581From Benjamin Franklin to Jared Eliot, 11 February 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Yale University Library I received your Favour per my Son, and return my Thanks for your kind Entertainment of him at your House. I delivered yours to my Friend Bartram, and enclose you his Answer; he is much pleased with the Prospect of a Continued Correspondence with you: is a Man of no Letters, but a curious Observer of Nature. I like very well the Paragraph you propose to insert...
582To Benjamin Franklin from Jonathan Belcher, 17 February 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: Massachusetts Historical Society The last post brought me yours of 11: Currant and in another packet 2 of your papers of 28: of January and 11: February and which I desire may be regularly sent me for the future. I am thankfull that you will send to Mr. Ebenezer Holmes by the first Vessel to Boston Two Pounds of the right Virginia rattle snake root not Seneka root as you call...
583To Benjamin Franklin from John Perkins, 17 February 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I received your Bill by the last Post and thank you for it as I do likewise for the Pamphlets last Summer. It was a sincere pleasure to me to see good Dr. Thompson so well defended by his generous Friend Dr. Hamilton. I am much pleas’d with both these Gentlemen’s Performances. I beg’d your Plain Truth of Mrs. Mecom a few Weeks since which I had never seen...
584From Benjamin Franklin to Ebenezer Kinnersley, 2 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Benjamin Franklin, Supplemental Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Part II . … (London, 1753), p. 102. (Yale University Library) I thank you for the experiments communicated. I sent immediately for your brimstone globe, in order to make the trials you desired, but found it wanted centers, which I have not time now to supply; but the first leisure I will get it fitted for...
585To Benjamin Franklin from James Bowdoin, 2 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Massachusetts Historical Society I have received your favour of the 24th. January past, inclosing an Extract from your Letter to Mr. Collinson and Dr. Colden’s Letter to yourself, which I have read with a great deal of pleasure, and am much obliged to you for. Your Extract confirms a correction Mr. Kinnersley made a few days ago of a mistake I was under respecting the polarity given to...
586Pennsylvania Assembly: Reply to the Governor, 7 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives , 1751–1752 (Philadelphia, 1752), pp. 36–7. The Assembly passed a bill to re-emit and continue in currency the existing bills of credit and to issue an additional £40,000 in paper money; and sent it to Governor Hamilton for approval on Feb. 26, 1752. The governor and Council unanimously disapproved, and Hamilton gave their reason...
587From Benjamin Franklin to Ebenezer Kinnersley, 16 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Benjamin Franklin, Supplemental Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Part II . … (London, 1753), pp. 103–6. (Yale University Library) Having brought your brimstone globe to work, I try’d one of the experiments you proposed, and was agreeably surprized to find, that the glass globe being at one end of the conductor, and the sulphur globe at the other end, both globes in...
588To Benjamin Franklin from James Bowdoin, 16 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Massachusetts Historical Society According to promise in my last, I now return you Dr. Colden’s Letter, for communicating which I am greatly obliged to you. The Dr. dissenting from you, is of opinion, that Sea Clouds are less electrified than Land Clouds, and gives the reasons of his opinion “That Salt, tho’ an Electric per se, is never raised in Sea-vapours, therefore Sea-Clouds are...
589To Benjamin Franklin from Cadwallader Colden, 16 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Draft: New-York Historical Society Last fall I acknowleged from New York the favour you did me in sending me a copy of your Electrical experiments. The oftener I read them over the more I am pleased with them and every time discover some thing new which I had not taken notice of at the first reading. In my opinion no set of experiments which I have read lead so directly towards discovering the...
590From Benjamin Franklin to William Strahan, 21 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from The Atlantic Monthly , lxi (1888), 29. I wrote to you in the Winter via New York, for a few Books, and sent a 2d Bill of £30 Barbados Currency. The first is enclos’d. I hope it came to Hand Time enough for you to meet with the Gentleman and get the Money. He is Capt. of a Ship, and was to be found in the New England Coffee House, but probably may be gone before you...
591Deed of Settlement of the Philadelphia Contributionship, 25 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ADS : The Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire In 1750 Franklin, Philip Syng, and Hugh Roberts had led the Union Fire Company (see above, II , 150) in an abortive effort to raise an insurance fund “to make up the Damage that may Arise by Fire among this Company.” Articles were drafted and discussed; Franklin had them engrossed; and in November they were...
592To Benjamin Franklin from Samuel Preston Moore and Hannah Moore: Deed, 25 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
DS : American Philosophical Society; also transcript: Department of Records, Recorder of Deeds, City of Philadelphia March 25, 1752 Abstract: By indenture of June 2, 1720, Samuel Preston, and Anthony Morris, Jr., and Phoebe his wife granted to Richard Hill a lot on High Street, Philadelphia, between Third and Fourth Streets, 33 ft. broad and 306 ft. long, bounded on the north by High Street,...
593To Benjamin Franklin from Jonathan Belcher, 28 March 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Letterbook copy: Massachusetts Historical Society I have your kind Letter of 24: Instant and thank your care in sending forward the snake root to Boston. I am glad your Apparatus got so safe to hand as it did. I am sorry and ask pardon for the misfortune that happend to the Globe the repairing of which I wou’d thankfully pay. I am but lately recoverd of a pretty smart attack of a Fever. When I...
594From Benjamin Franklin to Abiah Franklin, [April 1752–May 1752] (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., A Collection of the Familiar Letters and Miscellaneous Papers of Benjamin Franklin (Boston, 1833), pp. 20–1. We received by this post both your letters of April 13th and 20th. The account you give of poor little Biah grieves me, but I still hope the best. However, God’s will must be done. I rejoice that the rest of sister’s children and brother...
595From Benjamin Franklin to Cadwallader Colden, 23 April 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : New-York Historical Society; also draft: American Philosophical Society In considering your Favour of the 16th. past, I recollected my having wrote you Answers to some Queries concerning the Difference between Electrics per se, and Non Electrics, and the Effects of Air in Electrical Experiments, which I apprehend you may not have received. The Date I have forgot. We have been us’d to...
596Thomas-François Dalibard: Report of an Experiment with Lightning, 13 May 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in Thomas-François Dalibard, Expériences et Observations sur L’Electricité faites à Philadelphie en Amérique par M. Benjamin Franklin; … (2d edit., Paris, 1756), II , 99–125. (Yale University Library) In “Opinions and Conjectures,” July 29, 1750, Franklin made the first public suggestion by any investigator that the electrical nature of lightning could be proved experimentally. The...
597From Benjamin Franklin to James Bowdoin, 14 May 1752 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; transcript: Massachusetts Historical Society I deferred answering yours of March 16th in hopes of finding one of the first Edition of Dr. Coldens Pieces, which you seem’d desirous to see. I have not been able to get a compleat one, but enclose you some Sheets which the Dr. sent me when it was in the Press. I endeavoured to understand it, and to that End made a few Remarks...
598From Benjamin Franklin to Cadwallader Colden, 14 May 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : New-York Historical Society I find Parker has been indiscreet enough, to print a Piece in his Paper, which has brought him into a great deal of Trouble. I cannot conceive how he was prevail’d on to do it, as I know him to be a thorough Believer himself, and averse to every thing that is commonly called Freethinking. He is now much in his Penitentials, and requests me to intercede with...
599To Benjamin Franklin from Cadwallader Colden, 20 May 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Draft: New-York Historical Society I received yours of the 23d of April as I was going on board the sloop in my return home from New York and could not take the pleasure of reading it before I left that place. One so much conversant in examining any particular Phoenomenon or of various Phoenomena arising from the same cause must on every occasion give the pleasure of learning something new to...
600Guillaume Mazéas to Stephen Hales, 20 May 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The Royal Society, Philosophical Transactions , XLVII (1751–52), 534–6. The favour done me by the Royal Society obliging me to interest myself in whatsoever concerns their honour, I beg you will communicate the following account. The Philadelphian experiments, that Mr. Collinson, a member of the Royal Society, was so kind as to communicate to the public, having been universally...
601From George Washington to William Fauntleroy, 20 May 1752 (Washington Papers)
I shou’d have been down long before this but my business in Frederick detain’d me somewhat longer than I expected and imediately upon my return from thence I was taken with a Violent Pleurisie which has reduced me very low but purpose as soon as I recover my strength to wait on Miss Betcy, in hopes of a revocation of the former, cruel sentence, and see if I can meet with ⟨any alter⟩ation in my...
602From Benjamin Franklin to Edward and Jane Mecom, 21 May 1752 (Franklin Papers)
MS not found; reprinted from Jared Sparks, ed., A Collection of the Familiar Letters and Miscellaneous Papers of Benjamin Franklin (Boston, 1833), pp. 22–3. I received yours with the affecting news of our dear good mother’s death. I thank you for your long continued care of her in her old age and sickness. Our distance made it impracticable for us to attend her, but you have supplied all. She...
603To Benjamin Franklin from Peter Collinson, 3 June 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I have wrote you before possibly you may receive Two Letters by one Ship—for here is Two Just going together and I cannot say whitch had my First. This serves to thank you for your favour of March 20th with the sundry Curious Articles besides. Greewood has been with Mee. I have recommended him to your Proprietor who Desires much to see Him, and does not...
604Pennsylvania Hospital: Report of the Weekly Committee, 4 June 1752 (Franklin Papers)
MS Minutes: Pennsylvania Hospital During our months visitation John Poor being cured, was discharged; and Katherine Shannon’s child being also cured, she was discharged with the Child. It was agreed to admit Angus McDonnel a dropsical person, if his friends will engage to indemnify the hospital and City from all charges that may accrue on his death or removal to the place of his residence. It...
605To Benjamin Franklin from James Bowdoin, 8 June 1752 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Massachusetts Historical Society I have read the first Chapter of Dr. Colden’s piece on Gravitation which you was so good as to inclose in yours of the 14th. Ult. and endeavoured to understand it, but with as little Success as yourself. I have ventured notwithstanding to make in the margin a few remarks on several passages, which detach’d from the rest I tho’t I understood; but it is...
606From George Washington to Robert Dinwiddie, 10 June 1752 (Washington Papers)
Being impatient to know Colo. Fitzhugh’s result; I went to Maryland as I returned Home He is willing to accept of the Adjutancy of the Northern Neck, if he can obtain it on the terms he proposes; which he hardly expects will be granted Him: The inclosed is his Letter, wherein I believe he inform’s of his intention. He told Me, he would, when conveniency admitted, build a House in Virginia, at...
607Release from Lawrence Washington, 17 June 1752 (Washington Papers)
17 June 1752. “This Indenture . . . Between Lawrence Washington of the County of Fairfax . . . and George Washington of the County of King George . . . in Consideration of the Natural Love & affection which he hath and Doth bear unto his Loving Brother George Washington hath Remised Released and forever quit claim . . . unto the said George Washington and to his heirs forever, all the Right...
608From Benjamin Franklin to William Strahan, 20 June 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania I received yours of Jan. 17. with the two Vols. of Viner, in good Order: but the Ship proving leaky, the Water got into the Box containing poor Sally’s Dressing Glass, by which means the Glue being dissolved, the Frame parted, the Glass dropt out and broke to pieces, and the Wood Work is so twisted and cast out of Shape in drying again, that nothing...
609Remarks on the Proprietors’ Instructions to Governor Hamilton, 2 July 1752 (Franklin Papers)
MS Minutes: Pennsylvania Hospital July 2, 1752 This document, composed by Franklin and Israel Pemberton, is omitted here for the reason stated above, p. 111; but is printed, with editorial annotation, in Some Account of the Pennsylvania Hospital , May 1754, in the next volume.
610From Benjamin Franklin to Samuel Johnson, 2 July 1752 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Columbia University Library I have sent you via New York 24 of your Books, bound as those I sent you per Post. The Remainder of the 50 are binding in a plainer Manner, and shall be sent as soon as done, and left at Mr. Stuyvesant’s as you order. Our Academy, which you so kindly enquire after, goes on well. Since Mr. Martin’s Death, the Latin and Greek School has been under the Care of...