more than I do of yours, my recommendations would soon be of no authority at all.

I thank you, however, for your kind desire of being serviceable to my countrymen; and I wish in return that I could be of service to you in the scheme you have formed of going to America. But numbers of experienced officers here have offered to go over and join our army, and I could give them no encouragement, because I have no orders for that purpose, and I know it extremely difficult to place them when they come there. I cannot but think, therefore, that it is best for you not to make so long, so expensive, and so hazardous a voyage, but to take the advice of your friends, and stay in Franconia. I have the honor to be, Sir, &c.

B. Franklin.

Before we return to political occurrences, as connected with the memoirs of Dr. Franklin, we have to notice an attempt that was made in 1777, by a soi-disant English philosopher, to detract, if not to annul, the great discovery of the American philosopher, for the protection of buildings and ships from the effects of lightning. Mr. B. Wilson, F. R. S. who had formerly at a meeting of the Royal Society protested unsuccessfully against the pointed conductors of Franklin, now endeavored by certain experiments publicly exhibited at the Pantheon, to prove the superior advantage of knobs to points, or the greater safety to be derived from blunt to sharp lightning conductors. These experiments, it is said, were much countenanced by the king, who attended them, with some of the royal family; but their deception was soon detected, as appears by the following article on the subject, in the London Evening Post of the 16th Sept. 1777.

Monday, Mr. B. Wilson repeated his experiments at the Pantheon, before several fellows of the Royal Society, and other persons. Lord Viscount Mahon,1 F. R. S. being present, had a great dispute with Mr. Wilson concerning his experiments, and showed him that he was wrong in both his assertions; first, that knobs are better than points, and secondly, that low conductors are better than high ones. His lordship proved both those assertions to be false, and showed also that Mr. Wilson had entirely misunderstood, and had consequently misrepresented the philosophical opinions of Dr. Franklin. Lord Mahon repeated several experiments of his own to prove his assertions, and by invariably succeeding in them, at the same time that those of Mr. Wilson failed repeatedly, his lordship proved this to demon

• The late Lord Stanhope.

stration, and by so doing gave great satisfaction to the best informed persons present. Mr. Wilson went to the other end of the room, as if to avoid seeing Lord Mahon's experiments. He afterwards said that he had not changed his opinions, and would publish his own hypothesis; upon which Lord Mahon told Mr. Wilson, in a most candid and gentleman-like manner, that he was very sorry to be obliged to differ in opinion from him, but that as the question about conductors for lightning was of so great importance to this country, and to society in general, that if Mr. Wilson should publish an erroneous opinion upon this subject, that he would also pledge himself to the public to refute him in print."

A few days after, Mr. Wilson's pretended improvement, founded on deceptive experiments, was completely destroyed by the discovery and exposure of the tricks he had employed to obtain a partial success. This took place on the 2d October, when several members of the Royal Society, and other gentlemen conversant in electricity, went to see him repeat his experiments; among these were Mr. Henly and Mr. Nairne, both fellows of the Royal Society, who fully detected and exposed the frauds and deceptions employed by Wilson for establishing his own philosophical reputation, on the ruins of that of Dr. Franklin.

Another member of the Royal Society (and of most of the learned societies of Europe) the ingenious Dr. Ingenhausz, who had assisted at these experiments, and in the detection of the fraud, afterwards wrote a very vehement letter on the subject, addressed to a friend on the continent; giving a full account of what he calls la charlatanerie du Fourbe Wilson décelée."

The letter is too long and violent for insertion here; it concludes thus.

"Voilà donc toute la tracasserie de Wilson exposée à la connoissance du public: montrez ceci à notre ami, [Dr. Franklin] et tâchez de le rendre public pour le bien général. Mais ce qu'il y a de plus drôle, c'est qu'on m'a assuré que les conducteurs du palais de la reine à Buckingham House, ont été abattus, depuis que le roi a vu les expériences de Wilson!! A présent que la charlatanerie et la mauvaise foi de ce coquin se trouve décelée, et reconnue, on voudra pallier cette absurdité; et quoique Wilson devroit être puni pour avoir trompé et imposé au roi, peutêtre tâchera-t-on de le soutenir, comme un vrai Don Quixote, qui a attaqué le phi

This was a fact; and they have never since been re-established, notwithstanding the condemnation of the pretended improvement by the Royal Society, in their Reports in favor of pointed conductors, and their being consequently generally employed for the protection of the powder magazines throughout the country.

losophe Américain, de même que les héros militaires qui attaquent son pays; (et qui probablement n'auront pas plus de succès) et qu'il sera également récompensé par une nation dupée."

This letter being communicated to Dr. Franklin, and his opinion asked with respect to the propriety of publishing it in Paris, he thus replied.

SIR,

Passy, Oct. 4, 1777.

"I am much obliged by your communication of the letter from England. I am of your opinion, that it is not proper for publication here. Our friend's expressions concerning Mr. Wilson, will be thought too angry to be made use of by one philosopher when speaking of another, and on a philosophical question. He seems as much heated about this one point, as the Jansenists and Molinists were about the five. As to my writing any thing on the subject, which you seem to desire, I think it not necessary, especially as I have nothing to add to what I have already said upon it in a paper read to the committee,1 who ordered the conductors at Purfleet; which paper is printed in the last French edition of my writings. I have never entered into any controversy in defence of my philosophical opinions; I leave them to take their chance in the world. If they are right, truth and experience will support them; if wrong, they ought to be refuted and rejected. Disputes are apt to sour one's temper, and disturb one's quiet. I have no private interest in the reception of my inventions by the world, having never made nor proposed to make, the least profit by any of them. The king's changing his pointed conductors for blunt ones, is therefore a matter of small importance to me. If I had a wish about it, it would be that he had rejected them altogether as ineffectual. For it is only since he thought himself and family safe from the thunder of heaven, that he dared to use his own thunder in destroying his innocent subjects."

2

Report on Lightning Conductors for the Powder Magazines at Purfleet, drawn up by Dr. Franklin, Aug. 21, 1772.

2 The foregoing circumstances, united with the then state of the British nation, gave rise to the following (pointed) epigram.

« While you, great GEORGE ! for safety hunt,

And sharp conductors change for blunt,

The empire's out of joint.

FRANKLIN a wiser course pursues;

And all your thunder fearless views,

By keeping to the point."

During the months of March, April, and July, 1778, various schemes were fallen upon by the English ministry, privately to sound Dr. Franklin on the subject of peace with America. The correspondents or agents employed by them on this occasion, were principally, Mr. Hutton, William Pulteney, and David Hartley, esquires; the two latter members of parliament. A full account of these attempts, and others that took place at subsequent periods of the war, with the view to induce America to abandon her alliance with France, or to treat for peace on terms short of her independence, or of the formal acknowledgment of it by Great Britain; together with all the letters, memorials, and diplomatic documents exhibited on the occasion, will be found Part III. of Private Correspondence.1

The alliance with France was considered in America, as a pledge of the safetyrone and liberty of the country. The immediate fruit of it was the powerful aid sent thither by France, in the squadron of the Count D'Estaing, consisting of elevenships of the line, six frigates, and considerable land forces. Previous to its departure, Dr. Franklin had furnished the French government with a plan for surprising the British fleet and army then in the Delaware; and Count D'Estaing was directed. to execute this important enterprise. A better choice of a commander could not have been made; he united uncommon ardor and intrepidity, great military knowledge, vigilance, and circumspection, a quick decision, and a perfect command of himself in the most trying moments.

The enterprise would in all probability have proved successful, had it not been for an unexampled series of bad weather and contrary winds.

The count took his departure from Toulon the 13th April, 1778. In the Mediterranean he had to encounter with such contrary winds, that it was not in his power to pass the straits of Gibraltar till the 17th May. The calms and light winds that afterwards attended him on the ocean, prevented the arrival of his fleet at the mouth of the river Delaware before the 7th July. In consequence of these unforeseen obstacles, the French admiral arrived too late, for the English army had evacuated Philadelphia after their defeat at Monmouth, and the fleet was then riding in perfect safety at Sandy Hook.

This Part has been specially devoted to this subject, and contains a regular and minute account of all the overtures and negociations public and private, in which Dr. Franklin was concerned, and which finally led to peace with America as an independent state; thus forming a separate and uninterrupted history of these interesting and important transactions; which was thought preferable to interspersing them through these memoirs.

It is not our province to pursue further the count's operations; suffice it, that his presence on the American coasts served to establish the new alliance, and cultivate a friendship between the two countries at a very critical time; and that he employed his ships in the best manner that circumstances would permit.

But fleets and armies were not the only support to the American cause, derived from the alliance with France, through the influence of Dr. Franklin. For military stores and large sums of money were placed at his disposal by the French government, in consequence of his representations and pressing solicitations. These timely succours were of infinite use, and greatly assisted the Americans in sustaining their independence. By means of the pecuniary advances, which were chiefly gifts, Dr. Franklin was enabled for several years to honor bills drawn from America to a large amount, and to pay the interest of a loan the congress had effected, on the express stipulation of the interest being paid in cash, in Europe. He also paid the salaries of all the American ministers or agents employed in Europe, and gave considerable assistance to the American prisoners in England, and to those who escaped or were exchanged, to aid their return to the United States. In June, 1778, Dr. Franklin's old friend, Mr. Hutton, secretary to the Moravian society,1 applied to him for a protection against American cruisers, for a vessel the society annually dispatched to their missionaries on the coast of Labrador: this Dr. Franklin, with his usual humanity, readily acquiesced in; and immediately forwarded to Mr. Hutton a pass, which he afterwards annually renewed during the war the present was accompanied by the following note.

The same as mentioned in Private Correspondence, Parts I. and III.

To all Captains and Commanders of Vessels of War, Privateers, and Letters of Marque, belonging to the United States of America.

Gentlemen,

The religious society commonly called the Moravian Brethren, having established a mission on the coast of Labrador, for the conversion of the savages there to the Christian religion; which has already had very good effects in turning them from their ancient practices of surprising, plundering, and murdering such white people, Americans and Europeans, as, for the purposes of trade or fishery, happened to come on that coast; and persuading them to lead a life of honest industry, and to treat strangers with humanity and kindness: and it being necessary for the support of this useful mission, that a small vessel should go thither every year to furnish supplies and necessaries for the missionaries and their converts; which vessel for the present year is a of about seventy-five tons,

This is to request you, that if the said vessel should happen to fall into your hands, you would not suffer her to be plundered, or hindered in her voyage, but on the contrary afford her any assistance she