From Benjamin Franklin to the Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital, 14 February 1773
To the Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital
ALS (letterbook draft): Library of Congress
London, Feb. 14. 1773
Gentlemen,
I received your Favours of Oct. 20. and Nov. 4. which I communicated to Mr. Barclay and Dr. Fothergill; and we have acted in Compliance with the Directions therein contained, by selling Part of the Stock and paying your Drafts.3 I suppose Mr. Barclay has informed you of the Particulars. I wish you Joy of so considerable an Acquisition to the Hospital, which makes me the happier as I had some hand in advising the Appropriation of the Money to that Institution, and hardly expected I should live to see it in Possession.4 I hope Circumstances will admit of its being so dispos’d of as to produce a settled Revenue towards the Support of the House. With great Esteem and Respect, I am, Gentlemen, Your most obedient humble Servant
B Franklin
Israel Pemberton, and others, Managers of the Hospital
3. The Managers’ letters above explain the transaction: XIX, 339–40, 366.
4. The act of Parliament establishing trustees to hold unclaimed shares of the Pennsylvania Land Company for a decade, and then turn over all undistributed funds to the Pennsylvania Hospital, was passed in 1760 during BF’s first British mission. Above, XIII, 274 n. We have no other evidence than this letter that BF had a hand in this arrangement, but it is natural that he should have had.