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was now come to settle in town for the winter.

To

day he d'ned with me; and, as I had received yours in the morning, I took occasion to ask him if he had not yet seen Mr. Logan. He said, no; that he had once been out with his countryman, Mr. Kock, proposing to wait on you as they returned; but it proved later in the evening than they had expected, and he thought a visit then would be unseasonable, but proposed soon to pay his respects to you. Possibly he might at that time have the packet for you at Naglee's. I did not ask him about that. Inquiring of him what was become of Mr. Sandin, he told me that soon after he got to Racoon Creek, he was taken with the fever and ague, which was followed by several other disorders, that constantly harassed him, and at length carried him off, just as Kalm arrived here, who, hearing that he was dangerously ill, hurried down to see him, but found him dead.

Sandin had a family with him, and, when here, was in haste to get to his settlement, but might intend to wait on, you when he should come again to Philadelphia. Kalm, I suppose, might be in haste to see as much of the country as he could, and make his journey to New York, before cold weather came on. I mention these things so particularly, that you may see you have not been purposely avoided by both these gentlemen, as you seem to imagine. I did not let Kalm know that you had mentioned him to me in your letter. I shall write to Mr. Hugh Jones, as you desire. I am, Sir, &c. B. FRANKLIN.*

*The following extracts from letters written by James Logan to Peter Collinson are interesting, as showing both the estimation in which Franklin was held by those who were best acquainted with him, and the literary ardor of the writer. The library, which he mentions, now constitutes a part of the celebrated LOGANIAN LIBRARY in Philadelphia.

"Benjamin Franklin has been here to-day, to show me some new cu

TO MRS. ABIAH FRANKLIN, AT BOSTON.

Family Incidents.

HONORED MOTHER,

Philadelphia, 7 September, 1749.

We received your kind letter by this post, and are glad you still continue to enjoy such a share of health.

riosities in electricity, but the weather was too warm and moist. I have seen his manuscript to thee, and to Dr. Mitchell, of the cause of thunder gusts and lightning, which I must approve, notwithstanding my piece in the Transactions; but these last causes are also true.

"Our library-keepers have from our Proprietors these several presents; —a fine air-pump from John Penn; and from Thomas a whole apparatus for electricity; and thyself every now and then sends them some odd thing or other. But I wish thou wouldest do something of the same kind for pay, and not otherwise for me, who have a much more valuable library, containing considerably above two hundred volumes in Greek, in folio; all the old Roman classics, without exception; all the old Greek mathematicians, as Apollonius, Euclid, and Ptolemy, both his Geography and Almagest, which I had in Greek from my friend J. Alb. Fabricius, who published fourteen volumes of his Greek Bibliotheca in quarto. After he had done with Ptolemy, he told me, when I had wrote to him at Hamburg to inform me when I could possibly have it, that it was so scarce, that it was "nec prece nec pretio parabilis"; and yet he sent it to me in 1722, with Theon's Commentaries on it, of above seven hundred pages in folio, as I have said, all in Greek. I have a great many other later mathematicians, as Newton's three editions, Wallis's History, &c.; and, having built a room for a library of sixty-four feet in length, I design to give the same, under certain limitations, to the public. This library, with thirty-five pounds sterling yearly settled on my librarian, of which he is to lay out yearly eighteen pounds sterling to purchase more books, will cost me about two thousand pounds sterling; and all this to force the public into a humor to acquaint themselves with literature."- July 1st, 1749.

Again; "Our most ingenious printer and post-master, Benjamin Franklin, has the clearest understanding, with as extreme modesty as any man. I know here. Thou hast seen several of his pieces on electricity, wherein he almost excels you all."— October 20th.

A few extracts from short notes, written by Franklin to James Logan, will indicate the books they read, and the subjects to which their thoughts were turned, at this time.

"I send you herewith the late Voyage for the Discovery of the North

Cousin Josiah and his spouse arrived hearty and well last Saturday noon. I met them the evening before at Trenton, thirty miles off, and accompanied them to town. They went into their own house on Monday, and I believe will do very well, for he seems bent on industry, and she appears a discreet, notable young woman. My wife has been to see them every day, calling in as she passes by; and I suspect has fallen

west Passage, which I hope may afford you some entertainment. If you have the Journal of the French Academicians to Lapland, I should be glad to see it.” — November 7th, 1748.

"I send you the third and fourth volumes of the Harleian Miscellany, and also what I have of Mattaire's Classics. I think I promised to send you something else, but have forgotten what it was. You complain of the decay of your memory, but mine is a miserable one, and never was good. I thank you for your favor in lending me Marchetti's Lucrezio and Smith's Travels, which I shall take care duly to return." - May 19th. 1749.

"For the reason you mention, I am of the same opinion, that Dr. Free has not considered the Picts' language as you have done, but imagines with other writers that the Pict nation was totally destroyed and its language with it."- September 18th.

"I send you herewith a new French piece on electricity, in which you will find a journal of experiments on a paralytic person. I also send Neal on Electricity, and the last Philosophical Transactions, in which you will find some other pieces on the same subject. If you should desire to see any of the experiments mentioned in those pieces repeated, or if any new ones should occur to you to propose, which you cannot well try yourself, when I come to fetch the apparatus they may be tried. I shall be glad to hear that the shocks had some good effect on your disordered side." - December 16th.

"I send the Dialogues on Education, which I ascribed to Hutcheson, but am since informed they were wrote by Mr. Forbes, Professor of Philosophy in the University of Aberdeen; the same who wrote the Inquiry into the Life and Writings of Homer. I also send Milton." -December 17th.

"I send Whiston's Life. He seems to me to have been a man of great industry and little prudence. I have been lame these two weeks past, but am now so much better, that I think I shall be able to wait on you next week with Mr. Kalm. We had a very bright appearance of the When I have the pleasure of seeing you, I shall give you a full account of the affairs of the Academy, which go on with all the success that could be expected." - February 17th.

Aurora Borealis last night.

in love with our new cousin; for she entertains me a deal, when she comes home, with what cousin Sally does, and what cousin Sally says, what a good contriver she is, and the like.

I believe it might be of service to me, in the matter of getting in my debts, if I were to make a voyage to London; but I have not yet determined on it in my own mind, and think I am grown almost too lazy to undertake it.

The Indians are gone homewards loaded with presents. In a week or two the treaty with them will be printed, and I will send you one. My love to brother and sister Mecom, and to all inquiring friends. I am your dutiful son, B. FRANKLIN.

TO MRS. ABIAH FRANKLIN.

Yellow Fever in Philadelphia.

HONORED MOTHER,

Philadelphia, 16 October, 1749.

This has been a busy day with your daughter, and she is gone to bed much fatigued and cannot write.

I send you enclosed one of our new Almanacs. We print them early, because we send them to many places far distant. I send you also a moidore enclosed, which please to accept towards chaise hire, that you may ride warm to meetings this winter. Pray tell us what kind of a sickness you have had in Boston this sumBesides the measles and flux, which have carried off many children, we have lost some grown persons, by what we call the Yellow Fever; though that is almost, if not quite over, thanks to God, who has preserved all our family in perfect health.

mer.

Here are cousins Coleman, and two Folgers, all well.

Your granddaughter is the greatest lover of her book and school, of any child I ever knew, and is very dutiful to her mistress as well as to us.

I doubt not but brother Mecom will send the collar, as soon as he can conveniently. My love to him, sister, and all the children. I am your dutiful son. B. FRANKLIN.

TO MRS. ABIAH FRANKLIN.

Private Affairs and Family Incidents.

HONORED MOther,

[Date uncertain.]

We received your kind letter of the 2d instant, by which we are glad to hear you still enjoy such a measure of health, notwithstanding your great age. We read your writing very easily. I never met with a word in your letters but what I could easily understand; for, though the hand is not always the best, the sense makes every thing plain. My leg, which you inquire after, is now quite well. I shall keep these servants; but the man not in my own house. I have hired him out to the man, that takes care of my Dutch printing-office, who agrees to keep him in victuals and clothes, and to pay me a dollar a week for his work. The wife, since that affair, behaves exceeding well; but we conclude to sell them both the first good opportunity, for we do not like negro servants. We got again about half what we lost.

As to your grandchildren, Will is now nineteen years of age, a tall proper youth, and much of a beau. He acquired a habit of idleness on the Expedition,* but

* His son, William, had been an officer in the Pennsylvania forces raised for an expedition against Canada, in the year 1746.

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