiable Family in Jermyn Street. I am much obliged by the Information of what pass’d in Parliament after my departure; in return I will endeavor to give you a short Sketch of the State of Affairs here. I found at my arrival all America...
44599Poor Richard, 1736 (Franklin Papers)
Poor Richard, 1736. An Almanack For the Year of Christ 1736 , ... By Richard Saunders, Philom. Philadelphia: Printed and sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing-Office near the Market. (Yale University Library) Your kind Acceptance of my former Labours, has encouraged me to continue writing, tho’ the general Approbation you have been so good as to favour me with, has excited the Envy of some,...
44600From Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Williams, Jr., 29 July 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received your three Letters of the 22 Inst and one of the 24th. As to the Report you mention be assured I never gave any “ orders to M. scheweighauser to advance no Money to any Prisoners .” On the Contrary, when the former Cartel arriv’d, I directed him to supply them with such Necessaries as Mr. Adams who was present should advise. And when he wrote me word that...
44601From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas-François Dalibard, 31 January 1768 (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society I sent you sometime since, Priestly’s History of Electricity, under the Care of Mr. Molini, Bookseller on the Quay des Augustins; I hope it got safe to Paris, and that you have receiv’d it. [I w]ish the Reading of it may renew your Taste for that Branch of Philosophy, which is already so greatly indebted to you, as being the first of [Man?] kind that had...
44602From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas White et al., 10 May 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received yours of the 5th. Instant and am glad to hear that you are safely arrived at Dunkirk. But the Letter you mention of the 4th. April, is not yet come to hand, Though I have one of the 11th. from the french Consul at Bergen. He gives me such an Account of your good and prudent Conduct while there, as affords me great pleasure. I had complain’d in strong Terms...
44603From Benjamin Franklin to Robert Morris: Two Letters, 26 July 1781 (Franklin Papers)
(I) and (II) AL (draft) and two copies: Library of Congress I have just received your very friendly Letter of the 6th of June past, announcing your Appointment to the Superintendance of our Finances. This gave me great Pleasure, as from your Intelligence, Integrity and Abilities, there is reason to hope every Advantage that the Publick can possibly receive from such an Officer. You are wise in...
44604From Benjamin Franklin to James Hutton, 7 July 1782 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Library of Congress A Letter written by you to M. Bertin, Ministre d’Etat, containing an Account of the abominable Murders committed by some of the frontier People on the poor Moravian Indians, has given me infinite Pain and Vexation. The Dispensations of Providence in this World puzzle my weak Reason. I cannot comprehend why cruel Men should have been permitted thus to destroy...
44605From Benjamin Franklin to Ingenhousz, 2 October 1781[–21 June 1782] (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft) and LS : Library of Congress It is a long time, my dear Friend, since I have had the Pleasure of writing to you. I have postpon’d it too often, from a Desire of writing a good deal on various Subjects, which I could not find sufficient time to think of properly: Your Experiments on the Conducting of Heat was one Subject; the finishing my Remarks on the Stroke of lightning in Italy...
44606From Benjamin Franklin to John Bondfield, 19 March 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received yours offering the Govr. Livingston and mary fearon for the service of the United States. Understanding little about shipping, I leave those Matters to Mr. de Chaumont and Mr. Williams. I have spoken to the former, and given him your letter. He is gone to Versailles to Day, where some Points are to be considered relating to The transport of the Goods, and...
44607Endorsement of Legal Opinions on Land Titles Obtained From the Indians, 12 July 1775 (Franklin Papers)
ADS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania The promoters of the Walpole Company in London had decided not to wait for confirmation of their grant before putting at least part of it on the market. They had obtained two legal opinions that their title to that part, the lands that the Indians had ceded at Fort Stanwix to the “suffering traders” was a valid one. Franklin’s involvement in their...
44608[The Waste of Life, 18 November 1736] (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The Pennsylvania Gazette , November 18, 1736. First printed by Duane ( Works , IV , 367–70) and later by William Temple Franklin, Sparks, and Bigelow, but not by Smyth, this essay is omitted here for the reasons given above, I, 170.
44609From Benjamin Franklin to William Franklin, [13 November 1767] (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; extract reprinted from [Jared Sparks, ed.,] A Collection of the Familiar Letters and Miscellaneous Papers of Benjamin Franklin Now for the First Time Published (Boston, 1833), pp. 281–2. Since my return, the affair of the Ilinois settlement has been renewed. The King in Council referred the proposal to the Board of Trade, who called for the opinion of the merchants on two points,...
44610From Benjamin Franklin to Gourlade & Moylan, 21 May 1781 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft) and incomplete copy: Library of Congress I receiv’d the Letter you honour’d me with of the 2d Instant. Mr Williams having seen & approved of the Acct. for the Ballance of which, (6942.13.3) you drew on me in favour of Messrs Pothonnier & Co. I have this Day accepted that Bill, and it will be duly paid.— I have also just received Mr Gourlade’s Letter of the 16th. relating to the...