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edge of our affairs, and his great candor and integrity, we have good reason to hope our laws will not be rejected on frivolous pretences and partial policy.

Nothing occurred in our winter or spring sittings worth communicating, or, engaged as I have been, I should have wrote to you on what passed. Several matters of consequence were agitated, but failed; some in the House, some with the governor; particularly a loan-office bill, which he rejected, (though the disposition of the money was to have been by act of Assembly,) because we would not give him, in a manner, the sole nomination of the trustees. But this I do not now regret, since I have been informed of the temper the ministry are in, with respect to American currency. I am, &c. JOSEPH GALLOWAY.

TO MRS. MARY HEWSON.

DEAR POLLY,

London, 24 July, 1770.

I wrote a few lines to you last week, in answer to yours of the 15th, since which I have been in the country; and, returning yesterday, found your good mother was come home, and had got a letter from you of the 20th. She has just put it into my hands, and desired me to write to you, as she is going into the city with Miss Barwell to buy things. Whether she will have time to write herself, or whether, if she had, she would get over her natural aversion to writing, I cannot say. I rather think she will content herself with your knowing what she should say, and would say, if she wrote; and with my letting you know, that she is well, and very happy in hearing that you are so.

Your friends are all much pleased with your ac

count of the agreeable family, their kind reception and entertainment of you, and the respect shown you; only Dolly and I, though we rejoice and shall do so in every thing that contributes to your happiness, are now and then in low spirits, supposing we have lost each a friend. Barwell says she conceives nothing of this; and that we must be two simpletons to entertain such imaginations. I showed her your letter to your mother, wherein you say, "Dolly. is a naughty girl, and, if she does not mend, I shall turn her off; for I have got another Dolly now, and a very good Dolly too." She begged me not to communicate this to Dolly, for though said in jest, yet, in her present state of mind, it would hurt her. I suppose that it was for the same good-natured reason, that she refused to show me a paragraph of your letter to Dolly, that had been communicated by Dolly to her.

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*

July 25th. The above was written yesterday, but, being interrupted, I could not finish my letter in time for the post; though I find I had little to add. Your mother desires me to express abundance of affection for you, and for Mr. Hewson; and to say all the proper things for her, with respect to the rest of your friends there. But you can imagine better than I can write. Sally and little Temple join in best wishes of prosperity to you both. Make my sincerest respects acceptable to Mr. Hewson, whom, exclusive of his other merits, I shall always esteem in proportion to the regard he manifests for you. Barwell tells me, that your aunt had received his letter, and was highly pleased with it and him; so I hope all will go well there; and I shall take every opportunity of cultivat

* William Temple Franklin, son of William Franklin, Governor of New Jersey.

ing her good disposition, in which I think you used to be sometimes a little backward, but you always had your reasons.

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I am apt to love everybody that loves you, and therefore I suppose I shall in time love your new mother, and new sister, and new Dolly. I find I begin to like them already, and, if you think proper, you may tell them so. But your old Dolly and I have agreed to love each other better than ever we did, to make up as much as we can our supposed loss of you. We like your assurance of continued friendship, unimpaired by your change of condition, and we believe you think as you write; but we fancy we know better than you. You know I once knew your heart better than you did yourself. As a proof that I am right, take notice, -that you now think this the silliest letter I ever wrote to you, and that Mr. Hewson confirms you in that opinion..

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However, I am still what I have been so many years, my dear good girl, your sincerely affectionate friend and servant,..

B. FRANKLIN.

TO CADWALLADER EVANS.

Transit of Venus. — Reeling of Silk. Non

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importation Agreement.

DEAR DOCTOR,

London, 27 August, 1770.

I am favored with yours of June 10th. With this I send you our last volume of Philosophical Transac tions, wherein you will see printed the Observations of Messrs. Biddle and Bayley on the Transit, as well as those of Messrs. Mason and Dixon relating to the

longitude of places. When you and your friends have perused it, please to deliver it to Mrs. Franklin to be put among my books.

Thanks for the books on the silk affair. It will give me great pleasure to see that business brought to perfection among us. The subscription is a noble one, and does great honor to our public spirit. If you should not procure from Georgia, as you expected, one that understands the reeling, I believe I can procure you such a hand from Italy, a great silk merchant here having offered me his assistance for that purpose, if wanted.

I am happy beyond expression to see the virtue and firmness of our country, with regard to the nonimportation. It does us great honor. And New York is in great disgrace with all the friends of liberty in the kingdom, who are, I assure you, no contemptible number, and who applaud the stand we have made, and wish us success. I am, my dear friend, yours most affectionately,

B. FRANKLIN.

TO M. Dubourg.

On the Right of Great Britain to tax the Colonies.

London, 2 October, 1770.

I see with pleasure, that we think pretty much alike on the subject of English America. We of the colonies have never insisted, that we ought to be exempt from contributing to the common expenses necessary to support the prosperity of the empire. We only assert, that, having Parliaments of our own, and not having representatives in that of Great Britain, our

Parliaments are the only judges of what we can and what we ought to contribute in this case; and that the English Parliament has no right to take our money without our consent. In fact, the British empire is not a single state; it comprehends many; and, though the Parliament of Great Britain has arrogated to itself the power of taxing the colonies, it has no more right to do so, than it has to tax Hanover. We have the same King, but not the same legislatures.

The dispute between the two countries has already lost England many millions sterling, which it has lost in its commerce, and America has in this respect Deen a proportionable gainer. This commerce consisted principally of superfluities; objects of luxury and fashion, which we can well do without; and the resolution we have formed of importing no more, till our grievances are redressed, has enabled many of our infant manufactures to take root; and it will not be easy to make our people abandon them in future, even should a connexion more cordial than ever succeed the present troubles. I have, indeed, no doubt that the Parliament of England will finally abandon its present pretensions, and leave us to the peaceable enjoyment of our rights and privileges.

B. FRANKLIN.

TO MRS. DEBORAH FRANKLIN.

London, 3 October, 1770.

MY DEAR CHILD,

I received your kind letter of August 16th, which gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I am glad your little grandson recovered so soon of his illness, as I see you are quite in love with him, and that your happiness is wrapped up in his; since your whole long

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