From Benjamin Franklin to Isaac Norris, 22 November 1760
To Isaac Norris
Extract: American Philosophical Society; copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania5
[November 22, 1760]
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. These Numbers they took from Gen. Abercromby’s Report. By that Report it appear’d that Pensylvania had 2446 and the Lower Counties 281 in all 2727 Men; for which the Allowance was £29,993, as above. This Sum divided by the same Rule between Pensylvania and the Lower Counties, was
| For Pensylvania | £26,902 | 8 | 0 | |||||
| For the Lower Counties | 3,090 | 12 | 0 | |||||
| 29,993 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Out of this was paid sundry Fees and Customary Gratuities at the Exchequer, | ||||||||
| viz To the Tellers | £73: | 19: | 8 | |||||
| To the Auditor | 35. | 0: | 0 | |||||
| To Do Extra, a Gratuity | 5: | 5: | 0 | |||||
|
2. | 12: | 6 | |||||
| To Mr. Lucas | 15. | 19. | 6 | |||||
| To Mr. Willis | —: | 10: | 6 | 133: | 7: | 2 | ||
| 29,859. | 12. | 10 | ||||||
| Of which the Share of Pensylvania is of Lower Counties | £26,782. | 14. | 10 | |||||
| 3,076. | 18. | 0 | 29,859. | 12. | 10 | |||
The above Share of Pensylvania after deducting the Commissions allow’d me by the Act, is lodg’d in the Bank. When the Trustees draw for it, the Drafts must be upon me; for the Bank, as I wrote you before, will have no Account with them.6
5. The extract, in WF’s hand, is headed “Extract of B.F.’s Letter to Mr. Norris, Novr. 22, 1760.” The copy, in a clerk’s hand, has the initials “I.N.” in the upper left-hand corner and has no heading but begins by repeating the postscript of the letter of November 19 printed immediately above, citing that date. It begins the text below with the dating notation “22d.” The copy omits the two sentences at the end of the extract, following the tabulation. Since no ALS survives, it is impossible to say with certainty whether this document represented a separate letter from that of November 19, or was originally a second postscript to it written three days later. The document is largely a repetition of that of November 4, above, pp. 241–2.
6. The extract bears no endorsement, but the copy is endorsed: “Novr 19. 1760 Parliamentary Allotment, Lodged in the Bank &c.”