To Benjamin Franklin from James Parker, 12 June 1767
From James Parker
ALS: American Philosophical Society
New-York, June 12. 1767.
Honoured Sir
The Bearer of this Dr. Nicholas Falck,8 is an Inhabitant of this City, and is a Person of a general fair Character:–It is said, he having made some remarkable Discoveries in the Mathematicks and other Sciences, goes to London in order to communicate them to Advantage, and being some Acquaintance of mine, I have presumed to recommend him thus to your Notice: The Nature or Use of his Acquisitions he must inform you of himself, being persuaded that you will be a better Judge, whether they be of Utility or not, than I could pretend to: As I write per Packet9 I have no more to add now, than that I am with all Respects Your most obliged Servant
James Parker.
To Dr. Franklin London.
Addressed: For / Dr. Benjamin Franklin / Craven-Street / London / per Dr Falck
Endorsed: Parker
[Notes on address page in BF’s hand:1]
Oars for a Man of War
A Machine to keep Acct of the Ship’s Way
A Quadrant to observe the Sun’s Altitude without a Horizon.
A universal Rule for extracting [illegible] with the greatest Simplicity
8. Not identified.
9. See below, pp. 186–7.
1. It is not clear what prompted these jottings or to what they refer. It is possible that they relate to some of Dr. Falck’s “remarkable Discoveries.”